Post-pandemic surge in prescriptions for ADHD medication costs €30m
Darragh Mc Donagh
The number of people receiving medication for ADHD under free or subsidised drug schemes has surged by 150 per cent since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, costing more than €30 million in the past five years
A total of 25,715 patients were prescribed medication for the neurodevelopmental disorder on the medical card or other public health schemes last year, compared to 10,327 in 2020.
The annual cost of the medication, which is most often a stimulant called methylphenidate, also more than doubled during that period, rising from €4.1 million in 2020 to €9.3 million last year.
Last year, 11,357 patients were prescribed drugs for ADHD on the medical card, while 12,105 patients who were medicated for the disorder received reimbursements under the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS).
A further 2,253 people received medication for ADHD under the Long-Term Illness (LTI) scheme.
Galway was the Local Health Office (LHO) area with the highest number of patients who were prescribed ADHD drugs under the medical card scheme last year, with 833. This was followed by Laois-Offaly, where 557 medical-card holders received the medication.
The LHO area with the highest number of patients who received reimbursements for ADHD medication under the DPS in 2024 was Dublin South East, with 1,261, followed by Dún Laoghaire with 818.
Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Huddersfield and Aston University attributed a reported rise in ADHD diagnoses since the pandemic to increased awareness of the disorder via social media.
They also said there was a “strong association” between the impact of the pandemic and the worsening of ADHD symptoms, which include inattention, hyperactivity, and emotional dysregulation.
Drugs used to treat the disorder include methylphenidate, which is better known by the brand names Ritalin, Concerta and Delmosart, as well as two other stimulants: dexamfetamine and lisdexamfetamine.
In April, Government Chief Whip Mary Butler, the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, suggested that a surge in young children with ADHD was driving waiting lists for child and adolescent mental health services.
Records released under freedom of information laws show that the number of patients prescribed medication for ADHD on the medical card scheme has increased by 69 per cent since 2020.
The number of people prescribed ADHD on the DPS increased by 655 per cent from 1,604 to 12,105 during the same period, while the number of patients receiving ADHD drugs on the LTI scheme increased by 12 per cent.
The LHO area with the lowest number of patients prescribed medication for ADHD under the medical card scheme last year was West Cork, with 79. It was also the lowest LHO area under the LTI scheme, with seven.
A total of 80 patients on the DPS were prescribed ADHD drugs in Roscommon in 2024, according to the records released by the Health Service Executive (HSE).
