Short-acting versus Long-acting Medications for the Treatment of ADHD

Primary care physicians, pediatricians, and psychiatrists account for approximately 80 percent of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatments prescribed in the United States. Selection of short-acting versus long-acting ADHD treatment varies by specialty with long-acting agents representing 56 percent of primary care prescriptions, 64 percent of psychiatrist prescriptions, and 79 percent of pediatric prescriptions. There appears to be a correlation between short-acting versus long-acting treatment selection and age, with long-acting agents accounting for 78 percent of prescriptions for pediatric patients (age 0-17) but only 49 percent of prescriptions for adults (patients aged 18+). A discussion of data is included.