Use of ADHD drugs still increasing
Women are now the majority of adults prescribed ADHD medication. mbl.is/Sverrir Vilhelmsson
The use of ADHD medication is high in Iceland and is still increasing. In the last year, the use was nearly 64 defined daily doses per thousand people per day. This is an increase of 11.6% from the year before, which is similar to the increase between 2021 and 2022.
This is stated in the Directorate of Health’s newsletter, Talnabrunnur. It notes that the number of people who received ADHD medication is still increasing and women are now the majority of adult users. When it comes to the use of these medications in children, boys are still in the majority. In the last year, the proportional increase in the dispensed amount of ADHD medication in children was about 6.2%, while it was 13% for adults.
“In 2023, a total of 22,878 individuals received paid ADHD medication, including 7,239 children (<18 years) and 15,639 adults. This corresponds to 59 of 1,000 people receiving prescriptions for such medication in 2023, which is about a 9% increase from the year before when over 54 of 1,000 people were prescribed medication in this category,” is reported in the newsletter.
