Key Takeaways

• According to information published by eClinicalMedicine, 23,677 people of all ages received a stimulant prescription in 2010.
• According to information available from public health surveillance systems, methamphetamine was the most common stimulant used in the emergency-related department across the US, accounting for 33.7% from April 2019 through October 2020.
• The national annual rate of stimulant dispensing from 2014 to 2019 "has grown significantly from 5.6 to 6.1 prescriptions per 100 persons."
• According to information published by Pharmacy Today, the number of adults using central nervous system stimulus increased by 80% within 5 years before August 2021.

Introduction

Growth in Prescribed Stimulants in the US

 

Source

• According to information published by eClinicalMedicine, 23,677 people of all ages received a stimulant prescription in 2010. Over the years, the number of stimulant users increased; by 2016, it had gone up by 250% compared to figures in 2006.
• The percentage of people aged 12 years or older who used prescribed psychotherapeutic drugs such as stimulants in 2013 was 2.5 percent, similar to those from 2010 to 2012, which ranged from 2.4 percent to 2.7 percent. For instance, the number and percentage of people who consumed methamphetamine in 2013 in one month was 595,000, representing 0.2 percent. The findings of these numbers were similar to 2012's 440,000 representing 0.2 and in 2011 indicating 439,000 still representing 0.2%. However, the findings were a bit higher than the estimates in 2010, with 353,000 users representing 0.1 percent.
• For the first time, the number of new psychotherapeutic users in 2013 was 2 million. The number of psychotherapeutic users in 2013 increased from previous years. For instance, in 2012, there were 2.8 million psychotherapeutic users in the United States.
• The national annual rate of stimulant dispensing from 2014 to 2019 "has grown significantly from 5.6 to 6.1 prescriptions per 100 persons (AAPC = 1.5%, 95% CI 0.5-2.5)." With occurring increases among both amphetamine-type stimulants, rates differed by prescription type (from 4.2 to 4.8 per 100, AAPC= 2.6%, 95% CI 0.4-4.7) and long-acting stimulants (from 5.4 to 5.9 per 100; AAPC =1.6%; 95% CI 0.3-2.7).
• Overall, while the quarterly rates have remained relatively stable (AQPC = 0.4 %, 95 % CI 0.2–0.6), there is an effect in stimulant dispensing observed in children less than 20 years. Rates for children aged 0-9 years were highest in the fourth quarter and remained steady in the other quarters. For children aged 10-19, rates peaked in the year's first quarter but recorded a drop during the third quarter.
• During the study period, stimulant dispensing rates prescription for females showed a significant increase (AAPC = 3.6 %; 95 % CI 2.4–4.8), compared to that for males (AAPC = 0.1; 95 % CI -1.0–1.2). There is a significant decrease in rates (AAPC = -4.7 %; 95 % CI -3.6–-12.0) for children at the ages of 0-9 years from 2014-2019, while that for adults in the age brackets of 20-39 years increased (AAPC = 6.7 %; 95 % CI 4.2–9.3), 40–59 years (AAPC = 9.7 %; 95 % CI 7.5–12.0), and above 60 years (AAPC = 6.9 %; 95 % CI 5.2–8.6).
• Rates in males aged 10-19 years were highest in 2019 as one in four males were dispensed a description stimulant compared to one in eight females. Stimulant dispensing rates among children younger than 20 are higher in males (8.2 and 24.6 per 100 for males in the age bracket of 0–9 and 10–19 years, respectively) compared to females (3.2 and 11.9 per 100 for females with the same age bracket 0–9 and 10–19 years respectively.
• According to the 2015 and 2016 NSDUH, 6.6% (annual average) of U.S adults used prescription stimulants. 4.5% did not misuse, 1.9% misused without use disorders, and 0.2% had use disorders. 56.3% represents misuse commonly obtained as motivation to help concentration, and 56.9% of the misused prescription stimulants is obtained from relatives or friends. Use disorder and prescription stimulant misuse are frequently associated with the likelihood of getting from drug dealers, friends, or relatives, and medications from physicians
• While the number of individuals receiving prescribed stimulants in 2010 was 23,677, these numbers have increased, with 2020 recording 107,756 people with documented stimulant prescriptions. Noticeably, the characteristics of individuals receiving stimulants prescription changed across many biopsychosocial domains over as the study was carried out.
• According to information available from public health surveillance systems, methamphetamine was the most common stimulant used in the emergency-related department across the US, accounting for 33.7% from April 2019 through October 2020. Males and patients between 26 and 45 years represented 71.8 percent and 62.5% of methamphetamine-related emergency visits.
• According to information published by Pharmacy Today, the number of adults using central nervous system stimulus increased by 80% within 5 years before August 2021. The study also indicates that the number of methylphenidate and amphetamine prescriptions grew faster and increased by roughly 96%.

Research Strategy