Meraya Abdulkarim M
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan 45124, Saudi Arabia.
Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan 45124, Saudi Arabia.
Children (Basel). 2022 Jan 30;9(2):171. doi: 10.3390/children9020171.
The objectives of this study are to: (1) quantify the difference in the annual number of prescription medications (total and unique) between children and adolescents with ADHD and those without ADHD; and (2) identify the most prescribed medication classes and unique medications among children and adolescents with ADHD. A retrospective cross-sectional study design was employed using data from the 2015 and 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The study sample comprised children and adolescents (5-17 years). In the 5-12-year age group, those with ADHD were 2.4%, 17%, and 15% significantly more likely to have one, 2-4, and ≥5 prescription medications, respectively. Similarly, those in the 13-17-year age group were more likely to have one prescription medication (3%), 2-4 prescription medications (15%), and ≥5 prescription medications (12%) than those without ADHD. The most prescribed medications among children and adolescents with ADHD were methylphenidate and amphetamine-dextroamphetamine. ADHD was associated with both higher annual total and unique prescription medications. Additionally, concurrent use of prescription medications was more prevalent among children and adolescents with ADHD. High-quality randomized clinical trials on the safety and efficacy of combinations of multiple psychotherapeutics and stimulants' agents are required to guide the evidence-based practices.
（1）量化患有注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的儿童和青少年与未患ADHD的儿童和青少年在年度处方药数量（总数和独特药物）上的差异；（2）确定患有ADHD的儿童和青少年中最常开具的药物类别和独特药物。采用回顾性横断面研究设计，使用2015年和2017年医疗支出面板调查的数据。研究样本包括儿童和青少年（5 - 17岁）。在5 - 12岁年龄组中，患有ADHD的儿童分别有1种、2 - 4种和≥5种处方药的可能性比未患ADHD的儿童显著高出2.4%、17%和15%。同样，在13 - 17岁年龄组中，患有ADHD的儿童比未患ADHD的儿童更有可能有1种处方药（3%）、2 - 4种处方药（15%）和≥5种处方药（12%）。患有ADHD的儿童和青少年中最常开具的药物是哌甲酯和苯丙胺 - 右旋苯丙胺。ADHD与更高的年度处方药总数和独特药物数量相关。此外，患有ADHD的儿童和青少年同时使用处方药的情况更为普遍。需要高质量的随机临床试验来研究多种心理治疗药物和兴奋剂联合使用的安全性和有效性，以指导循证实践。
