Give Me Stimulants—Just Don’t Make Me Come to the Office

A JAMA study found a significant rise in stimulant prescriptions between 2019 and 2022, with a 37.5% increase in total volume. This trend was particularly noticeable through telehealth, where stimulant prescriptions soared from 1.4% to 38.1%, peaking at 51.8% in mid-2020. The shift was largely influenced by COVID-19 pandemic policies, which eased telehealth restrictions. While antidepressant prescriptions also rose, opioid prescriptions declined by 17.2%. The study emphasizes the need to balance access with monitoring for potential misuse as telehealth policies evolve​

Link to Article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2823646?utm_source=silverchair&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=article_alert-jamanetworkopen&utm_content=wklyforyou&utm_term=091324&adv=null