This site is updated Hourly Every Day

Trending Featured Popular Today, Right Now

Colorado's Only Reliable Source for Daily News @ Marijuana, Psychedelics & more...

Post: Veteran Prescriptions for Addictive ADHD Drugs Are Not Being Properly Vetted and Tracked, Watchdog Says

Picture of Anschutz Medical Campus

Anschutz Medical Campus

AnschutzMedicalCampus.com is an independent website not associated or affiliated with CU Anschutz Medical Campus, CU, or Fitzsimons innovation campus.

Recent Posts

Anschutz Medical Campus

Veteran Prescriptions for Addictive ADHD Drugs Are Not Being Properly Vetted and Tracked, Watchdog Says
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Telegram
Threads
Email

Department of Veterans Affairs prescriptions for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, should be made tougher to obtain in the future, according to a new report by the VA inspector general.

The inspector general found that VA providers aren’t always documenting patient assessments before prescribing the stimulant drugs used to treat ADHD, such as brand-name drugs Adderall and Ritalin. In some cases, they are relying on the patient’s self-reporting without even conducting an assessment.

For veterans, there is a high risk of abuse and addiction to the prescribed drugs. Stimulants such as those used to treat ADHD are classified by the Food and Drug Administration as Schedule II drugs — the same category as fentanyl and oxycodone — and are tightly regulated and not recommended for patients who struggle with alcohol or substance abuse.

Read Next: Former Air National Guardsman Facing Child Porn Charges May Have Defected to Russian Military

The inspector general — the agency’s independent watchdog — recommended that VA primary-care providers refer patients who may need ADHD medications to mental health providers before writing prescriptions, as well as checking for other conditions that could be confused with ADHD symptoms.

There’s no genetic or biological testing available for ADHD, meaning a medical provider’s assessment is the only method for diagnosis.

Within the VA’s health care system, the number of patients with an ADHD diagnosis increased almost 60% from 2018 to 2022, from almost 70,000 patients to nearly 111,300.During the same period, VA stimulant prescription rates for ADHD patients jumped 53%, […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You Might Be Interested...