A recent White House executive order is focusing national attention on medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and raising concerns among mental health experts about possible future restrictions.
The order included a mandate for the MAHA commission to “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by” several prescription medications, including stimulants used to treat ADHD in adults and children, within the next 100 days.
“With this recent executive order, along with other comments that have been made, people are worried that it may become more difficult to get ADHD medication. Patients of mine, the parents of patients of mine, have stated their concerns about being able to access medications that are helpful for their children,” says Max Wiznitzer, MD, a pediatric neurologist at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland and co-chair of the Professional Advisory Board at CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).
Executive Order Alone Can’t Restrict Access to ADHD Meds
Despite the executive order, restricting access to any medication would require action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), says Dr. Wiznitzer.
If the MAHA commission determines that ADHD drugs (or any drugs on its radar) shouldn’t be prescribed in the way that their current approval allows, it’s still very unlikely drug approval would be revoked, says Diana Zuckerman, PhD, president of the National Center for Health Research in Washington, DC.
An effort to revoke approval would take many public meetings and would likely take years, she says.
“If the appointed commission has questions or concerns about the safety, long-term use, or dosing of these medications, the most likely scenario is that they would ask for more long-term studies to be performed. But the drugs would still be available while those studies were carried out,” says Dr. Zuckerman.
Wiznitzer says the way the executive order is written — and the use of the phrase “threat posed by” — raises concerns about the objectivity of any future MAHA report.
“We already know the pros and cons of the medications, and so it’s perplexing to us as to why they have to get a new panel and review it again,” he says.
How Many Kids Take ADHD Drugs?
- 54 percent took an ADHD medication
- 44 percent received behavior treatment (with some children receiving both medication and therapy)
- 30 percent didn’t receive any ADHD-specific treatment
Is ADHD Medication Safe?
Stimulants, the most commonly prescribed medications for ADHD, can have negative side effects such as stomachache, weight loss, irritability, decreased appetite, and insomnia.
Wiznitzer explains the benefits of medication (along with evidence-based behavior interventions and strategies) to parents of children with ADHD this way:
“Children with ADHD are running a race with their peers, but the starting line for them is 50 to 100 yards behind their peers, and they’re supposed to run the 100-yard dash. It’s going to be very difficult for them to keep up. Medication moves the starting line closer to where their peers are starting, but medication doesn’t run the race — the child still has to run the race,” he says.
Kids with ADHD still need to learn life skills, and the medication gives them the opportunity to learn to avoid bad habits and impulsivity, to have better social interactions, and more, says Wiznitzer.
Some Parents of Kids With ADHD Worry About Restricted Access
Many parents have seen how ADHD treatment — both medication and behavior therapy — helped their children learn the skills to thrive, says Wiznitzer.
“That’s why they are now very concerned. They do not want the government to tell them how to take care of their children. They do not want the government to limit the access to medications that have helped their children be successful, to help their children function much better,” he says.
Many parents are initially resistant to their kids taking these medications, and when they start improving, they often ask, “When can we stop the medicine?” says Wiznitzer.
“This isn’t a situation where the parents or the providers are ‘gung ho’ about the idea of kids taking medication. The risk of overprescribing is not what it’s being made out to be,” he says.
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