Record high ADHD pill prescriptions: Number of adults on the pills rises by 41,000 in just three months - as tablets are linked to deadly side effect

A record number of ADHD prescriptions are being handed out on the NHS, with 41,000 more adults receiving the drugs in the last three months alone, new figures reveal. An estimated 395,000 patients were prescribed pills for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) between April and June this year.This is up 12 per cent in just three months, and almost fivefold from the estimated 81,000 patients receiving the drugs a decade ago. The number of patients taking the stimulant drugs also rose by 40 per cent in a year, and doubled in just three years, underlining the rapid growth in demand for ADHD treatment. The total number of prescriptions issued between January and June reached 2.4 million, putting the NHS on course to surpass last year's record of 4.2 million prescriptions. Experts say the surge has been fuelled, at least in part, by the 'medicalisation of distress' and warn behaviours once considered normal are now often interpreted as requiring treatment. NHS England estimates that around 2.5 million people in England may have ADHD, although most have not been formally diagnosed. Cases have shot up around 20-fold over the past two decades, with referrals for specialist appointments up 20 per cent in the past year alone. Bottles of methylphenidate hydrochloride tablets, which are used in the treatment of ADHDBy March this year, there were more than 803,000 open referrals for ADHD assessment.The growth has been driven largely by adults. In 2025/26, 267,000 adults aged 18 and over were prescribed the medicines, a rise of more than 40 per cent in a single year. Social media and influencers speaking out about their experience with the condition has also contributed to a growing awareness of ADHD, encouraging others to seek assessment.The latest figures, published by the The NHS Business Service Authority, suggest more people are entering treatment, rather than existing patients simply receiving more medication. While the number of patients receiving ADHD drugs has surged, prescription volumes have increased more steadily, indicating the increase is being driven primarily by new patients starting treatment. While campaigners argue this is a good thing, helping people who were previously missed by services get appropriate treatment, officials have raised their concerns about the rapid growth in demand. In December, the Government commissioned a review into a number of neurodevelopmental conditions including ADHD and autism. The review found that diagnoses were increasingly being used as a gateway to educational support, including access to extra time in exams. Published in March, its authors warned that medicalising stress risked making diagnosis the default route to support, even where other pathways might be more appropriate. Actress Sheridan Smith has spoken about how a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has helped her 'make sense of a lot of things' in her life. Experts suggested yesterday that the threshold for a diagnosis of ADHD has broadened so much that those with the disorder are virtually indistinguishable from those without it. ADHD affects concentration, activity levels and impulse control. Symptoms include being easily distracted or forgetful and struggling to follow instructions. The NHS' Medicines Used in Mental Health quarterly report, published today, also reported total spending on ADHD medication, such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) and dexamfetamine (Elvanse).The cost increased by nearly 12 per cent to £56 million, compared to £50 million the previous quarter. The data comes amid concern about a deadly side effect of medication prescribed for the condition, which could affect thousands of Britons.In July, campaigners warned that many patients starting on ADHD medication may have undiagnosed heart defects – which affect around one in 300 people – putting them at risk of complications triggered by the drugs.The warning came less than a year after an inquest concluded that a 28-year-old City finance worker’s death was linked to his stimulant ADHD medication.Jacob Wooderson, from London, suffered sudden arrhythmic death syndrome – when a young and seemingly healthy person dies of cardiac arrest – shortly after his dose of Elvanse, also known as lisdexamfetamine, was increased.Elvanse was listed as a cause of his death. He had been diagnosed with ADHD six months earlier.