7. Misuse and Diversion of Stimulant Medication: How Common is It and What Can Healthcare Professionals Do about It?

Misuse of stimulant medications, in the form of non-prescribed use for cognitive enhancement or recreational purposes, occurs with sufficient prevalence to incite concern among professionals who treat ADHD. This presentation will review current literature about this phenomenon as well as discuss recent efforts to develop a training program to address this concern. Selling, sharing, and trading stimulant medications by individuals with prescriptions is the most common means by which medications are provided to individuals who misuse. Clinicians who prescribe or support individuals with ADHD have not had methods at their disposal to address such diversion. This presentation will describe the development of a brief workshop designed to provide clinicians with tools for preventing or reducing stimulant diversion through strategies including education, medication monitoring, and risk assessment. The workshop, provided to prescribing physicians as well as all office staff, resulted in strong satisfaction ratings by all workshop recipients and sustained implementation by physicians. This brief workshop is therefore readily applicable to clinicians who do and don't prescribe medication for individuals with ADHD and supports feasibility of dissemination.