New stimulant prescriptions for Ontario adults rose sharply after COVID, study finds
Mar 10th 2026
An ICES analysis published in CMAJ shows new stimulant prescriptions for Ontario adults rose substantially during the COVID pandemic, concentrated in young adults and accompanied by changes in prescribers, indications, formulations and time to treatment.
- A CMAJ study using Ontario prescribing and monitoring data found 327,053 adults started stimulants between January 2016 and June 2024, with a median age of 31 and 55.4% women.
- Monthly rates of new stimulant dispensations rose from 0.16 to 0.44 per 1,000 people between January 2016 and June 2024, and the study reports roughly a doubling in new prescriptions since the pandemic began.
- The increase was concentrated in younger adults, with June 2024 monthly rates of 1.13 per 1,000 for ages 18 to 24 and 0.77 per 1,000 for ages 25 to 34.
- Most new starts after the pandemic were long acting formulations, mainly lisdexamfetamine or long acting methylphenidate, and higher initial doses became more common.
- ADHD as the expected indication rose while the median time from first ADHD visit to stimulant start fell from 2,493 days before the pandemic to 348 days during the pandemic.
- Prescriber mix shifted away from psychiatrists and toward nurses and nurse practitioners, with psychiatrist starts falling from 25.5% to 18.0% and nurse practitioner starts rising from 1.7% to 9.6%.
- Authors flag concerns about how diagnoses are being made, possible misdiagnosis, disparities in access to assessment and treatment, and the longer term consequences of increased adult stimulant use.