There has been an increase in the Misuse and Abuse of prescription drugs to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). the number of children on medication for ADHD has grown from 600,000 in 1990 to 3.5 million in 2013 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But although there is an over-medication of ADHD drugs, there is actually and under-medication since not all the right people are getting medicated. Many individuals lack insurance or are insured with health plans that do not cover the outpatient prescription drugs they need and cannot afford.10 Therefore, Individuals covered by various health plans and programs, and those who have no prescription drug coverage, pay significantly different prices for the same medications. As the demand for ADHD drugs grows, higher prescribing rates and increasing drug prices result, which creates problems for these number of Americans who cannot afford the treatment they require. A diagnosis found that out of the 15 percent of high-school age children who take ADHD pills, the true rate of children needing to be medicated is closer to 5 percent. This over-diagnosis and prescription is a direct result of intense, multi-million dollar marketing campaigns of ADHD medication by the drug makers, through celebrity ads as well print and television ads that prompt patients and their families to ask doctors about those specific drugs. And the tactic has paid off, with a quintupling of stimulant sales since 2002, to over $8 billion in revenues. Obtaining an ADHD prescription medication depends on a variety of factors. A consumer must have access to a provider with prescribing privileges and must be able to obtain any test necessary to determine the need for or appropr… … middle of paper … …on-adherence, which means that the patients’ number of doses are not taken or aretaken incorrectly jeopardizing the patient’s therapeutic outcome. While many low-income families obtain prescription coverage through government programs and may receive relatively generous drug benefits, those who have no prescription coverage are required to pay the full retail price charged at their pharmacies. Because the cash-paying customers are 72 Approximately 75 million uninsured and underinsured73 risk inability to access needed prescription medications.74 The risk is greatest for the chronically ill who require maintenance medication. Inability to acquire pharmaceuticals can result in a worsening of symptoms or failure to improve, which can cause preventable pain and premature death as well as economic consequences to the individual, his or her family, and society as a whole.
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