Statistics
ADHD medication prescribing in England: monthly tracker
In June 2026, NHS primary care in England dispensed 418,537 prescription items for the five licensed ADHD medicines (methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine, dexamfetamine and guanfacine), up 44.5% on June 2025. The figures come from the NHS Business Services Authority's English Prescribing Dataset and cover all ages, not adults only.
Information only, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Decisions about ADHD medication are always for a registered clinician. Never start, stop or change a medicine based on prescribing statistics.
418,537
ADHD medicine items dispensed in June 2026
+44.5%
Change vs June 2025
£18,070,336
Actual cost to the NHS in June 2026 (about £43.18 per item)
Monthly prescribing volume, last 24 months
Items by medicine, last 12 months
| Month | Methylphenidate | Lisdexamfetamine | Atomoxetine | Dexamfetamine | Guanfacine | Total items |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | 165,667 | 91,212 | 17,114 | 19,942 | 9,038 | 302,973 |
| August 2025 | 148,924 | 86,301 | 16,224 | 19,136 | 7,963 | 278,548 |
| September 2025 | 170,219 | 94,088 | 17,256 | 20,628 | 8,877 | 311,068 |
| October 2025 | 175,683 | 99,403 | 18,270 | 21,830 | 9,083 | 324,269 |
| November 2025 | 167,133 | 94,688 | 17,353 | 20,822 | 8,663 | 308,659 |
| December 2025 | 183,298 | 104,188 | 19,133 | 22,983 | 9,724 | 339,326 |
| January 2026 | 187,428 | 107,014 | 19,154 | 21,592 | 9,600 | 344,788 |
| February 2026 | 175,832 | 103,038 | 18,076 | 22,557 | 9,025 | 328,528 |
| March 2026 | 199,166 | 118,853 | 20,189 | 25,288 | 9,907 | 373,403 |
| April 2026 | 197,255 | 120,226 | 20,176 | 25,349 | 9,916 | 372,922 |
| May 2026 | 204,613 | 126,868 | 20,749 | 26,277 | 9,946 | 388,453 |
| June 2026 | 219,615 | 137,187 | 23,210 | 28,015 | 10,510 | 418,537 |
Every figure in this table is computed directly from the NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset (Open Government Licence v3.0). You can explore the same BNF paragraph on OpenPrescribing.net.
What the trend means for people seeking an assessment
Prescribing volume has been rising steadily, which reflects more people being diagnosed and treated, and it is one reason assessment waiting times are long. If you are weighing up how to get assessed, the free NHS Right to Choose route exists alongside private clinics, and our cost comparator puts realistic first-year numbers side by side.
How we built this (methodology)
- Source. NHS Business Services Authority, English Prescribing Dataset (EPD), queried via the NHSBSA Open Data Portal API. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Scope. England, NHS primary care prescriptions dispensed in the community. BNF paragraph 4.4 ADHD medicines only (methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine, dexamfetamine, guanfacine).
- Exclusions. Modafinil, pitolisant and caffeine sit in the same BNF paragraph but are not ADHD medicines, so they are excluded. Private prescriptions, hospital prescribing, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not in this dataset.
- Measures. Items = prescription items dispensed. Actual cost = the NHSBSA's actual cost measure (broadly, what the NHS paid). Items are not a count of patients.
- Refresh. Retrieved 2026-09-17, covering up to June 2026, the latest month the NHSBSA had published. The dataset is published monthly in arrears.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as one prescription item?
One item is one medicine prescribed once on a prescription form and dispensed. A person collecting a monthly prescription for one ADHD medicine accounts for roughly 12 items a year, so items are a measure of prescribing volume, not a count of people.
Does this data cover adults only?
No. The English Prescribing Dataset does not separate adults from children, so these figures cover all ages. They also cover England only, and only NHS prescriptions written in primary care (mostly GP practices) and dispensed in the community. Private prescriptions and hospital-issued medication are not included.
Which medicines are included?
The five licensed UK ADHD medicines in BNF paragraph 4.4: methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine, dexamfetamine and guanfacine. Other medicines in the same BNF paragraph, such as modafinil (a narcolepsy treatment), are excluded because they are not ADHD medicines.
How often is this page updated?
The NHSBSA publishes the English Prescribing Dataset monthly, a couple of months in arrears. The data on this page was last retrieved on 2026-09-17 and shows figures up to June 2026, the most recent month published at that point.
Cite this tracker
To reference these figures, please credit ADHD Helper and link to this page:
Source: ADHD Helper, ADHD medication prescribing in England tracker, https://adhdhelper.co.uk/statistics/adhd-medication-prescribing/ (accessed 2026-09-17). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21350384
This dataset is archived with a permanent DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21350384. Download the underlying data: NHS England ADHD medication prescribing, monthly items and cost by chemical (CSV).
Editor, ADHD Helper
Adam leads ADHD Helper's editorial coverage of adult ADHD, and he writes it from lived experience: Adam has ADHD himself, diagnosed as an adult, and has been through the assessment routes and the daily workarounds this site covers. He is the founder and managing director of Muswell Rose and researches the plain-English explainers on getting an ADHD assessment through NHS Right to Choose or privately, and on the products and tools people use to manage ADHD, drawing on guidance from the NHS, NICE and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is clear that the site is information, not medical advice, and that diagnosis is for a registered clinician.
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