Stimulants

The use of stimulants is mainstream for children diagnosed with ADHD and similar disorders.  As a GP, you cannot initiate prescribing of stimulants but can write repeats for patients who have been prescribed for by paediatricians or psychiatrists.

Sometimes as a GP you will see a patient who has been prescribed either high doses of stimulants or a cocktail of medication with which you are not very comfortable.  In such a case, a Hotline consultation about how to proceed might be helpful.  In extreme cases we have hospitalised children in order to rationalise their medication regimes.

There has been increasing concern about possible cardiac complications of stimulants.  The truth is, we really don’t know whether these drugs are dangerous or not. This is because we doctors do a poor job of reporting adverse drug reactions.  We would encourage you to report any adverse drug reactions (about stimulants or any other drugs) because this data is important in ensuring patient safety.  It is quite simple to do, just click here to register to do so on-line.

If a child is on stimulants and you don’t think they have had an adequate mental health assessment consultation with and or referral to CAMHS is an option you might wish to explore.  Remember if you get stuck, use the Hotline.