For many women, receiving an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood is a moment of clarity, a long-overdue explanation for years of feeling overwhelmed, misunderstood, or misdiagnosed. As part of her PhD research at the School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Ms Dani Russell has been exploring what happens after that diagnosis, particularly when it comes to medication use.
Working with colleagues from the Centre of Research Excellence in Medicines Intelligence, Ms Russell used Australian medication dispensing data to investigate how women’s use of other medications changed after they began treatment for ADHD. The soon-to-be published study focused on stimulant medications like dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse), and methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta), looking at what happened to prescriptions for antidepressants and other mental health medications.
Many women with ADHD have spent years being treated for anxiety or depression, unaware that ADHD might be the underlying issue. So the researchers predicted women would get fewer medicines for these conditions after they began ADHD treatment.
And that’s exactly what Ms Russell and colleagues found. Within two years of starting ADHD medication, there was a decline in antidepressant and other mental health medication use, including medicines for sleep and anxiety as well as mood stabilisers. Interestingly, the drop in prescribing for depression and anxiety began immediately after the start of ADHD treatment.
There was another unexpected result: an increase in cardiovascular medications, particularly for blood pressure. This provides further evidence about the connection between ADHD and cardiometabolic disease, the theme of TIMESPAN, and sheds some light on how clinicians and people with ADHD weigh up and manage the effects of stimulant medications on the heart and circulation.
This research is part of a broader effort to understand the unique experiences of women with ADHD, which Ms Russell is exploring in her thesis. Too often, women’s health is siloed or overlooked. By bringing together data, lived experience, and a gendered lens, we can develop a clearer picture and better support women across the lifespan.
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