ADHD Medication Dispensing in Norway Rose Significantly Between 2005 and 2025

Between 2005 and 2025, the number of individuals in Norway dispensed at least one medication used for ADHD increased from 16,578 to 124,420, rising from 0.36 percent to 2.22 percent of the national population. According to a nationwide drug utilisation study published in BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology by researchers Espen Anker, Mats Fredriksen, and Jan Haavik, methylphenidate remained the most frequently dispensed active substance in 2025 with 69,665 recipients. Over the same period, lisdexamfetamine dispensing grew substantially, reaching 63,306 recipients by 2025, which corresponds to 90.9 percent of the methylphenidate recipient count.

The study evaluated trends through two complementary investigations: a national dispensing analysis and a methylphenidate product analysis. The national dispensing analysis drew upon public statistics from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health covering individuals of all ages from 2005 through 2025 to determine annual recipient counts overall and by active substance. The authors noted that recipients could be counted for both methylphenidate and lisdexamfetamine, and that diagnostic records and specific treatment indications were unavailable in the data.

In the second investigation, researchers examined a commissioned aggregated extract covering patients aged six years and older between 2005 and 2022 to evaluate methylphenidate product categories and release profiles. Within this extract, summed product-specific user counts increased from 17,532 in 2005 to 66,151 in 2022. Generic alternatives accounted for 28,567 counts in 2022, predominantly driven by generic modified-release alternatives, which contributed 27,248 product-specific user counts.

The authors emphasized that the summed product-specific counts do not represent unique recipients because individual counts overlapped across different products. Furthermore, because the national dispensing analysis and the methylphenidate product analysis tracked distinct counting units and different age populations, their respective totals cannot be directly compared.

Subject of Research: Trends in ADHD medication dispensing in Norway from 2005 to 2025

Article Title: Trends in dispensing of medications used for ADHD in Norway, 2005–2025: a nationwide drug utilisation study

Article References: Anker, E., Fredriksen, M., & Haavik, J. (2026). Trends in dispensing of medications used for ADHD in Norway, 2005–2025: a nationwide drug utilisation study. BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40360-026-01266-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s40360-026-01266-1

Keywords: ADHD, Norway, methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, drug utilisation, pharmacoepidemiology, public health, generic medications, Trends, dispensing, medications, used