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

To describe trends in dispensing of medications used for ADHD in Norway through two complementary analyses: a national dispensing analysis and a methylphenidate product analysis. The national dispensing analysis used public Norwegian Institute of Public Health statistics for all ages during 2005–2025 to describe annual recipient counts overall and by active substance. The methylphenidate product analysis used a commissioned aggregated extract covering ages ≥ 6 years during 2005–2022 to describe product-specific user counts by product category and release profile. Product-specific user counts overlapped across products. Diagnoses and treatment indications were unavailable in both analyses. In the national dispensing analysis, the number of individuals dispensed at least one included medication increased from 16,578 in 2005 to 124,420 in 2025, corresponding to 0.36% and 2.22% of the population. Methylphenidate remained the most frequently dispensed substance, with 69,665 recipients in 2025, while lisdexamfetamine reached 63,306. In the methylphenidate product analysis, summed product-specific user counts increased from 17,532 in 2005 to 66,151 in 2022. Generic alternatives contributed 28,567 counts in 2022, predominantly from modified-release products. These sums do not represent unique recipients. The national dispensing analysis showed growth in dispensing and changes across active substances through 2025. The methylphenidate product analysis showed increasing contributions from generic alternatives through 2022. The two analyses describe different counting units and age ranges; their totals should not be directly compared. The national dispensing analysis showed increasing dispensing and changes across active substances in all ages during 2005–2025. In the national dispensing analysis, the lisdexamfetamine recipient count reached 90.9% of the methylphenidate recipient count in 2025; recipients could be counted for both substances. In the methylphenidate product analysis, generic modified-release alternatives contributed 27,248 product-specific user counts in 2022. The extract covered ages ≥6 years, and counts overlapped across products.