ADHD Medication and GP Shared Care: What You Need to Know
If you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD and are considering starting medication, one of the first steps in managing your treatment is finding out whether your GP will agree to ‘shared care’. This is important because shared care allows your GP to take over the prescribing of your medication once the medication is stable and effective, as long as the patient agrees to have regular reviews by a specialist either every six months or annually. However, not all GPs are able to offer this option. Oftentimes this is because Commissioners (the boards who decide on health priorities and budgeting) have not allocated funding to GP surgeries to meet the costs of ongoing ADHD care.
Why Shared Care Matters
Shared care can significantly reduce the ongoing costs of ADHD medication, as you’ll typically be able to access your prescription through the NHS. Without shared care, patients can still be prescribed ADHD medication by a private prescriber but will need to cover the cost of their medication themselves.
As part of the ADHD treatment process, we contact the patient’s GP early to determine whether they agree to shared care. This helps patients understand where they stand from the beginning.
Financial Considerations
The cost of ADHD medication can vary significantly based on the brand and dosage. Extended-release versions of the medication, which offer more convenience, tend to be more expensive. Additionally, higher doses will increase the monthly cost. Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict which medication or dosage will suit a patient best.
Tips for making ADHD treatment affordable
The good news is one of the most effective treatments for ADHD is also the most affordable. Methylphenidate Hydrochloride lasts for 4 hours. It is common for people to take one tablet twice per day (4 hours apart) to achieve 8 hours of treatment. The initial treatment dose of Methylphenidate Hydrochloride is commonly 5mg twice per day, with a maximum licenced dose of 60mg in total. Currently (01.10.2024), the initial treatment dose costs between £6-£10 per month, and the maximum dose costs between £30-£40 per month.
One way of making treatment cheaper is to take medication only on days it is most needed. This could be Monday through Friday for school and work, with breaks over weekends and holidays. This way, one month of treatment, i.e., 28 tablets, could extend to 5-6 weeks of treatment.
Another cost-saving measure is to contact different chemists to find out how much they will charge, as prices vary between chemists.
It is worth considering whether the person taking ADHD medication would qualify for Disability Living Allowance/Personal Independent Payments. This benefit is issued based on support needs. If the person taking ADHD medication requires lots of support during the day, then they may qualify. Cerebra have a fantastic guide to completing DLA/PIP applications for neurodiverse children. These monthly payments might be able to cover the costs of an assessment and treatment if NHS services are inaccessible.