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Medication is one of the most common ways attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is treated in the United States, but the numbers behind it are more layered than a single prescription rate. Some groups are medicated at high rates, others barely at all, and the share of children on medication has actually fallen in recent years even as adult stimulant prescribing has climbed.
Layered on top of that is a supply problem that made the numbers concrete for millions of families: from late 2022 through 2024, a national shortage of amphetamine-based stimulants left people unable to fill prescriptions they already had. Federal agencies traced the shortfall to a mix of manufacturing and quota factors, and the disruption was severe enough that most adults taking a stimulant reported trouble getting it.
This article pulls together the federal data on who takes ADHD medication, how prescribing has trended, and what the shortage looked like in the numbers. It is descriptive statistics, not medical advice — for treatment decisions, talk to a clinician.
How many children take ADHD medication
Among U.S. children aged 3-17 with current ADHD, 53.6% were taking ADHD medication in 2022 (Danielson et al., 2024). That works out to roughly 3.4 million children. But medication use is far from uniform across age and sex — younger children are medicated at much lower rates, in line with clinical guidance that emphasizes behavioral treatment first for preschoolers.
| Group (children with current ADHD, 2022) | On ADHD medication |
|---|---|
| Ages 3-5 | 23.6% |
| Ages 6-11 | 56.9% |
| Ages 12-17 | 53.4% |
| Boys | 54.2% |
| Girls | 52.6% |
| Overall (3-17) | 53.6% |
Two other findings from the same data are worth holding alongside the headline number. First, medication is not the only treatment: 44.4% of children with current ADHD received behavioral treatment, and 30.1% received no ADHD-specific treatment at all in 2022 (Danielson et al., 2024). Second, the share of children on medication has declined — from 62.0% in 2016 to 53.6% in 2022 (Danielson et al., 2024). In other words, fewer children with ADHD are being medicated now than were a few years earlier, even as diagnoses have grown. For the broader diagnosis picture, see our overview of how many people have ADHD and the pillar page for children.
How many adults take ADHD medication
Adults are a different story. An estimated 15.5 million U.S. adults — about 6.0% — had current ADHD in 2023 (Staley et al., 2024). Of those, half were prescribed medication in the previous 12 months, but a substantial share went untreated entirely.
| Adults with current ADHD (2023) | Share |
|---|---|
| Prescribed any ADHD medication (past 12 months) | 50.4% |
| Took a prescription stimulant | 33.4% |
| Took a nonstimulant | 5.9% |
| Receiving no treatment | 36.5% |
The 36.5% receiving no treatment mirrors the pattern seen in children, and it is a reminder that a diagnosis does not automatically translate into medication or any other care. The reasons vary — access, cost, side effects, personal choice, and, as the data below show, drug availability. The adults population page covers the wider adult mental-health treatment picture.
The rising stimulant-prescription trend
While the share of children on medication fell, overall stimulant prescribing in the U.S. has been rising for a decade. Two federal datasets capture different slices of that trend.
Among commercially insured people, the share of enrollees with at least one prescription stimulant fill rose from 3.6% in 2016 to 4.1% in 2021 (Danielson et al., 2023). Zoomed out further, total U.S. stimulant dispensing increased 45.5% from 2012 to 2021, according to the joint federal analysis of the supply chain (DEA & FDA, 2023).
| Stimulant prescribing measure | Change |
|---|---|
| Enrollees with ≥1 stimulant fill (commercially insured) | 3.6% (2016) → 4.1% (2021) |
| Overall U.S. stimulant dispensing | +45.5% (2012 to 2021) |
That growth is important context for the shortage: demand for stimulants was climbing at the same time supply hit a wall. The rise in stimulant prescribing over this period also parallels increases in other psychiatric prescribing — see our companion piece on antidepressant usage statistics for how those trends compare.
The 2022-2024 stimulant and Adderall shortage
In October 2022, the medication side of ADHD care collided with a supply problem. The FDA first posted a shortage of immediate-release amphetamine mixed salts — the generic form of Adderall — on October 12, 2022 (FDA Drug Shortages). The shortage persisted, in various forms, into 2024.
In August 2023, the DEA and FDA took the unusual step of issuing a joint public letter acknowledging the shortage. They pointed to both manufacturing delays and the quota system: the DEA sets annual production quotas for controlled substances like amphetamine, and the agencies noted that manufacturers did not produce the full amount their 2022 quotas allowed (DEA & FDA, 2023). The letter framed the shortage as a shared problem across the supply chain rather than a single point of failure.
By mid-2024, the disruption drew a formal public-health warning. On June 13, 2024, the CDC issued Health Advisory HAN 00510, cautioning that disrupted access to prescription stimulants could increase the risk of injury and overdose — for example, if people turned to illicit sources or stopped treatment abruptly (CDC, 2024).
What the shortage looked like for patients
The clearest measure of the shortage’s human impact comes from the 2023 adult ADHD survey. Among adults who took a prescription stimulant, 71.5% had difficulty filling their prescription because the medication was unavailable (Staley et al., 2024). Counting all adults who took any ADHD medication, 61.8% reported the same problem.
| Adults reporting difficulty filling ADHD medication (2023) | Share |
|---|---|
| Among those taking a prescription stimulant | 71.5% |
| Among those taking any ADHD medication | 61.8% |
A difficulty rate above 70% is striking: it means the shortage was not a fringe inconvenience but the majority experience for stimulant users during this window. For a population that relies on consistent daily dosing, interrupted access carries real consequences for work, school, and daily functioning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of children with ADHD take medication?
In 2022, 53.6% of U.S. children aged 3-17 with current ADHD were taking ADHD medication — about 3.4 million children (Danielson et al., 2024). That is down from 62.0% in 2016.
How many adults take ADHD medication?
Among the 15.5 million U.S. adults with current ADHD in 2023, 50.4% were prescribed medication in the previous year, including 33.4% who took a stimulant and 5.9% who took a nonstimulant (Staley et al., 2024). About 36.5% received no treatment.
When did the Adderall shortage start?
The FDA first posted a shortage of immediate-release amphetamine mixed salts (the generic form of Adderall) on October 12, 2022 (FDA Drug Shortages). The DEA and FDA issued a joint letter about it in 2023, and the CDC issued a health advisory in June 2024.
Why was there an ADHD medication shortage?
Federal agencies attributed it to a combination of manufacturing delays and the DEA quota system, noting that manufacturers did not produce the full amount of amphetamine their 2022 quotas allowed, even as demand rose (DEA & FDA, 2023). Overall stimulant dispensing had increased 45.5% from 2012 to 2021.
How many people had trouble filling their prescription?
In 2023, 71.5% of adults taking a prescription stimulant reported difficulty filling it because it was unavailable, and 61.8% of all adults taking any ADHD medication reported the same (Staley et al., 2024).
Is ADHD medication use increasing or decreasing?
It depends on the group. Among children with ADHD, medication use declined from 62.0% (2016) to 53.6% (2022) (Danielson et al., 2024), while overall U.S. stimulant dispensing rose 45.5% from 2012 to 2021, driven largely by adults (DEA & FDA, 2023).
Sources
- Danielson ML, et al. ADHD Prevalence and Treatment Among U.S. Children, 2022. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/data/index.html
- Staley BS, et al. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosis, Treatment, and Telehealth Use in Adults — National Center for Health Statistics Rapid Surveys System, United States, 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2024;73(40). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7340a1.htm
- Danielson ML, et al. Trends in Stimulant Prescription Fills Among Commercially Insured Children and Adults — United States, 2016-2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023;72(13). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7213a1.htm
- Drug Enforcement Administration & Food and Drug Administration. DEA and FDA Issue Joint Letter to Public on Actions to Address Prescription Stimulant Shortages. 2023. https://www.dea.gov/documents/2023/2023-08/2023-08-01/dea-and-fda-issue-joint-letter-public-actions-address-shortages
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Advisory HAN 00510: Disrupted Access to Prescription Stimulant Medications Could Increase Risk of Injury and Overdose. CDC; 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/han/2024/han00510.html
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Drug Shortages database. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/drug-shortages