Age- and Sex-Specific Increases in Stimulant Prescribing Rates-California, 2008-2017

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Stimulant medications are increasingly prescribed for various conditions.
• Understanding prescribing trends is crucial for public health.
• California serves as a key demographic and geographic area for trend analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in prevalent and incident stimulant prescribing in California from 2008 to 2017.
• To identify demographic patterns, including age and sex, in stimulant prescription rates.
• To examine disparities in prescribing rates across different socioeconomic and racial/ethnic areas.

Main Methods:

• Utilized statewide data from California for the period 2008-2017.
• Calculated prevalent (any) and incident (new) stimulant prescribing rates.
• Adjusted analyses for area-level covariates to account for confounding factors.

Main Results:

• Prevalent stimulant prescribing increased by 126% and incident prescribing by 23% overall.
• Patients aged 25-44 years showed over 200% increase in prevalent prescribing.
• Women consistently had higher prescribing rates than men for patients over 25; areas with larger minority populations experienced the greatest prescription rate increases.

Conclusions:

• Adult stimulant prescribing, especially for early working-aged adults, has risen substantially.
• Prescription rates for stimulants are higher in women than men.
• Significant increases in stimulant prescribing were observed in areas with larger minority populations, warranting further investigation into underlying causes and implications.