The female side of pharmacotherapy for ADHD—A systematic literature review

Abstract

This comprehensive review examined sex differences in prescription rates and efficacy or effectiveness of pharmacotherapy treatment in girls and women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while identifying gaps in the scientific knowledge on this topic. Method A rigorous electronic database search was carried out in order to identify all published studies on female-specific effects of stimulants and non-stimulants in the treatment of ADHD. In total, 2672 studies were screened of which 21 studies (seven on prescription rates, 14 on effects of pharmacotherapy) met the inclusion criteria and were included for analysis. Results In all seven studies on ADHD prescription rates, girls received significantly less prescriptions than boys, a difference however no longer seen in adults with the exception of one study. Each of the 14 studies on effectiveness / efficacy found at least one sex-difference in the effects of ADHD pharmacotherapy. Conclusion Several sex-differences are demonstrated in the prescription, usage and efficacy /effectiveness of both stimulant and non-stimulant ADHD pharmacotherapy. A single daily use of MPH may possibly not be optimal for girls with ADHD and ATX may be a promising medication for girls and women with ADHD. The robustness of this result requires further investigation.

Methylphenidate for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults: a narrative review

“…Other factors, such as the rate of drug transport across the blood-brain barrier, genetic and hormonal factors, or the influence of the immune system, may also play a role. Unfortunately, the role of these putative mechanisms has so far been poorly understood and requires further research (Kok et al 2020).…”

“…While the issue of gender differences in terms of MPH effectiveness has been poorly investigated thus far, there is some preliminary data implicating that MPH might be somewhat less efficient in women (Kok et al 2020;Quinn et al 2017). Nevertheless, the gender differences (if any) are subtle, and -as such -were not taken into account in the recent treatment guidelines (Young et al 2020).…”

Saúde Mental e Qualidade de Vida

“…Devido a esse diagnóstico impreciso, essas meninas crescem com piores desenvolvimentos acadêmicos e cognitivos, pois estas não vão ser medicadas devidamente. É importante ressaltar, que a principal linha de ação para o tratamento do TDAH é a farmacoterapia, sendo está eficaz na diminuição dos sintomas, no melhoramento da funcionalidade diária e qualidade de vida deste paciente (KOK et al, 2020).…”

Treatment of Adolescents with Concurrent Substance Use Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review

“…However, an increasing number of studies suggest that females with ADHD face more severe outcomes and more often experience delayed and insufficient treatments than males with ADHD. Sex differences have been reported in the onset and/or type of symptoms, medication use, and quality of life [15,16].…”