Expert guidance encourages flexibility around monitoring to enable continued access to ADHD medications
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NO LONGER RELEVANT AND IS NOT BEING UPDATED BUT HAS BEEN LEFT ON THE SITE FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY
This information is sourced from the European ADHD Guidelines Group:
- The inability to do routine, face-to-face clinical visits to initiate and monitor medication should not be viewed as an absolute contraindication to pharmacotherapy
- Parents of children with ADHD and adolescents or adults with ADHD should avoid increasing doses or adding doses to manage a crisis or stress related to confinement
- Use of antipsychotic medications to manage disruptive behaviour or the use of sedatives when not clinically indicated should be avoided
- There is no strong rationale to introduce weekend drug holidays during the current crisis
- Routine cardiovascular clinical examination and face-to-face monitoring for individuals with ADHD without any cardiovascular risk factors could be postponed
- If possible, monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate using home blood pressure machines is recommended
- Routinely recommend parent-focused ADHD interventions, as well as mental-wellbeing interventions for children and young people.
