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ADHD Medication Types Used in Australia

Doctors in Australia usually try a stimulant medication first for ADHD, with a non-stimulant option available for people who get side effects. Here is what that general shape of the decision looks like, without specific brand names or doses that are really a conversation with your own prescriber.

Stimulant medication is usually the first option doctors in Australia try for ADHD, according to healthdirect. If someone has side effects on a stimulant, or a stimulant turns out to be a poor fit, a non-stimulant medication is the usual next option.

Stimulant medication as the first option

Stimulant medicines are the first line of treatment for most people diagnosed with ADHD in Australia, according to healthdirect, the government-funded health information service. Exactly which stimulant, and at what dose, is a decision for your prescriber, based on your own history, other health conditions, and how you respond once treatment starts.

Non-stimulant alternatives

Non-stimulant medication exists as an alternative for people who experience side effects on a stimulant, per healthdirect. A prescriber typically raises it as an option once stimulant medication hasn't suited someone, rather than as a first choice, though the exact order can vary by individual circumstance.

Dose limits set by state health authorities

In New South Wales, the state's class authority sets maximum daily doses that psychiatrists, paediatricians and neurologists can prescribe without needing individual approval: up to 50mg of dexamfetamine, 70mg of lisdexamfetamine, or 108mg of methylphenidate a day. Other states set their own limits and processes for the same medicines, and this applies at every pharmacy the same way within a state, since it's a state health authority rule rather than something that varies pharmacy to pharmacy. That's one more reason the exact dose is a conversation with your prescriber, not something to work out in advance.

Who can prescribe either type

The same prescribing rules apply whether the medication being considered is a stimulant or a non-stimulant: only a psychiatrist, paediatrician or neurologist can prescribe it in most states, and a registered psychologist cannot prescribe medication of either kind. Exactly which specialist, or in some states a GP, can write the prescription depends on where you live and, in a few states, on how long someone has already been stable on the medication.

Medication is one part of treatment

healthdirect lists medication as one of two broad treatment paths for ADHD, alongside psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy, general psychotherapy, family counselling and skills training. Many people use a combination, with the exact mix depending on age, presentation and personal preference. None of this replaces a conversation with the person actually prescribing for you; the categories above describe the shape of the decision, not a specific medicine or dose to choose on your own.

Where you land in this general picture, stimulant first, non-stimulant as the alternative, medication alongside or instead of psychological therapy, is worked out session by session rather than settled at the first appointment. A prescriber will usually want to see how someone responds before making a bigger change, which is one reason early follow-up appointments tend to be more frequent than later ones.

Common questions

Sources

• healthdirect Australia: Attention deficit disorder (ADD) or ADHD
• NSW Health: Prescribe a psychostimulant medicine
• AADPA: ADHD stimulant prescribing regulations in Australia and New Zealand

Related reading

• The psychiatrist pathway: assessment and medication
• ADHD medication prescribing rules by state
• What ADHD medication costs under the PBS