ADHD prescribing rules in Queensland

Since 1 December 2025, specialist GPs can initiate, modify and continue stimulant medication for adults with ADHD, within existing maximum dose limits.

Queensland made the widest change of any Australian jurisdiction in this round of reform, and it did it without a separate ADHD training requirement of the kind Tasmania, the ACT and South Australia attached to their GP pathways.

Who grants approval
Queensland Health, Medicines and Poisons
Governing law
Medicines and Poisons Act 2019
Prescription monitoring
QScript

The rules at a glance

ADHD stimulant prescribing in Queensland, as published by Queensland Health, Medicines and Poisons
Rule Position Detail
Specialists who can start Yes Paediatricians, psychiatrists Paediatricians had their authorisations extended on 1 December 2025 to cover young adults with ADHD aged 18 to 24, within existing maximum dose limits, to ease the transition to adult care.
Can a GP start it Yes Specialist GPs, adults only From 1 December 2025, all specialist GPs can initiate, modify and continue psychostimulants for adults aged 18 and over with ADHD, within existing maximum dose limits. Specialist GP is the registration category, meaning a vocationally registered GP, not a GP with extra ADHD training.
Can a GP continue it Yes Specialist GPs, adults only The same 1 December 2025 authorisation covers continuing and modifying treatment, not only starting it.
Government approval With approval Only outside the authorised classes Psychostimulants are restricted medicines under the Medicines and Poisons (Medicines) Regulation 2021, so a prescribing approval is needed unless the prescriber's class is already authorised in the regulation for that medicine.
Nurse practitioners With approval Depends on the regulation Queensland Health states that some classes of medical prescribers, specialist oral medicine dentists and nurse practitioners do not need a prescribing approval where the regulation already authorises them for that restricted medicine.
Age rules Yes GP pathway is 18 and over The specialist GP authorisation covers adults aged 18 and over. Paediatricians can prescribe to young adults with ADHD aged 18 to 24.

Changed: 1 December 2025. All specialist GPs authorised to initiate, modify and continue psychostimulants for adults with ADHD. Paediatricians extended to ages 18 to 24.

What changed on 1 December 2025

Queensland Health states that from 1 December 2025, all specialist GPs are able to initiate, modify and continue psychostimulants for adults with ADHD, within existing maximum dose limits. Paediatricians had their authorisations extended at the same time so they can prescribe psychostimulants to young adults with ADHD aged 18 to 24, within the same dose limits.

Queensland Health gives four reasons for the change: reducing referral bottlenecks and waitlists, strengthening continuity of care through the transition from adolescence to adulthood, improving access in regional and remote areas where specialist services are limited, and reducing wait times and financial barriers.

What specialist GP means

Specialist GP is a registration category, not a course. It describes a vocationally registered general practitioner, which is the standard qualification for a fully qualified Australian GP. This is the point most summaries of the Queensland change get wrong in one direction or the other: it is broader than the trained GP pathways in Tasmania, the ACT and South Australia, because there is no separate ADHD training requirement attached, but it is not literally every doctor working in a general practice.

A diagnosis still has to be reached before medication is prescribed. The change is about who may act on that diagnosis, not about skipping assessment.

When an approval is still needed

Amfetamines and methylphenidate are restricted medicines listed in the Medicines and Poisons (Medicines) Regulation 2021. A prescribing approval authorises a prescriber to prescribe a restricted medicine in the circumstances stated in the approval, and Queensland Health notes that some classes of prescriber do not need one where the regulation already authorises them for that medicine. Prescribing outside an authorised class or outside the stated dose limits is where an application still arises.

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Common questions about prescribing in QLD

Can any Queensland GP prescribe ADHD medication now?

Any specialist GP can, for adults aged 18 and over, since 1 December 2025. Specialist GP means a vocationally registered general practitioner. There is no additional ADHD training requirement attached to this authorisation, which is what makes Queensland broader than the trained GP pathways in Tasmania, the ACT and South Australia.

Does the Queensland change cover children?

No. The specialist GP authorisation is for adults aged 18 and over. The other half of the change works from the specialist side, extending paediatricians so they can prescribe to young adults with ADHD aged 18 to 24.

Do I still need a diagnosis first?

Yes. The change is about who is authorised to prescribe once a diagnosis exists. It does not remove the assessment step.

Sources

Compare with other jurisdictions

See all eight jurisdictions side by side, or open one directly.

Looking for assessment cost and wait times rather than prescribing rules? See the Brisbane pathway page.

ADHD Pathways Australia is an independent, editorially-run information resource. It is not a clinic and does not diagnose, treat or provide medical advice. Content here is general information only, sourced and cited where a figure is stated, and is not a substitute for a formal assessment by a registered psychologist, psychiatrist or paediatrician. Always seek individual advice from a qualified professional about your own situation.