MEDICATION-TAKING BEHAVIOUR IN ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD): A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA DATA
Author(s)
Andrea Bever, MSc, Allison Bihari, PhD, Conor Murphy, MA, Shelagh Szabo, MSc;
Broadstreet HEOR, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Broadstreet HEOR, Vancouver, BC, Canada
OBJECTIVES: Social media data can provide insight into health-related behaviours; including how medicating taking practices may differ from prescribed regimens. This is especially relevant in ADHD, as poor adherence is common and can undermine the real-world effectiveness and long-term benefits of pharmacotherapy. Our objective was to explore how individuals describe taking their ADHD medication on social media, including the personal, social, and structural contexts that influence their decisions on medication use.
METHODS: Potentially-relevant posts published between 2013-2025 were identified from Reddit using a customized search strategy; identified posts were screened for relevance. An inductive reflexive thematic analysis was performed. Data within posts were coded to classify themes related to how people with ADHD describe the use of their medications, and the drivers of patterns of medication use.
RESULTS: Twenty-three eligible threads comprising 4486 responses were included in the preliminary analysis. Threads mainly described personal experiences or solicited advice regarding ADHD medication use. Commonly-reported ADHD medication taking-behaviors included stockpiling or rationing, situational dose skipping or adjustment, medication sharing, and taking medication ‘as needed’ vs. daily use. Structural barriers including medication shortages, refill delays, cost, and insurance coverage were dominant drivers of stockpiling and rationing, and at times, medication sharing. Situational factors, including sleep concerns and productivity demands, shaped how some individuals took medication. Decisions were influenced by provider guidance, peer advice, and individual beliefs about tolerance, dependence, perceived effectiveness, symptom severity, and daily functional needs.
CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight variability in ADHD medication-taking behaviour, and reasons people take those medications in ways differing from prescribed regimens. Strengths include the large sample of posts reviewed and anonymous nature; limitations include the potential for behaviours that are negatively perceived by the ADHD community to be underrepresented. These data will help clinicians better understand their patients’ motivations, and researchers understand how people take ADHD medications in real-world settings.
METHODS: Potentially-relevant posts published between 2013-2025 were identified from Reddit using a customized search strategy; identified posts were screened for relevance. An inductive reflexive thematic analysis was performed. Data within posts were coded to classify themes related to how people with ADHD describe the use of their medications, and the drivers of patterns of medication use.
RESULTS: Twenty-three eligible threads comprising 4486 responses were included in the preliminary analysis. Threads mainly described personal experiences or solicited advice regarding ADHD medication use. Commonly-reported ADHD medication taking-behaviors included stockpiling or rationing, situational dose skipping or adjustment, medication sharing, and taking medication ‘as needed’ vs. daily use. Structural barriers including medication shortages, refill delays, cost, and insurance coverage were dominant drivers of stockpiling and rationing, and at times, medication sharing. Situational factors, including sleep concerns and productivity demands, shaped how some individuals took medication. Decisions were influenced by provider guidance, peer advice, and individual beliefs about tolerance, dependence, perceived effectiveness, symptom severity, and daily functional needs.
CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight variability in ADHD medication-taking behaviour, and reasons people take those medications in ways differing from prescribed regimens. Strengths include the large sample of posts reviewed and anonymous nature; limitations include the potential for behaviours that are negatively perceived by the ADHD community to be underrepresented. These data will help clinicians better understand their patients’ motivations, and researchers understand how people take ADHD medications in real-world settings.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
PCR87
Topic
Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Patient Behavior and Incentives