CNS stimulants and ADHD drugs cost £44 million between April 2025 and June 2025 in England

11 September 2025

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has released its latest quarterly report ‘Medicines Used in Mental Health (England)’, featuring prescribing data from April to June 2025. It highlights trends and patterns compared to previous quarterly data and is presented over a rolling five-year period from July 2020 to June 2025.   

The report includes data about medicines from five British National Formulary (BNF) sections primarily used to treat anxiety, depression, psychosis, ADHD and dementia.  

From April 2025 to June 2025, the cost of prescribed CNS stimulants and drugs for ADHD was £44 million - a 4.7% increase when compared to January 2025 to March 2025 data.   

The cost increase reflects a 6% increase in the number of CNS stimulants and ADHD drug items prescribed, with 965,000 items prescribed to an estimated 284,000 identified patients.   

Other key findings show that between April and June 2025: 

• 1.2 million drugs for dementia were prescribed to an estimated 277,000 identified patients, at a cost of £8.4 million.  

• 23 million antidepressant items were prescribed to an estimated 7 million identified patients, at a cost of £55 million. 

• 3.5 million antipsychotic items were prescribed to an estimated 661,000 identified patients, at a cost of £44 million.  

• 3.3 million hypnotics and anxiolytic items were prescribed to an estimated 1 million patients, at a cost of £21 million. 

To read the full report, visit: Medicines Used in Mental Health - England Quarterly Summary Statistics April to June 2025 | NHSBSA  

Notes for editors: 

• This publication provides information on medicines used to treat mental health in England. It covers medicines prescribed in England that are then dispensed in the community in England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. The publication does not include data on medicines used in hospitals, prisons or prescribed by private doctors.   

• The NHSBSA does not capture the clinical indication of a prescription, so there may be instances where these drugs are used for other conditions.

Glossary of terms:   

• Item - A single unit of medication listed separately on a prescription form. In this publication, an example of an item would be Fluoxetine 20mg tables x56.  

• Identified patients - A unique NHS number captured from a prescription form or electronic prescription service (EPS) message.  

• Classification - This publication uses the British National Formulary (BNF), which lists medicines used in the UK and classifies them according to their primary therapeutic use.    

The NHS Business Services Authority is an Arm's Length Body of the Department of Health and Social Care. We manage over £100 billion of NHS spend annually and are responsible for providing platforms and delivering services that support the priorities of the NHS, Government and local health economies. Our purpose is to deliver business excellence to the NHS to help people live longer, healthier lives.

For more information about the NHSBSA, please visit: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk 

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