[cyberax]

> Testing is profitable and so are the drugs.

Amphetamine salts (generic for Adderall) cost less than $20 a month. Generic atomoxetine is $15.

The medication for ADHD is _cheap_. A pharmacy will likely get more profit from a bottle of ibuprofen.

[ty6853]

Maybe this varies but people I know with adhd had to see or beg a doc every 6 months to renew a script, which is a money generator for the doctor.

The gross margin on amphetamine salts even at $20 must be insanely high. We're talking about what, a couple grams of active amphetamines in a month?

[cyberax]

Doctors in the US do not suffer for the lack of patients. In most cases, psychiatrists are booked for months in advance. A lot of ADHD med prescription renewals are now handled by nurse practitioners as a result.

It's literally a 5-minute call: "Do you have any unusual side effects? How would you rate your depression/anxiety? OK, the prescription was sent to your pharmacy".

> The gross margin on amphetamine salts even at $20 must be insanely high. We're talking about what, a couple grams of active amphetamines in a month?

This is about as low as drug prices go in the US. And for amphetamines there's an additional overhead of having a pharmacist checking your ID, storing the drug in a safe overnight, filling out the DEA forms (for every link in the supply chain), etc.

Good Rx shows the price for amphetamine salts at $15 now (in Walgreens in my area).

I can definitely tell that the profit basis for ADHD diagnoses is just not there. There isn't much money in it for doctors or pharmacies.