Knowledge Hub
Want Fast, Efficient Medical Cannabis for ADHD Prescriptions?
Looking for alternative ADHD treatments? We explore cannabis for ADHD and connect you to private doctors for a fast, streamlined, digital experience.
Medical Cannabis and ADHD in Adults
For those of living with ADHD, life often feels like a balance between harnessing unique powers of determination and hyper-focus, whilst doing their best to manage the more challenging systems of inattention, restlessness, hyperactivity & compulsivity.
Traditional ADHD medication, mostly consisting of various types of stimulants, just isn’t for everyone, leading to the following question – is there a natural treatment for ADHD medication with a possibly more favourable side-effect profile?
Medical cannabis and ADHD is a topic that’s garnering more and more discussion globally, but not one without complexity and controversy.
At Script Assist we’ve done much to shift the debate in the UK and give patients that may benefit from cannabis treatment for ADHD the opportunity to connect with a private doctor.
If you’d like a consultation with a private doctor that can prescribe medical cannabis for ADHD, then we can make your entire journey from consultation to delivery perfectly seamless.
Script Assist is an easy-to-use App that empowers eligible patients with seamless monthly medical cannabis prescriptions from private doctors.
We assess your likelihood of being offered a medicinal cannabis prescription and connect you with a private psychiatrist who can prescribe cannabis for ADHD.
Ready to Connect with a Private Psychiatrist That Can Prescribe Medical Cannabis for ADHD?
Start Today
Medical Cannabis and ADHD: Your Journey With Script Assist
If you are an adult with ADHD and would like to have a consultation with a private psychiatrist who can prescribe medical cannabis for ADHD then welcome to Script Assist! Script Assist is an easy-to-use App that empowers eligible patients with seamless monthly medical cannabis prescriptions from private doctors. Want to know what your journey as an ADHD patient with Script Assist looks like?
01
Check your eligibility
Our 2-minute eligibility checker will show whether or not you’re likely eligible for medical cannabis for ADHD
02
Find a Private Psychiatrist
Check out our digital doctor directory to find psychiatrists prescribing medical cannabis for ADHD.
Simply choose a doctor and provide some additional details.
If you have personal or company private medical insurance, and would like to claim back your consultation costs, check which doctors are covered by your insurance provider.
03
Book and Hold a Consultation
As soon as your doctor accepts your enquiry, you can seamlessly schedule and join the consultation via the Script Assist Patient App.
If using your private medical insurance, get your authorisation code after your doctor accepts your enquiry but before you join your consultation.
Ready to Connect with a Private Psychiatrist? Find a Doctor here.
04
Pay and Track Your Prescription
After your psychiatrist has written a medical cannabis prescription for ADHD, you can simply pay through the Script Assist App, and then track your prescription directly to your doorstep.
Pay before 3pm to guarantee next-day delivery by 1pm.
Check Your Eligibility For Medical Cannabis for ADHD.
05
Request Your Repeat
When you need more medical cannabis, you can simply request more medication through the Script Assist Patient App. If your psychiatrist agrees, then you can either request your existing medication or any equivalent medication.
After your request has been accepted by your psychiatrist, you can simply pay and track your prescription through the Script Assist App
Ready to Connect with a Private Psychiatrist? Find a Doctor Here
Download Our Patient App
Connect with a private specialist prescribing via Script Assist for your condition.
Find a Specialist
Quickly match with UK specialists prescribing for your condition.
Check Insurance Coverage
Review doctor profiles, compare fees, and verify insurance coverage.
Get Started
Settled on a doctor? Schedule your app consultation effortlessly.
Traditional Medications for ADHD: Not for Everybody
Want to understand why medical cannabis for ADHD prescriptions in the UK are rising? Want to understand if it could be right for you? Read On
As every suffer of ADHD knows well, patients have reduced levels of two important chemicals in our brains – dopamine & norepinephrine. Dopamine helps with focussing attention, feeling motivated and enjoying things, whilst norepinephrine helps with alertness and concentration. Lower levels of dopamine & norepinephrine can make us prone to losing concentration, feeling restless, and doing their best to increase these chemicals through hyperactivity and compulsivity (quick roller-coaster anyone?!).
Whilst it’s unsurprising that traditional medication for ADHD, largely consisting of stimulants designed specifically to increase dopamine & norepinephrine, are wonderful are inducing feelings of calm and clarity, they’re not without significant trade-offs.
With stimulants, many have felt the negative gastrointestinal side effects such as reduced appetite, weight loss, stomach pain and nausea. Patients also suffer from bouts of disturbed sleep, insomnia, irritability, and mood swings.
Over the last decade or so there has also been more clinical research undertaken on the potentially life-altering negative side-effects of traditional ADHA medication.
In their study “Cardiovascular Effects of Stimulant and Non-Stimulant Medication for Children and Adolescents with ADHD,” researchers reviewed 18 clinical trials relating to Methylphenidate, Amphetamines, and Atomoxetine. They found that all three medications caused a small increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP), that Amphetamines and Atomoxetine were linked to small to medium increase in heart-rate and that about 12.6% of total participants reported other heart-related side effects.
Furthermore, as highlighted in “Overdose of drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: clinical presentation, mechanisms of toxicity, and management,” stimulants like Amphetamine and Methylphenidate can cause too much dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin which can lead to problems like shaking, confusion, seeing things that aren’t there, and seizures.
As a result of these potential risks and side-effects, many adults with ADHD are seeking a natural treatment for ADHD, with medical cannabis for ADHD in the UK being considered by an increasing number of doctors and patients.
Ready to Connect with a Private Psychiatrist Who Can Prescribe Medical Cannabis?
Medical Cannabis for ADHD: Patients Report Symptom Improvements
It’s undoubtedly true to say that a higher proportion of adults with ADHD use cannabis than those without ADHD.
According to “Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and lifetime cannabis use“ by María Soler Artigas those with ADHD are up to 7.9 times more likely to see lifetime cannabis use.
It’s also true to say that patients often report positive impacts on their ADHD symptoms when using cannabis for ADHD. This has shown by cannabis and ADHD studies.
- In an analysis of 401 forum posts, three times more individual posts indicated cannabis was therapeutic versus harmful – “I Use Weed for My ADHD”: A Qualitative Analysis of Online Forum Discussions on Cannabis Use and ADHD”.
- In “Cannabinoid and Terpenoid Doses are Associated with Adult ADHD Status of Medical Cannabis Patients,” the authors found that “high dose consumers… reported a higher occurrence of stopping all ADHD medications.”
- In “Self-Reported Effects of Cannabis on ADHD Symptoms, ADHD Medication Side Effects, and ADHD-Related Executive Dysfunction,” the authors found that “people with ADHD may be using cannabis to self-medicate for many of their symptoms and medication side effects and that more frequent use may mitigate ADHD-related executive dysfunction.”
Adults with ADHD have reported that cannabis treatment for ADHD helps alleviate lots of different types of symptoms, including feeling calmer and less restless, sleeping better and being able to maintain concentration for longer.
Although adults using medical cannabis for ADHD in the UK often report therapeutic effects relating to cannabis use, actually being able to connect with private psychiatrists for medical cannabis for ADHD is a fairly recent development in the UK, and not one without complexity and until recently, not without significant controversy.
At Script Assist we help adults seeking medical cannabis for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to connect with private psychiatrists who can choose whether to prescribe medical cannabis.
Want to Connect with a Private Psychiatrist Who Can Prescribe Medical Cannabis for ADHD?
Medical Cannabis for ADHD: A Controversial Topic
Given so many adults with ADHD use cannabis, and a significant proportion also report improving symptoms, why has medical cannabis for ADHD historically been seen as a controversial topic?
Two simple facts answer this question.
Firstly, cannabis is a plant, and plants simply aren’t stable. This means that it can be challenging to run the types of clinical trials that enable major regulatory bodies to license medical cannabis for clinical use.
Secondly, and importantly, adults with ADHD have a higher incidence of substance abuse than adults without ADHD for example, alcohol, cocaine, nicotine and yes, you guessed it, cannabis.
- Over half of young people and adults diagnosed with ADHD also have Substance Use Disorder – “Assessment and treatment of substance use in adults with ADHD: a psychological approach.”
- Studies show that 20-30% of adults presenting with Substance Use Disorder have concomitant ADHD and approximately 20-40% of adults with ADHD have histories of Substance Use Disorder – “Substance abuse in patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder : therapeutic implications.”
- The prevalence of ADHD in adults seeking treatment for Cannabis Use Disorders is estimated to be between 34% and 46% – “ADHD Is Highly Prevalent in Patients Seeking Treatment for Cannabis Use Disorders.”
It’s unsurprising that psychiatrists around the world have been cautious to prescribe medical cannabis for ADHD given how frequently those with ADHD present in substance abuse clinics of all types.
At the same time, the number of adults being prescribed medical cannabis for ADHD has increased significantly over recent years across the globe, including in the UK, suggesting that the debate is shifting.
Want to understand more about why the nature of the debate around medical cannabis for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the UK has started shifting over the last few years? Read on.
Medical Cannabis for ADHD: A Changing Picture in the UK
In recent years, medical cannabis for ADHD has become a hot-topic for discussion, particularly around the relationship between ADHD and Substance Abuse Disorders.
A commonly proposed theory behind the relationship between ADHD and Substance Abuse Disorders is that both are characterised by genetically lower levels of dopamine in the brain. It’s possible that those with ADHD are more prone to seeking substances to replenish dopamine levels, in other words more prone to trying to self-medicate.
Adults with ADHD that are prone to seeking self-medication may have either remained undiagnosed into later-life or rejected traditional ADHD medication due to its side effect profile. Self-medication is rarely a good idea; everyone can agree that all medication should be prescribed by a doctor and manufactured in a medical grade facility.
As medical cannabis becomes generally more accepted in the UK, and an increasing number of patients with ADHD present with a history of self-medicating with cannabis alongside leading fulfilling lives, more and more psychiatrists are now open to prescribing medical cannabis for ADHD.
Just as with traditional licensed ADHD medication, cannabis for ADHD is not for everybody, but patients are now entitled to have that discussion with a doctor that can prescribe medical cannabis for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Want to Connect with a Private Psychiatrist?
Medical Cannabis and ADHD: The Best Cannabis Strains for ADHD
Many patients ask what medical cannabis strains for ADHD they should use and whether there are any cannabis and ADHD studies that may shed some light on this question.
Interestingly, in “Cannabinoid and Terpenoid Doses are Associated with Adult ADHD Status of Medical Cannabis Patients,” the authors found that strains with higher doses of CBN were the best cannabis strains for ADHD as measured by a reduction in the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. The authors made no distinction between CBD strains for ADHD versus THC strains.
Whilst the most appropriate medical cannabis strains for ADHD may vary by individual, looking for strains with a high CBN content may be a great place to start!
Looking for Medical Cannabis to help manage symptoms for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the UK? Check Your Eligibility Here Now
