Adult ADHD treatment · United Kingdom

Your options for ADHD medication after a diagnosis in the UK.

A UK prescriber reviews your diagnosis and agrees a plan, with reviews every 14–28 days. £399 for the initial call and three follow-up reviews, then £29 a month once stable. Medication is charged separately.

Medically reviewed by Dr Kunal Choudhary, Consultant Psychiatrist · Updated October 2026

Book your prescriber call · £399

Check available appointments · Pay in 3 with Klarna or Clearpay. Medication charged separately.

Read patient reviews →

The four routes at a glance
Typical, not quotes

Route

Wait

Cost

NHS ADHD service

Often over a year, then a titration wait

Free

GP shared care

Once stable

NHS charges

Private psychiatrist

Weeks to months

Pay per review

Online ADHD clinic

Where ADHD Simple sits

Check dates

£399 + £29/m

Compare treatment, titration and ongoing care below.

1 · What good treatment involves

Whichever route you take, safe ADHD treatment follows the same five steps.

This is what the NICE guideline for adults (NG87) expects from any prescriber. Use it to judge every option on this page.

1
Health checks

Before you start. Blood pressure, pulse, weight and your medical history, before any prescription.

2
Start low

Day one. A low starting dose, chosen with you, with clear advice on what to look out for.

3
Adjust & review

Every few weeks. Regular reviews of how it’s working and any side effects, adjusting the dose step by step.

4
A settled dose

Usually within months. The lowest dose that works well for you, agreed together.

5
Ongoing care

For as long as you take it. Repeat prescriptions, regular checks, and a full review at least once a year.

Steps 2 to 4 · Finding your dose

Start low. Adjust slowly. Stop at the dose that works.

Your right dose

Baseline

Checks

Before

Low dose

Start

Week 0

Adjust

Review

Weeks later

Adjust

Review

Weeks later

Right dose

Settled

Usually months

Each review looks at how you feel, side effects, sleep and appetite, blood pressure and pulse. The question to ask any provider: how often are reviews, and what does each one cost?

Step 5 · Once you’re stable

The same loop, for as long as you need it.

1 · Check in

How it’s working, side effects, BP

4 · Medication

Collected or delivered

Every month

or so

2 · Review

A prescriber looks over it

3 · Prescription

Issued before you run out

Plus a full review at least once a year. The questions to ask: who prescribes long term, and what happens if your GP won’t take over?

2 · Titration, explained

Finding the right dose takes a few careful weeks. Here’s what actually happens.

Titration means starting on a low dose and adjusting it step by step, until the benefits are clear and any side effects are manageable. It’s the same whoever prescribes.

Video · 90 seconds

Titration, explained

A psychiatrist explains the dose staircase: start low, review, adjust, settle. What the right dose feels like.

Video placeholder — add the clinical team’s video before publishing.

What happens

At each review

A short call or check-in: focus, mood, sleep and appetite.

Any side effects, and how bad they are.

Blood pressure and pulse, and weight over time.

Then a decision together: stay, go up, go down, or try something else.

Weeks, sometimes months

How long

Reviews are usually every one to four weeks.

Many people settle within a few weeks; some need longer.

Needing more reviews, or a different medicine, is normal.

What the right dose feels like

The goal

Not a different person: more like you on a good day.

Easier to start things, finish them and keep track.

Side effects you can live with, or none at all.

Short-acting, long-acting or non-stimulant?

The type of medication shapes your day. Here’s how each one covers it.

7am

10am

1pm

4pm

7pm

10pm

Short-acting

Works in 30–60 minutes and lasts about 4 hours. Often taken two or three times a day.

Dose 1

Dose 2

Dose 3

Flexible: you can cover just the hours you need, like a working day or an evening.

Long-acting

One dose in the morning, released slowly through the day. Lasts around 8 to 12 hours.

One morning dose

Simple: one dose, steadier through the day, nothing to remember at lunchtime.

Non-stimulant

Taken every day. Builds up over several weeks, then works around the clock.

All day, every day

An option if stimulants don’t suit you, or alongside other health conditions.

Your prescriber helps you choose, based on your day, your health and what you’ve tried before. Switching type during titration is normal, not a failure. Times are typical and vary from person to person. [Clinical team to review before publishing.]

Common early on

Often eases within a few weeks. Mention it at your review.

Less appetite

Trouble sleeping

Headaches

Feeling jittery

Feeling flat

Get help straight away

Stop and call 999, or 111 for advice, if you have:

Chest pain

A racing or irregular heartbeat

Fainting

Feeling very low or not yourself

Common worries, answered

“Will it change my personality?”

At the right dose, most people say they feel more like themselves. Feeling flat or not yourself is a sign the dose needs adjusting, so tell your prescriber.

“Is it addictive?”

Prescribed at the right dose and monitored, the risk is low. Your prescriber checks for it at every stage, so tell them about any history of substance use.

“Will I have to take it forever?”

No. Some people take it for years, some for a while. Any change is planned with your prescriber, never stopped suddenly on your own.

“What if it doesn’t work?”

Then you try a different dose or medicine. Most people find something that helps, but it can take a few goes.

Clinical team to review and approve medication timings, side effects, urgent signs and worries before publishing.

3 · Your routes in the UK

Four ways to get treated. Side by side.

Free

NHS adult ADHD service

Time to start

Often over a year. Titration places are capped, up to 2 years in some areas

Typical cost

Free

Specialist involved

Yes

Prescribes long term

Usually your GP

If your GP says no

Stay with the service

Best if

Cost matters most and you can wait, including on Right to Choose

After a specialist

Your GP, under shared care

Time to start

Only once stable

Typical cost

NHS charges

Specialist involved

Plan from one

Prescribes long term

Your GP

If your GP says no

Not an option

Best if

You’re stable and your GP agrees

Pay per visit

Private psychiatrist

Time to start

Weeks to months

Typical cost

£150–£300+ a review

Specialist involved

Yes

Prescribes long term

Same psychiatrist

If your GP says no

Keep paying per visit

Best if

You want one specialist and budget is no issue

From home

Online ADHD clinic

Time to start

Days to weeks

Typical cost

Bundle + monthly

Specialist involved

Check

Prescribes long term

The clinic, or your GP

If your GP says no

Varies: ask

Best if

You want to start soon at a known price

Typical ranges, not quotes. NHS waits vary a lot by area.

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4 · Shared care, explained

Shared care: what it is, what it isn’t, and why GPs sometimes say no.

After a private diagnosis, shared care decides whether you keep paying for prescriptions or pay NHS charges. Understand it before you choose a route, not after.

A specialist diagnoses you

NHS or private. In the UK, ADHD is diagnosed by a specialist, not a GP.

The specialist finds your dose

This is titration: regular reviews over several weeks. Your GP doesn’t take over during this stage.

They ask your GP

A shared-care request sets out your diagnosis, settled dose and the monitoring your GP would take on.

Your GP decides

Yes: your GP prescribes, and NHS prescriptions cost £9.90 per item in England unless exempt, and are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The specialist still reviews you, usually once a year.

No: your specialist keeps prescribing privately, and you keep paying for reviews and medication.

What shared care is

An agreement to split your care between a specialist and your GP.

How you get ADHD medication at NHS prescription prices after a private diagnosis.

Something that starts once you’re on a stable dose.

Ongoing: the specialist stays involved, usually with a yearly review.

What it isn’t

Automatic, or a right. GPs can’t be made to agree.

Available while you’re still finding your dose.

Your GP re-diagnosing you, or judging whether you have ADHD.

Guaranteed to carry over if you move to a new GP practice.

Why some GPs say no

It’s voluntary

BMA guidance treats shared care as optional work that practices can decline.

Unpaid work

Prescribing and monitoring take GP time that often isn’t separately funded. Stretched practices may not have room.

Medication costs

Once your GP prescribes, the medication comes out of the local NHS prescribing budget, so cost can weigh on the decision.

The ICB says no

Some integrated care boards tell practices not to accept shared care from private providers. Then it’s out of your GP’s hands.

At ADHD Simple

79%

of our shared-care requests have been accepted.

Patients who asked in the last 12 months. Add the sample size before publishing.

If your GP says no

You stay with the provider who got you stable, paying for reviews and private prescriptions. On the high street, that’s often £60 to £150 or more a month. Ask any provider what staying costs before you start.

With us: nothing changes. £29 a month, plus medication. Medication is charged separately. Costs depend on the medicine, dose and dispensing pharmacy.

Ask before you go private

Ring your practice and ask: “Do you accept ADHD shared care with private providers?” Their answer now tells you what your long-term costs are likely to be.

Based on BMA guidance on shared care, the Department of Health and Social Care’s position that GP practices may decline shared care on clinical or capacity grounds (September 2025), and published ICB shared-care policies.

5 · The real cost

Compare clinic fees and medication separately.

A low assessment price gets you in the door. The monthly fees and medication are where the money goes, and treatment runs for years. Compare year three, not week one.

Clinic fees over three years; medication separate

Other clinic: confirm all fees

Year 1

Quote required

Year 2

Quote required

Year 3

Quote required

ADHD Simple

Year 1

£1,059*

Year 2

£1,407*

Year 3

£1,755*

*Clinic-fee illustration only: £399 assessment + £399 initial treatment + £29 × 9 ongoing-care months = £1,059 in year one; plus £348 per subsequent year gives £1,407 over two years and £1,755 over three. This example assumes nine ongoing-care months in year one, not a promised stabilisation time. Extra titration reviews are £59; extra ongoing calls are £29. Medication and any pharmacy delivery charges are separate. Obtain competitor quotes including assessment, titration, ongoing care, prescription and admin charges before comparing totals.

Finding your dose

Every month after

If your GP says no

Private psychiatrist

Pay per visit

£?

Each review billed

£?

…

Private prescriptions and reviews

Keep paying per visit

Often the biggest cost over time

NHS service

Free, after the wait

Free

Once you reach the front of the list

Prescription charges

In England. Free in Scotland, Wales and NI.

Back to the specialist service

And its waiting list

Fixed-price clinic

Known up front

One bundle

Start

First call + reviews

Flat monthly

Commonly £25 to £100. Check what’s included.

Same monthly

Ask before you join

Medication itself is charged separately on every private route. Ask each provider for a price per month at your likely dose.

The eight questions to ask

How titration works

Adults only. Medication only if it’s right for you. In crisis? Samaritans 116 123 or 999.

Book your prescriber call · £399

Check available appointments · Pay in 3 with Klarna or Clearpay. Medication charged separately.

Read patient reviews →

6 · Questions to ask

Ask any provider these eight.

“How soon is my first prescriber appointment?”

A diagnosis without a prescriber is another waiting list.

“Will you accept my diagnosis?”

Some clinics only treat people they assessed. Others review an outside report first.

“How often are reviews while I find my dose, and what does each cost?”

Titration is where pay-per-visit costs add up.

“How do I check in between reviews, and how quickly do you reply?”

Good care doesn’t wait for the next appointment. Ask how you report side effects, request a script or reach someone.

“Who prescribes once I’m stable?”

The clinic, your GP, or both. Get it in writing.

“What happens if my GP says no to shared care?”

GPs can decline. Ask what it costs to stay.

“How do I get repeat prescriptions, and how fast does medication arrive?”

Running out is the most common reason treatment stops.

“Can I leave and come back, and what does that cost?”

Life changes. Check the exit and the way back.

7 · Which suits you

Three taps to your best-fit route to treatment.

How soon do you want to start treatment?

What matters most on cost?

Who do you want prescribing long term?

YOUR BEST FIT

Answer 3 quick questions to see which route lines up with what matters to you.

Common questions

Once you’ve chosen a route

If an online clinic suits you, you can see how ADHD Simple answers the eight questions, with prices and next dates, on a separate page.

Book your prescriber call · £399

Check available appointments · Pay in 3 with Klarna or Clearpay. Medication charged separately.

Read patient reviews →

General information only, not medical advice. Waits and costs are indicative ranges and vary between providers and areas. Medication is only prescribed if clinically appropriate.

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