Episode 7: Managing ADHD Medicines in Real Life | Practical Counselling for Clinicians

What happens if a patient forgets their ADHD medicine?

Should they take weekends off?

Can they exercise? Drive? What about pregnancy, university, shift work, appetite, weight loss or the ongoing medicine shortages?

In this practical episode of Prescribe or Pass: The PoP Pod, we move beyond pharmacology and into the real-world questions pharmacists, doctors and other clinicians are asked every day.

We discuss:

• What to do after a missed dose
• Drug holidays: when they may (and may not) be appropriate
• Managing appetite suppression and weight loss
• Sleep and exercise
• Nutrition and growth in children
• Shift work and university life
• Pregnancy and shared decision-making
• Driving and roadside drug testing
• PBS restrictions and ADHD medicine shortages
• When treatment should be reviewed, and why growing bigger doesn’t automatically mean needing a higher stimulant dose

This episode is designed for pharmacists, pharmacy students and other health professionals wanting a practical, evidence-based understanding of ADHD medicines that extends well beyond the Product Information.

Whether you’re counselling a patient collecting their first prescription or supporting someone who’s been taking these medicines for years, this episode is packed with practical clinical pearls you can use in everyday practice.

Learning objectives

By the end of this episode, you should be able to:

• Counsel patients on the practical management of ADHD medicines in everyday life.
• Discuss common issues including missed doses, appetite, sleep, exercise and driving.
• Recognise situations where treatment review or referral may be appropriate.
• Provide evidence-based advice on common questions encountered in pharmacy practice.

Prescribe or Pass: The PoP Pod is a clinician education podcast created by pharmacist Kate Thomas, providing evidence-based learning for continuing professional development (CPD) in medicines and therapeutics. Whether you’re a pharmacist, pharmacy student, doctor, nurse practitioner or other prescribing clinician, join us as we explore the science behind medicines, and the practical conversations that improve patient care.