Evidence / 2018
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management (NG87)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2018). NICE guideline.
- Population
- Children, young people and adults with ADHD
- Sample
- Guideline
- Condition
- ADHD
- Medication focus
- Methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, dexamfetamine, atomoxetine, guanfacine
- Jurisdiction
- United Kingdom
- Last reviewed
- 1 September 2026
Plain-language finding
NICE NG87 covers recognition, diagnosis and management of ADHD, including medication choice, monitoring and review. Last updated 13 September 2019.
Important limitation
UK guideline. Treatment availability, regulation and clinical context differ from Australia. Still a high-quality international reference.
Why we cite this
Widely used international guideline for ADHD diagnosis and pharmacological management.
adhd · guideline · nice · medication · monitoring
Supported by clinical guidelines, regulatory information, systematic reviews, or well-established pharmacological knowledge. Still describes populations, not an individual.
Claims this source supports
For many people with ADHD, stimulant medicines can reduce core ADHD symptoms compared with placebo. That is a population finding, not a promise that a particular medicine will help a particular person.
Last reviewed 1 September 2026
Some therapeutic stimulant regimens are commonly managed differently at cessation than many antidepressants. Rebound fatigue, mood change, appetite change or return of ADHD symptoms can still occur. This is not a rule that ADHD medicine can always be stopped immediately.
Last reviewed 1 September 2026
Antidepressants and ADHD medicines are sometimes prescribed together. Combination is not automatically unsafe, and it is not automatically the cause of any later change. Overlapping effects on sleep, appetite, heart rate, anxiety and activation deserve a timeline, not a slogan.
Last reviewed 1 September 2026
ADHD medication is not a set-and-forget prescription. Australian and NICE guidance expect review of benefit against adverse effects, with attention to sleep, appetite, heart rate and blood pressure, and — in children and adolescents — height and weight. Psychiatric symptoms that emerge or worsen belong in that review.
Last reviewed 1 September 2026
Clinical guidelines model ADHD as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity, with features present in more than one setting and with several signs in childhood, even if recognition comes later. Educational examples of those features are not a diagnostic test, a severity score, or a reason to start or stop a medicine.
Last reviewed 1 September 2026