Why are amphetamines being prescribed more often? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Among US adults with insurance, 3% of those in the 19-64 year old age group are prescribed amphetamines, often in combination with other drugs for depression or sleep, a Johns Hopkins study shows. Thomas Moore, one of the study’s authors, considers what may account for this increase.

Moore: What I do think it is happening is physicians who are not acutely aware of some of the risks of amphetamines are treating their patients with other drugs let's say antidepressants. The sad fact is probably half the people prescribed an antidepressant don't get a satisfactory result so amphetamines get added to the mix in hopes of enhancing the antidepressant effect or in hopes that they will counter some of the side effects, so rather than adjusting the antidepressant dose or maybe trying a different antidepressant they try a drug combination.  :34

Moore notes that the dangers of this practice are not known. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.