Free tool
ADHD medication: monthly cost, private vs NHS
On the NHS in England, ADHD medication costs the standard prescription charge of £9.90 per item, or £114.50 for a 12-month prepayment certificate that caps the year, and many people pay nothing. On a private prescription you pay the pharmacy's full medicine price plus a monthly private prescription fee, with no cap, so a typical private month runs to tens of pounds and a year can reach several hundred pounds or more. The cheapest legitimate route is NHS charges once a GP agrees shared care.
Information only, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Whether medication is appropriate, and which one, is a decision for a registered clinician. Figures are published NHS charges and example private costs checked on 13 June 2026, not a quote.
Your situation
During private titration, and if a GP declines shared care, you stay on private prescriptions.
Source: Psychiatry-UK publishes £25 per private prescription where shared care is declined, checked 13 June 2026. Other providers vary.
Default £46 = mean NHS actual cost per ADHD prescription item, NHSBSA EPD, 2025-06. Private pharmacy prices are often higher.
Many people qualify, for example on certain benefits or with a medical exemption. If so, NHS medication is free.
Most people have one ADHD item per month. Some have more if on more than one medicine. The NHS PPC caps the total regardless.
Estimated cost
Per month
£0
Over 12 months
£0
Related: compare all three assessment routes, estimate the assessment cost, or read how Right to Choose works.
Methodology and sources
NHS prescription charge is £9.90 per item in England, with a 12-month prepayment certificate at £114.50 and a 3-month at £32.05 (Sources: NHS and NHSBSA, checked 13 June 2026). The calculator automatically uses whichever of pay-as-you-go or the PPC is cheaper over the year, and many people qualify for free prescriptions.
The default private medicine cost is the mean NHS actual cost per ADHD prescription item from the NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset, 2025-06 (Source: NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset (EPD), https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/english-prescribing-data-epd, Open Government Licence v3.0, checked 13 June 2026). Private retail prices are often higher and vary, so the field is editable. The private prescription fee defaults to £25, the published Psychiatry-UK figure where shared care is declined, checked 13 June 2026.
This estimates medication cost only. It does not judge whether medication is suitable for you, which is a clinical decision, and it does not include assessment or titration appointment costs, which the assessment estimator covers.
Frequently asked questions
Why is NHS medication so much cheaper than private?
On the NHS in England you pay a flat prescription charge of £9.90 per item, or a prepayment certificate of £114.50 for a year that caps everything, and many people qualify for free prescriptions. On a private prescription you pay the pharmacy's full retail price for the medicine plus a private prescription fee each month, with no cap, so it is usually far more expensive over a year.
What is shared care and why does it change the cost so much?
Shared care is an agreement where your GP takes over routine ADHD prescribing after a private or Right to Choose provider has stabilised your dose, moving your medication to NHS charges. If your GP agrees, your monthly cost drops to the NHS charge or PPC. If your GP declines, which they can, you keep paying private prescription and medicine costs indefinitely.
Are the medicine prices exact?
No. The default medicine cost is the mean NHS actual cost per ADHD prescription item from the NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset, 2025-06, checked 13 June 2026. A private pharmacy's retail price is often higher and varies by medicine, dose and pharmacy, so enter your own figure if you have a quote.
This is not a diagnosis and not medical advice. Whether to take ADHD medication, and which one, is a decision for a registered clinician. If cost is a barrier, the NHS route, including Right to Choose in England, is free at the point of use, and medication on it is at standard NHS charges or free for many people.
Editor, ADHD Helper
Oliver leads ADHD Helper's editorial coverage of adult ADHD. He researches and writes the plain-English explainers on getting an ADHD assessment through NHS Right to Choose or privately, and on the products and tools people use to manage ADHD, drawing on guidance from the NHS, NICE and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is clear that the site is information, not medical advice, and that diagnosis is for a registered clinician.
Last reviewed: 13 June 2026