OBJECTIVE: @entity71 ( @entity71 ) is a @entity74 affecting @entity1 in all age groups. Pharmacological treatment with psychostimulants, specifically @entity2727 , is first line management. The ideal dosing regimen of @entity2727 is debatable with daily use being considered harmful by many. However, it is unknown if sporadic drug withdrawal is beneficial to management. The primary aim was to investigate drug holiday utilisation incidence. METHOD: The study comprised a drug utilisation review (DUR) and questionnaire-based survey. The DUR was conducted using a corporate retail pharmacy group database. @entity2727 prescriptions were evaluated to determine possible drug holiday use through different analyses of dispensing patterns. The survey included several questions relating to drug holiday use. RESULTS: Drug holiday use was identified in both study populations. Weekends and school holidays were identified as common periods for drug holiday observation. Of the @entity1 that provided reasons for drug holiday utilisation, half indicated that @entity2727 was only necessary for school activities. DUR results indicated that drug holidays appeared to be more commonly observed during March and December. CONCLUSIONS: Reasons for drug holiday utilisation were variable. This study recommends that these drug free periods are only observed if shown to be beneficial to the @entity1 .

Drug holiday utilisation in @entity71 -diagnosed XXXX and adolescents in South Africa.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['participants', 'patient', 'people'] @entity71 :: ('MESH:D001289', 'Disease') :: ['ADHD', 'Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder'] @entity2727 :: ('MESH:D008774', 'Chemical') :: ['Methylphenidate', 'methylphenidate'] @entity74 :: ('MESH:D030342', 'Disease') :: ['prevalent disorder']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['children']
