Morning Medical Update: Lower Prescription Drugs Costs for the Latino Community; Increase in Adult Stimulant Prescriptions for ADHD; Exercise significantly decreases suicide attempts

Lower Prescription Drugs Costs for the Latino Community

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, PBC (Cost Plus Drugs) to work with Zócalo Health, a virtual primary care service that aims to eliminate healthcare inequality in the Latino community. One of the biggest barriers to primary care is the price of prescription drugs. This collaboration will combine the low prices of Cost Plus with the cultural fluency of Zócalo Health to best serve the Latino community.

Increase in Adult Stimulant Prescriptions for ADHD

Adult stimulant prescriptions have been on the rise for years, especially for women patients. A substantial spike was seen from 2020-2021 which may be due to new information available to individuals or pandemic-related stress. Many primary care providers have received little to no training about ADHD, which will need to change given the recent numbers.

Exercise significantly decreases suicide attempts

New research suggests exercise significantly decreases suicide attempts, but not suicidal ideation. As a result, physicians are encouraged to prescribe exercise, as well as other treatments. Nicholas Fabiano, MD, a resident with the department of psychiatry at the University of Ottawa, said “As suicide rates are on the rise, it is important that we find methods to counteract this. No matter how busy residency is, I maintain a regular exercise routine which has decreased my anxiety levels.”