From the early 1970s to today, the number of prescriptions written for the amphetamines has:

• A. Increased
• B. Decreased
• C. Remained stable
• D. Fluctuated wildly and randomly from year to year

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how policy and clinical practice shape long-term prescribing patterns for controlled stimulants. After the early 1970s, tighter controls on amphetamines under regulations like the Controlled Substances Act reduced how often doctors could prescribe them. This shift, along with changing indications and the rise of alternative treatments, contributed to a downward trend in overall amphetamine prescriptions over the following decades. While there were periods related to ADHD treatment where prescriptions did rise, the broad, long-term pattern taught is a net decrease. Descriptions of stable numbers or wild, year-to-year chaos don’t fit the overall trend produced by regulation and evolving medical practice.