Adult ADHD clinical trials in New York: how to find one and what joining involves

Clinical trials are how new ADHD medications reach pharmacies and how older ones get tested in adults. For a person with ADHD in New York, a study can mean a careful evaluation, close monitoring and access to a treatment under study. It can also mean a placebo, extra visits and care that stops when the study ends. This article explains where adult ADHD studies in New York are listed, what the listings showed in October 2026 and what the law says you are entitled to know before you sign.

What a clinical trial is

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) describes clinical trials as research studies that look at ways to prevent, detect or treat diseases and conditions. Trials can test new drugs, new uses of existing drugs, devices, therapies or ways of delivering care. NIMH calls trials generally safe, while noting that some studies may cause temporary discomfort, such as side effects from a new medication.

Research is not the same as treatment. A study's main goal is to answer a scientific question. Your own care plan, built around your history and goals, is the job of your clinician. See what studies show about adult ADHD treatment for how trial results feed into everyday care.

Where New York studies are listed

• ClinicalTrials.gov. A federal database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies. NIMH points people to it as the main place to search.
• Academic center research pages. NYU Langone's Department of Psychiatry and Mount Sinai's Center of Excellence in ADHD and Related Disorders both describe adult ADHD research and give a research contact. They are compared in adult ADHD programs at New York academic medical centers.
• New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI). Its research volunteer page sends people to Columbia's RecruitMe tool, which matches volunteers with studies, and to ResearchMatch.
• ResearchMatch. NYSPI describes it as a secure volunteer registry funded by the National Institutes of Health. Registering does not enroll you in anything; researchers can contact you about studies you may fit.

How to search ClinicalTrials.gov

1. Enter ADHD (or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) as the condition.
2. Enter a location, such as New York, NY, and a distance.
3. Filter the status to Recruiting and Not yet recruiting.
4. Filter the age group to Adult.
5. Open each listing and read the eligibility criteria, the locations (some sites in a multi-site study may not be open yet) and the contact.

The record shows the study phase and the sponsor, which can be a drug company or a university. The NYU study in the table below, for example, is phase 4: it studies a medication already approved for ages 6 and older, to gather adult data. Note the date the record was last updated, since recruiting status changes.

What the listings showed on 19 October 2026

A ClinicalTrials.gov search for ADHD studies within 60 miles of lower Manhattan, recruiting or not yet recruiting, returned nine records. Seven were recruiting. Most enrolled children or teens. Three recruiting studies enrolled adults:

Open-label means participants and researchers know which treatment is being given. Single-arm means every participant gets the same treatment. Centanafadine was approved by the FDA in July 2026, and its background is in centanafadine (Simtriyo). Listings change week to week, so treat this table as a snapshot, not a current list.

Research pages also describe studies that may not appear in that search. Mount Sinai's ADHD research page lists a study of lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) in adults with ADHD and sluggish cognitive tempo, along with imaging and genetics research, without stating enrollment status. NYU's research page lists experimental treatments under study, including psychotherapies, medications and neurofeedback.

Your rights before and during a study

Federal regulations at 21 CFR 50.25 set the basic elements a consent form must include for FDA-regulated studies:

• the purpose, expected length and procedures, including which are experimental;
• reasonably foreseeable risks or discomforts, and expected benefits;
• other treatments that might help you;
• how your records are kept confidential;
• for studies with more than minimal risk, whether compensation or treatment is available if you are injured;
• whom to contact with questions;
• that participation is voluntary and you can stop at any time without penalty or loss of benefits you are otherwise entitled to.

New York adds its own rule. Public Health Law section 2442 says no human research may be conducted in the state without voluntary informed consent, in writing, and that a consent form may not include language that waives your legal rights or releases anyone from liability for negligence. Under section 2445, that state article does not apply to research that is subject to, and follows, federal human-subject rules; for those studies the federal consent elements above apply.

NYSPI's volunteer page puts it plainly: you decide whether to take part, you may leave at any time, and you can ask for an interpreter if English is not your first language. NIMH notes that some trials pay participants and some do not.

Questions to ask the research team

• Is there a placebo group, and what are my chances of being in it?
• How many visits are there, and can any be done by video?
• What happens to my current ADHD medication? Do I have to stop it first?
• What happens when the study ends? Can I keep taking the study drug, and who will prescribe afterward?
• Will I be paid or reimbursed for travel?
• Who sees my results, and will they go to my own doctor?
• Whom do I call if I have a side effect at night or on a weekend?

Thinking it through

A study can be a reasonable choice if you are curious, have time for the visits and understand the trade-offs. It is a poor substitute for care if what you need is a diagnosis and a stable treatment plan. Every study lists eligibility criteria, and screening may rule you out for reasons that have nothing to do with how much you would benefit. Questions about medication safety are covered in ADHD medication heart and blood pressure safety.

If you are already in treatment, tell your prescriber before you enroll so the study and your regular care do not overlap. How New York tracks controlled-substance prescriptions is explained in I-STOP and ADHD prescriptions. If you are waiting for an appointment, what to do while you wait has other steps.

Dr. Shershow's practice offers adult ADHD evaluation, treatment planning, medication management when appropriate and ongoing follow-up, described on the adult ADHD treatment page.