1*Professor, Nursing Program, University of Sinú, Cartagena
2Nursing Program, University of Sinú, Cartagena
3Nursing Program, University of Sinú, Cartagena
4Nursing Program, University of Sinú, Cartagena
5Nursing Program, University of Sinú, Cartagena
6Nursing Program, University of Sinú, Cartagena
Adolescent psychotropic treatment is shaped not only by pharmacological efficacy but also by whether formulations can be initiated, tolerated, and sustained in daily life. This narrative review examines dosage-form and drug delivery strategies relevant to adolescent psychotropic treatment and discusses implementation gaps affecting acceptability, feasibility, and treatment continuity. The review focuses on four practical domains: long-acting injectable strategies in adolescent psychopharmacology, extended-release and alternative delivery strategies in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, acceptability of oral dosage forms, and dose-flexible or manipulation-based approaches used when age-appropriate formulations are limited. Across the literature, long-acting and extended-release formulations are consistently presented as adherence-supportive strategies because they may reduce dosing burden and better fit school-day routines, whereas manipulation-based strategies are described mainly as pragmatic responses to formulation shortages rather than optimized solutions. Evidence specific to adolescents remains uneven, with extensive reliance on off-label use, extrapolation from adult data, and broader paediatric literature. Data from resource-constrained settings are especially sparse. Overall, the literature suggests that dosage-form strategy is materially relevant to treatment continuity in adolescent psychopharmacology, but current implementation remains limited by narrow formulation diversity, scarce adolescent-specific evidence, and insufficient integration between pharmaceutical design and real-world care delivery.
Keywords: adolescent psychopharmacology; dosage form; drug delivery; long-acting injectable; extended-release; medication adherence.
How to cite this article: Castellón MD, Angulo-Baena E, Duque-Ruiz V, García-Grey L, Pájaro-de Ávila A, Teran-García L. Dosage-Form and Drug Delivery Strategies for Adolescent Psychotropic Treatment: Current Solutions and Implementation Gaps. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(15s): 133-141. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.15s.16
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None