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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
After nine months of difficulty finding and filling prescriptions for Adderall, ADHD patients are now facing shortages of other medications, leaving millions who rely on the drugs with uncertainty, frustration and bureaucratic hassles.In addition to Adderall, variations of methylphenidate, commonly known under brand names Ritalin or Concerta, are affected. According to a watchlist from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, some extended-release doses of methylphenidate have been in short supply since May.WATCH: Adderall shortage raises questions about widespread dependency on the drugWhile Adderall has been consistently hard to get, these other ADHD drugs that patients have turned to as alternatives have only been “intermittently available” themselves, said Dr. Michael Ganio, ASHP’s senior director of pharmacy practice and quality. For many people, the latest inconsistency in supply is nearly as vexing as the original shortage.“These are really frustrating shortages because you can only get a 30-day supply at a time,” Ganio said. “Patients need a new prescription every 30 days. You can’t get a 90-day supply. You can’t even pay cash for a longer supply if you want to.”More than 6 million children have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, according to 2016 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 60 percent were being treated with medication. About 4.4 percent of adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD, with about 4.1 percent of them being treated with medication. That’s millions who use medication to help them concentrate or manage their schoolwork, employment and relationships.Exact figures for how many people have ADHD is the subject of debate. Since 2015, more adults have been receiving pharmaceutical treatment for the disorder, according to Shire PLC, the former maker of popular medication Vyvanse. That year, the company’s analysis found that 53 percent of the 63 million prescriptions written for ADHD medications were for adults.But while increasing demand is one reason for the shortage, it is not the only cause.What fueled the ADHD medication shortage?Manufacturers are required to notify the FDA of a shortage, but not the cause of the interruption. As with any drug shortages in the country, the reasons can vary, from manufacturing problems to more patients using the medication.The Adderall shortage last year created a “perfect storm” of contributing factors that threw entrenched supply-and-demand patterns out of whack, multiple doctors who treat ADHD told the PBS NewsHour.During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients turned to telehealth to get ADHD medications, and Adderall prescriptions jumped.Compared with previous years, which saw small increases in the number of people receiving prescriptions for the stimulants, the percentage of girls and women aged 15 to 44 and men aged 25 to 44 who received prescriptions increased by more than 10 percent from 2020 to 2021, according
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