By Britney Heimuli Aug 17, 2023, 7:29 am MST
Adderall XR capsules are displayed on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.
Jenny Kane, Associated Press
As many students get ready to go back to school, the ongoing nationwide shortage of Adderall — a medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — might bring first-day jitters to some students this year.
The shortage isn’t limited to Adderall; several prescription medications meant to treat ADHD have been low in supply, unable to keep up with high demand, according to The New York Times.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration published a joint letter on Aug. 1 addressing the prescription stimulant shortage, calling on stakeholders to “work together to resolve these shortages as quickly as possible” since this is an issue the two administrations can’t solve alone.
The Times said amid the shortage, parents and caregivers are:
- Spending hours seeking pharmacies that have ADHD medication.
- Paying for name-brand drugs that are more available but more expensive since insurance may not cover the cost.
- Choosing to have their children substitute or go without medications.
Concerning the struggle accessing prescription stimulants, the owner of Brooklere Pharmacy in Oklahoma, Johnny Brooklere, told ABC News, “It’s just been hard to get different suppliers. We buy from one of the largest wholesalers in the country, and they don’t have it period.
“We are checking two to three times a day to see if it’s in the warehouse, and as soon as we see it we order it. Then they are limiting how much we can buy,” Brooklere said, adding that during back-to-school season, demand rises.
The joint letter said that the FDA and EDA are “working closely with numerous manufacturers, agencies and others in the supply chain to understand, prevent and reduce the impact of these shortages.”
Why is there a shortage of medication?
Several medications continue to be behind in production, reasons including delays in drug production and “manufacturing quality issues,” previously reported by the Deseret News.
ABC News reported that the FDA said the manufacturer Teva was experiencing manufacturing delays, while other manufacturers “continue to produce amphetamine mixed salts, but there is not sufficient supply to continue to meet U.S. market demand through those producers.”
According to the Times, growing awareness of the mental disorder in children and adults is attributing to the medication shortage.
“Another factor potentially driving the shortage: a $21 billion settlement brokered between three pharmaceutical distributors and most states that placed new requirements on pharmaceutical companies to help stem the flow of controlled substances like prescription painkillers,” per the Times.
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