Adderall is often used to treat and assist people dealing with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but supplies are abysmally low right now.
Why is there an adderall shortage?
The short answer is manufacturing. The Food and Drug Administration said one of its main manufacturers is having “intermittent manufacturing delays.”
Adderall is considered a stimulant by the FDA and is heavily regulated, outside of the shortage. Patients seeking the drug must meet regularly with their doctor to continue filling the prescription, which can make obtaining the drug in a timely manner a challenge for many people.
One company, Teva Pharmaceuticals, says it expects delays to continue for the next two to three months, NBC News reported.
Spokesperson Kelley Dougherty addressed concerns in a statement, saying, “We expect full recovery for all inventory and orders in the coming weeks, at which point we expect no disruption at the pharmacy level.”
This is also not the first time a shortage has occurred.
“This one is more sustained,” Timothy Wilens, an ADHD expert and chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, told The Washington Post. “It’s putting pressure on patients, and it’s putting pressure on institutions that support the patients.”
How is the adderall shortage affecting families?
Kandi and Lion Fludd were unable to fill their 8-year-old son’s prescription for seven days and expressed frustration that there was no notice of the upcoming supply issues.
“Not having access to this medication for our son affects our lives tremendously,” Lion Fludd told Today Parents.
ADHD does not only affect children. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 4.4% of adults in the United States have an ADHD diagnosis.
“My big piece of advice is to work with the prescribing medical professional to make sure you can access a treatment that works best for you or your child’s ADHD,” Dr. Max Wiznitzer, pediatric neurologist and co-chair of CHADD, an ADHD advocacy organization, told Today Parents.