ADHD Drug Shortage

Those who regularly take prescription medication to treat their attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are finding a shortage of the drugs at their local pharmacy. The problem is so bad that the FDA is receiving hundreds of complaints daily from patients unable to get their prescriptions filled.

What’s behind the shortage? It turns out it is the result of a troubled partnership between drug manufacturers and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Manufacturers want to maximize profits while the FDA wants to minimize abuse of the increasingly popular drugs, often misused by college students looking for a quick, cheap way to stay awake.

Curbing abuse is a noble cause, but kids who rely on drugs like Adderall and Ritalin are caught in the middle. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has told its membership of more than 8,000 doctors that the shortage seems to be “widespread across a number of states” and called the lack of meds “devastating” for children.

Placing blame is tricky. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is the agency responsible for setting manufacturing quotas aimed at controlling supplies and preventing abuse. The FDA blames the shortages on overly strict quotas set by the DEA. The DEA, in turn, questions whether the shortages are real or manufactured, suggesting manufacturers are simply choosing to make more of the expensive pills than the generics, creating supply and demand imbalances.

That means fewer generics are being produced, so those who can’t afford the pricier name-brand drugs are forced to go without. Another issue is that ADHD drugs aren’t always interchangeable. Individuals can react differently to similar but not identical meds, meaning they don’t just need any ADHD drug to be available, but the generic or brand that has been proven to work for them.

Another contributing factor is surely the fact that ADHD drugs are being prescribed in record numbers. Doctors wrote 51.5 million prescriptions for ADHD drugs in 2010, with a total sales value of $7.42 billion — an increase of 83 percent from the $4.05 billion sold in 2006, according to IMS Health, a drug information company. Along with this rise in legitimate use, abuse of ADHD drugs rises as well. 

Prescription Drug Abuse Help at The Canyon

If you or someone you love needs help with a prescription drug addiction, call The Canyon at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about drug treatment, financing or insurance.