ADHD Drug Adderall in Short Supply

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Aug. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Labor shortages at Teva Pharmaceuticals have made Adderall, a extensively used attention-deficit/hyperactivity dysfunction (ADHD) drug, exhausting to seek out in some drugstores.

But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration famous that there is no total scarcity of ADHD medicines.

Only Teva is reporting provide issues, FDA spokeswomen Cherie Duvall-Jones instructed NBC News.

“Teva Pharmaceuticals, the maker for Adderall tablets, is reporting anticipated delays for the subsequent 2-3 months,” she mentioned.

Teva attributes the delay to a labor scarcity on its packaging line, which it mentioned has been resolved. The firm added that whereas some pharmacies could have back-orders, it needs to be momentary.

“We count on full restoration for all stock and orders within the coming weeks, at which level we count on no disruption on the pharmacy degree,” spokeswoman Kelley Dougherty mentioned in a press release, NBC News reported.

Large pharmacy chains haven’t seen a widespread drawback: CVS mentioned its places had been “not experiencing provide points for Adderall and are capable of fill prescriptions as obtained usually,” whereas Walgreens mentioned its “present provide is assembly our affected person wants right now,” NBC News reported.

But small pharmacies are experiencing shortages: A National Community Pharmacists Association survey performed from July 25 by Aug. 5 discovered that of about 360 unbiased drugstores, 64% had issue getting Adderall.

Byron Olson proprietor of Roger’s Family Pharmacy in Yankton, S.D., instructed NBC News that some types of the drug have been more durable to get than others.

“It’s usually that they’re not out completely,” he mentioned, explaining that sufferers who take 20 milligrams (mg) twice a day, for instance, might need to make use of various dosages. In some circumstances, sufferers might need to modify to a different medicine, he famous.

“It will be irritating for sufferers as a result of they don’t know concerning the shortages,” Olson mentioned.

At Killingworth Family Pharmacy in Killingworth, Conn., proprietor Keith Lyke instructed NBC News that he has been getting sufferers from different drugstores who’ve been unable to fill their Adderall prescriptions. But generic kinds from different makers have been simple sufficient to get, he mentioned.

“We inform them it’s a special firm, so it could look totally different,” he defined.

Dr. David Goodman, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, suggested sufferers who take Adderall to anticipate issue with their prescription refills and to work with their medical doctors and pharmacies to get alternate options.

“It’s unpredictable. We will be crusing alongside wonderful after which we run right into a scarcity,” he instructed NBC News.

In the worst-case situation — a affected person who cannot get any medicine — often the scarcity doesn’t final lengthy.

“Usually it’s a matter of some days or inside every week,” he mentioned.

More data

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for extra on ADHD.