DETROIT – As summer winds down, there’s a looming fear for many students heading back to school driven by a shortage of ADHD medication.
The nationwide shortage has been building for many months and has reached the point that many of the second-line medications are also hard to find.
The CDC estimates that six million children have been diagnosed with ADHD and more than 4% of adults. About nine million people are also being treated for ADHD.
The medication shortage is causing anxiety and leading to changes in performance at work and in the classroom.
Packing up to start college is always a time of nerves and anticipation, but for Clara Pitts, there’s an added level of anxiety because the medication she takes is part of the nationwide shortage.
“It’s just really scary not knowing if I’ll have consistency in my medication,” Pitts said.
It started last fall when one drug maker had a manufacturing delay, but it hasn’t let up. Pitts had to switch from Adderall to Vyvanse, but that drug is also hard to come by.
It’s made back-to-school season even more stressful for some students and their families.
“These young people often have difficulty paying attention sitting still,” said Dr. Warren Ng, the president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Ng said treatment can have dramatic results, but relief from the shortage may not be coming soon. Prescription rates for the medicines are at record highs -- up more than 45% in the U.S. over the last decade.
A CDC study found a large jump in prescriptions for adults in the first year of the pandemic.
Also complicating the issue is that drugs like Adderall are stimulants, a controlled substance that the Drug Enforcement Administration sets limits on how much can be produced.
Not having these medications can also cause withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and depression. Anyone facing shortages should speak with their doctor about splitting doses and adjusting when they take them to stretch the supply they have.