Kristina Yiaras tends to be hesitant about her kids taking too many medications.
But when her 8-year-old started on Adderall, she couldn’t deny that his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — ADHD — symptoms got better right away.
“He was super excited because he wasn’t the trouble kid anymore,” she says. “He was actually getting rewarded.”
Then earlier this year, Yiaras went to the pharmacy to refill his prescription, but the medicine was out of stock. She went down a list of pharmacies within 50 miles of her home in Kingsland, Georgia. Her mom made calls, too. They couldn’t find it anywhere.
“The minute we ran out of it, he was back to getting in trouble every day, getting up out of his seat,” Yiaras says. “The teachers immediately noticed that he was off of it.”
‘Finger-pointing’ as shortage persists
In October, the Food and Drug Administration announced that there was a nationwide Adderall shortage. It started as a production issue at Teva, one of the world’s largest drugmakers, which makes both generic and brand-name Adderall. Many makers of the drug have told the FDAthey’ve been unable to keep up with the demand. Some manufacturers say they’re having problems getting a key ingredient.
Brand-name Adderall is no longer officially in shortage, according to the FDA shortage tracker. But generics, which most people are taking, are expected to be in short-supply until the spring.
Adderall – an amphetamine – is classified as a controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which limits the amount of raw ingredients companies can get to manufacture the medication.
“There’s a lot of finger-pointing,”…
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