Adderall Shortage Limits Students’ Access to Medication

by ANDREA LI

There is a national shortage of Adderall, a prescription drug that is often used to treat conditions such as attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. The shortage officially began Oct. 12, 2022, when the FDA posted an announcement regarding the low availability of Adderall for consumers. When coupled with the fact that the supply of alternatives to Adderall have also begun to decrease, the recent Adderall shortage has rendered many — including students at Menlo — without treatment.

According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, an unexpected increase in demand for the drug is likely to blame for the shortage. The Drug Enforcement Association sets limits on the active ingredients that pharmaceutical companies use to make these drugs based on prescription rates from previous years. However, the DEA’s system of measurement did not account for the sharp increase in ADHD diagnoses during the pandemic, resulting in pharmaceutical companies being unable to keep up with demand due to higher limits set based on outdated data.

Junior Paige Miller, who has ADHD and is prescribed Adderall, has had difficulties in terms of receiving her medication. “It’s definitely been a lot more difficult to physically get the medicine. [...] My mom picks up my medicine, and there’s been a few times where she’s had to go to like five different pharmacies just to get a few weeks’ supply of medicine,” she said. “If I didn't have my mom to clutch up and go to five different pharmacies, then not only would I not have the ADHD medicine for school, but I also wouldn’t have had it for the ACT.”

An estimated 60% of children with ADHD aged 2-17 receive treatment, with the majority being prescribed stimulant medications like Adderall, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention; from 1996-2008 alone, the rates of prescription stimulants to treat

ADHD in children rose from 2.3-4%. The efficacy of Adderall to treat ADHD has also been demonstrated in a multitude of studies and meta-analyses, with a meta-analysis published in the National Library of Medicine stating that “Adderall significantly improved outcomes for people with ADHD [...] regardless of the type of dosing, type of rater and type of measure.”

Symptoms of ADHD include inattentiveness or difficulty focusing and concentrating, according to the National Health Service. When these symptoms are coupled with a lack of access to medication and schoolwork — which often requires focus — it can be difficult for those with ADHD.

Miller agrees with the importance of Adderall to treat ADHD symptoms, specifically the inability to focus.

“Although Adderall isn’t a life or death drug, it helps a lot of people with their day-to-day lives, and not having it can be really tough. [...] It allows people with ADHD to be able to focus and concentrate,” Miller said.

Limited access to medication can also disrupt users’ daily lives. “When you take Adderall or any ADHD medicine, [...] you get used to it, and it becomes part of your daily schedule. So when people are missing it, it really affects getting work done and just kinda messes with your head. [...] Going into even smaller tasks like paying attention in class is really challenging,” Miller said.

For senior Emily Gruber, not being able to access medication was especially difficult during her hectic senior year. “Especially being a senior, [...] I haven’t really had access to my full prescription since, I would say, November. And so that was kind of peak application time and peak finals,” Gruber said. “I just had a lot of work. It was really hard to get my stuff done [...] and be paying attention as well.” Gruber also specifically found it difficult to complete college applications because of procrastination resulting from her ADHD.