The FDA announced in October that there was a shortage of drugs commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and because of this, manufacturers wouldn’t be able to keep up with current demands and manufacturing delays.
The FDA has announced specific ADHD drug shortages of amphetamine aspartate, amphetamine sulfate, dextroamphetamine saccharate, dextroamphetamine sulfate tablets and many others. This has affected Brockport pharmacies’ supplies of certain stimulant medications, like amphetamine/dextroamphetamine salts (Adderall) and dexmethylphenidate (Focalin).
SUNY Brockport senior Mya Santiago has taken Adderall to treat her ADHD since she was 17 years old.
“The supply shortage negatively affected my focus and mood. I mean, I was pretty annoyed at not being able to have my medication filled because it’s important for me so I can successfully study,” Santiago said.
Due to the supply shortage, Santiago wasn’t able to fill her prescription and struggled with severe withdrawals.
“I have severe ADHD and was out of my meds for almost two months at the beginning of the semester,” Santiago said. “The withdrawals and mood swings were horrible for weeks. Most people don’t understand that ADHD influences everything, including moods, so I had a lot of fluctuating mood swings and issues with anxiety and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). I had issues with headaches and nausea for the first week, and then after that I was still pretty anxious and exhausted.”
Santiago isn’t alone.
“It happened to one of my other friends too,” Santiago said. “A lot of us have been switched to different brands or only get half of what we normally get. I’m still on the same medication, but I increased my dose, because it was easier for me to get my medication on a higher dosage. But instead of getting the normal number of pills, I have to call to refill it sooner.”
Some medications impacted by this supply shortage are only certain forms of the medication, whether they’re capsules or tablets. Others are specific dosages.
For more information about all the different medications affected, the FDA provides daily updates on their website for the various drug shortages across the country.
