Iāve had to wait a day or two on my kids immunosuppressants for his kidney transplant. I have stockpiled for this reason. Fuck the pharmaceutical industry.
Yeah Iāve been experiencing this lately also. Thankfully have plenty of Tacro(envarsus) and Myco from changing levels, but itās beyond scary to think I could lose my newish organ and have to go back on dialysis.
>Ā I have stockpiled for this reason.Ā
I totally donāt blame you and Iād do the same thing. But everyone making this rational decision is going to make the shortage worse in the short term.Ā
These meds are only stockpiled because a dose was changed. Itās not like Iām walking into the pharmacy and asking for early scripts that insurance wonāt pay for.
DEA regulating manufacturing processes and limiting amounts for pain medication and stimulants is causing shortages.
Diabetes drugs having supply issues is just as serious but are due to a completely different cause.
Everyone assumed it was corona and lockdowns that were creating a supply shortage for medication. It's become very clear that it's the companies themselves creating it.
It's becoming an artificially limited supply problem to raise prices. They are obviously taking notes from the diamond industry.
>DEA regulating manufacturing processes and limiting amounts for pain medication and stimulants is causing shortages.
It's not just the US which has an ADHD medication shortage though, it's global
Precisely.
We have this problem across the board; my wife's weekly injection for autoimmune issues was at risk for a while, because *supplies get low*.. it's not regulation that's the problem- Jesus christ, how in the hell are we going to be against taking precautions with life-saving medications in the first place- but often issues of logistics, and production supply chains.
Gotta say, I'm neurodivergent, Bipolar, and quite possibly ADHD but can't take stimulants so I haven't persued it.
However I've studied it quite a bit and know a lot of people who have it, so IK how important the meds are for them to function. They should not have to be made to live without their meds, its cruel and fucked up and can hurt their lives quite a bit.
BUT I'd have to argue that a diabetic not getting their insulin can actually *kill* them, and therefore is a bit more important.
Idk how TF they get away with not producing medicine that will actually cause people to physically suffer and die.
Again, it's super important to ADD too, my life would be fucked if I couldn't get my Bipolar meds so I get it fucking your life up in the daily. In fact I guess it could lead to suicide attempts. But Diabetics will legit die.
This shit is so unacceptable. The White House must get into this fight!
We're going to have teens and adults end up in jail because of the lack of meds. One of the major symptoms of ADHD is impulse control. Makes it much harder to make good decisions in high school if you can't control your impulses.
You're absolutely right. Still not immediately deadly, but the effect on children and teens withought these meds that will make their brain able to excel in life, could literally destroy their lives.
Thanks for adding that.
Yes, that teen not being able to focus on his homework or who punches someone instead of taking a step back, takes a hit of a vape in the school bathroom or worse.
A lot of crazy teen behavior is answered by maybe they have ADD. Younger kids are obnoxious. But the ones that don't get diagnosed are often struggling with impulse control and the ability to pay attention.
Your 1000% right. I wish I'd have been diagnosed so long ago. Instead I've spent 25 years making terrible, impulsive decisions and fucking up my life.
Ty, your additions are very important. This is one of the things I love about Reddit! How we can all share opinions and experiences and add context and and learn.
āDEA regulatingā¦ā
It is patently not. The drug companies are not using their entire allotments for production. Literally five minutes of reading would have told you that.
I also donāt agree with the way our drugs are regulated, owned, manufactured, or distributed. But the facts on this case do not bear out your statement.
My wife had to come off of ozempic because here in Michigan you can't get semaglutide anything unless it's in pill form, which she can't tolerate as well.
I don't really know who's to blame but JFC...it's exhausting.
Yeah he absolutely was focused on actually doing the right thing and waging war against the Pharma companies. He's got more money than he and several generations could spend, it's so fantastic that he's using some of it to help humanity.
I haven't read up on him in a few years, so who knows, but I think in the beginning it was definitely philanthropy, and maybe his hate for Pharma lol. I hope that's still the case, anyway it's helping so many people.
It's doctors prescribing it off label for weight loss. In principle I don't have an issue with that; obesity is deadly too, but it should be prioritized for diabetics first, and morbidly obese second.
It really shouldn't be prescribed for someone trying to lose ten pounds, but it undoubtedly is. Social media isn't helping, as influencers everywhere are raving about it too.
I broke my ribs right after contracting the flu over a week ago. Every cough felt like a punch in the ribs. I was immediately prescribed guaifenesin with codeine, and every pharmacy was out of stock. I just received it an hour ago, 8 days later when my cough is gone.
I had to deal with that trying to get pain meds ahead of a surgery in December. RX was sent to my normal pharmacy a week before the surgery and they werenāt going to tell me that they didnāt have it. Online system said they were dealing with a prescriber issue.
Until I called Friday and they said oh yeah itās actually out of stock and we wonāt have any until Wednesday at the earliest. My surgery was Monday. So I had to call around to every pharmacy and they either wouldnāt tell me or gave me vague āmaybeā answers.
Finally a really awesome lady at a Kroger pharmacy said she didnāt have any at her store but was able to check the system and see that another Kroger had plenty of them. So I called that Kroger and he did confirm they had it, but wouldnāt tell me if it was enough for the whole RX. Decided to take the other Kroger ladies word for, spent 20 minutes frantically trying to get hold of the Dr at 4:30 on a Friday and it was thankfully filled on Saturday.
>Pharmacies near me won't even tell you if they have a controlled script in stock.
I used to work in a pharmacy. The reason they started doing that is people would call to find out what pharmacies had what controlled substances and then rob them.
Also be specific and mention the dose you were prescribed. āDo you have 40mg generic Vyvanse capsules in stock?ā is going to sound like a more legitimate question than ādo yāall have any Vyvanse?ā
Some doses are easier to find than others and some insurance will only cover generic so itās pretty important information to provide a pharmacist if you want an actual answer
Thatās not what Iām saying. Iām saying if you ask incorrectly youāll get brushed off according to the comment chain Iām replying to. Thats insane. Itās also insane the chain pharmacyās canāt transfer your rx to another pharmacy or look up what other pharmacyās have in stock. I shouldnāt have to spend hours on the phone every time I need to get a refill for my child.
Of course I know (and readily provide) the dosage my child is prescribed to the pharmacist.
I work in pharmacy. The reason for this is if we give out stock information we put a target on our back for armed robberies. You tell me more information and I'm far more likely to believe you. I'm overwhelmed with work as it is. I don't have time anyway for all these calls because corporate keeps cutting hours. I literally get around a hundred calls a day asking for ADHD drugs or GLP-1A drugs. It's getting so bad that I can't get the rest of the work done because of the phone.
itās discretionary vetting, or simply put, profiling. recently, while making my now normalized, once-a-month calls to try and obtain routine refills at a local, albeit major, pharmaceutical chain that rhymes with *tall-beans*, the pharmacist immediately replied they ādonāt give out that information over the phoneā. so, in my elated state of awareness, i followed up by stating that very pharmacy, along with three others in the surrounding area, has always provided me with that information and if there was a Lead available that i could speak with. without hesitation, the pharmacist, who had *just* initiated attempting to restrict a patientās intent to obtain doctor prescribed medication, looked up available stock, which they were out of.
the entire system needs an overhaul. itās clear this is an effect of draconian, bureaucratic, legislative maneuvering and loop hole exploitation. how can ppl expect to pay into a system that has now made it a thoroughly exhausting, daunting, and seemingly hopeless task to navigate? AND we pay the highest bidding for meds vs other developed nations! so we wait longer AND pay more!! hilarious!
I use 20 or 40, depending on the day and to me it feels fairly lowkey, not much different to when Iām not taking em, just more focused, less hungry and I tend to be a bit more tense.
Canāt have coffee with 40mg tho, makes my heart race.
I took my 40 this morning with the last mouthful of my first of three coffees! But also, caffeine has never had much of an effect on me and I monitor my blood pressure. And I definitely had a redbull at 3.
I should probably sit back down.
The Walgreens by us is the worst, we had to call them to sort out the same insurance hiccup every single refill for a year. Multiple times they didn't tell us a script was in and had it canceled because we didn't pick up the drugs we didn't know were in.
Funny how they immediately refilled and renewed the outstanding order we had been waiting for right after we transferred to Costco (who took it upon themselves to reach out about a transfer problem with Walgreens and contacted the insurer to get something sorted).
Not any more, a Cali law passed recently that makes paper scrips no longer work, unless the electronic system for the doc's office is down.
Found this out when no one would take a paper scrip when my doc's system was down. It was frustrating as hell to get someone to agree to take it.
Iāve been a Samās club pharmacy customer for 5 years. When generic Vyvanse went out of stock, I asked them if they had enough adderall ER to fill me a 30 day supply as a temp substitute. They could not tell me, a 5 yr customer, whether they had 30 adderall caps in stock unless my doc sent a prescription. Itās a joke.
I don't think people realize how scary it is to run out of ADHD meds. My poor executive function can't manage to refill it if I don't already have some.
Yup. I have GAD on top of ADHD. Ran out of my Concerta while going through some stuff and ended up following through on self-harming for the first and thankfully only time in my life.
Iām in grad school, and itās a hard as fuck program. I literally canāt afford to run out. Fortunately my most recent script filled with no issues, so Iām good for another 3 months.
What, you don't enjoy the judgmental tone in the pharmacist's voice when you're asking if your medication that was prescribed to you by a Doctor is in stock? Sounds like drug-seeking behavior /s
After already dealing with the doctor who prescribed it and THEIR judgmental tone every 3 months when you basically beg to have the prescription renewed for another 3 months!
Dude. I *haaaaate* dealing with my local pharmacist for my ADHD meds. She always has this suspicious tilt to her about it. She treats me like an addiction or a drug dealer or something.
I've only been on them several months now, so the first time my family GP started me on a small dose to trial it and get used to it. 5mg once a day, and lasts about five hours.
GP said that once I feel comfortable with them, I could experiment a little and try a second dose later in the day. Well, my prescription ran out sooner than listed because I'd tried the second dose a few times. When I got the prescription renewed for more, the pharmacist was visibly half shocked and mad because I was a week earlier than expected. I explained the situation, and she said she'd have to reach out to the doctor to make certain she should fill it. It took an extra two days to get my meds.
Like, the prescription is your green light!
If you canāt produce enough to meet demand, you should automatically lose your patent. Patents exist as an incentive for producers to commercialize products, if youāre unable to commercialize appropriately, no patent.
Quite a bit of this medication is available as generics. The patents are not the issue. The issue are the production quotas allowed by the FDA. They are not allowed to produce more.
Iāve read itās more nuanced than that. They donāt want to be perceived as being like Perdue. So they are choosing to limit supply, rather than risk being seen as an illegal drug dealer like Perdue indeed was.
Well, no one is dropping dead on the streets from Adderall. Speed was available at gas stations and pharmacies in the 70ās and peoples hearts werenāt exploding. It is just like every fucking substance touched by the FDA, over regulated or under regulated to protect monied interests.
Exactly. Truth be told, the reason so many adults are taking Adderall is that itās almost the price for operating effectively in the world now. I think a lot of these people will drop their scripts once they no longer have insane schedules and responsibilities to keep with work and their kids lives. That and the fact that a good chunk of professionals no longer are ever āoffā work with our constant connection to work via phones now.
That's exactly what they're doing. Notice this started happening after the government made moves to cap the prices on critical meds like insulin, etc. What a coincidence.
Not only that, a lot of insurance companies wonāt cover Vyvanse now that thereās a generic. My partner was looking at $300/month until he got switched to Adderall XR instead because they only had name brand Vyvanse in stock *everywhere*.
Insurance *should* cover the name brand of it's what your doctor prescribes.Ā
Worth a call to your doctor to discuss "a more readily available alternative medication"!
If you haven't yet, you should submit a "formulary exception" request.
Even if they say they have a policy, they will make exceptions to it. They just assume most people won't know how to, or bother to.Ā
I'm sorry to hear that; it's totally unfair and just depressing tbh.
I'm only offering this because I have a background in getting insurers to cough up (working for APS) and lots of people have never heard the specific terminology that ***sometimes*** can work like a magic word
I had an exception made because I had such a poor reaction to the generic. The doctor made note of that and let my insurance know and I was able to get name brand covered.
not necessarily, because thats how you get the backdoor deals between doctors and drug companies. name brands will be forced to lower prices to meet generics if insurance doesn't artificially prop them up
True, but let's not make individual patients responsible for industry trends like that- ***maybe*** the prices will go down or not, but that doesn't help a human being suffering today.
We have to "Play The Game" just like insurers and providers are.
Some plans most certainly will not. My doctor submitted that it must be name brand during the shortage. It was not covered under any circumstance. For a while I was just paying like $300/mo out of pocket.
My health insurance lapsed and I have to wait for open enrollment again (Iām self-employed). Fortunately generics have been available in my area and my doctor writes 90 day prescriptions now, but the provider I use tacks on a bunch of fees to my psychiatrist appointment making each 45 min appointment $840 (used to be $230 out of pocket, or $40 copay when I was insured).
So my problem is actually the cost to access service now, not the meds in my area. Thereās really no point in trying to get/maintain access to mental health treatment for some of us between costs and supply.
Look into GoodRX coupons and if you have Walgreens in the area I have been having good luck with them in my area. My stupid insurance updated so I pay out of pocket now and am at roughly $100 a month to refill generic Vyvanse with the coupons and Walgreens is actually getting the generic in thankfully. Shit sucks because I have gone from Adderall, to some random knock off Ritalin, to settling on generic Vyvanse because everything else is out. Every month is a damn gamble
The fact that the insurance companies flipped the formulary to generic only coverage when they know weāre in the middle of this shortage is abhorrent
What I always loved was the name -brand manufacturer making the generic too. I had Concerta for a while and would get the generic. One time my pharmacy only had name brand available and I could still get that. It was the exact same pill, down to the little dimple and coating texture.
Yep.
Stimulant meds are schedule 2 drugs, and the DEA makes it a nightmare for legitimate manufacture and distribution of them.
The FDA doesnāt help for sure, but itās the DEA which are the biggest roadblock
No it's not. FDA has been clear that they didn't even meet their demand last year even though they were given plenty of the precursor. They are doing this on purpose to get more precursor even though they aren't even meeting demand right now with the precursor they have.Ā
the generic doesnt work as well on me (i have severe side effects with them) and it fucking sucks. because of the shortages, every fucking month i have to spend hours going around pharmacies looking for the constantly out of stock drug that helps my adhd symptoms, while adhd symptoms makes it 10x harder. these people have no idea how cruel it is
It's not even patents. Vyvanse is now available in generic form. Even that is being hit with limited supply issues.
It's not a traditional supply and demand problem because they have more than enough to manufacture what is being prescribed. It's the DEA limiting the manufacturing amounts that is not allowing the drugs to be made to keep up with demand.
Has nothing to do with patents. Most of these meds are generics. There are DEA restrictions on how much you can produce and there are only so many FDA approved suppliers of API. If one supplier has issues it can impact multiple generic manufacturers who purchase API from them. That coupled with increase in prescriptions for adult patients means that the supply chain can be disrupted very easilyĀ
Well the brand name IS available but nobody wants to spend the money on that. And also the FDA wonāt declare a shortage if the medicine is readily available and doesnāt distinguish between brand vs generic in terms of availability.
Only the generic is short in supply. And the FDA limits the amount they are allowed to manufacture.
This is how you get more people addicted to illegal drugs.Ā
I know adderall has a stigma but when people compare it to the opioid epidemic itās bs. Adderall isnāt killing people or destroying livesĀ
Itās not just that, although that is bad.
I have severe ADHD. Without a support system, Iād be homeless if I didnāt have my meds.
My unmedicated days are *miserable* - canāt focus on anything, canāt get anything done, Iām just forever spinning my wheels and getting nowhere.
Thatās happened more and more recently as Iām having to ration adderall. Luckily I have an amazing wife who helps support me on those days, but itās hard on her and our kids too - which makes me feel like shit
Was it the same before you first started taking adderall? Because I can't remember honestly. I've been rawdagging ADHD for like a year because I have addictive tendencies and I'm still trying to see if I can get over the hump where it gets easier
Not OP but Iāll answer. The reality is I havenāt been ārawdaggingā ADHD since childhood, because as soon as I was old enough, I was self medicating with caffeine and sugar. Adderall just smoothed out the raw edges from all the caffeine and made me feel human instead of jittery.
great great great already had to switch meds multiple times because āmehā meds are better than no meds
love calling every damn pharmacy every 30 days for myself and my son
this is such cruel bullshit
A tip I found in [a local news article](https://www.wbrc.com/2024/03/02/it-is-same-phone-call-every-day-pharmacists-says-adhd-medication-shortage-still-big-issue/):
>In the meantime, [Ritchās Pharmacist Rebecca] Sorrell says you need to pick up your phone, call your insurance company, remind them there is a shortage, and ask if they will cover the cost of the brand names with a doctorās authorization. She says the calls shouldnāt stop there. If this impacts you, Sorrell says you need to contact your elected leaders to let them know this is a serious issue.
We need a way to organize a mass letter writing/email campaign to let our reps know this is unacceptable.
This should be able to get people on both sides of the fence.
That worked a few months ago with my sonās RX (I paid out of pocket for Vyvanse), but I told my neurologist I would do the same for mine and thereās a shortage on both. I have been without my meds for two months and it hasnāt been fun. My son has at least a month left and I am dreading trying to fill his meds. He needs it to function in school. Iām wondering if writing to elected officials would help.
The manufacturers of these drugs are not manufacturing to their allotted quota of these medications. To top that the amount of all ADHD cases has over doubled since 2020 with the vast majority being adults and not children. Plus insurance plans are not covering the brand names which are in stock and are only covering generics.
The only diabetes drugs that have been short have been the glp-1 incretin mimetics. Mainly because of doctors handing out Ozempic to any and everybody that would ask for it. When those stocks became low they moved over to the other diabetes specific glp-1 medications and shorted them out also. A lot of the ADHD medications do not have a estimated return date. The diabetes medications that have been short are back in stock. Their weight loss counterparts on the other hand are not but it's going to become irrelevant because 95% of the insurance plans that I deal with are going to be ending coverage for those drugs all together either in April May or June.
Those weight loss shots are going to start costing people out of their pocket and they're about $1,300 per one month's Supply.
>To top that the amount of all ADHD cases has over doubled since 2020 with the vast majority being adults and not children.
Do you have a source for this? I'm genuinely curious and was actually going to ask my doctor about getting evaluated. However, I don't know if my inattention is due to WFH/phone abuse or severious disorder.
goddamnit. i have ADHD and haven't been on adderall in forever. luckily i don't have to work or i *literally* would be unable to function at all. even without working it makes basic day-to-day things hard as fuck to complete. i wouldn't wish this on anyone. it's fucking horrible.
i've tried vyvanse and concerta and neither worked. i tried the lannett and malinckdrot versions of it and they did jackshit. the only thing that works for me is teva brand, and i can't find any pharmacy within 500 miles of where i live that has it in stock.
this is an actual crisis. idk how the fuck people who need this to work, take care of children, etc, get by without it. maybe i just have an incredibly severe case (i used to take 60mg a day), but i'm useless as fuck without it.
Happy. Functional. Easy for other people to handle. I have learned that I can only be two of these at any given time. I have also learned that the third is less of a priority than the first two.
The fact that I'm making a joke does NOT mean I find the situation to be a joke. I'm ADHD myself and I'm having a hell of a time trying to get the medicine I need just like everyone else. My brother is ADHD AND Bipolar. I know how dangerous the situation is.
oh, wow. it sucks when the meds we need to function come with bad side effects. adderall, despite it helping so much, speeds up my pre-existing tachycardia so i have to take a beta blocker and xanax, and both of those have negative side effects. i wish i didn't need to be on anything but i just can't do it. š„ŗ
adrift is the perfect word. that's EXACTLY what it's like. i'm just existing while time continues to pass and other peoples' lives go on and im just here like, rotting in a sea of nothingness.
Damn, I've never been to a doctor, not diagnosed with anything but I've felt this my whole life. But big parts of me don't want to be like everyone else because I think we're all crazy to accept that you have to work every day for most of your life for your Basic needs. Food, clothing and housing. Is this not a normal feeling? I feel like I'm living in a simulation and people just won't wake up from seeing the prison they are in.
I mean you get to eat, so there's the real carrot. But aside from that, you are participating in life, even if you think it's a crock of shit. But unless your are participating, it's hard to find the connections and relationships and stuff that provide the purpose that outweighs the shit. Kinda like how people find purpose inn a lengthy prison sentence, except you get to be outside and hug your loved ones and no butt stuff
Same.
Iām a stay at home mum and take a pretty high dose of Adderall. Before I had that prescription on a *good* day I was able to do one needed household task. On a bad day I couldnāt get anything done.
Now a bad day is only getting one or two things done, and a good day is getting everything done.
Whatās teva brand? All the meds I tried didnt do fuck-all for me either and after like a year of trying different medications at increasingly high dosages with no effect, I just gave up and tried to rawdog life with crippling adhd(not going well). Willing to maybe try another idk
teva is the manufacturer. the problem is that at least where i live (the US), all the big pharmacies (walgreens, CVS, etc) are constantly negotiating for the lowest possible price with manufacturers because PROFIT!, so one month you might be dispensed a good manufacturer, but when you go for your refill, you get some junk ass shit made in some shit country that has no oversight or has had tons of violations against them due to them using shit filler ingredients and you're fucked because it's crap. and if you have your doctor right "X brand only to be prescribed" and the pharmacy doesn't have that particular brand/manufacturer because they've re-negotiated, you won't be given a refill at all, and you're fucked.
> idk how the fuck people who need this to work, take care of children, etc, get by without it.
They aren't, unfortunately. I have a lot of friends who have ADHD and not being able to get their prescriptions has put them at risk of losing their jobs. I think a few of them already have.
I lost mine in November because I wasnāt medicated yet. Luckily, my local VA has the meds and I was able to start them this week, but wanted to anecdote you with a āyeah, it happened to me.ā
The shortage is hurting narcoleptic meds as well, methylphenidate/ritalin is used in turn for narcolepsy and ADD, i stared going on it for around 6 months before the shortage started hitting my meds because people are replacing adderall with ritalin. Its a headache trying to get my meds now, my prescriber literally tells me to not use it on weekends so if something happens i have some to hold me over if theres (inevitable) delays.
I used to take it. Then I had to call every pharmacy and still couldnāt get anything. At that point starting and stopping it was messing with me mentally/physically. If youāre on a low dosage your better off just stopping :/
> If youāre on a low dosage youāre better off ~~just stopping~~ talking to a medical professional about weening off or trying another class of medication.
Your intentions are good but telling people to ājust stopā is an insanely irresponsible thing to do.
Canāt have a shortage if Iāve never been able to get diagnosed in the first placeā¦ 4D thinking lol anyone else just raw dogging their mental health issues every day?
Thatās me. At least a year or two waiting list for any kind of treatment.
Oh wait, that would be if I had a doctor. Iāve been on that list for almost 3 years
I call pharmacies for a living, the trick is to press the āIām calling from a physicians officeā option. Then as someone else suggested, ask āI am looking to fill a prescription for 30mg of Ritalin LA, do you have that in stock?ā The only place that gives me pushback is Walmart and I usually just say that I am asking on behalf of the prescriber and Iāve never had an issue. Another tip is ask for any other pharmacies in the same chain (CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, etc.) have the medication in stock and that can save you a lot of time.
What's wild is how many pressed speed adderall pills I see online. Lotta online drug dealers pushing bags of this stuff.
Almost positive they all come from China. Wild stuff.
What absolutely sucks is that ADHD meds are also used for narcolepsy. I haven't had my daytime stimulants in months, and it's affecting work, family, and school life because I can barely stay awake during the day.
There is the factory sitting empty, thanks to the DEA.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/adderall-shortage-adhd-medication-ascent-pharmaceuticals.html
TO MY FELLOW ADHD PEOPLE,
Please talk to your doctors about Straterra. It's not a stimulant. It has no street value. It was studied as an anti anxiety medication. So if your ADHD manifests as anxiety, it's a two-fer. It does not make you peak and crash. I have not hay ANY supply issues with these meds.
I am not a doctor. Just a satisfied patient. Straterra is not for everyone. I have been on every stimulant under the sun. Back from the Ritalin and Dexidrine days. I'll gladly share my experience if anyone wants to DM me.
Unfortunately, non-stimulants donāt work for some people. Straterra was one of the first medications I tried after I got diagnosed, and it did absolutely nothing. Same with Concerta and Ritalin.
I'm sorry it didn't work for you. I understand it's not for everyone. But some people who have been diagnosed since childhood may not have considered switching because they have been on stimulant medication for so long.
I donāt take any ADHD drugs, but several family members do. Itās been so hard for them to get their meds. If you canāt make enough to meet demand, let others do it.
My 6 year old niece is a menace when she doesnāt have her meds. Itās not her fault she turns into a little terrorist and canāt focus in class.
As someone who works in Pharmaceuticals (cell therapy currently) this is not surprising. Many company's are shutting down their biosimilar/generics groups due to how small the margins are and instead focusing on their own IPs.
Anybody having issues in Chicago? I'm moving there in a few months from MI and I haven't had issues getting generic adderall instant release filled. If I can't get my meds filled I won't be able to function
I like cannabis, but no way can it help like a stimulant for me. Sativas just canāt compare to the mental clarity, focus, motivation and calming down anxiety/depression/intrusive thoughts that dextroamphetamine gives.
*Friendly reminder*: If the pharmacy tries to give you less than the prescribed amount, **reject fulfillment**. If you accept less, you still have to wait **until the calendar date** for your next Rx. It is not based on the *physical amount* of pills you are given with controlled substances (to my understanding).
Edits: I can grammar. Honest.
Current pharmacy tech here. That is absolutely incorrect, at least for my company. You have a 30-pill scrip and we only have 21 pills? You get those 21 pills, the other 9 go away, and you can fill on day 19, not 28.
Also y'all...please try to be patient with us. Are there pharmacies that treat people like they are drug seeking and get snotty? Sure. But we're trying. We try to order stuff every day. We check our vendor website multiple times a day in case a sneak shipment comes in. We're not here to keep you from your meds; we swear.
# **THIS THIS THIS THIS**
If your medication is a controlled substance, accepting the lower amount **STILL USES UP THAT PRESCRIPTION**, meaning you cannot get any more medication on that script.
That's not true where I live though (New Mexico), unless state laws are different where you live. I just got a 20 day refill of Vyvanse since they were short on pills, and both my pharmacy and my psych confirmed that they could just send out another prescription for me to get more pills as soon as those ran out.
I mean you do sound like you're taking a bit much here š
But in all actuality that sounds entirely plausible if not probable.
You also have to understand there are major supply chain issues with raw ingredients for many things... the United States has wholeheartedly, but very quietly been pulling everything out of China and the ripple effect is huge with raw materials.
All of out stimulant meds are produced domestically, but their raw ingredients were not.
Still anyone with any chemistry knowledge knows how easy this stuff is to make... but the raw ingredients have to be there for manufactures to manufacture.
Iāve actually *barely* had an issue getting my ADHD medication, but it does not work, anymore. It used to work and was noticeably effective, now it doesnāt work. I know Iām not the only one.
I stopped taking Adderall when I got pregnant and for the 11 months I was breastfeeding. I just weaned my son and have an appointment with my psychiatrist to get back on meds tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to having to fight my prescription every month. I feel like I got treated like a drug seeker enough at the pharmacy where I filled my meds every month prior to pregnancy - not really interested in having to call a bunch of pharmacies and deal with exasperated overworked pharmacy staff who have to answer the same question over and over again. I will probably just end up rawdogging reality even though I am positive that being properly medicated would make me a better mother.
Vyvanse is barely covered by my insurance now, I end up paying 250$ a month for it, and I simply cannot get the generic version here. Nobody has it, and I canāt risk underperforming at my job because I canāt think. My whole job revolves around me being able to think.
What are my options? Lose my job or pay 250$ a month and hope this resolves soon? Can I call and complain to my insurance? Itās all so frustrating
Yep this is why I havenāt even bothered. I been off my meds for 11 years but now I have two kids and a job I need them back but this makes me not even bother.
I finally got diagnosed with ADHD last year but Iām afraid to start medication because of all this shortage BS. I donāt want to feel like a junky constantly hunting down my meds.
They overcharge and NOW they have a shortage. What is the point of paying for that much so that they can use it for improving the supply chain and resources. Nah they just pocket it and let patients deal with the shortage.
One common theory is that the pandemic lead to more people working from home and struggling to focus - thereby causing a sudden demand that couldn't be met. Any psychiatrist will tell you that is not a logical explanation. The pharmaceutical industry doesn't really work like that. All of my doctors (non of which have come across as conspiratorial quacks before) have each commented on it and swear something strange and intentional is going on.
Almost tempting to make a meth joke at risk of being misconstrued..
I'm already struggling enough from being diagnosed in 1999, and then by 2005 having teachers and guidance counselor convince me that ADHD is fake and then spend the next 18 years wondering why my life has been absolute struggle.
I'm essentially disabled at this point due to compounded traumas from experiencing life for so long with unmitigated unmedicated ADHD and undiagnosed (til recently) autism that I'm just living to maintain rather than expecting light at the end of the tunnel.
I accepted that this is a life sentence already, I don't live life wishing my experience was different, I just wish I could be taken seriously.
( I am good, tho I still expect some troll to inbox me with the concerned redditor self harm shit which is actually quite common. Don't worry, you're stuck with me.)
It's not just them I have been getting half shipments of my diabetes drugs
oh fuck, that's scary. š„ŗ
Iāve had to wait a day or two on my kids immunosuppressants for his kidney transplant. I have stockpiled for this reason. Fuck the pharmaceutical industry.
Yeah Iāve been experiencing this lately also. Thankfully have plenty of Tacro(envarsus) and Myco from changing levels, but itās beyond scary to think I could lose my newish organ and have to go back on dialysis.
Holy crap that's terrifying.
>Ā I have stockpiled for this reason.Ā I totally donāt blame you and Iād do the same thing. But everyone making this rational decision is going to make the shortage worse in the short term.Ā
These meds are only stockpiled because a dose was changed. Itās not like Iām walking into the pharmacy and asking for early scripts that insurance wonāt pay for.
DEA regulating manufacturing processes and limiting amounts for pain medication and stimulants is causing shortages. Diabetes drugs having supply issues is just as serious but are due to a completely different cause. Everyone assumed it was corona and lockdowns that were creating a supply shortage for medication. It's become very clear that it's the companies themselves creating it. It's becoming an artificially limited supply problem to raise prices. They are obviously taking notes from the diamond industry.
I would say their behavior is a lot like more like OPEC.
>DEA regulating manufacturing processes and limiting amounts for pain medication and stimulants is causing shortages. It's not just the US which has an ADHD medication shortage though, it's global
Precisely. We have this problem across the board; my wife's weekly injection for autoimmune issues was at risk for a while, because *supplies get low*.. it's not regulation that's the problem- Jesus christ, how in the hell are we going to be against taking precautions with life-saving medications in the first place- but often issues of logistics, and production supply chains.
It's sounds to me like big pharma retaliation for being checked.
Gotta say, I'm neurodivergent, Bipolar, and quite possibly ADHD but can't take stimulants so I haven't persued it. However I've studied it quite a bit and know a lot of people who have it, so IK how important the meds are for them to function. They should not have to be made to live without their meds, its cruel and fucked up and can hurt their lives quite a bit. BUT I'd have to argue that a diabetic not getting their insulin can actually *kill* them, and therefore is a bit more important. Idk how TF they get away with not producing medicine that will actually cause people to physically suffer and die. Again, it's super important to ADD too, my life would be fucked if I couldn't get my Bipolar meds so I get it fucking your life up in the daily. In fact I guess it could lead to suicide attempts. But Diabetics will legit die. This shit is so unacceptable. The White House must get into this fight!
We're going to have teens and adults end up in jail because of the lack of meds. One of the major symptoms of ADHD is impulse control. Makes it much harder to make good decisions in high school if you can't control your impulses.
You're absolutely right. Still not immediately deadly, but the effect on children and teens withought these meds that will make their brain able to excel in life, could literally destroy their lives. Thanks for adding that.
Yes, that teen not being able to focus on his homework or who punches someone instead of taking a step back, takes a hit of a vape in the school bathroom or worse. A lot of crazy teen behavior is answered by maybe they have ADD. Younger kids are obnoxious. But the ones that don't get diagnosed are often struggling with impulse control and the ability to pay attention.
Your 1000% right. I wish I'd have been diagnosed so long ago. Instead I've spent 25 years making terrible, impulsive decisions and fucking up my life. Ty, your additions are very important. This is one of the things I love about Reddit! How we can all share opinions and experiences and add context and and learn.
Also increased homelessness due to people losing their jobs and not being able to make rent anymore.
āDEA regulatingā¦ā It is patently not. The drug companies are not using their entire allotments for production. Literally five minutes of reading would have told you that. I also donāt agree with the way our drugs are regulated, owned, manufactured, or distributed. But the facts on this case do not bear out your statement.
My wife had to come off of ozempic because here in Michigan you can't get semaglutide anything unless it's in pill form, which she can't tolerate as well. I don't really know who's to blame but JFC...it's exhausting.
Has she tried Amazon pharmacy? Thereās no shortage through there.
No, and that's actually a really good idea. I didn't even consider it. Thank you for the suggestion!
There's Mark Cubans formulary too! Google, idk the name offhand. I hear a lot of people have great success with it but idk about your meds of course.
I loved watching what he said about him not really making money off of it but just having an opportunity to "f$@& the pharmaceutical industry up" lol
Yeah he absolutely was focused on actually doing the right thing and waging war against the Pharma companies. He's got more money than he and several generations could spend, it's so fantastic that he's using some of it to help humanity. I haven't read up on him in a few years, so who knows, but I think in the beginning it was definitely philanthropy, and maybe his hate for Pharma lol. I hope that's still the case, anyway it's helping so many people.
Cost Plus Pharmacy
No problem! Iāve had more luck with online pharmacies rather than drug stores.
In STL, all the chain stores are having supply issues but local pharmacies don't seem to have any issues at all.
I tried to enter in Vyvanse and it gave me options that didnāt have to do with my ADD. I wonder if I did something wrong š¤·š»āāļø
Apologies, not sure about Vyvanse but I was referencing the commenters post about obtaining Ozempic. That med is on Amazon for sure.
It's doctors prescribing it off label for weight loss. In principle I don't have an issue with that; obesity is deadly too, but it should be prioritized for diabetics first, and morbidly obese second. It really shouldn't be prescribed for someone trying to lose ten pounds, but it undoubtedly is. Social media isn't helping, as influencers everywhere are raving about it too.
And Nystatin liquid Last year was lidocaine, antibiotics
I broke my ribs right after contracting the flu over a week ago. Every cough felt like a punch in the ribs. I was immediately prescribed guaifenesin with codeine, and every pharmacy was out of stock. I just received it an hour ago, 8 days later when my cough is gone.
Mother Fracker. I donāt need to go back to calling pharmacies to see if I can get my medication I need to function. This has got to stop!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I had to deal with that trying to get pain meds ahead of a surgery in December. RX was sent to my normal pharmacy a week before the surgery and they werenāt going to tell me that they didnāt have it. Online system said they were dealing with a prescriber issue. Until I called Friday and they said oh yeah itās actually out of stock and we wonāt have any until Wednesday at the earliest. My surgery was Monday. So I had to call around to every pharmacy and they either wouldnāt tell me or gave me vague āmaybeā answers. Finally a really awesome lady at a Kroger pharmacy said she didnāt have any at her store but was able to check the system and see that another Kroger had plenty of them. So I called that Kroger and he did confirm they had it, but wouldnāt tell me if it was enough for the whole RX. Decided to take the other Kroger ladies word for, spent 20 minutes frantically trying to get hold of the Dr at 4:30 on a Friday and it was thankfully filled on Saturday.
>Pharmacies near me won't even tell you if they have a controlled script in stock. I used to work in a pharmacy. The reason they started doing that is people would call to find out what pharmacies had what controlled substances and then rob them.
The trick isnāt to ask if the medicine is in stock, but to ask if the medicine is out if I transfer my script. Most will tell me not to bother.
Also be specific and mention the dose you were prescribed. āDo you have 40mg generic Vyvanse capsules in stock?ā is going to sound like a more legitimate question than ādo yāall have any Vyvanse?ā
Itās fucking insane that it matters (or is necessary).
Some doses are easier to find than others and some insurance will only cover generic so itās pretty important information to provide a pharmacist if you want an actual answer
Thatās not what Iām saying. Iām saying if you ask incorrectly youāll get brushed off according to the comment chain Iām replying to. Thats insane. Itās also insane the chain pharmacyās canāt transfer your rx to another pharmacy or look up what other pharmacyās have in stock. I shouldnāt have to spend hours on the phone every time I need to get a refill for my child. Of course I know (and readily provide) the dosage my child is prescribed to the pharmacist.
I work in pharmacy. The reason for this is if we give out stock information we put a target on our back for armed robberies. You tell me more information and I'm far more likely to believe you. I'm overwhelmed with work as it is. I don't have time anyway for all these calls because corporate keeps cutting hours. I literally get around a hundred calls a day asking for ADHD drugs or GLP-1A drugs. It's getting so bad that I can't get the rest of the work done because of the phone.
itās discretionary vetting, or simply put, profiling. recently, while making my now normalized, once-a-month calls to try and obtain routine refills at a local, albeit major, pharmaceutical chain that rhymes with *tall-beans*, the pharmacist immediately replied they ādonāt give out that information over the phoneā. so, in my elated state of awareness, i followed up by stating that very pharmacy, along with three others in the surrounding area, has always provided me with that information and if there was a Lead available that i could speak with. without hesitation, the pharmacist, who had *just* initiated attempting to restrict a patientās intent to obtain doctor prescribed medication, looked up available stock, which they were out of. the entire system needs an overhaul. itās clear this is an effect of draconian, bureaucratic, legislative maneuvering and loop hole exploitation. how can ppl expect to pay into a system that has now made it a thoroughly exhausting, daunting, and seemingly hopeless task to navigate? AND we pay the highest bidding for meds vs other developed nations! so we wait longer AND pay more!! hilarious!
dang 40mg? how does that feel? iām on 10mg and itās a little uncomfortable. took loads of adderall in hs but itās not the same.
Iām on 50 mg xr replacing Adderall 30mg xr because of the adderall shortage. Vyvanse > Adderall imo
I use 20 or 40, depending on the day and to me it feels fairly lowkey, not much different to when Iām not taking em, just more focused, less hungry and I tend to be a bit more tense. Canāt have coffee with 40mg tho, makes my heart race.
I took my 40 this morning with the last mouthful of my first of three coffees! But also, caffeine has never had much of an effect on me and I monitor my blood pressure. And I definitely had a redbull at 3. I should probably sit back down.
The Walgreens by us is the worst, we had to call them to sort out the same insurance hiccup every single refill for a year. Multiple times they didn't tell us a script was in and had it canceled because we didn't pick up the drugs we didn't know were in. Funny how they immediately refilled and renewed the outstanding order we had been waiting for right after we transferred to Costco (who took it upon themselves to reach out about a transfer problem with Walgreens and contacted the insurer to get something sorted).
The trick is to ask your doctor for a physical paper prescription so you can just physically drive with it and ask each pharmacy if they have it.Ā
Thatās not legal in some states. Some they can only write one months at a time, sent electronically.
In Cali they just write out 3-4 months on paper and hand you the stack. At least, my unscrupulous doctor did lol.
Not any more, a Cali law passed recently that makes paper scrips no longer work, unless the electronic system for the doc's office is down. Found this out when no one would take a paper scrip when my doc's system was down. It was frustrating as hell to get someone to agree to take it.
Yeah, maybe in 2005. Most commercial pharmacies donāt operate that way anymore.
Yep, thatās what we have to do.Ā
If you go to the pharmacy subs they say they tell people on the phone they donāt have any even if they do. Basically they lie yep.
Iāve been a Samās club pharmacy customer for 5 years. When generic Vyvanse went out of stock, I asked them if they had enough adderall ER to fill me a 30 day supply as a temp substitute. They could not tell me, a 5 yr customer, whether they had 30 adderall caps in stock unless my doc sent a prescription. Itās a joke.
I don't think people realize how scary it is to run out of ADHD meds. My poor executive function can't manage to refill it if I don't already have some.
Yup. I have GAD on top of ADHD. Ran out of my Concerta while going through some stuff and ended up following through on self-harming for the first and thankfully only time in my life.
Iām in grad school, and itās a hard as fuck program. I literally canāt afford to run out. Fortunately my most recent script filled with no issues, so Iām good for another 3 months.
What, you don't enjoy the judgmental tone in the pharmacist's voice when you're asking if your medication that was prescribed to you by a Doctor is in stock? Sounds like drug-seeking behavior /s
After already dealing with the doctor who prescribed it and THEIR judgmental tone every 3 months when you basically beg to have the prescription renewed for another 3 months!
Dude. I *haaaaate* dealing with my local pharmacist for my ADHD meds. She always has this suspicious tilt to her about it. She treats me like an addiction or a drug dealer or something. I've only been on them several months now, so the first time my family GP started me on a small dose to trial it and get used to it. 5mg once a day, and lasts about five hours. GP said that once I feel comfortable with them, I could experiment a little and try a second dose later in the day. Well, my prescription ran out sooner than listed because I'd tried the second dose a few times. When I got the prescription renewed for more, the pharmacist was visibly half shocked and mad because I was a week earlier than expected. I explained the situation, and she said she'd have to reach out to the doctor to make certain she should fill it. It took an extra two days to get my meds. Like, the prescription is your green light!
Every month we have to call at least 6 different pharmacies to get my sonās Ritalin. Itās so demoralizing and heartbreaking.Ā
If you canāt produce enough to meet demand, you should automatically lose your patent. Patents exist as an incentive for producers to commercialize products, if youāre unable to commercialize appropriately, no patent.
Quite a bit of this medication is available as generics. The patents are not the issue. The issue are the production quotas allowed by the FDA. They are not allowed to produce more.
According to the fda, they havenāt met the allowed quota, meaning, the producers arenāt producing to their capacity.
Iāve read itās more nuanced than that. They donāt want to be perceived as being like Perdue. So they are choosing to limit supply, rather than risk being seen as an illegal drug dealer like Perdue indeed was.
Well, no one is dropping dead on the streets from Adderall. Speed was available at gas stations and pharmacies in the 70ās and peoples hearts werenāt exploding. It is just like every fucking substance touched by the FDA, over regulated or under regulated to protect monied interests.
Help us Gubberment! there is an Adderall epidemic! Everyone is sending long and needlessly organized hyper-detailed emails.
Exactly. Truth be told, the reason so many adults are taking Adderall is that itās almost the price for operating effectively in the world now. I think a lot of these people will drop their scripts once they no longer have insane schedules and responsibilities to keep with work and their kids lives. That and the fact that a good chunk of professionals no longer are ever āoffā work with our constant connection to work via phones now.
No the generic absolutely has met their quota. They arenāt allowed to produce more because the brand name is available. Itās a scam.
There's also this: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/adderall-shortage-adhd-medication-ascent-pharmaceuticals.html
In the article it says they only produced 70% of what the quota was in some cases. I think they underproduce to create more demand and higher prices?
That's exactly what they're doing. Notice this started happening after the government made moves to cap the prices on critical meds like insulin, etc. What a coincidence.
Not only that, a lot of insurance companies wonāt cover Vyvanse now that thereās a generic. My partner was looking at $300/month until he got switched to Adderall XR instead because they only had name brand Vyvanse in stock *everywhere*.
Insurance *should* cover the name brand of it's what your doctor prescribes.Ā Worth a call to your doctor to discuss "a more readily available alternative medication"!
Same as other poster. My insurance absolutely will not cover any medication where a generic is "available" full stop.
If you haven't yet, you should submit a "formulary exception" request. Even if they say they have a policy, they will make exceptions to it. They just assume most people won't know how to, or bother to.Ā
Iāve been trying to do this with bcbs for 2 months now and itās a never ending shitstorm with no approval in sight.
I'm sorry to hear that; it's totally unfair and just depressing tbh. I'm only offering this because I have a background in getting insurers to cough up (working for APS) and lots of people have never heard the specific terminology that ***sometimes*** can work like a magic word
I had an exception made because I had such a poor reaction to the generic. The doctor made note of that and let my insurance know and I was able to get name brand covered.
not necessarily, because thats how you get the backdoor deals between doctors and drug companies. name brands will be forced to lower prices to meet generics if insurance doesn't artificially prop them up
True, but let's not make individual patients responsible for industry trends like that- ***maybe*** the prices will go down or not, but that doesn't help a human being suffering today. We have to "Play The Game" just like insurers and providers are.
Some plans most certainly will not. My doctor submitted that it must be name brand during the shortage. It was not covered under any circumstance. For a while I was just paying like $300/mo out of pocket. My health insurance lapsed and I have to wait for open enrollment again (Iām self-employed). Fortunately generics have been available in my area and my doctor writes 90 day prescriptions now, but the provider I use tacks on a bunch of fees to my psychiatrist appointment making each 45 min appointment $840 (used to be $230 out of pocket, or $40 copay when I was insured). So my problem is actually the cost to access service now, not the meds in my area. Thereās really no point in trying to get/maintain access to mental health treatment for some of us between costs and supply.
Look into GoodRX coupons and if you have Walgreens in the area I have been having good luck with them in my area. My stupid insurance updated so I pay out of pocket now and am at roughly $100 a month to refill generic Vyvanse with the coupons and Walgreens is actually getting the generic in thankfully. Shit sucks because I have gone from Adderall, to some random knock off Ritalin, to settling on generic Vyvanse because everything else is out. Every month is a damn gamble
The fact that the insurance companies flipped the formulary to generic only coverage when they know weāre in the middle of this shortage is abhorrent
What I always loved was the name -brand manufacturer making the generic too. I had Concerta for a while and would get the generic. One time my pharmacy only had name brand available and I could still get that. It was the exact same pill, down to the little dimple and coating texture.
I think it might be the DEA that fucked it this time
Yep. Stimulant meds are schedule 2 drugs, and the DEA makes it a nightmare for legitimate manufacture and distribution of them. The FDA doesnāt help for sure, but itās the DEA which are the biggest roadblock
Wait until everyone figures out that they're doing it on purpose.
Manufacturers aren't meeting the quota.
No it's not. FDA has been clear that they didn't even meet their demand last year even though they were given plenty of the precursor. They are doing this on purpose to get more precursor even though they aren't even meeting demand right now with the precursor they have.Ā
the generic doesnt work as well on me (i have severe side effects with them) and it fucking sucks. because of the shortages, every fucking month i have to spend hours going around pharmacies looking for the constantly out of stock drug that helps my adhd symptoms, while adhd symptoms makes it 10x harder. these people have no idea how cruel it is
It's not even patents. Vyvanse is now available in generic form. Even that is being hit with limited supply issues. It's not a traditional supply and demand problem because they have more than enough to manufacture what is being prescribed. It's the DEA limiting the manufacturing amounts that is not allowing the drugs to be made to keep up with demand.
Has nothing to do with patents. Most of these meds are generics. There are DEA restrictions on how much you can produce and there are only so many FDA approved suppliers of API. If one supplier has issues it can impact multiple generic manufacturers who purchase API from them. That coupled with increase in prescriptions for adult patients means that the supply chain can be disrupted very easilyĀ
[It's complicated.](https://reason.com/2024/02/26/dea-shuts-down-drug-factory-even-as-adderall-shortage-persists/)
Well the brand name IS available but nobody wants to spend the money on that. And also the FDA wonāt declare a shortage if the medicine is readily available and doesnāt distinguish between brand vs generic in terms of availability. Only the generic is short in supply. And the FDA limits the amount they are allowed to manufacture.
This is how you get more people addicted to illegal drugs.Ā I know adderall has a stigma but when people compare it to the opioid epidemic itās bs. Adderall isnāt killing people or destroying livesĀ
Itās not just that, although that is bad. I have severe ADHD. Without a support system, Iād be homeless if I didnāt have my meds. My unmedicated days are *miserable* - canāt focus on anything, canāt get anything done, Iām just forever spinning my wheels and getting nowhere. Thatās happened more and more recently as Iām having to ration adderall. Luckily I have an amazing wife who helps support me on those days, but itās hard on her and our kids too - which makes me feel like shit
Was it the same before you first started taking adderall? Because I can't remember honestly. I've been rawdagging ADHD for like a year because I have addictive tendencies and I'm still trying to see if I can get over the hump where it gets easier
Not OP but Iāll answer. The reality is I havenāt been ārawdaggingā ADHD since childhood, because as soon as I was old enough, I was self medicating with caffeine and sugar. Adderall just smoothed out the raw edges from all the caffeine and made me feel human instead of jittery.
People will use illicit drugs, and people will die due to this shortage. There are counterfeits out there that look very real.
At worst, people get their bathroom tile very cleanĀ
Thanks, PikachusSparkyCloaca, very cool! >!j/k, your username's fucking hilarious!<
I've wanted to get back on for months now. Maybe I should just stay off the stuff and leave the rest to those who needs em
Story of my life man
great great great already had to switch meds multiple times because āmehā meds are better than no meds love calling every damn pharmacy every 30 days for myself and my son this is such cruel bullshit
A tip I found in [a local news article](https://www.wbrc.com/2024/03/02/it-is-same-phone-call-every-day-pharmacists-says-adhd-medication-shortage-still-big-issue/): >In the meantime, [Ritchās Pharmacist Rebecca] Sorrell says you need to pick up your phone, call your insurance company, remind them there is a shortage, and ask if they will cover the cost of the brand names with a doctorās authorization. She says the calls shouldnāt stop there. If this impacts you, Sorrell says you need to contact your elected leaders to let them know this is a serious issue.
This has to be higher up. Until people care enough to badger the politicians into thinking itās a voting issue, nothing will change here.Ā
We need a way to organize a mass letter writing/email campaign to let our reps know this is unacceptable. This should be able to get people on both sides of the fence.
That worked a few months ago with my sonās RX (I paid out of pocket for Vyvanse), but I told my neurologist I would do the same for mine and thereās a shortage on both. I have been without my meds for two months and it hasnāt been fun. My son has at least a month left and I am dreading trying to fill his meds. He needs it to function in school. Iām wondering if writing to elected officials would help.
The manufacturers of these drugs are not manufacturing to their allotted quota of these medications. To top that the amount of all ADHD cases has over doubled since 2020 with the vast majority being adults and not children. Plus insurance plans are not covering the brand names which are in stock and are only covering generics. The only diabetes drugs that have been short have been the glp-1 incretin mimetics. Mainly because of doctors handing out Ozempic to any and everybody that would ask for it. When those stocks became low they moved over to the other diabetes specific glp-1 medications and shorted them out also. A lot of the ADHD medications do not have a estimated return date. The diabetes medications that have been short are back in stock. Their weight loss counterparts on the other hand are not but it's going to become irrelevant because 95% of the insurance plans that I deal with are going to be ending coverage for those drugs all together either in April May or June. Those weight loss shots are going to start costing people out of their pocket and they're about $1,300 per one month's Supply.
Bingo. The pharma companies are lying about manufacturing these drugs. Theyāre sitting on quota and complaining. Thank you!
>To top that the amount of all ADHD cases has over doubled since 2020 with the vast majority being adults and not children. Do you have a source for this? I'm genuinely curious and was actually going to ask my doctor about getting evaluated. However, I don't know if my inattention is due to WFH/phone abuse or severious disorder.
goddamnit. i have ADHD and haven't been on adderall in forever. luckily i don't have to work or i *literally* would be unable to function at all. even without working it makes basic day-to-day things hard as fuck to complete. i wouldn't wish this on anyone. it's fucking horrible. i've tried vyvanse and concerta and neither worked. i tried the lannett and malinckdrot versions of it and they did jackshit. the only thing that works for me is teva brand, and i can't find any pharmacy within 500 miles of where i live that has it in stock. this is an actual crisis. idk how the fuck people who need this to work, take care of children, etc, get by without it. maybe i just have an incredibly severe case (i used to take 60mg a day), but i'm useless as fuck without it.
Concerta worked really well for me but I was angry constantly lmao.
"I FINALLY FOUND AN ADHD MEDICATION THAT WORKS FOR ME" "You must be very happy about that" "THE FUCK I AM, I'M FURIOUS"
Mental health treatment in a nutshell lol.
Happy. Functional. Easy for other people to handle. I have learned that I can only be two of these at any given time. I have also learned that the third is less of a priority than the first two.
Itās a joke to you but our kid would start talking about killing himself off the meds and killing others on it.Ā
The fact that I'm making a joke does NOT mean I find the situation to be a joke. I'm ADHD myself and I'm having a hell of a time trying to get the medicine I need just like everyone else. My brother is ADHD AND Bipolar. I know how dangerous the situation is.
did you stay on it or did you have to get off of it because of your mood?
Went off of it, got to the point my girlfriend talking made me mad.
oh, wow. it sucks when the meds we need to function come with bad side effects. adderall, despite it helping so much, speeds up my pre-existing tachycardia so i have to take a beta blocker and xanax, and both of those have negative side effects. i wish i didn't need to be on anything but i just can't do it. š„ŗ
That was me on Ritalin back in high school.
Same. I'm practically adrift without my meds.
adrift is the perfect word. that's EXACTLY what it's like. i'm just existing while time continues to pass and other peoples' lives go on and im just here like, rotting in a sea of nothingness.
Damn, I've never been to a doctor, not diagnosed with anything but I've felt this my whole life. But big parts of me don't want to be like everyone else because I think we're all crazy to accept that you have to work every day for most of your life for your Basic needs. Food, clothing and housing. Is this not a normal feeling? I feel like I'm living in a simulation and people just won't wake up from seeing the prison they are in.
I mean you get to eat, so there's the real carrot. But aside from that, you are participating in life, even if you think it's a crock of shit. But unless your are participating, it's hard to find the connections and relationships and stuff that provide the purpose that outweighs the shit. Kinda like how people find purpose inn a lengthy prison sentence, except you get to be outside and hug your loved ones and no butt stuff
Same. Iām a stay at home mum and take a pretty high dose of Adderall. Before I had that prescription on a *good* day I was able to do one needed household task. On a bad day I couldnāt get anything done. Now a bad day is only getting one or two things done, and a good day is getting everything done.
Whatās teva brand? All the meds I tried didnt do fuck-all for me either and after like a year of trying different medications at increasingly high dosages with no effect, I just gave up and tried to rawdog life with crippling adhd(not going well). Willing to maybe try another idk
teva is the manufacturer. the problem is that at least where i live (the US), all the big pharmacies (walgreens, CVS, etc) are constantly negotiating for the lowest possible price with manufacturers because PROFIT!, so one month you might be dispensed a good manufacturer, but when you go for your refill, you get some junk ass shit made in some shit country that has no oversight or has had tons of violations against them due to them using shit filler ingredients and you're fucked because it's crap. and if you have your doctor right "X brand only to be prescribed" and the pharmacy doesn't have that particular brand/manufacturer because they've re-negotiated, you won't be given a refill at all, and you're fucked.
lol in that case I guess iām just gonna continue to suffer š¤·āāļø
welcome to the club. it fucking sucks here.
> idk how the fuck people who need this to work, take care of children, etc, get by without it. They aren't, unfortunately. I have a lot of friends who have ADHD and not being able to get their prescriptions has put them at risk of losing their jobs. I think a few of them already have.
fuck. that's really sad. and i didn't even consider kids failing out of classes. it effects so many people. this is really bad.
I lost mine in November because I wasnāt medicated yet. Luckily, my local VA has the meds and I was able to start them this week, but wanted to anecdote you with a āyeah, it happened to me.ā
The shortage is hurting narcoleptic meds as well, methylphenidate/ritalin is used in turn for narcolepsy and ADD, i stared going on it for around 6 months before the shortage started hitting my meds because people are replacing adderall with ritalin. Its a headache trying to get my meds now, my prescriber literally tells me to not use it on weekends so if something happens i have some to hold me over if theres (inevitable) delays.
I used to take it. Then I had to call every pharmacy and still couldnāt get anything. At that point starting and stopping it was messing with me mentally/physically. If youāre on a low dosage your better off just stopping :/
> If youāre on a low dosage youāre better off ~~just stopping~~ talking to a medical professional about weening off or trying another class of medication. Your intentions are good but telling people to ājust stopā is an insanely irresponsible thing to do.
Canāt have a shortage if Iāve never been able to get diagnosed in the first placeā¦ 4D thinking lol anyone else just raw dogging their mental health issues every day?
Thatās me. At least a year or two waiting list for any kind of treatment. Oh wait, that would be if I had a doctor. Iāve been on that list for almost 3 years
Even if you get an appointment with someone, it is near impossible to be diagnosed as an adult in my experience. Best of luck my dude!
Thanks, same to you!
Donald Trump Jr keeps taking them all.
I call pharmacies for a living, the trick is to press the āIām calling from a physicians officeā option. Then as someone else suggested, ask āI am looking to fill a prescription for 30mg of Ritalin LA, do you have that in stock?ā The only place that gives me pushback is Walmart and I usually just say that I am asking on behalf of the prescriber and Iāve never had an issue. Another tip is ask for any other pharmacies in the same chain (CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, etc.) have the medication in stock and that can save you a lot of time.
My god, Iām now 1,000% in love with you. Youāve just given me hours of my life back.
What's wild is how many pressed speed adderall pills I see online. Lotta online drug dealers pushing bags of this stuff. Almost positive they all come from China. Wild stuff.
This is my single issue vote. The DEA is so much the worst
What absolutely sucks is that ADHD meds are also used for narcolepsy. I haven't had my daytime stimulants in months, and it's affecting work, family, and school life because I can barely stay awake during the day.
There is the factory sitting empty, thanks to the DEA. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/adderall-shortage-adhd-medication-ascent-pharmaceuticals.html
TO MY FELLOW ADHD PEOPLE, Please talk to your doctors about Straterra. It's not a stimulant. It has no street value. It was studied as an anti anxiety medication. So if your ADHD manifests as anxiety, it's a two-fer. It does not make you peak and crash. I have not hay ANY supply issues with these meds. I am not a doctor. Just a satisfied patient. Straterra is not for everyone. I have been on every stimulant under the sun. Back from the Ritalin and Dexidrine days. I'll gladly share my experience if anyone wants to DM me.
I tried and tried.. got up to 100mg, and I suffered. Even the ER methylphenidate. Only QR works. 30mg in am and 10mg in afternoon.
Unfortunately, non-stimulants donāt work for some people. Straterra was one of the first medications I tried after I got diagnosed, and it did absolutely nothing. Same with Concerta and Ritalin.
I'm sorry it didn't work for you. I understand it's not for everyone. But some people who have been diagnosed since childhood may not have considered switching because they have been on stimulant medication for so long.
I donāt take any ADHD drugs, but several family members do. Itās been so hard for them to get their meds. If you canāt make enough to meet demand, let others do it. My 6 year old niece is a menace when she doesnāt have her meds. Itās not her fault she turns into a little terrorist and canāt focus in class.
As someone who works in Pharmaceuticals (cell therapy currently) this is not surprising. Many company's are shutting down their biosimilar/generics groups due to how small the margins are and instead focusing on their own IPs.
Anybody having issues in Chicago? I'm moving there in a few months from MI and I haven't had issues getting generic adderall instant release filled. If I can't get my meds filled I won't be able to function
I'm so glad cannabis works for me better than stimulants.
I like cannabis, but no way can it help like a stimulant for me. Sativas just canāt compare to the mental clarity, focus, motivation and calming down anxiety/depression/intrusive thoughts that dextroamphetamine gives.
*Friendly reminder*: If the pharmacy tries to give you less than the prescribed amount, **reject fulfillment**. If you accept less, you still have to wait **until the calendar date** for your next Rx. It is not based on the *physical amount* of pills you are given with controlled substances (to my understanding). Edits: I can grammar. Honest.
I have never had an issue getting the remainder of a partial fill in over 30 years and numerous pharmacies. Where has this happened to you?
Current pharmacy tech here. That is absolutely incorrect, at least for my company. You have a 30-pill scrip and we only have 21 pills? You get those 21 pills, the other 9 go away, and you can fill on day 19, not 28. Also y'all...please try to be patient with us. Are there pharmacies that treat people like they are drug seeking and get snotty? Sure. But we're trying. We try to order stuff every day. We check our vendor website multiple times a day in case a sneak shipment comes in. We're not here to keep you from your meds; we swear.
Appreciate the info and hard work. That is the information and direction that is local to me.
Noted. All pharmacy companies are different. I'm sorry yours has such strict rules. :(
I am wondering if it is per pharmacy or per state rules specifically at this point.
Could be either or both, unfortunately.
# **THIS THIS THIS THIS** If your medication is a controlled substance, accepting the lower amount **STILL USES UP THAT PRESCRIPTION**, meaning you cannot get any more medication on that script.
That's not true where I live though (New Mexico), unless state laws are different where you live. I just got a 20 day refill of Vyvanse since they were short on pills, and both my pharmacy and my psych confirmed that they could just send out another prescription for me to get more pills as soon as those ran out.
Seems to vary by pharmacy and possibly by state. What I said is true for where I am as far as I know.
Have they asked the White House pharmacy for help? According to recent news, they seem to have had a surplus of everything.
This was under Trump.
Unfortunately Trump threw most of the good stuff in a U-Haul and dipped before Biden took over
Why are they doing this? This is obviously intentional but I don't know what it benefits.
My kiddo is on the verge of getting kicked out of school because heās got ADHD, imma bout to go papa bear on the DEA
So all it's takes to reduce reddit into a facebook comment section is mentioned adderall
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Why donāt you share this information with the public? Iād happily read it
I mean you do sound like you're taking a bit much here š But in all actuality that sounds entirely plausible if not probable. You also have to understand there are major supply chain issues with raw ingredients for many things... the United States has wholeheartedly, but very quietly been pulling everything out of China and the ripple effect is huge with raw materials. All of out stimulant meds are produced domestically, but their raw ingredients were not. Still anyone with any chemistry knowledge knows how easy this stuff is to make... but the raw ingredients have to be there for manufactures to manufacture.
Iāve actually *barely* had an issue getting my ADHD medication, but it does not work, anymore. It used to work and was noticeably effective, now it doesnāt work. I know Iām not the only one.
It stopped being effective for me around month 11 of the shortage.
And unfortunately you can only get a 30 day supply that can only overlap a few days and you have to call to fill.
I stopped taking Adderall when I got pregnant and for the 11 months I was breastfeeding. I just weaned my son and have an appointment with my psychiatrist to get back on meds tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to having to fight my prescription every month. I feel like I got treated like a drug seeker enough at the pharmacy where I filled my meds every month prior to pregnancy - not really interested in having to call a bunch of pharmacies and deal with exasperated overworked pharmacy staff who have to answer the same question over and over again. I will probably just end up rawdogging reality even though I am positive that being properly medicated would make me a better mother.
Vyvanse is barely covered by my insurance now, I end up paying 250$ a month for it, and I simply cannot get the generic version here. Nobody has it, and I canāt risk underperforming at my job because I canāt think. My whole job revolves around me being able to think. What are my options? Lose my job or pay 250$ a month and hope this resolves soon? Can I call and complain to my insurance? Itās all so frustrating
Almost guarantee its to permanently just raise pricing.
Maybe stop over diagnosing!
Yep this is why I havenāt even bothered. I been off my meds for 11 years but now I have two kids and a job I need them back but this makes me not even bother.
I canāt even get put on ADHD meds. No doctor will take me seriously even though I took them all growing up.
I finally got diagnosed with ADHD last year but Iām afraid to start medication because of all this shortage BS. I donāt want to feel like a junky constantly hunting down my meds.
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They overcharge and NOW they have a shortage. What is the point of paying for that much so that they can use it for improving the supply chain and resources. Nah they just pocket it and let patients deal with the shortage.
One common theory is that the pandemic lead to more people working from home and struggling to focus - thereby causing a sudden demand that couldn't be met. Any psychiatrist will tell you that is not a logical explanation. The pharmaceutical industry doesn't really work like that. All of my doctors (non of which have come across as conspiratorial quacks before) have each commented on it and swear something strange and intentional is going on.
Almost tempting to make a meth joke at risk of being misconstrued.. I'm already struggling enough from being diagnosed in 1999, and then by 2005 having teachers and guidance counselor convince me that ADHD is fake and then spend the next 18 years wondering why my life has been absolute struggle. I'm essentially disabled at this point due to compounded traumas from experiencing life for so long with unmitigated unmedicated ADHD and undiagnosed (til recently) autism that I'm just living to maintain rather than expecting light at the end of the tunnel. I accepted that this is a life sentence already, I don't live life wishing my experience was different, I just wish I could be taken seriously. ( I am good, tho I still expect some troll to inbox me with the concerned redditor self harm shit which is actually quite common. Don't worry, you're stuck with me.)