Abigail Shimniok

The shortage in ADHD medication has continued to worsen since its initial start roughly one year ago. Though initially affecting Adderall, which became scarce starting in October of 2022, droughts of medication have since begun to be seen in other name brands as well, namely Vyvanse and Concerta. However, the name-brand medication is seemingly readily available as opposed to the generic versions, which are seeing the vast majority of the shortage.
While the production of the medications has been supposedly consistent, the shortage seems to be in part a result of a spike in numbers of people being diagnosed with ADHD, starting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the levels of production have remained the same, they have been failing to meet the newly heightened demand. Also contributing to the shortage is the battle between the DEA and pharmaceutical companies, as the DEA imposes quotas each year which limit the production of the medications. While the DEA has stated they believe their quotas are enough to allow production of ADHD medication to meet demand, the companies producing the medication blame the DEA’s limits on the active ingredient in ADHD medication for their inability to meet demand. Vyvanse, otherwise known as lisdexamfetamine, has recently seen approval for a generic version of the medication.
However, the companies producing the generic versions of the medication are already facing trouble in terms of production, citing the inability to obtain ingredients due to the DEA’s quotas, which they have already met.