ADHD medication shortages easing, FDA says, but still affecting patients
ADHD medication shortages have largely been resolved, says the FDA. However, some doctors and patients still report difficulties in obtaining prescriptions.
Many of the ADHD medication shortages that have plagued the U.S. for the last two years have now been resolved, the Food and Drug Administration says. Yet some doctors and patients report they are still struggling to get prescriptions filled.
Dr. Royce Lee, a psychiatrist at the University of Chicago Medicine, said supply has gotten better but it’s still an issue for about a third of the patients he writes prescriptions for. This often means he still has to call around to pharmacies to see if they have the medications in stock, switch patients to different drugs, and deal with insurance companies to confirm coverage.
“I do see signs of the shortages easing up,” Lee said. “But there are still enough shortages that every day we’re having to put in a little bit of work for prescriptions that need to be changed or hunted down.”
“I think a lot of people are still not getting their treatments,” he added.
A total of nine manufacturers now have ADHD medications back in stock, according to the FDA’s drug shortage database, up from six last September.
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