Adderall Shortages Could Get Worse. Blame Regulators.
Production quotas are the wrong way to monitor controlled substances. Here’s a better idea.
Good luck finding it.
Photographer: JB Reed/Bloomberg
Millions of children with ADHD are starting a new school year without regular access to their medications, known as prescription stimulants, which have been in shortage for almost a year. While there are reasonable concerns about the overuse of such drugs, the lack of supply poses a risk to those who legitimately need them — and misguided government regulations are making things worse.
ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that’s typically diagnosed in kids and lasts through adulthood. Use of prescription stimulants such as Adderall, which can mitigate ADHD symptoms, rose 46% from 2012 to 2021, partly driven by the pandemic-era surge of telehealth prescribing among adults. Strain on the supply of stimulants was exacerbated by a worker shortage last summer that forced a large Adderall supplier to halt production, increasing demand for alternatives. Now those stocks are running low, too.