Adderall Shortage May be Linked to College Young Adult Abuse

The prescription drug, Adderall has been in high demand lately and children with ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are the ones really suffering, according to an online post at Top News. Evidently, there are lots of college aged students that are accused of causing the shortages because they are using the drug to increase their focus and grasping capabilities.

Sandy Collier, a pharmacist says when you get to the root of the problem; it is the physicians who are writing these prescriptions. Collier says that both high school and college-aged students are using the drugs, so overall there is a increased percentage of use. The prescriptions are being filled at a 13 percent higher rate than the previous year. It appears that more students are opting for Adderall.

Drug manufacturers expect it will take months for them to overcome the Adderall shortage since it has recently come to their attention that two of the drugs popular for treating ADHD are short in supply. Methylphenidates and amphetamines are both running low and since these both are only manufactured in certain controlled quantities they are categorized as controlled substances.

Each year the DEA provides guidance to pharmacies regarding the quantities of drugs that should be produced. When looking at drug shortages recently, they decided that methylphenidate production could be raised 56,000 kg and also amphetamine production could increase by 25,300 kg. With increases in quantities from the manufacturer, they can now gauge whether or not the ADHD demand is in fact being met.

There are still large numbers of ADHD children who are suffering the consequences of this drug shortage and people need to realize that consumption of these drugs without an actual diagnosis is considered drug abuse.