Earlier this year America’s Food & Drug Administration declared a nationwide shortage of Adderall, the drug used by people with ADD and ADHD. More than 19 million people in America, both adults and children, are estimated to have an adderall perspection.
There are a variety of reasons for the shortage. Teva, a major manufacturer of the drug, points to restrictions from the US government. The US government point to manufacturing delays at Teva. Both of them also point to the rapid increase in Adderall perscriptions in recent years.
“From 2020 to 2021, there was over a 10 percent increase in prescriptions among males aged 25 to 44 and females aged 15 to 44, as people found working from home can pose more distractions than a gray cubicle. For American women between the ages of 20 and 24, Adderall prescriptions spiked a remarkable 20 percent between 2020 and 2021.”
With the shortage, people are turning to black market versions despite the Drug Enforcement Agency recently warning they might contain “potentially life-threatening hidden ingredients, such as fentanyl or methamphetamine.” This isn’t an empty threat by an anti-drug agency, last year, two university students in Ohio died after taking counterfeit Adderall laced with fentanyl.
This article profiles America’s love affair with Adderall and what is happening now that millions of Americans cannot get their prescriptions filled.
This is an excerpt from our Thought Starters email. Once a week we send you 5 interesting articles that have caught our attention, to get you thinking. No spam, we guarantee.