An Adderall Shortage Is Forcing Kids to Switch Drugs

Adderall prescription fills for children and teens have dropped in recent years, but not because there are fewer ADHD diagnoses. There are actually more than ever, the kids are just switching drugs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced there was a shortage of Adderall in October 2022. Since then, doctors have been forced to prescribe alternative medications to kids with ADHD.

According to a recent Pediatrics report, Adderall prescriptions dropped after the pandemic as well.

“Our findings suggest that the Adderall shortage did not cause many children to stop stimulant therapy altogether, but it did force some to switch to alternative stimulants,” said lead investigator Sijia He, a researcher at the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center in the University of Michigan.

He added it’s too soon to tell whether these stimulants are having any adverse effects.

“This would be potentially concerning if the switches may have resulted in worsened ADHD control,” he added. “We need more research to evaluate whether any switches led to adverse outcomes.”

Right now, ADHD is the most diagnosed neurobehavioral condition among children in the U.S., the study reported. In fact, 11.4 percent of kids will be diagnosed with the condition at some point in their lives; and with stimulants being the first-line treatment, patients need to have effective prescription options.

Last year, the FDA reported that “until supply is restored, there are alternative therapies [to Adderall] including the extended-release version of amphetamine mixed salts available to health care professionals and their patients for amphetamine mixed salts’ approved indications.”

“We will continue to monitor supply and assist manufacturers with anything needed to resolve the shortage and will update our website with new supply information as it becomes available,” the FDA added.