PHILADELPHIA -- A national shortage of Adderall has people with attention deficit/hyper activity disorder scrambling to find a pharmacy that can refill their prescription.
The Food and Drug Administration confirmed the shortage, which specifically affects the immediate-release formulation, earlier this month. Teva, a major manufacturer of generic drugs, including a generic version of Adderall, is “experiencing ongoing intermittent manufacturing delays,” the FDA said. Further complicating the issue: Adderall is considered a controlled substance because it contains amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, and its production is highly regulated.
Demand for Adderall and other stimulants has been increasing over recent years, continuing a decades-old debate about the risk of over-prescribing and misuse.
