There is a nationwide shortage going on right now of two medications that are used to treat the symptoms of ADHD. This is causing problems for parents of children who are currently using these medications. The shortage is not expected to end soon.
It has been suggested that some parents who learn that their child has ADHD are immediately interested in medicating that child with whatever drug they can convince a doctor to prescribe. For most parents, however, the decision to give their child medication is a difficult one. This decision often comes after a lot of thinking, and after trying several non-medication options, (such as behavioral therapy). For many parents, the use of medication was a last resort.
The decision to see if medication can help your child cope with his or her ADHD symptoms is just the beginning of the road. What comes next is a journey to find the right medication, and discover the proper dose. This involves observations of your child by you, as well as by your child’s teacher. In some cases, it can take a long time to get all of that worked out. This does not usually make for an easy time for you, or for your child.
Obviously, after you have found the right drug, and the right dose, and have been seeing good results, you wouldn’t want anything to change. Unfortunately, there currently is a shortage of two of the medications that are used to treat ADHD. Specifically, this shortage involves the drug Ritalin (methylphenidate hydrochloride) and the drug Adderall (amphetamine mixed salts). There has been some talk about manufacturing delays being the reason for the shortage, and the suggestion that the shortage is due to increased demand for the drugs.
There is an estimated 5.4 million children in the United States that are between the ages of 4 and 17 and who have been diagnosed with ADHD. Around 66% of those children take medication to control this condition. In 2010, 152 million units of Adderall, and Adderall XR (the extended release version of the drug), were sold. A total of 35 million units of Ritalin were sold in the same year, and so were 702 million units of generic ADHD medications.
Clearly, this shortage is going to affect a lot of families that have children with ADHD. Parents know that skipping even one dose of these medications can severely affect your child’s ability to concentrate at school and to complete homework assignments. Lack of medication can cause some symptoms of ADHD to return. If your child is using one of the medications that is experiencing a shortage, it may be time to talk to your doctor about options.
Image by jlynn11235 on Flickr