On October 12, 2022, the FDA announced a national shortage of immediate-release amphetamine salts, known as Adderall IR: a medication commonly used to treat and manage symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This shortage is expected to continue into the new year as TEVA Pharmaceuticals, the lead producer of the drug, experiences ongoing manufacturing delays. 

In a recent article by Today.com, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) only furthers the strain on companies such as TEVA that supply the drug nationwide, as they are said to “have decreased the quota amount allowed for the raw materials used to manufacture the drug citing cases of recreational use and abuse.”

 However, this issue goes beyond manufacturing delays; as ADHD diagnoses are on the rise, demand for Adderall and like prescriptions have skyrocketed. “ figures from IQVIA, a data analytics company, show total prescriptions of Adderall (in the U.S) rose by about 16 percent since 2019.” 

According to the CDC, ADHD is prevalent in about 14% of adolescents aged 12-17, and in Connecticut, 57-60% of children aged 3-17 with ADHD are treated with medication.

Dr. Enam Khan, the school psychologist at hall high school, says that while “ADHD medications such as Adderall plays a vital role in a student’s daily life,” he says that the impact on the hall community, if any, would be small, as the majority of “Hall students with ADHD use the Adderall-XR (extended-release), which is more suitable for high-school life,” and “there are several stimulant medications besides Adderall.”

Jett Colton, a senior at hall who has been taking Adderall XR (the extended formula of Adderall IR) since 2019, says that without access to his medication, “all of his grades would immediately tank, and school would be really, really, really difficult.”

While most hall students will remain unaffected by the Adderall IR shortage, not all are as fortunate.

 In a recent article by ABC news, Stephanie Spires, a school board member in Kentucky, says the shortage is “significantly impacting classrooms” she says, “kids are not getting what they need to learn, and it makes for a stressful environment for all involved.”

As the FDA continues to monitor the supply of Adderall IR, they encourage those affected by this shortage to talk to their healthcare provider about alternative treatments. More up-to-date information regarding the shortage can be found on the FDA’s Drug Shortage Webpage.