Struggling to Find ADHD Medication? Relief May Be on the Way

Key Takeaways

• The Drug Enforcement Administration is allowing increased production of the ADHD medication Vyvanse and its generic form, lisdexamfetamine.
• Underproduction of the ADHD medication Adderall along with historic rates of new ADHD diagnoses have contributed to shortages.
• If you have been unable to get your regular ADHD medication, ask your doctor about switching to a different drug.

As the shortage of medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drags on, some relief may be on the way: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has approved a production increase for branded and generic versions of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) .

Total output of branded and generic versions of Vyvanse can climb by about 24 percent this year, a move requested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ease ADHD medication shortages .

"I was surprised to see the news, and I feel that every little bit will help," says Jennifer McWilliams, MD , the division chief of pediatric psychiatry at Children's Nebraska hospital and medical center in Omaha. "With that said, the shortages are so widespread that I don't anticipate it will have a huge impact."

That's because supplies aren't limited just for Vyvanse. Supply issues began with the ADHD drug Adderall (amphetamine and dextroamphetamine) , which has been on the FDA's drug shortage list since October 2022.

"As people were forced to switch from Adderall to different medications, there [was] a domino effect of shortages," Dr. McWilliams says. "That will take a while to undo."

ADHD Drugs Are Considered Controlled Substances

Adderall, Vyvanse, and other stimulants for ADHD are considered controlled substances because they have a high potential for addiction and overdose. The DEA restricts prescription refills and sets manufacturing quotas for these medicines to limit the potential for misuse. But the FDA and DEA said that drugmakers shipped even fewer doses than permitted under the quotas in 2022, contributing to shortages that have yet to completely ease up.

And manufacturing quotas and production shortfalls are only part of the problem, says Lauren Hoffman, PharmD , a pharmacy clinical specialist in psychiatry at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.

"Production issues with some of the amphetamine products was sort of the tipping point a few years ago that set this cascade in motion," Dr. Hoffman says. "But this is in conjunction with historic rates of ADHD diagnoses and medication prescribing. It has been both a supply and demand issue that has led to the current state of the market."

Insurance Challenges With ADHD Drugs

Insurance can be another part of the problem, says Ann Childress, MD , a clinical associate professor in family medicine at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Insurance often only covers generic versions of drugs like Vyvanse and Adderall - and those are both in short supply in the Las Vegas area right now, Dr. Childress says.

"Brand Vyvanse and Adderall XR are available, but often are not covered by insurance," Childress says. Without insurance, a 30-day supply of branded Vyvanse costs around $436, while the same amount of branded Adderall XR is about $226.

"Brand name medications have been more consistently available," Childress says. "Sometimes a call to a patient's insurer will be enough to get authorization to fill a month's supply of brand name medication."

Beyond this, patients are going to need to keep doing what they can to work around supply issues that come up as shortages persist, McWilliams says.

"The shortages seem to be impacting all the different stimulant medications, just to varying amounts and at varying times," McWilliams says. Some patients can switch from one medication to a different ADHD drug depending on availability - and it's worth asking your doctor if this can work in your specific situation.

"For other patients, however, this causes side effects, or the other medications simply aren't as effective," McWilliams says. "For those patients, we have been using nonstimulant medications for ADHD treatment more often, as well as incorporating different strategies like fidget toys."

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Sources

1. Drug Enforcement Agency. Adjustment to the Aggregate Production Quota for Lisdexamfetamine and d-Amphetamine (for Conversion) for 2024. Federal Register . September 5, 2024.
2. Drug Shortage List. U.S. Food and Drug Administration .
3. Joint DEA FDA Letter. U.S. Food and Drug Administration . August 1, 2023.
4. Vyvanse. GoodRx .
5. Adderall XR. GoodRx .

Meet Our Experts See Our Editorial Policy Meet Our Health Expert Network

Lisa Rapaport

Author

Lisa Rapaport is a journalist with more than 20 years of experience on the health beat as a writer and editor. She holds a master's degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and spent a year as a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. Her work has appeared in dozens of local and national media outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg, WNYC, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times , Scientific American , San Jose Mercury News , Oakland Tribune , Huffington Post, Yahoo! News, The Sacramento Bee , and The Buffalo News . See full bio See Our Editorial Policy Meet Our Health Expert Network