Adderall Shortage Has Privileged White People Scrambling

The US has recently been experiencing a shortage of Adderall XR, a generic brand of Adderall manufactured by Shire Pharmaceuticals and sold to Teva Pharmaceuticals and Impax Laboratories, which mass produce it. The brand name Adderall is still in adequate supply throughout the country, but “some pharmacies don’t even carry [it],” according to Erin Fox, manager of the Drug Information Service at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City.

“Patients have had to run around to other pharmacies trying to find the generic, or try to get their insurance companies to cover the brand name product,” said Fox.

Adderall is typically used by children and adults to mitigate the symptoms of ADHD, but increasingly used both recreationally and as a study drug by college students and post grads trying to finish up their first contract. But apparently, there have been some “real” consequences. From the story over at abcnews:

“Oh gosh, I don’t know how I would function,” said Becky, a 52-year-old from Oshkosh, Wis., who’s been taking generic Adderall XR. “It helps me get up in the morning and get going. If I didn’t have it, I probably wouldn’t get up out of bed. I’d be so confused and my mind would be racing.”

Wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning without Adderall? Too confused… to get out of bed? Without Adderall? Jesus.

No, but really, there do seem to be some sad side effects to this whole thing: little boys not being able to sit through their piano lessons, academic problems, and side effects from switching to replacement drugs in the absence of Adderall-XR. I guess.

Edit: In the case that you do find yourself experiencing withdrawals from Adderall as a treatment for major depression because of this shortage, please be aware that free counseling is available. There’s a depression hotline at 1-630-482-9696 and a suicide hotline at 1-800-784-8433.