Adderall Shortage May Impact Individuals with ADHD

An Adderall shortage linked to supply chain disruptions could last into the fall and worsen amid surges in demand for ADHD medication this back-to-school season.

By Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman Verified Updated on April 14, 2023

August 16, 2022

Some Adderall prescriptions may be difficult to fill in the coming months. Specifically, the Adderall immediate-release tablets (amphetamine and dextroamphetamine) in 20mg and 30mg dosages are on backorder at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., reports the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

ASHP said Teva, the largest supplier of name brand and generic Adderall in the U.S., plans to release more Adderall tablets later this month. The Israeli-based Pharmaceutical company said “supply disruptions” are causing shipment delays. However, Bloomberg reported that supply chain disruptions could last into the fall and are “associated with packaging capacity constraints” at one unnamed manufacturing facility and “will affect branded and generic forms of the drug.”¹

Adderall, a prescription drug used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, has been on the market since 1996. The rise of telehealth providers like Cerebral, Done, and ADHD Online has boosted demand for Adderall and other stimulant medications used to treat ADHD during the pandemic.

In a recent survey of almost 900 ADDitude readers, 57% of Americans reported using telehealth services and/or mental health apps in the last two years. Further, 97% of the Cerebral users diagnosed with ADHD reported receiving a new prescription, and 59% of those respondents received Adderall prescriptions.

This past May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Adderall prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. hit 41.4 million last year — a 10% increase from 2020, according to Iqvia Holdings Inc., a data and research-services provider for the pharmaceutical industry. Further, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS Pharmacies stopped filling prescriptions for Adderall issued by Cerebral and Done over concerns that clinicians were writing too many prescriptions for the stimulant. Shortly afterward, Cerebral announced it would stop prescriptions of controlled substances like Adderall for new patients starting May 20 and for existing patients starting October 15.²

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s drug shortage tracker does not currently list an Adderall shortage; however, the website is currently experiencing technical difficulties, and the database may not reflect the current supply status.