Bryan pharmacies affected by Adderall shortage

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Pharmacies nationwide struggle to fill their patients’ Adderall prescriptions. It’s a problem GoldStar Pharmacies in Bryan has seen firsthand.

The locally operated pharmacy said it started noticing it last October when it tried sourcing different strengths of Adderall. Since then, the pharmacy has seen the problem continue with availability and various strengths being available sporadically.

The issue seems to be caused by an increase in demand which started in 2020, Bessem Oben, a pharmacist at GoldStar Pharmacy said.

“There’s been an increase in the amount of people that are needing medication for ADHD and similar conditions and so with that increase demand, supply is just trying to catch up,” Oben said.

Generic brands of Adderall along with similar medications like Ritalin have also been hard to come by, Oben said.

“There’s been difficulty in sourcing all of them, and it’s not just limited to one. We’ve seen it across the board,” Oben said. “Different strength, different capsules, tablets all of that.”

Oben said because Adderall is a controlled substance with many regulations regarding production, distribution and ordering it could be some time before the issue is resolved.

“Everything that is done around these drugs needs to be recorded, reported and tracked, so it’s not something unfortunately that can be quickly fixed, but we do expect to see eventually more production to meet up with the demand,” Oben said.

Oben recommends that anyone struggling to fill their prescriptions reach out to their doctor or prescriber about alternatives.

“I know it’s very nerve-racking to be able to feel like you may not be able to have access to medication that is needed on a daily basis, but there are resources out there,” Oben said. “Your pharmacist are great resources, work with them, work with your providers to find a solution.”

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