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WASHINGTON — Prescriptions for ADHD drugs have skyrocketed among adults during the coronavirus pandemic, adding to a lingering shortage and frustrating parents and doctors.
The report found that in the two years since the pandemic began in March 2020, new prescriptions for stimulants used to treat the condition surged among young people and women. the study Published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry.
Prescriptions for non-stimulant treatments for adults of all ages also skyrocketed, according to Food and Drug Administration researchers.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common developmental disorders in children, especially boys. During the pandemic, the use of drugs such as Adderall for treatment has increased overall.
Telemedicine has made it easier to get help, and regulators have begun allowing doctors to prescribe drugs without seeing patients in person.
But Dr. Ann Childress said more adults were also coming to her for help after the coronavirus outbreak. Las Vegas psychiatrists believe there are several reasons behind this change.
Working from home has made some of us realize how easily distracted we can be. Childress says she made the diagnosis after seeing many parents, especially her mother, have the disease in their children and realized she might have it too.
Additionally, thanks to social media, people have become more aware of ADHD in adults.
“People are talking more openly about mental health issues now,” said Childress, who was not involved in the study.
A combination of increased use of ADHD medications and manufacturing issues led to an Adderall shortage that began more than a year ago. Doctors and patients say supply issues for some treatments persist.
“We're running out of about 10 items every week,” Childress said.
Wendy Terry called about 20 pharmacies last month seeking the drug Focalin for her third-grade son, who has ADHD. Some were a 45-minute drive from her home in Diboll, Texas, a town about 100 miles northeast of Houston.
“They all said the same thing: It's not available from the manufacturer. They don't know when or if they'll get it,” said the 42-year-old. Insurance agency.
Desperate, she temporarily switched her son to another ADHD medication. But it turned out so badly that he had to take a break from his school.
Terry eventually found the pharmacy thanks to a tip from a friend who worked at another pharmacy. She's scared to go through this ordeal again to feed her, but she says her son needs help.
“I literally can't sit in school when I'm not on my medication,” Terry said. “He can't stop moving. He's always moving. His mind is all over the place.”
Federal regulators restrict the manufacture of some ADHD medications because they are controlled substances. Mike Ganio, who studies drug shortages at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, said regulators and drug companies try to predict how much a drug will be needed based on things like past usage. .
However, he noted that demand is difficult to predict and a spike in usage could lead to shortages.
“This is a business, and no one wants to produce more inventory or keep it on the shelf than they need,” he said.
All told, the association counted more than 300 drug shortages in the United States as of last fall. Apart from drugs to treat ADHD, there is also a continuing shortage of cancer drugs such as chemotherapy.
Ganio noted that the latest total shortage is close to the 320 people recorded at the end of 2014, the highest in 10 years.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Education Media Group. The Associated Press is solely responsible for all content.
