SAN ANTONIO – Shortages of ADHD medication have been growing progressively worse for the last couple of years. Now, some families are in panic mode and trying to fill prescriptions that aren’t available.
“I will show you that this one is empty,” said Brette Gertonson, a San Antonio mom, while holding out an empty pill bottle.
The pills are her 12-year-old daughter’s ADHD medication, which is vital for her to function physically, mentally, and emotionally.
“There are many different presentations of ADHD. Hers shows up in a bit of an aggressive way. She is also on the spectrum,” Gertonson said.
She and her other two children also have ADHD and were all on the same medication. They were on the generic version of Focalin, which is in a drug class separate from Adderall.
Adderall has become scarce over the past two to three years.
“Partly as a result of manufacture delays, partly as a result of quota allotments — there’s been some question as to how much they get, the manufacturers can, and a lot of finger-pointing between agencies,” said Giancarlo Ferruzzi, who is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UT Health San Antonio. He also works within the University Health System.
Dr. Ferrruzzi has cared for the Gertonson family for 10 years now.
He said last year, when the Adderall shortage got worse, patients turned to the medication the Gertonsons were taking, causing a shortage there, too.
“Last year was especially painful, where I would average five to 10 calls from families saying, ‘I know that you just sent in the prescription for my son or daughter, but this pharmacy does not have it in stock,’” Ferruzzi said.
Gertonson said she was one of those parents.
“You get scared. People don’t understand. Those prescriptions are not transferable. I’m calling the pharmacies. I’m like, ‘OK, they have it. Or, they have 15 days. Can we just get 15 days? Can you call and approve that?’” Gertonson explained.
The brand-name pills would have cost them $700 a month, so they switched medications.
Even then, they are still struggling to get those regularly filled.
After Tuesday’s interview with KSAT, Gertonson headed straight to fill her daughter’s medication just in time.
“The intensity of that ADHD and that impulse control is massive. Like, we can’t wait 30 minutes,” she said.
The Gertonsons have all done very well on the new medications. They have not had serious side effects. They attribute that to the balancing act Ferruzzi handles for them.
“ADHD, there’s a time frame that everybody’s body kind of reacts to the meds and when they start to taper off. And so you have to take them at different times, and it’s different for everyone,” Gertonson explained.
Many medications take up to four to six weeks to build up in someone’s system, so it isn’t as easy to switch as people may think.
Ferruzzi wants patients to know that while it can be tough to change medications, there is a list of safe and effective alternatives.
“Fortunately, there are a number of stimulants, both immediate-release and extended-release alternatives. The doctor just has to make the adjustment for potency between the two different prescriptions,” he said.
Ferruzzi pleads with patients not to turn to the black market online, where “Adderral” pills can be laced with deadly amounts of fentanyl.
“There is no margin for error. All it takes is one pill. All it takes is one try, and there’s no reset,” he said.
He hopes patients will talk to their doctors about the many safe options sooner rather than later.
While there is a mad rush to fill the supply chain, things are slow going.
“I do think that the agencies involved are taking the correct steps. But unfortunately, when you have ships that big, and you start to steer them in the right direction, it still takes a good while,” Ferruzzi said.
He predicts it could be well into the mid to third quarter of 2024 before it returns to normal.