Patients resorting to rationing doses amid shortage of ADHD medication
NEW YORK -- It has been four months since the Food and Drug Administration announced a national shortage of Adderall -- the medication used as treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
As a shortage of drugs to treat ADHD continues, some patients have resorted to rationing their doses.
"Adderall has been a lifeline for the last couple of years," Lisa Ann Trainor said.
A Princeton, New Jersey-based writer diagnosed with ADHD, Trainor relies on the drug to meet her deadlines.
But last week, her pharmacy could not refill her prescription.
"After I got out of the pharmacy and found out they didn't have it, I started crying in my car. I couldn't handle it. I couldn't contain myself because it really is something I rely on to be functional," Trainor said.
READ MORE: CBS2 speaks to those who have found some solutions to children's medication shortage
Since October, the FDA has been warning of shortages nationwide for medications that treat ADHD in both adults and children.
"It has really been the longest and broadest shortage we've had," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, a pediatrician at Cohen Children's Medical Center.
Adesman specializes in ADHD treatment at the Long Island hospital.
"This has been a tremendous hardship for families," Adesman said. "On the one hand, there are other medicines children can be tried on, but on the other hand, there's no assurance those medicines will be available or the children will do as well."
FLASHBACK: Distraction, restlessness in adults: Is it dementia or is it ADHD?
Trainor was able to find another pharmacy to fill her script, but said said, "That pharmacist was surprised she had any in stock and didn't think she'd have it the next month. So about 25 days from now, I'm gonna do the same scramble."
So in the meantime, she's rationing pills.
"It does affect my productivity and functionality as a human being," Trainor said.
READ MORE: FDA approves new treatment for ADHD using electrical shocks to the forehead
CBS contributor Dr. Nidhi Kumar advises patients talk to their health care provider before rationing or skipping doses.
"Skipping a dosage completely can result in withdrawal symptoms," Kumar said.
"This has been going on for months now. Some people may say why can't companies just make more of the drug?" CBS2 asked.
"It's a controlled substance, so there's a lot more regulations in place in terms of how the drug can be manufactured and how much of the drug can be manufactured," Kumar said.
With no end to the shortage in sight, experts say patients should talk to their doctors as soon as possible about a backup plan.
"The FDA recognizes the potential impact that reduced availability of certain products may have on health care providers and patients. While the agency does not manufacturer drugs and cannot require a pharmaceutical company to make a drug, make more of a drug, or change the distribution of a drug, the public should rest assured the FDA is working closely with numerous manufacturers and others in the supply chain to understand, mitigate and prevent or reduce the impact of intermittent or reduced availability of certain products," the Food and Drug Administration told CBS2 in a statement Tuesday. "The FDA understands that manufacturers expect availability to continue to increase in the near future."
