| Buried amidst the sensationalism of people "popping pills" at the behest of their psychiatrists is the real lede: > [...] the Drug Enforcement Administration decides how much can be sold for the entire country. And the DEA has dropped its allowed quotas. In 2016, it allowed 50,000 kilograms to be sold; but for 2022, it has lowered the amount to 41,200 kilograms. [...] All of which is leading some people to buy illegal Adderall, which goes by the street name of “Adderall.” [...] Some wind up with fentanyl-laced Adderall. This is unconscionable. These shortages inflict tremendous anxiety upon those who rely on amphetamines to treat their ADHD. As anyone who is prescribed amphetamines can confirm: effective treatment is very sensitive to dosage, and unplanned pauses in treatment Really Suck. A few months ago, my local CVS told me to either transfer my prescription, or come back the following month — they had reached their procurement quota. Last month, it took me two weeks to get to the front of their wait-list and get my prescription filled. What choices does this leave patients who are unable to easily get to other pharmacies? At best, they're compelled to override the judgement of their care providers and either ration or entirely skip doses. At worst (or so this article claims) it pushes patients onto the black market. A quick google search suggests that amphetamine shortages stretch back years. I feel immensely lucky to have lived in unaffected locales up until recently, and I feel immense anxiety to discover that my present locale is plagued by shortages with no end in sight. |