The shortage of stimulants is met with negligence from the DEA
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It’s 10 p.m. and you’re beyond stressed. You have a pile of assignments due by midnight, the dishes still need to be washed and you haven’t even showered yet. But you just lie there, staring up at the ceiling. You know what you need to do and you want it to be done but something is holding you back. That is unmedicated ADHD, which is my reality.
In the United States, there are more than three million cases per year of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, with about 16 percent of undergraduate students being diagnosed. ADHD is far more complex than the traditional idea of a hyperactive first grader disrupting class. ADHD touches every part of my life, all the time. It doesn’t just affect my academic performance; it affects my relationships, my jobs, my diet and everything in between.
ADHD medication is essential to successfully navigate a life with the disorder. Unfortunately, since August there has been an ever-worsening shortage of Adderall from one of the largest manufacturers of ADHD medication, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and an even broader shortage of other stimulants like Vyvanse and Ritalin. Such a shortage makes access to these medications uncertain or entirely impossible. The cause of the shortage is widely disputed among government agencies and pharmaceutical corporations, ranging from high demand to supply chain shortages, but is ultimately irrelevant. Our crisis lies in the reality that a tangible solution is well within reach, but no one is willing to extend an arm.
This shortage is detrimental to the success of those diagnosed with ADHD in their everyday lives. But beyond a lack of achievement, it’s a massive health hazard. College students with ADHD, especially, are affected by this shortage from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to sleep. This disorder affects what and when we eat, who we spend our time with and every aspect of our educational career. Missed assignments and overdue tasks cause us to gain poor reputations and stain our academic career. Those of us with ADHD know this, we’re scared of this. We are in a constant cycle of compulsory inaction and the consequences it creates. Therefore, telling people they should ration or “promote good sleep, exercise, healthy eating and social opportunities” doesn’t support us in the same way a drug meant to increase levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine does.
Despite this overwhelming crisis, the Drug Enforcement Agency, which oversees such operations, has provided no clear explanation for the severe shortage and has disastrously offered no solutions or undergone emergency actions to relieve the panic. As proven by the multiple other medication shortages that took place during the pandemic, emergency actions can be taken to relieve severe shortages.
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When a medication like Doxil (a cancer medication) experienced shortages, swift action was taken to alleviate the deficiency. The solution came down to “notifying clinicians of shortages and identifying optimal alternative therapies.” Or, the shortage of CT contrast which was also met with immediate emergency action — by seeking alternatives and sourcing from other nations — and lasted only a little more than a month. The pattern among the shortages that were alleviated is glaringly apparent: medication scarcities that relate to physical ailments, such as cardiac or pain, are met with haste. If stimulant medication affected any other body system, emergency action would likely have been taken immediately.
Some solutions provided include the DEA loosening its harsh regulations to allow pharmacies to substitute with a comparable medicine. According to Leo Beletsky, an epidemiologist and the faculty director of Northeastern University’s Health in Justice Action Lab, “The FDA has the ability to waive or fast-track or otherwise facilitate the approvals that are necessary.” Instead, ADHD patients are expected to jump through hoops where pharmacists need to contact the doctor, obtain a new prescription to cancel the old one before providing the new substitute. The tragic irony of the situation lies in the fact that such a process requires motivation that may otherwise be absent without stimulants. The DEA and FDA can also communicate with physicians to provide guidelines to doctors about alternatives they can offer patients.
With such dire consequences, the DEA’s negligence amidst this crisis is deplorable. Even with pressure from Congress, “the DEA shows no sign of increasing its production quota anytime soon.” This medication shortage is detrimental to the basic functioning of millions of people. Beyond making everyday tasks unreachable, unmedicated ADHD can exacerbate or cause conditions with serious health consequences that may prove fatal. The DEA has a duty to serve and protect U.S. citizens in the matter of medications. Failing to call for emergency action or even providing a clear explanation for the stimulant shortage is a blatant dereliction of duty. The DEA must outline and implement a solution or the well being of so many people will hang in the balance.
An ADHD diagnosis can seem deceptively benign. But the reality can be grim, overwhelming and all consuming. ADHD medication is a need, not a want. Any hope of being healthy and leading a productive life may rest upon access to stimulants. Because our disorder is not an immediate physical issue, the DEA overlooks us. Without quick action, this psychiatric disorder can quickly become fatal. This is not a simple inconvenience and this is not invisible. This is a medical emergency and needs to be treated as such.
Caden Denslow is a social work major on a pre-med track. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at crdenslo@syr.edu.
