Panama City pharmacy struggles to fill ADHD medications amid nationwide Adderall shortage

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - It’s a problem across the nation, and here at home. Many pharmacies are turning away patients due to an Adderall shortage.

“We can’t fill the prescriptions for any new patients that’s for sure,” said Laura Gould, a Pharmacist at RX Express.

Adderall is a medication used to treat ADHD, a neurodivergent disorder that hinders the brain’s ability to focus and control impulsive behaviors.

Gold said they’re even have trouble getting the medication for their regular clients.

“We literally have 20 or 25 phone calls a day asking us if we have the product in stock,” said Gould.

Not only are they turning people away, but the price of Adderall is also skyrocketing.

“Instead of it being $10 or $15, it is $250 for the brand name, per month,” said Gould. “We have some people who are paying that.”

Gould said they can still get certain kinds of Adderall, but are having difficulty with the extended-release prescriptions.

“The immediate release we have about 50 a day were only allowed to order one a day now,” said Gould.

Doctor Rubina Azam in Panama City said the shortage is impacting her practice.

“It’s been causing an inconvenience to our patients but there are other options available for them,” said Rubina Azam, a pediatrician.

However, there are other alternatives to the medication.

“Parents don’t need to freak out there are other options Adderall is the most popular but there are other medications,’ said Azam.

Azam said missing the medication or skipping a few days will not hurt.

“If a patient isn’t taking Adderall and there prescribed it for a few days there going to notice that they cannot attain that attention span they’re not going to be able to focus on tasks and may become more impulsive,” said Azam.

She said they usually do not see serious side effects.

“The ADHD incidents have been rising like crazy there has been an increase of ADHD cases,” said Azam.

Azam said factors that trigger ADHD symptoms are lack of physical activity, screen time and lack of nutrition and sleep.

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