LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Medication shortages continue nationwide with those used to treat ADHD being the latest to join the list.
“Last time, it was an antibiotic shortage, which was a big deal, because we use amoxicillin for so many things,” Pediatrician Dr. Josh Lyon said.
Lyon said for previous shortages there have been backup options to help, but when it comes to this latest shortage, it's not that simple.
“The issue with ADHD is, kids respond differently to different medicines," Lyon said. "You can use medicines within the same family for ADHD, but kids will respond very differently to them."
Lyon said there are different reasons behind the shortage of ADHD medications including kids going back to school and supply-demand issues.
"We saw this enormous rise in kids who were handling school differently or were having new issues," Lyon said. "Many over the last couple of years have gone undiagnosed in their ADH... we're attributing that more to increase demand and some decrease in manufacturing from supply chain things."
Pharmacists like Anne Pace are doing their best for their patients. She said this has been the most difficult shortage for her pharmacy to deal with.
“We're at a point where it's just been going on for months and months and months,” Pace said. “It is a daily struggle for us here in the pharmacy because we can't get a lot of those medications.”
As her pharmacy tries to keep its shelves stocked, they're unable to take on more ADHD patients.
“We can't increase our volume of dispensing those or else we're going to have issues getting more," Pace said. "The DEA is so specific on how many we can purchase."
For those kids unable to get their medication, Lyon said it can have a drastic impact.
“On our day-to-day functioning on our grades," Lyon said. "For our teenagers who are out driving, it's a safety function... even in those very short periods of time, it can drastically change things for families.”
Those who are experiencing issues getting these meds refilled at the pharmacy are encouraged to contact a doctor to figure out the best steps moving forward.