Can’t find generic Adderall anywhere - anyone else found it?

[Anonymous]

Is anyone else dealing with this? I can’t find generic Adderall anywhere. I called 8 pharmacies and no one has it, and our local CVS where I was getting it filled said basically they order it but it hasn’t been filled for over a month and no stores within 30 miles have any. So without another option I went with brand Adderall, which is insanely expensive and it seems to be much stronger. Now DD is complaining about side effects and is not sleeping even though the dosage is the same as the generic she was on. She’s super sensitive to side effects from medication and notices differences even when the generic is switched from one version to another. I find this so frustrating. Why is it so hard to get this medication consistently filled with the same product?

[Anonymous]

Everyone is dealing with this. It frankly is outrageous. My kid won't drive without medication, learning suffers, social interactions suffer, becomes accident prone, loses expensive items, so this is a life altering chronic problem in the pharmaceutical industry.

Imagine the rukus if the shortage was viagra.

[Anonymous]

My pharmacist only fills for people living in his zip code and/or cash buyers. Sucks, but yes, there's a shortage and they have to limit who they fill for.

I don't get mine filled at large pharmacies, I go to a ma and pop in not the best neighborhood. Any time you're looking for adderall you're going to be out of luck in an UMC area.

[Anonymous]

We’ve had no trouble getting our generic Adderall XR script filled, and before this when DS was on methylphenidate, had no issues with that either. Is there a pharmacy you’ve built a relationship with? Our grocery store pharmacist told us nearly all the pharmacies use the same supplier. Our pediatrician sends in the refill about 5 days before we’re out. Sometimes it does take a few days to come in, but it’s always there before we run out. When he was on methylphenidate, sometimes they would have to fill it using two different manufacturers and they would have to order it, but again, we always got it filled before we ran out.

[Anonymous]

We have had luck at Walgreens. Sometimes they need to move it to a different Walgreens which requires the doctor to call in the prescription again but we can always get it. We are in Alexandria and use one on Rt. 1 if that this helpful.

[Anonymous]

Op here, I have been getting it from
CVS and my pharmacist says no store within 20 miles has it, and she hasn’t had any deliveries of it in over a month.

I touched base with our prescriber and she said that the reason pharmacies will say they don’t have it is (like the bunch I called) that they are trained to do this because of people with drug seeking behavior, so the only way to figure out who has it is for her to send in a prescription to a new pharmacy and then for me to call and to see if they do. This is absolute insanity. I mean, I understand deterring drug seekers but for people who are prescribed the medicine what are they supposed to do to find a place that has it? And for people with ADHD getting this type of prescrition filled requires a degree of executive function and follow through (and time) that even most neurotypical people don’t have. Our prescriber basically said we will just keep trying places and that’s all we can do. This just strikes me as completely ridiculous, it’s already a controlled substance, I have to show ID, we see the doctor every month, and get a new prescription every month. It’s easier to get a gun than my child’s medication.

[Anonymous]

OP, different med but same shortages and the run around. I've driven up to an hour away. Can you get a 90-day script so you don't have to go through this stress every month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My pharmacist only fills for people living in his zip code and/or cash buyers. Sucks, but yes, there's a shortage and they have to limit who they fill for.

I don't get mine filled at large pharmacies, I go to a ma and pop in not the best neighborhood. Any time you're looking for adderall you're going to be out of luck in an UMC area.

Wow. This raises both legal and ethical questions.

Pharmacists are regulated by both state and federal laws. They must comply with laws related to the distribution of controlled substances, pricing, and patient care. During shortages, pharmacies may limit supplies to manage inventory, but they must do so in a manner that complies with regulations and without discriminating against patients. For example, prioritizing existing customers or limiting sales to cash buyers could be seen as discriminatory depending on the reasoning, especially if this leads to denial of care based on financial status or geographic location. Furthermore, denying service based on zip code or ability to pay could potentially violate DC's human rights or health laws, particularly if it disproportionately affects certain populations. If the pharmacist is engaging in practices like prioritizing cash buyers, this could also run afoul of insurance contracts or state laws governing patient access.

Pharmacists, like other healthcare providers, are expected to adhere to ethical standards that prioritize patient well-being. Prioritizing cash buyers and people in specific zip codes during a shortage could be seen as unethical, as it may unfairly limit access to necessary medications based on financial means or geography. It would certainly contradict principles of fairness and equitable care.

[Anonymous]

Ask your doctor for paper prescriptions. Then you don’t need to keep getting it called in to different places in hopes they have it, you can take the physical prescription from place to place. Also annoying, but I’ve found it to be easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My pharmacist only fills for people living in his zip code and/or cash buyers. Sucks, but yes, there's a shortage and they have to limit who they fill for.

I don't get mine filled at large pharmacies, I go to a ma and pop in not the best neighborhood. Any time you're looking for adderall you're going to be out of luck in an UMC area.

Wow. This raises both legal and ethical questions.

Pharmacists are regulated by both state and federal laws. They must comply with laws related to the distribution of controlled substances, pricing, and patient care. During shortages, pharmacies may limit supplies to manage inventory, but they must do so in a manner that complies with regulations and without discriminating against patients. For example, prioritizing existing customers or limiting sales to cash buyers could be seen as discriminatory depending on the reasoning, especially if this leads to denial of care based on financial status or geographic location. Furthermore, denying service based on zip code or ability to pay could potentially violate DC's human rights or health laws, particularly if it disproportionately affects certain populations. If the pharmacist is engaging in practices like prioritizing cash buyers, this could also run afoul of insurance contracts or state laws governing patient access.

Pharmacists, like other healthcare providers, are expected to adhere to ethical standards that prioritize patient well-being. Prioritizing cash buyers and people in specific zip codes during a shortage could be seen as unethical, as it may unfairly limit access to necessary medications based on financial means or geography. It would certainly contradict principles of fairness and equitable care.

Did ChatGPT write this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ask your doctor for paper prescriptions. Then you don’t need to keep getting it called in to different places in hopes they have it, you can take the physical prescription from place to place. Also annoying, but I’ve found it to be easier.

Thanks, she says they no longer do this. Something to do with the fact that the prescriptions have to get approved by a 3rd party because they are controlled substances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My pharmacist only fills for people living in his zip code and/or cash buyers. Sucks, but yes, there's a shortage and they have to limit who they fill for.

I don't get mine filled at large pharmacies, I go to a ma and pop in not the best neighborhood. Any time you're looking for adderall you're going to be out of luck in an UMC area.

Wow. This raises both legal and ethical questions.

Pharmacists are regulated by both state and federal laws. They must comply with laws related to the distribution of controlled substances, pricing, and patient care. During shortages, pharmacies may limit supplies to manage inventory, but they must do so in a manner that complies with regulations and without discriminating against patients. For example, prioritizing existing customers or limiting sales to cash buyers could be seen as discriminatory depending on the reasoning, especially if this leads to denial of care based on financial status or geographic location. Furthermore, denying service based on zip code or ability to pay could potentially violate DC's human rights or health laws, particularly if it disproportionately affects certain populations. If the pharmacist is engaging in practices like prioritizing cash buyers, this could also run afoul of insurance contracts or state laws governing patient access.

Pharmacists, like other healthcare providers, are expected to adhere to ethical standards that prioritize patient well-being. Prioritizing cash buyers and people in specific zip codes during a shortage could be seen as unethical, as it may unfairly limit access to necessary medications based on financial means or geography. It would certainly contradict principles of fairness and equitable care.

How is it discrimination to not give medication to people who can't pay for it? Of course they can deny service based on ability to pay. Retail pharmacies are not covered by EMTALA and do not have to give away medication for free, therefore "discriminating" based on ability to pay must be allowed. And since their rationale for zip code discrimination is almost certainly to discourage drug seekers who are driving all over trying to get a fix, or at least they'd claim it was if called out on it, I doubt they'd be in trouble for it. Between opioids and amphetamines, the problem of illicit use is quite large and the DEA is much more supportive of providers that restrict access than the pill mills that don't check. The providers are much more likely to get in licensing trouble for dispensing too much than too little.

Imaginary concern for human rights is nice lip service and all but these policies probably predominantly protect lower-income neighborhoods from rich people driving in from the next county in their Audis and hogging all the meds. Thus leaving the locals who don't have the means or the time to do the same, up a creek.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been getting DDs through express scripts. Have your provider write a script for a lower dose that you can keep in the house for emergencies.

[Anonymous]

I got the generic adderal Xr at Wheaton Costco last week. I had gone about 7 days without meds

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ask your doctor for paper prescriptions. Then you don’t need to keep getting it called in to different places in hopes they have it, you can take the physical prescription from place to place. Also annoying, but I’ve found it to be easier.

Thanks, she says they no longer do this. Something to do with the fact that the prescriptions have to get approved by a 3rd party because they are controlled substances.

Where are you? We’re in Maryland and I absolutely do this for DD’s Vyvanse. Maybe your provider just doesn’t want the hassle of dealing with a paper prescription?