Adderall shortage impacts inventory at Cranston pharmacies
A form of Adderall, a drug used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is now in short supply, according to an announcement last week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (WHAM)
CRANSTON. R.I. (WJAR) — Local pharmacies are struggling to fill prescriptions for the drug crucial for people with ADHD amid a nationwide shortage.
Pharmacists say the country is experiencing a major shortage of the drug Adderall due to ongoing manufacturing delays and a huge jump in demand.
Adderall is a drug that helps with concentration, stress and multitasking.
Nicholas Shanos, pharmacy manager of Suburban Pharmacy in Cranston, said they were receiving dozens of calls a day from patients looking to have their Adderall prescriptions filled.
"We were getting up to 35 calls a day from non-customers," said Shanos."Customers that were just calling googling pharmacies."
Shanos added a voice message to the pharmacy's IP system which lets callers know they are out of Adderall.
"Due to the nationwide shortage of all strains of generic Adderall, we at Suburban Pharmacy are finally out of stock as well," said the recorded voice when NBC 10 called on Thursday.
Shanos said the calls stopped after he added the message.
"We have no inventory," he said. "If some comes in, it goes out same say."
Due to the shortage, newer pharmacies like Park Ave Pharmacy in Cranston are on the phone with manufacturers three or four times a day.
"When it does come in stock, it does come in a limited quantity and it runs out quickly," said Hasan Iqbal, a pharmacy manager at Park Ave Pharmacy. "It's a lot of patients that have been on it for a long time, so they've been on it five years plus and taking it for quite a while and unfortunately, they can't get the care they need."
Iqbal said they've started offering patients lower doses of the drug if their prescribed dosage is unavailable.
"I'll work with the doctor to find a dose that's still therapeutic for our patients but is commercially available," he said.
Shanos with Suburban Pharmacy said he expects to see improvements for pharmacies in the spring.