While numerous press reports have publicized the shortage of medications for ADHD, there are also shortages of drugs for psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and addiction.
Ann Richards, PharmD, BCPP, a past President of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists and the Pharmacy Director for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said that according to data collected by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, there are shortages of diazepam(Drug information on diazepam) injection, diphenhydramine(Drug information on diphenhydramine) hydrochloride for injection, haloper-idol decanoate injection (Haldol), haloperidol(Drug information on haloperidol) lactate injection, lorazepam(Drug information on lorazepam) injection (Ativan), naltrexone(Drug information on naltrexone) oral tablets (Revia), and thiothixene capsules (Navane).1
Adelaide Robb, MD, Chair of the Pediatric Psychopharmacology Initiative of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), told Psychiatric Times, “We are having shortages of most if not all of the stimulants, and it’s nationwide.” Patients and their families are experiencing diffi-culty in obtaining mixed amphetamine salts (Adderall), methylphenidate(Drug information on methylphenidate) immediate-release (Ritalin, Concerta, and Daytrana), and dexmethylphenidate (Focalin). “Even Dexedrine spansules [dextroamphetamine], which is one of the oldest ADHD drugs besides Ritalin, has been in short supply. The only one that is still fairly easy to get is Vyvanse [lisdexamfetamine], which is not available in a generic form,” says Robb.
A benzodiazepine shortage is causing problems for alcohol(Drug information on alcohol) and substance abuse detoxification programs. Last year, there were shortages of such mood stabilizers as divalproex (Depakote) and lamotrigine(Drug information on lamotrigine) (Lamictal), and of the first-generation antipsychotic haloperidol.
Ruth Hughes, PhD, psychologist and Chief Executive Officer of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), a nonprofit educational and advocacy organization, said the shortages in ADHD medications that began with a shortage of short-acting generic versions of Adderall “have been going on for more than a year.”
A January survey of CHADD members revealed that nearly half (49.9%) of the 5500 respondents were having difficulty in getting their medications and of that group, 37% had to switch medications. “In our survey, every single stimulant medication, name-brand and generic, long-acting and short-acting, was named as a medication that was difficult to obtain,” said Hughes. With 15 million people who have ADHD in the United States, “we have a very significant segment of the population that can’t get their medications.”
Ramifications
The ADHD medication shortage has serious life ramifications for children and adults with the disorder, Hughes explained. CHADD has “received a dozen reports of adults who tried to tough it out without medication, made serious mistakes on their jobs and were subsequently fired,” she said. “We have reports of college students who were kicked out of school. We have reports of children with ADHD doing very poorly in school or being suspended or expelled, because their parents were unable to get their medication.” In addition, adolescents who are driving automobiles and are unable to get their ADHD medications are of great concern because they are 3 times more likely to have car accidents than are teens without ADHD and 4 times more likely to have fatal accidents.
Reports of price gouging have also emerged. “Some CHADD members have gone to pharmacies for generic ADHD medications and been told it would be more than $1000 for a month’s supply. Yet pharmaceutical manufacturers have told me they have not increased their prices,” said Hughes.
Medication shortages are influencing prescribing patterns. The best medication for the individual may not be the one that is being prescribed, according to both Robb and Richards.
In the DC metropolitan area (Washington, DC; Maryland; and Virginia), some parents of children with ADHD cannot get a 30-day supply of their child’s medicine at local pharmacies or a 90-day supply through large mail-order companies, Robb said. “So then we have to either switch medications or the parents have to run around to 5 or 6 different pharmacies, trying to find enough to fill a 30-day prescription,” she said.
The shortage of benzodiazepines has also caused a change in detoxification treatments for adolescents and young adults, Robb said. “Normally, what we would do is have a benzodiazepine taper and now those medicines are in short supply, so we have to use very old-fashioned medications like phenobarbital(Drug information on phenobarbital).”
Richards reported that most hospitals in her system “will use either diphenhydramine injection, lorazepam injection, haloperidol injection, or a combination of these products to treat adults experiencing behavioral emergencies. But all 3 drugs are in a shortage situation. Thus, we are looking for alternative treatments for these emergencies.”
Clinicians who would ordinarily prescribe haloperidol decanoate for a patient with adherence issues, she added, are forced to determine whether a switch to another long-acting injection might be more beneficial than prescribing oral haloperidol. “Switching to another long-acting injection can lead to therapeutic failure or side effects, but adherence is guaranteed if the medication is administered. On the other hand, switching to an oral product of the same medication ideally leads to a similar response, but if the individual has adherence issues, then the medication may not be taken as prescribed. Furthermore, the dosing of the oral product may be challenging, as the blood concentration of the long-acting medication will slowly decline.”
