Parents in the McCreary County area are facing a challenging dilemma as the shortage of ADHD medication continues to impact families across the country. One parent, Kristin Coronado from Redwood City, California, shared her struggles in finding medication for her son, Dom, who takes a generic version of the drug dexmethylphenidate, sold under the brand name Focalin XR.
US drugmakers claim they are producing all they can, but shortages persist, leaving parents like Coronado scrambling to find a refill for their children’s prescriptions. Child psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Holten warns of the negative effects of untreated ADHD symptoms, highlighting the urgency for a solution to this ongoing issue.
Coronado, like many other parents, contacts numerous pharmacies regularly in an effort to fill her son’s prescription. The shortage of ADHD medications has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the FDA predicting a 3.1% increase in medical use of these drugs in the US by 2024.
The FDA blames telemedicine, supply chain issues, and manufacturing problems for contributing to the shortages, while the DEA has set caps on production of ADHD treatments, leading to disagreements between drugmakers and the DEA over supply.
Faced with the ongoing shortage, children like Dom are caught in the middle, with their parents desperately seeking a solution. Lannett and the DEA had no comment on the issue, leaving families in limbo as they wait for a resolution.
Despite the challenges, Coronado was able to find a refill for Dom’s medication, providing a temporary solution for another month. However, until a long-term fix is implemented, families will continue to struggle to find the medication their children need to manage their ADHD symptoms.
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