ADHD shortage of medications ..Dextroamphetamine ER spaniels

Hello @ml007 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. The combination of the drug shortage and your primary doctor out on vacation is a double whammy here. Are you able to reach your doctor's administrative assistant who may be able to triage a message to him/her?

Hi Amanda, Thank you so much for your reply.
I was finally able to track down a pharmacy that had some in stock. I begged them to hold what they had . Reached out to the on call doctor and explained the situation. She was very understanding, looked through my chart and saw that my doctor had been previously writing for the script . They sent script to pharmacy yesterday morning.

This pharmacy actually ordered and received more the same day and was able to fill my complete script. While all others told me they try to order but told not available.
I feel so fortunate !
The current drug shortages in many situations makes no sense. COVID has certainly been a contributing factor but only a small part of the equation.
So many medications for numerous diseases and disorders. No heads up from manufacturers until it's to late.
Majority of doctors are never notified.
FDA has a site for manufacturers to report any expected problem with availability or discontinuation of a drug and have encouraged manufacturers to have a contingency plan in effect.
But manufacturers are not required by law to do this. Leaving hospitals and patients, many with life threatening diseases at risk of not receiving proper treatment.

Majority of individuals don't find out until they go to fill a prescription.
I encourage everyone to set alerts from the FDA, Drugs.com, Good Rx etc. to get information about possible shortage or discontinuation of their medication.
It's certainly not a perfect system but may help some.

I have always found Mayo Clinic site to provide the most up to date and informative information available.
I just recently found out about Mayo Clinic Connect.
Thank you for this great service !

Stay safe ~

@ml007 that is fantastic news that you were able to get the Rx you were in need of. Thank you for sharing your update and for joining Connect to share your experience and some tips for keeping track of drug shortages for those who may face similar challenges.

I have ADHD too and my doctor prescribed Ritalinl I tried it for two days and I had horrific dreams, I woke up screaming. We moved and I did not tell my neurologist about having ADHD because I thought he would want me to take Ritalin. I need something that does not give me nightmares. I looked at the side effects for it and saw trouble sleeping. Do you have insomnia from it. I am going to contact my doctor on Monday because my ADHD is getting out of hand! And I have insomnia!

Hi,
Im sorry to her you had such a bad experience with Ritalin. I know with a couple of medications doctors ordered for me I had very vivid dreams not so much scary.

You must be seeing a neurologist for other symptoms your having. There may be something else going on.
Don't be afraid to tell your doctor your complete history. He won't be able to provide appropriate treatment unless your open and honest with him.

Not having a good nights sleep only makes ADHD worse. Maybe he can give you something to help with sleep untill your symptoms are stabilized .
Explain to your doctor the experience you had taking Ritalin and ask what other options you have. If a doctor will only prescribe a drug that you have already had a bad experience with, then you need a different doctor.

There are many drugs to treat ADHD in adults. Stimulants and non stimulants. Along with alternative treatments.
Stimulants like Methylphenidate is the active ingredient in Ritalin, Concerta and other drugs and amphetamine the active ingredient in Adderall, Vyvanse and other drugs such as Dextroamphetamine ( one of the older drugs ).

The more I learned about ADHD and how it was effecting me and my life was my first step . I found a combination of medication, Behavioral Therapy, relaxation techniques and meditation to help me the most.

I know how difficult it is living with ADHD. It's so hard to be patient and find the right combination that works for you, especialy when you feel like everything is out of control.

I take Dextroamphetamine Extended release caps and sleep great. That's not to say you would have the same response.
Not being able to take my regular dosage because of the shortage has been a major struggle for me in many ways. After writting my post earlier today I realized it took me almost 2 hours to complete.

With the current shortage of drugs make sure what ever is prescribed is easily available.

I wish you the best of luck finding what works for you.
One step at a time....... Take care of yourself ~

I changed neurologist after he gave me over to his PA. That PA who was later fired changed the dosage on my Ropinorole to about 4 times the dosage! I believed her when she told me that I was not taking enough. I was taking it for Restless Legs syndrome. I had a horrible reaction to it and at time could not get through to the neurologist. My present neurologist adjusted the dosage down and I was much better. Now, he seems to have changed. He does listen to what I say carefully. I previously had two brain MRIs and they sold why my balance was bad, My pons had liquified. The last MRI showed intensities in the white matter. Not good. That was 4 years ago. On the last appointment, he upped my Namenda and told me that I have Mild Dementia. He told me to take 1/2 of the pill that he previously told me to take 1/4 for not being able to sleep at night.

He then had his assistant to give me a short cognitive test and he said that I did better than he thought I would. I was in shock that I could have Mild Dementia. I didn't say anything and went home and cried.

I will try to contact him on Monday and it I cannot get thtough I think I may have to change again!

Yes,, I am having the same issue. I have been trying to juggle prescriptions between two different pharmacies, but being a Sched 2 Controlled Substance this is not making either the pharmacies or my PCP very happy.

As I have also now turned the magical age of 70 I'm getting a lot of pressure to 'reconsider' my ADHD meds by my new PCP. Clearly I have some physician educating to do.

FWIW I just checked by heart rate (83) and BP (117/79) so that's not an issue.

I have come to the conclusion after 20 years after my ADHD diagnosis and treatment (changed my life, saved my marriage, helped my career, nothing major ...) that people with ADHD are wired differently, and so it should come as no great surprise that we respond to meds differently as well. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any studies comparing adult ADHD and non-ADHD populations response to stimulant meds.

To me, my ADHD meds are like glasses, once the prescription is right, doubling it would not be fun, it would just give me a headache. And just because I'm 70 doesn't mean I don't need them any longer.