In all of my research I have found no instances of someone who abused ADHD meds who didn't generally abuse drugs and alcohol and I've never heard of anyone who didn't have a drug problem until they abused ADHD meds. At best this is gross ignorance and at worst it's a direct persecution of our community.
this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2023
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I’m sorry for probably misunderstanding you (forgive me as it’s been a long day) but who are you saying is ignorant? The people who put these onerous restrictions on the medication?
Honestly I don't recall the specific organization, but I've read that the ADHD med shortage is fully intentional. I think it's the DEA, but there have recently been deliberate restrictions put into place ostensibly because of potential abuse of ADHD meds. Most of those I think who are "abusing" ADHD meds are actually undiagnosed and self-medicating, but I can't prove that. Personally I don't give a **** whether someone who doesn't need them screws around with them or not. I still need them.
I haven't been affected by the shortages myself, as apparently Vyvanse is unaffected, but I'm with you on this one. Fuck the DEA. They made it harder for my mom with chronic pain to get her meds during the crackdown on opiates.
The way to reduce medication abuse isn't by punishing people with legitimate need for the medication. It's by a) making society suck less so that people feel less compelled to abuse drugs, and b) providing support for addicts. Granted, I suppose the DEA doesn't have much power to do either of those things, but still. They could at least leave us alone.
Vyvanse is less affected because there is no generic and most insurance won't cover name brand.
I'm lucky mine will cover name brand so even before I switched I could still get my Adderall brand extended release.
I'm not sure if it's related to the same issue, but my son had surgery on his leg a couple weeks ago, and we couldn't find anyone to fill his norco prescription with more than a few pills. The closest pharmacy to fill out was in the next state. Went with a shit ton of ibuprofen for him. 😕
This kind of stuff is why I stopped taking my meds years ago. It was before I had my own vehicle so I had to do the whole song and dance on public transit.
It's now been over three weeks since my son or I have been able to get our medication. I JUST got back on after a years long hiatus because of this exact issue. My life was falling apart, at least internally. I finally bit the bullet and set all the appointments and went to them. It was taxing to say the least. I even started going to counseling, really trying to take care of my mental health. Then boom, no meds and I'm a disorganized mess again. My therapy has been fairly useless because I can't remember anything and I'm not making lists or keeping track of anything like I was on medication. It's been rough.
Some of my regular non ADHD medication, even if I can get the Adderall, the pharmacy told me it is in short supply. I don’t have the spoons to check the pharmacy every day for all my medication, and don’t get me started about insurance telling me they are not letting me get my medication (a very inexpensive med, not scheduled) a day early.
That sucks, it seems to be a fairly consistently awful experience over there in USA land.
Here in Australia it is really very different. I went to a GP and got a referral to a local psychiatrist who dealt with ADHD. The GP appointment cost $0, the referral cost $0. I have an appointment with a psychiatrist and the initial appointment was about $500. I got a script and took it to a random pharmacy and got a month of meds for $5.30. I tried that first set and it was obviously useful and a massive upgrade in my function. I went back after the first month to my second appointment and had my dose doubled. The second appointment cost about $350, the meds cost $5.30 again. This happened two more times and I ended up on a high dose of Concerta with supplemental Ritalin.
Currently every 6 months I have an appointment with my psychiatrist which costs me about $150 and my meds cost about $15 per month ($6.30 per script, but two monthly Concerta and one 2 monthly Ritalin). So for about $250 per 6 months or about $500 per year I manage my ADHD. I don't have any health insurance at all, I am on the standard government system called Medicare.
Also, we don't have the same restrictions as you, but if you have multiple repeats of a script then they all have to be dispensed through the same pharmacist, you can't have it from one pharmacist one month and another the next.
Honestly I love the Australian Medicare system. There are problems with it but I really appreciate it and I would not be on these meds without it.
Much the same here in the UK.
Once a month, a week before pay day, my phone reminds me to order next month's pills. I open the NHS app, put the request in, then a few days later I get a text from my local pharmacy to let me know my pills are ready to collect. They cost me £9.50.
It's not all perfect though. A couple of years ago I moved to a different area that's served by a different ADHD service, meaning I had to be referred across to them. Fast forward two years, and my referral is still at the 'waiting list' stage. So no checkups for me. Medication reviews have to be done using a GP as a kind of proxy service, whereby I request one, then have to make an appointment a few weeks later, after they've received advice from the ADHD service. It's pretty stupid.
I mean, I kinda understand the long, loooong waiting lists to be assessed for ADHD in the first place, but I have a diagnosis and take medication. All I asking for is to be able to contact them directly and go back to having six-monthly checkups to see how I'm getting on.
But ultimately, all of this costs me just £9.50 a month. The GP visits and 'assistance' from the ADHD service are free (at the point of use), so can I really complain?
I’m currently going through the frustration of having to get a psych evaluation through my psychiatrist’s office to get prescribed stimulant meds.
My PCP was fine giving them to me because I’ve been seeing him for the last 20ish years. He recommended I go and see a psychiatrist though since the meds he tried for me were giving me weird side effects, and seeing a specialist would be better for me. It has been great seeing a specialist, especially with the therapy since it helps me learn some other coping mechanisms besides meds.
I’m currently trying to switch to Concerta because Straterra was just making me so tired all the time, and my psychiatrist said trying these new meds would help. Turns out to get the stimulant medications, I need a psych evaluation according to their office guidelines, and the soonest appointment I could get was mid September. It really sucks, but I understand that they are probably slammed. It just really sucks to have to deal with meds I don’t like for a few months because it’s better than the unmedicated alternative
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