ADHD meds shortage?

[Tribble puncher]

So...this girl I'm dating has a preteen son, who takes focalin. Apparently she can't get his script filled because they are out of the stuff everywhere. So the Doc. gave her a script for ritalin, but the pharmacies are out of that as well. Anyone else having trouble getting scripts filled? is this a national deal that I'm un aware of?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

There is currently a Ritalin (methylphenidate hydrochloride) shortage, information about which can be found here. Your friend should talk to the doctor and/or pharmacist to see what substitutes may be available. Note that the Ritalin shortage affects Focalin, Concerta, Metadate, and Daytrana, as well. Raw materials used in common for all of those are in short supply, hence the shortage affecting Focalin and Ritalin simultaneously.

 

[Tribble puncher]

There is currently a Ritalin (methylphenidate hydrochloride) shortage, information about which can be found here. Your friend should talk to the doctor and/or pharmacist to see what substitutes may be available. Note that the Ritalin shortage affects Focalin, Concerta, Metadate, and Daytrana, as well. Raw materials used in common for all of those are in short supply, hence the shortage affecting Focalin and Ritalin simultaneously.

Thanks for that info. looks like its gonna get a little rough for those that depend on medications.

 

[JohnChod]

Reading this, my fear is that perhaps overprescribing the medication has something to do with it? While I grant the necessity of the drug at times, I feel too many caregivers and medical professionals prefer to rely on claiming someone has a 'condition' or 'syndrome' that is easily handled via the chemical route rather than possibly being addressed by devoting a little more time to the child. This would, of course, cut into their 'me' time and minimize their ability to dwell on Facebook and other 'social' sites. It would also take a big bite out of the pharmaceutical economy.

 

[JoeZhang]

Reading this, my fear is that perhaps overprescribing the medication has something to do with it? While I grant the necessity of the drug at times, I feel too many caregivers and medical professionals prefer to rely on claiming someone has a 'condition' or 'syndrome' that is easily handled via the chemical route rather than possibly being addressed by devoting a little more time to the child. This would, of course, cut into their 'me' time and minimize their ability to dwell on Facebook and other 'social' sites. It would also take a big bite out of the pharmaceutical economy.

Interesting - what type of medical researcher or professional are you?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Reading this, my fear is that perhaps overprescribing the medication has something to do with it? While I grant the necessity of the drug at times, I feel too many caregivers and medical professionals prefer to rely on claiming someone has a 'condition' or 'syndrome' that is easily handled via the chemical route rather than possibly being addressed by devoting a little more time to the child. This would, of course, cut into their 'me' time and minimize their ability to dwell on Facebook and other 'social' sites. It would also take a big bite out of the pharmaceutical economy.

Yes, evidently we need to base medical decisions on whether or not some subset of people "feel" there is too much medicating going on. That is how science do.

 

[Tribble puncher]

Reading this, my fear is that perhaps overprescribing the medication has something to do with it? While I grant the necessity of the drug at times, I feel too many caregivers and medical professionals prefer to rely on claiming someone has a 'condition' or 'syndrome' that is easily handled via the chemical route rather than possibly being addressed by devoting a little more time to the child. This would, of course, cut into their 'me' time and minimize their ability to dwell on Facebook and other 'social' sites. It would also take a big bite out of the pharmaceutical economy.

From what little research I have done into the subject, it would seem that the reason you see an explosion in ADD and depression diagnoses...is because Doctors can more accurately Diagnose these Illnesses now than in the past, I'm sure when I was growing up, many depressed kids or hyper kids were labled as "handicapped" and lumped into the "special" class.

 

[SmoothieX]

Great, a bunch of Tweaks roaming around.

 

[_C_]

I actually have to go to a psychiatrist that I really don't NEED to get my hands on my meds(a generic for Dexedrine) because my regular doctor's pharmacy is always out. It's annoying. I don't have ADHD. I'm on the autism spectrum(PDDNOS). I am hyperactive and the medicine lets me be focused and functional. I can handle more outside stimulus with less meltdowns when I'm on my meds.

Without them, let's just say I'm like a human pinball and it's not funny or nice. I get real mean. I've taken the same dose since I was 7 and never had a problem.

 

[JarodRussell]

ADHD meds shortage?! Oh my god we're all going to drown in a flood of hyperactive jerk kids!!!

Reading this, my fear is that perhaps overprescribing the medication has something to do with it? While I grant the necessity of the drug at times, I feel too many caregivers and medical professionals prefer to rely on claiming someone has a 'condition' or 'syndrome' that is easily handled via the chemical route rather than possibly being addressed by devoting a little more time to the child. This would, of course, cut into their 'me' time and minimize their ability to dwell on Facebook and other 'social' sites. It would also take a big bite out of the pharmaceutical economy.

From what little research I have done into the subject, it would seem that the reason you see an explosion in ADD and depression diagnoses...is because Doctors can more accurately Diagnose these Illnesses now than in the past, I'm sure when I was growing up, many depressed kids or hyper kids were labled as "handicapped" and lumped into the "special" class.

I'm always skeptical about stuff like that. Homosexuality was thought to be something that could be treated with medication as well. In a country where 11 percent of all 4-17 year old children are diagnosed with ADHD, I am in serious doubt if it's not the medical science that's "wrong" here. Wrong in the sense that they might be right (yeah, something IS off in the brains of those kids), but is it really something that needs to be treated with medication? 11 percent of the children? In all my classes with 30 or 40 students, those typical 3 or 4 that never shut up and never concentrated just needed to be treated with drugs? Really?


I see a world coming where every bit of behavior abnormality/oddity is going to be treated with medication, until our brain functions all measure out equally. That might be wonderful from a medical point of view, but is it really something we want to do with ourselves? That is of course exaggerated, but so was the 1984 novel, or the Demolition Man film.

 

[SmoothieX]

hat is of course exaggerated, but so was the 1984 novel,

For some reason, I had been thinking of reading that next.