Parents and students are stuck in a web of confusion and frustration amid an Adderall shortage that has lasted more than a year, with grades slipping and caretakers driving for hours to fill prescriptions.

While ADHD can present in many forms, it commonly hurts children’s ability to concentrate in class and focus on their assignments, with the long-term effects showing up in academic performance.

“Their grades are suffering, they're falling behind academically and they're losing some motivation,” said Parker Houston, a pediatric psychologist and owner of Central Ohio Pediatric Behavioral Health who has been working with students on coping strategies during the shortage. 

With little hope for relief in sight, professionals are urging better communication among doctors, parents. and schools to create an environment that can best help students who are missing their medication.

A year-plus and counting

On Oct. 12, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially declared a shortage of the ingredients needed to make mixed amphetamine salts, the drug most commonly known as Adderall.

The shortage was first brought on by a disruption at a manufacturing plant run by Teva Pharmaceuticals, the largest supplier of Adderall in the U.S. But with that disruption since resolved, the ongoing scarcity is now attributed to heightened demand outpacing what drugmakers can supply.

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