Stimulant Shortage Information

Shortages of medications can occur due to a variety of reasons such as disruptions in the supply chain, manufacturing issues, increased demand, or regulatory challenges. For those with ADHD, not having your regularly prescribed medication can cause significant dysfunction in social, academic, or occupational functioning.

What are my options?

Here are some of the options in which you can refer to in the event you are having trouble finding your medication in stock.

1. See if the brand name is covered:

• First step is to ask the pharmacist to attempt to fill the prescription as brand name.
• If the pharmacist advises you that they got a denial from insurance then you may have the option to call your insurance plan and see if they will temporarily cover the brand name (due to the shortage) if the pharmacy has the brand name instead of generic available. If so, have the pharmacy reprocess it as the brand name.

2. Call other pharmacies:

If your current pharmacy is out of stock, we ask that you call other pharmacies and find a pharmacy that does have it in stock. You may have better success at small pharmacies compared to large chain pharmacies. Once you have located a pharmacy with medication in stock, please message or call us to advise where you would like your prescription transferred to.

• Check with mail order pharmacies: Sometimes mail order pharmacies may have a better supply, check with your insurance to see if optumRX, cvs caremark, express scripts, or other mail service options are covered for you and we can send your script to the appropriate pharmacy. While there is no guarantee they will have the medication in stock, our experience has generally been that mail order pharmacies tend to have less challenges with the shortage. Please note that amazon and costplus pharmacy do not do not accept prescriptions for controlled substances.

3. See if there are combinations of doses that may work for you:

For example, if you are taking Adderall XR 20mg, if the pharmacy has 15 mg and 5mg in stock, we can resend for both and you can combine them to create your usual dose as long as your insurance covers this.

• Alternatively, you may work with your provider to temporarily trial a slightly lower or higher dose if in stock.

4. Switch to another medication:

If you are unable to successfully find your medication with any of the options above, let your provider know and together you can discuss alternative options that you could temporarily switch to until your regular medication is in stock.

5. ScriptFinder Service:

We now offer an optional assistance program for finding your medication. If you would like a designated staff member to call pharmacies for you to attempt to find your medication in stock, they will do so and inform your provider of the pharmacy location to send to. If our staff is successfully able to locate your medication, there is a $20 out of pocket fee associated with this service. If this is something you are interested in, just let the office or your provider know.

We know this can be a frustrating time as a patient. Remember, we’re here to help you navigate these challenges and ensure that your treatment continues with as little disruption as possible.