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For Syracuse sophomore Paeton Harrington, being diagnosed with and medicated for ADHD improved his academic performance. After struggling academically, Harrington was named to SU’s dean’s list the first semester he was medicated.

But now, with an ongoing shortage of Adderall and similar medications across the United States, Harrington said he’s had difficulties obtaining his medication, which has affected his schoolwork.

“Being unmedicated, it’s really hard for me to focus and complete work in a timely manner because it takes a lot of focus and I get easily distracted,” Harrington said.

On October 12, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a shortage of the immediate release formulation of amphetamine mixed salts — including Adderall and other stimulants — due to manufacturing delays and insufficient supply. Medications like Adderall are commonly prescribed to people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder — a neurobehavioral disorder that can lead to restlessness, difficulties in focusing and inability to organize tasks, among other symptoms.

Beginning this semester, Harrington said he’s had to take low doses to a point that he was “virtually unmedicated” at times and even missed class in order to go home and obtain his medication.

Over six months after the initial shortage announcement, medications like Adderall are still in limited supply across the U.S., making it difficult for people like Harrington to access their prescriptions as demand continues to rise. Prescriptions for Adderall have increased more than 30% over the past five years, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Washington Post.

When the shortage began, Molly Scheuer, a senior studying information management and technology, thought it wouldn’t affect her since the medication she takes has a different chemical composition than Adderall. As the shortage continued, Scheuer started to note how much medication she had left. Hearing that a medication she had been on since around third grade would potentially be unavailable to her was “anxiety-provoking,” she said.

While the daily impacts of remaining unmedicated vary, TJ Wickersham, a third-year architecture student, said that not taking his ADHD medication leads to struggles with time management and productivity. On some days, Wickersham said, he has trouble getting out of bed in a timely manner.

“One of the things that’s most difficult to deal with is the fact that there’s no tangible reason that I can’t get assignments done on time,” Wickersham said. “It feels like you have to make excuses … but without my medication, I have to figure out how closely to stick to that standard because it’s really out of my hands to some degree.”

As the shortage persists, SU’s Associate Vice President for Student Health and Wellness Cory Wallack told The Daily Orange in an email statement that the Barnes Center at The Arch is working with providers to alter prescriptions based on which dosages or alternative treatment options are available. The Barnes Center is also coordinating with local pharmacies to fill prescriptions, according to the email.

Scheuer, who takes medication for her attention deficit disorder, said she’s experienced delays in having her prescription filled since the shortage began.

“I have at times forgotten to check ahead and get my prescription, and then you go and realize that they can’t fill it for five to six business days,” Scheuer said. “That ends up being a long time to have your brain chemistry be different. It really changes your day-to-day, and then there’s been the adjustment period of getting back on your medication.”

As the Barnes Center works to meet student medication needs on campus, some students studying abroad are living without access to their prescriptions. Wickersham and Zaria Kirkland, a junior studying information management, were unable to get their needed prescriptions to last while abroad.

Spending the whole semester unmedicated in London, Kirkland said she’s been “barely getting by,” opting to drink coffee and other caffeinated beverages to manage her symptoms.

Some students with ADHD receive accommodations through SU’s Center for Disability Resources in addition to medication. Harrington uses CDR accommodations but said she thinks the accommodations are “rigid” and that SU is not taking the issue seriously.

“I know it’s difficult, especially as a big school to accommodate people so specifically, but it’s a time of emergency for people,” Harrington said. “It would be really helpful just to at least be acknowledged.”

Scheuer said that while there’s attention towards the shortage as a current issue, some people view Adderall and other stimulants as different from other medications for health issues.

“Adderall, I think, gets a reputation of being a drug that people don’t really need because it’s for ADD,” Scheuer said. “A lot of people in college sometimes abuse it or just see it as not entirely necessary and that changes their attitude towards the lack of it.”

Published on April 27, 2023 at 1:02 am

Contact Claire: charri39@syr.edu