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Update from Dr. Sachdev- Sept 15, 2023
The shortage of stimulant medications used for treating attention deficit disorder improved slightly during the summer months, this was likely due to some patients coming off their medication while school was out of session. In mid-August 2023 there was a surge in refill requests as students, parents and teachers with ADD/ADHD scrambled to get back on their medication. The past few weeks patients have had significant difficulty filling prescriptions for Adderall, Zenzedi and Vyvanse.
There has been NO shortage of Adzenys, which contains the same active ingredients as the other stimulants but is delivered via an orally disintegrating lozenge offering extended release of stimulant. If you're having difficulty locating a pharmacy that has your regular ADD medication in stock, consider trying Adzenys XR ODT. (Click the button below for information about Adzenys).
In response to the shortage some pharmacies have stopped accepting the transfer of patients from other pharmacies. They're struggling to ration their medication supply so they can continue serving their well established patient base. This has been frustrating for some patients whose pharmacies have run out of medication.
On August 28, 2023 the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) changed regulations regarding controlled substance prescriptions. Pharmacists are now allowed to transfer controlled substance prescriptions to another pharmacy upon a patient's request. This new regulation might have helped some patients fill their prescriptions for ADD medications, unfortunately the software that pharmacies use doesn't currently allow the transfer of these prescriptions. It may take months, or years, for software manufacturers to respond to this change in regulation.
We're still asking patients to confirm that their pharmacy has their medication in stock BEFORE sending a refill request to our office. If they don't have your medication in stock you can ask what alternatives they have available. We understand that some pharmacies won't release this information to patients but we still ask that you try.
I'm unable to prescribe a 90 day supply of Adderall, Zenzedi or Vyvanse until the local retail pharmacies can accommodate such requests. I HAVE had a handful of patients obtain a 90 day supply of Adderall and Vyvanse from mail order pharmacies like CVS Caremark or Express Scripts. If patients would like to try switching to a mail order pharmacy they can contact my office to request it. Medication is shipped to patients within a few days via USPS and requires a signature upon arrival.
For many patients I've started sending three (30 day supply) prescriptions to their pharmacy, each prescription has an "earliest fill date" (EFD) written on it. This allows patients to fill their prescriptions monthly for three months without having to request a prescription from our office every month. This may also assist pharmacies by letting them know ahead of time when patients will need to fill prescriptions for medications that are in short supply. Patients need to communicate with their pharmacy staff to be sure their pending prescriptions aren't accidentally deleted before their EFD. Patient will also need to communicate with my office DIRECTLY if their pharmacy isn't able to fill a prescription because they don't have their medication available.
Thank you for your cooperation- Dr Sachdev
There has been NO shortage of Adzenys, which contains the same active ingredients as the other stimulants but is delivered via an orally disintegrating lozenge offering extended release of stimulant. If you're having difficulty locating a pharmacy that has your regular ADD medication in stock, consider trying Adzenys XR ODT. (Click the button below for information about Adzenys).
In response to the shortage some pharmacies have stopped accepting the transfer of patients from other pharmacies. They're struggling to ration their medication supply so they can continue serving their well established patient base. This has been frustrating for some patients whose pharmacies have run out of medication.
On August 28, 2023 the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) changed regulations regarding controlled substance prescriptions. Pharmacists are now allowed to transfer controlled substance prescriptions to another pharmacy upon a patient's request. This new regulation might have helped some patients fill their prescriptions for ADD medications, unfortunately the software that pharmacies use doesn't currently allow the transfer of these prescriptions. It may take months, or years, for software manufacturers to respond to this change in regulation.
We're still asking patients to confirm that their pharmacy has their medication in stock BEFORE sending a refill request to our office. If they don't have your medication in stock you can ask what alternatives they have available. We understand that some pharmacies won't release this information to patients but we still ask that you try.
I'm unable to prescribe a 90 day supply of Adderall, Zenzedi or Vyvanse until the local retail pharmacies can accommodate such requests. I HAVE had a handful of patients obtain a 90 day supply of Adderall and Vyvanse from mail order pharmacies like CVS Caremark or Express Scripts. If patients would like to try switching to a mail order pharmacy they can contact my office to request it. Medication is shipped to patients within a few days via USPS and requires a signature upon arrival.
For many patients I've started sending three (30 day supply) prescriptions to their pharmacy, each prescription has an "earliest fill date" (EFD) written on it. This allows patients to fill their prescriptions monthly for three months without having to request a prescription from our office every month. This may also assist pharmacies by letting them know ahead of time when patients will need to fill prescriptions for medications that are in short supply. Patients need to communicate with their pharmacy staff to be sure their pending prescriptions aren't accidentally deleted before their EFD. Patient will also need to communicate with my office DIRECTLY if their pharmacy isn't able to fill a prescription because they don't have their medication available.
Thank you for your cooperation- Dr Sachdev
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Click the link below for advice on managing your refill requests during the drug shortage:
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If you normally take Adderall, or another medication for ADD/ADHD management that has been affected by the drug shortage, click the link below for information about a few other medications you might consider.
www.novawellnesscenter.com/alternative-medications-to-consider-for-addadhd.html
Click the link below to read user reviews for some commonly prescribed ADHD medications:
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If you're experiencing difficulty affording your medications (prescription or over the counter) you may be eligible to receive discounted or FREE medication in the mail. Click below to learn more about a nonprofit online pharmacy, Rx Outreach.
Rx Outreach Page |
