‘Ritalinflation’ Strikes Households Amid Ongoing ADHD Drug Shortage

The national shortage of Adderall and other ADHD medications has led to a steep rise in prices, a trend we’re calling ‘Ritalinflation.’ The demand for ADHD drugs soared during Covid due to increased telehealth use. This high demand, coupled with low supply, is causing an affordability crisis for some who rely heavily on the medication to focus.

USA Today spoke with one family who said their monthly ADHD medication went from under $20 to $300. The surge in costs has forced the husband in the family to stop taking the medication while prioritizing their daughter, who is in school. 

“With medication and accommodations at school, my daughter is a straight-A student. Without the medication, she’s failing,” the mother said, who wished not to be named because her husband’s employer does not know about his diagnosis. 

Some families are scrambling to afford the medication and find pharmacies near them carrying name-brand and generic ADHD drugs.  

Data from the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost, a database that shows the average price pharmacies pay for prescription drugs, shows average prices for a 30-mg capsule of methylphenidate, sold under the brand names Ritalin and Concerta, has skyrocketed from $1.27 on Dec. 2021 to nearly $3 this month.

Source: USAToday

The demand-driven shortage comes as Bloomberg data from 2021 shows more than 41 million Adderall prescriptions were filled nationally, up 10% from a year ago. 

In late 2022, Bloomberg spoke with dozens of patients across California, Indiana, and Michigan who were told by local pharmacists at CVS Health Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. about the worsening shortage and how wait times for the medication could be up to a week or more. 

According to Antonio Ciaccia, CEO of 46brooklyn Research, an Ohio-based nonprofit focused on drug pricing research, the shortage of brand-name ADHD drugs led doctors to prescribe generic medicines. This led to a domino effect that even generic brands face dwindling supplies.

The widespread diagnosis of ADHD in children and adults has transformed this country into an ‘ADHD Nation.’ Maybe excessive use of smartphones and electric devices is to blame for higher disorder rates over the years. Also, a new study revealed long-term ADHD medication use may increase cardiovascular disease. 

Another demand-driven drug shortage, entirely separate from ADHD, has been Ozempic and other weight loss drugs. These shortages might reflect a broader issue: folks are becoming over-reliant on the pharmaceutical-industrial complex for maintaining health.