Amid a national shortage, the US Adderall black market is booming

With pharmacies unable to fill prescriptions, many ADHD patients are turning to Craigslist to buy illicit pills online

Peruse an online marketplace like Craigslist, and you’ll find coded classified ads for “Study Help” and “Study Hall”, or calls looking for a “Study Buddy”. Despite the scholarly language, these aren’t people looking for pre-final cram session. They’re plugs for Adderall: the trade name for a combination of amphetamine salts long prescribed as a first-choice treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s a drug that is, of late, in perilously short supply.

The US National Institute for Mental Health estimates that ADHD affects 4.4% of adults between the ages of 18 and 44. The number of adults treated for ADHD has increased in recent decades, attributable to the wider destigmatization of diagnosing the disorder in adults as well as the Covid-19 pandemic and its knockback effects on adult mental health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that adult prescriptions for ADHD medication increased by 7.9% between 2020 and 2021, compared with a 1.4% average annual increase between 2016 and 2020. In 2021, doctors authorized in excess of 30m prescriptions for Adderall, serving nearly 4 million patients.

But over the past two years, many of patients have been unable to procure their prescription, due to manufacturing shortfalls. With the delta between demand and supply widening, some adults with diagnosed ADHD are forced to forsake CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens and other drug retailers, and turn elsewhere.

rabiddolphin,
@rabiddolphin@lemmy.world avatar

Don’t do it. Black market adderall is pill pressed dirty meth

Rai,

Only IR, not XR. And not all IR—buy a test kit, everyone!

Taldan,

Are there test kits that could differentiate the two? Wouldn’t they both just test positive for amphetamines?

Or are you suggesting it to check for other drugs such as fentanyl?

Rai,

Oh no, you can differentiate between meth and adderall!

I’ve tested some shady pills that didn’t even turn colour. Not even meth. Super bad.

HootinNHollerin, (edited )

If doing anything black market buy fentanyl strips and narcan. Strips from dancesafe are good and narcan from a nonprofit like harm reduction circle

gAlienLifeform,
@gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world avatar

I wonder how much the opioid lawsuit settlements’ rules for drug distributors and pharmacists is driving this

The distributors use algorithms that cap the quantities of controlled substances a pharmacy can sell in a month. Before the settlement, pharmacists said, they could explain to a distributor the reason for a surge in demand and still receive medications past their limits. Now the caps appear to be more rigid: Drugs are cut off with no advance notice or rapid recourse. As a condition of the settlement, distributors cannot tell pharmacies what the thresholds are.

…

But some doctors said that legitimate prescriptions were being caught in the dragnet, while pharmacists said they were declining to dispense some medications for fear of setting off triggers.

Distributors can investigate and resolve red flags if they are satisfied by a pharmacy’s explanation, but they can also stop supplying them with controlled drugs altogether.

Swept up in the scrutiny are college students far from home trying to fill their Adderall prescriptions, patients in rural areas where it is customary to drive long distances for medical care, and hospice providers that rely on local pharmacies for controlled substances instead of on a specialized supplier that would be exempt from the limits, The Times found.

Restrictions on controlled substances had already been ratcheted up for years, as concerns about abuse grew during the opioid epidemic. More recently, shortages of some drugs, such as Adderall, which is used to treat A.D.H.D., made those medications hard to get. The settlement with distributors appears to have tightened supplies even more.

BobGnarley,

Yupp the DEA purposefully fucks with the supply chain which, like this article we are commenting on shows, drives people to the black market. That same black market that the DEA is given a blank check to help “take care of”.

sapient_cogbag,
@sapient_cogbag@infosec.pub avatar

The war on drugs is just shit urgh. Fucking over people’s lives, both directly (“you put something in your body that the government didnt approve of so suffer”), and indirectly (“other people put this stuff in their body in ways we don’t approve of, so even though with doctor’s suggestion we have decided you’re allowed to have a little bit for medical reasons and hence know it is probably vital you have it, we’re just going to make it difficult, frustrating, or impossible to get and ruin big parts of your life in case you’re secretly using it in ways we dont approve of”) nya

It’s wrecking people’s lives by presumption of guilt - or at least, not presumption of innocence - for a stupid “crime” (where at least some of the committers are also likely to be self medicating ADHD lmao).

I have ADHD (and have medication for it, though i dont use it 100% of the time every day, but do have it most times). I have methylphenidate, which is a bit different to adderal though its still a stimulant.

Honestly the side effects are not great (really don’t understand why someone would have this recreationally at any higher dose), but I don’t actually give a shit if soneone does consume it either recreationally or for uni work (though stimulants in non adhd people worsen problem solving skills while on it, but the fact people use it for studying and still benefit really to me illustrates a problem with the way things are taught and assessed as well as the high sociopolitical pressure for grades) >.<.

I actually get a bit irritated sometimes, cause a lot of adhd folks see these shortages and blame “illegal users” rather than bullshit war on drugs policy that violates bodily autonomy.

At least as far as I am concerned I dont think people using these things illegally is “wrong” - I don’t see why it’s any of my business even if I don’t think it’s the greatest idea or get why given the side effects (might be a bit different for adderal since it has some slightly different effects to what I have nya) - especially when some of them may be self-medicating, as per this article.

robert_tayl,

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VelvetStorm,

Is there another shortage going on?

squirrelwithnut,

Another? You mean the same one that has been going on for over a year now?

VelvetStorm,

I was able to get my scrips filled for like the last 6 or 7 months

BlackSkinnedJew, (edited )

I’m not trying to predict the future but, if the problem about fentanyl and opioids in general comes from the misuse of Oxycodone, I don’t want to tell “I said it” when a bunch of people be hooked to crystal meth.

DrDr,

Stimulant medications have been around for a long time. ADHD patients that are untreated have a higher risk of developing a substance abuse problem. ADHD patients taking stimulants have a risk of substance abuse that is on par with the rest of the population. Prescription stimulants generally have low risk of abuse. I’m an addiction researcher.

gregorum,

huh… who knew meth was popular…

Staiden,

Adderall and Ritalin is in no way the same as meth. I used to say the same thing and then I tried meth. That shit is crazy. One bump half the size of a pea and you are up for 24 hours straight. Coming off it was terrible. I just cried for a few days straight I did it for a month and never again. Shit kinda fucked my life up at that time.

gregorum,

Your personal anecdote has no bearing on my decades of experience with dozens upon dozens of addicts. All I can say to that is congratulations on not becoming one of them.

ABCDE,

Ritalin and meth are not the same, don’t be silly. I’ve be prescribed the former and taken it a while, and tried the latter a few times. Meth is bonkers, not even close.

gregorum,

I know, silly. You’ll also notice that I never mentioned Ritalin, so thanks for the straw man. I have only mentioned Adderall and meth. If you wish to discuss Ritalin, I suggest you join a different discussion.

ABCDE,

Adderall and Ritalin

The poster you responded to, did.

gregorum,

Because they were clearly lost, or using a strawman, as I pointed out.

ABCDE,

No, they weren’t, Ritalin was mentioned in the article. Adding context and detail to a discussion is not “using a strawman” as much as you love using that phrase.

You’ll also notice that I never mentioned Ritalin

The person never said you did either, stop using your own strawman.

LanternEverywhere,

It's not meth. At all. The methyl group on the molecule makes it have massively different pharmacokinetics.

gregorum,

In theory, perhaps. But for anyone who’s actually taken or abused it, and especially to anyone who’s taken or abused both, they’re remarkably similar, particularly in how addictive they are.

ABCDE,

I’ve taken both, you’re wrong.

gregorum,

“My single individual anecdote outweighs your decades of experience with dozens of people because I think I’m more important!”

Check your ego, lol

ABCDE, (edited )

Check your ego, lol

Ironic.

The methyl group (which is what you responded to, before you cry “strawman” again) includes Ritalin, which is not addictive if you are taking it as prescribed. Meth, even in small amounts, is highly addictive.

Your “experience” isn’t personal use, so what?

You said:

But for anyone who’s actually taken or abused it, and especially to anyone who’s taken or abused both, they’re remarkably similar

I am someone who has taken both, they aren’t similar. Weird how you can say that but my experience doesn’t count because it doesn’t agree with what you’re saying.

gregorum,

More splitting hairs because you can’t face the reality. The denial here is so strong.

ABCDE,

You don’t understand the words and phrases you use. You also cannot engage in discussions properly. I now doubt you have the experience you tout, it’s more likely someone in your family has been dependent for decades, not that you’re a grown person working to help those with dependence. See how easy I can dismiss you with silly comments too?

MossyFeathers,

He has an AI-generated profile pic, of course he’s wrong lol.

captainlezbian,

Maybe for meth heads. For people with ADHD the difference between adderall and desoxyn is massive as is it for people who actually study the pharmacological effects. Desoxyn is a huge burst with lots of jitters as opposed to a calm but firm focus

gregorum,

I never mentioned desoxyn. But thanks for the strawman.

ABCDE,

Do you not know what it is?

gregorum,

I do. I just think trying to split that hair is a clumsy and obvious straw man.

ABCDE,

The person, like everyone else here, is trying to engage properly in a conversation. You throwing out “strawman” this and “strawman” that doesn’t add anything. The person gave an example of what they have experience of, and the difference between two ‘methyl’ meds. The only person splitting hairs here is you, who sees any attempt at a discussion as a personal slight.

THE_ANON,

He only know how to type strawman leave him alone man

gregorum,

Sorry you don’t like the truth, but you’re wrong. And none of your little friends here crying about it will change that fact. So you can argue with me futilely forever. But it won’t change the fact. And I’ll keep telling all of you that for as long as you wanna argue. And you can all keep getting very angry about not liking the truth I’m telling you, but I’ll keep telling you for as long as you wanna waste time responding to me.forever, if necessary.

ABCDE,

I’m not angry, but you take everything as a slight instead of engaging properly. Your responses are inadequate.

gregorum,

Projecting your anger onto me doesn’t make it any better

LanternEverywhere,

Absolutely not. That is complete bullshit.

gregorum,

Here on earth, that’s the reality of it. Welcome to the planet. Adderall is just low-grade meth.

lolcatnip,

You’re just a low-grade troll.

gregorum,

No, I have decades of experience with amphetamine addicts, while you’re sitting here, splitting hairs. There’s such a thing as reality, and I suggest you acquaint yourself with it.

aniki,

Go trumpet fart yourself to death

gregorum,

Thanks for proving my point

ABCDE,

There’s such a thing as reality, and I suggest you acquaint yourself with it.

Also ironic.

djdadi,

Who knows, he might be right. After all, Tylenol 3 is just low grade fentanyl

gregorum,

So close

MossyFeathers,

AI profile pic detected, opinion discarded.

gregorum,

Then why are you still crying about it?

aniki,

If anyone needs help procuring their medications shoot me a DM and I’ll help you get hooked up with my friend the dead pirate Robert.

gregorum,

as you wish

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

If you do have ADHD and feel you need help, there are non-scheduled pharmaceuticals available as well. My daughter is on Qelbree which isn’t perfect, but it works pretty well. And you don’t have to worry about people abusing it making the supply run out.

lolcatnip,

Those don’t work for everyone. Me, for example.

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

No medication works for everyone.

LinkOpensChest_wav,
@LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Thanks! My husband has been talking about getting back on Adderall for his ADHD, but he doesn’t really want to go through all the hassle. I’ll tell him about this.

Awesomematter,

I don’t know if the same thing is happening with the XR but if the IR worked for your husband it might be a good alternative. I recommend Vyvance, it was recently approved for generic. Still a bit pricy but it’s longer acting with less of the unbearable side effects.

LinkOpensChest_wav,
@LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

I’ll mention this to him as well.

Now to convince him to go to the doctor…

Awesomematter,

Oh yeah, initial intake is tough not to mention finding a doc

LinkOpensChest_wav,
@LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

We both used to see the same doctor, but she retired, and ever since then neither one of us wants to go lol

cmbabul,

I don’t want to discount Vyvanse at all because it has a lot of advantages but it made me extremely paranoid and even more impulsive than I usually am

half_fiction,

Vyvanse is also having a shortage, caused in part by people not being able to get Adderall switching over. It’s not as bad as it was a few months ago (we called around and couldn’t find a pharmacy with a 30 day supply within a 2 hour radius) but they’re still having trouble getting enough, especially at the higher doses. Source: I literally talked to a pharmacist about this today when I went to pick up my other random-ass stimulant. My doctor told me to just keep asking them about it every month haha.

Awesomematter,

Not even generic?

sleepmode,

Yep

LinkOpensChest_wav,
@LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

My ass would probably see one of these “study help” posts and reach out to the person, thinking I’m going to do a good deed by helping someone with their college assignments

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