CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — A drug shortage has desperate Charlotte families scrambling to fill their prescriptions. The drug Adderall is used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
At Walkers Drug Store in Charlotte, pharmacists said they are basically out of the popular medication. They said they don't even have an answer to give customers who are calling looking for it.
Pharmacist Nathan Ikener said they get about 20 calls per day from people needing Adderall.
"We get calls constantly," said Ikener. "They are asking for brand, generic -- they are asking for really anything at this point."
The nationwide shortage of the stimulant began in the spring with the extended release version.
A representative for the manufacturer told Channel 9 that the shortage was because of spotty distribution and that issue was resolved.
But now, most all versions of Adderall and its generic form are gone.
Channel 9 called several pharmacies in Charlotte on Wednesday and were immediately told they were out.
The DEA said most of the time it boils down to the supply and demand.
Each year, the government sets a limit for the amount of the chemical found in Adderall and once the manufacturer hits that, they can't make any more until the next year.
"You don't get a heads up," said Ikener. "You don't know about it until you can't get anymore, and sometimes there's not a good reason."
Physician's assistant Leslie Jade Wright at North Carolina Neuropsychiatry said it is affecting her patients as well. "I'm hearing, ‘My child needs something. They've got to perform at school. I don't want their grades to decline.'"
Wright said there are medicinal alternatives and behavioral therapy and counseling can be an option.
"Sometimes those non-pharmaceutical approaches are suitable and enough so you don't have to take medication," Wright said.
She said to always call your doctor first.
For those who decide to wait it out, new supplies of Adderall may not be available until next year.
For more information on drug shortages, click here.