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Aderall Or Nothing: Anatomy of the Great Amphetamine Drought
pigrabbitbear writes "To prevent hoarding of materials and their potential for theft and illicit use, the Drug Enforcement Agency sets quotas for the chemical precursors to drugs like Adderall. The DEA projects the need for amphetamine salts, then produces and distributes the materials to pharmaceutical companies so that they can produce their drugs. But with the number of prescriptions for Adderall jumping 13 percent in the past year, pharmaceutical companies claim that the quotas are no longer sufficient for supplying Americans with their Adderall. The DEA contends that their quotas do, in fact, meet demands, and that any shortages arise from pharmaceutical companies selectively producing only certain, typically name-brand and more expensive versions of ADHD medications."
FWIW, I was a pharmacy tech while working through HS and college, and the entire time, we never had such bad problems with backorders on any product (with the possible exception of when albuterol inhalers were required to switch to CFA free, another massive screwup).
The DEA does do a lot of important things. As a pharmacy tech, we often worked with the DEA to put a stop to both customers passing phoney prescriptions, and doctors giving massive prescriptions for controlled substances to anyone. However, forcing low stock doesn't help any of this. CII substances are kept under active inventory. Every supplier and every pharmacy must know--to the exact pill--how much stock they have. All CII prescriptions are double counted. If some stupid pharmacy tech starts swiping pills, it gets noticed, quickly. The only benefit for keeping stock low is financial. Since comparatively, generic adderall isn't even very expensive, I can see no reason why it, among so many other things should be the scape goat for this.
The DEA had nothing to do with Fast-n-Furious - that was the BATFE (which should be a convienence store not a government agency)
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
Please step down from your pedestal. We already have the FDA. We don't need the FDA *AND* the DEA regulating our drug use. We already have the FBI (if you want something federal) and the state police (if you want something state), and/or local police (if you want something county/city/unincorporated) to do the actual enforcement.
But what about stopping drugs before they enter our country?
We have boarder patrol, coast guard, and relationships with foreign governments.
get off my lawn?
-g
The War on Drugs (and the creation of te vile-named office of Drug Czar) is from *Nixon*. Along with it came the justification for "no-knock warrants", which itself has led to the 3AM ninja-suited, automatic-weapon toting bashing-down of doors for seemingly decreasingly dangerous arresting or warrant serving.
Oh, I see it's a combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine. Well then, never mind. It's perfectly safe and healthy for children.
Every child ought to gobble them and wash them down with a Super Mega Gulp of Coca-Cola.
You are welcome on my lawn.
The current methotrexate (chemo drug for children) shortage is due to suppliers opting to make more expensive drugs on their manufacturing equipment. For some reason, the free market isn't working to keep supplying methotrexate, or numerous other generics. Just google "drug shortage" for over 100 examples.