ADHD, hEDS, and The Great Adderall Shortage
A medical crisis in the United States has yet to enter the awareness of many Americans. Nearly every drug used to treat ADHD is in short supply. Even generic drugs are hard to find.
The combination of withdrawal symptoms, uncontrolled ADHD, and increased hEDS pain makes functioning precarious.
The results for adults with ADHD have been dire. Even though ADHD is a recognized disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), people are losing jobs because they cannot function at a high level without proper medication. Also, the shortage forces many individuals to go through withdrawal symptoms when they discover that their pharmacy is out. Sometimes, people with ADHD go without proper medication for months at a time.
I am one of those who have had to deal with Adderall withdrawal. I’m going through it as I’m writing this. Irritability, nausea, and cramping are my primary symptoms, but I’ve come close to adding vomiting a couple of times now. I have other withdrawal symptoms, like insomnia and fatigue, but I always have insomnia and fatigue due to hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), so I’m not counting those as part of the withdrawal.
