June 18, 2024
The ADHD medication shortage just got worse.
That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which warned of likely ADHD treatment disruptions for thousands of Americans after two executives from Done, the telehealth provider, were arrested last week for alleged health care fraud. The CDC estimates that up to 50,000 patients who rely on Done or similar subscription-based telehealth platforms for ADHD medication may be impacted, plunging into crisis a system already massively strained by a two-year drug shortage.
The Department of Justice accuses Done of conspiring to illegally distribute Adderall and other stimulants for financial gain. It claims that Done pressured employees to prescribe the drugs to users even if they did not meet diagnostic criteria for ADHD and discouraged prescribers from following up with users after initial consultations, among other practices that allegedly allowed for “easy access” to stimulants.
In a statement, Done rejected the DOJ’s accusations and claimed it would continue to operate and work to ensure that its patients do not lose access to mental health care. “During these current proceedings, Done continues normal operations and is doing everything we can to ensure stable care for our patients,” reads part of the statement.
The CDC’s advisory warned of the far-reaching risks of untreated ADHD — risks that ADDitude readers know too well, especially amid ongoing shortages. From frustration over inadequate supplies of much-needed treatment (and hopelessness over government agencies’ failure to enact meaningful relief) to hopes that better regulation of ADHD medication and care may be forthcoming, reader reactions* to the telehealth indictment and its compounding effects on the ADHD medication shortage are varied.
“This is absolutely going to make our lives even harder. I have an AuDHD child. I have to ration her medication, which means I have to decide which days she’ll spend in a heap of despair and anguish, and which days she can participate in her childhood. Today she cannot participate in her childhood because next week is swim lessons and camp. We will run out of medicine if we don’t skip today.” —@laurapeles
[Read: How to Weather the Persistent Adderall Shortage]
“This is super frustrating. They make us jump through hoops every other day to get our meds when we literally have a hoop-jumping disability. But Done is a scam. I hope this facilitates the creation of better telehealth ADHD treatment in the future.” —@danimarie1029
“The DEA failed to act during the opioid crisis, so they’re manufacturing a stimulant crisis so they can get a win. They’ve been systematically fining and shutting down pharma companies who manufacture stimulants and literally creating this shortage. People with ADHD are not criminals but we are being treated that way because the DEA has lost the War on Drugs and sees us as an easy victim to use to make themselves look like the heroes. It’s gross and sad and, so far as I can tell, they will not be held to account. Meanwhile our lives and our kids’ lives are in shambles because it’s nearly impossible to get the medications we need to keep up with the rest of society. The inequity is staggering.” —@wordsmith610
“I know it’s frustrating, but stimulant medication needs to be better regulated for those of us that need it. It will help break the stigma surrounding ADHD medication. I have to see my doctor once a month to get my meds and med management check-ins. Everyone should have to do the same, at least at first.” —@homiekates
“We deal with [refilling medication] twice per month in our family. As someone who needs [ADHD medication] myself to get my frontal lobe to function more efficiently, this could not be a more arduous task. I’m always the first to roll my eyes when people in comments jump to conspiracies on an issue, but I don’t buy the ‘dishonest practitioner’ scapegoat.” —@thatmarvelmom
[Read: “Stop Treating Us Like We’re Addicts!”]
“I am not surprised, but I am thrilled this company is facing up to its shady practices. I used them (but do qualify) and the entire experience was an absolute mess. I canceled immediately because it was so horrid. I am not happy about what this might mean for refills for my son (or myself) and having to physically see a doctor every three to six months now.” —@laramccask
“This is infuriating. It only makes things harder for those of us with actual diagnosed ADHD to get the meds we need that save our lives.” —@bluestategirl
“It worries me a lot as my husband and I both depend on telehealth for our meds. We each see our psychiatrist monthly on Zoom for a good 30 to 45 minutes to discuss how we are doing and reacting to the meds we are on. My doctor is two hours away from me and my executive functioning difficulties would mean I’d never manage to go in anything close to monthly.” —@jennifernishizaki
“Those of us with REAL ADHD are suffering due to a large group of people with no real diagnosis who are getting scripts for fun from a random doctor who has not performed adequate testing.” —@okram82
“This makes me so worried! There are already so many hoops for those of us with an actual diagnosis. It’s infuriating that people like this and neurotypicals make it even harder for us to get medication to function. It’s even more frustrating because medication helps but certainly doesn’t ‘cure’ us like people think. I have a baby and need to function for him and us.” —@jacquelinedufour872
“It’s crazy to me that this is allowed to happen. ADHD is a disability and medication is a disability aid, no different than someone needing glasses to see or a cane to walk. The world constantly shits on the disabled.” —@alexandrahahnfeld
“I haven’t been able to have my medication since January. I have no executive functioning and when I finally do make myself do something I get extremely overwhelmed bouncing from thing to thing. People who don’t need these medications to actually function (e.g., cook, clean, bathe, work a job to survive) should not be taking them from those of us who do.” —@wnpersson
Done ADHD Medication Shortage: Next Steps
- Join the Conversation on Instagram
- Investigation: The Tattered Promise of ADHD Telehealth
- On the ADHD Drug Shortage: “This Cannot Be the Price We Pay to Function.”
- Opinion: “The DEA’s Manufactured Crisis”
- Call to Action! Speak Up to End the ADHD Drug Shortage
- Resource Center: Adderall Shortage
*comments edited for brevity and clarity
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