Adderall and Estrogen shortage cause major headaches

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Two key medications that many Americans rely on for treatment are currently seeing a major shortage.

Adderall and Estrogen are both seeing supply chain issues, leaving patients to ask for alternatives.

Phillip Smith, Pharmacist at Access Family Pharmacy told us, “Adderall has been a shortage for some time now at least three at least three months right now. It looks like the extended-release capsules are having the hardest time so everything else looks like it’s OK, but if you’re on the extended release capsules, those are on shortage. You have options. You can either switch over to the immediately release tablets and just take multiple tablets a day or if you don’t want to do that one another extended release product there’s other options for are available too like Vyvanse or all the methylphenidate extended-release ones are available as well.”

Another shortage that isn’t often talked about is the Estrogen patch shortage, used by thousands of women across the nation to regulate their hormones.

Philip Smith continues: “I’d say that’s an even bigger deal at this point with the estrogen patches for females. Twice a week patches are basically gone, once a week patches are gone. You had this huge up-tick in people getting on hormones because of the recent studies that come out that say hormones are OK for you, and so I think that major up-tick has caused that backorder. It’s a real problem for not so much for new people getting on them but for people that have been on them for six months it’s been a real problem.”