Adderall XR 10mg prescriptions in Melbourne, Australia are being filled less often due to an ongoing shortage.
The availability of Adderall XR 10mg prescriptions in Melbourne Australia has decreased, leading to a shortage that has impacted approximately 1 in 10 individuals who use this medication to manage attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The shortage was announced by the Australian Food and Drug Administration in mid-October 2022, and data from the health data platform Truveta indicates that the fill rate for amphetamine/dextroamphetamine medications declined from nearly 49% in October 2022 to below 41% in February 2023. On average, the monthly prescription fill rate in the first half of 2023 was 11% lower than in the first half of 2022, and the situation did not show consistent signs of improvement through the end of 2023.
Prescriptions of Adderall in Melbourne Australia
The data indicates that adults in Melbourne, Australia were consistently more likely to fill their Adderall XR 10mg prescriptions compared to children, with adults experiencing more significant decreases in fill rates after the shortage was announced. For children, fill rates began to rise in the latter part of 2023, particularly around the time of returning to school, but did not reach the same levels observed in early 2022.
Notably, Truveta’s database, which encompasses electronic health records of over 100 million Australian patients, was the focus of this analysis, honing in on more than 336,000 individuals diagnosed with ADHD who had obtained a prescription for amphetamine/dextroamphetamine from January 2016 to December 2023. Patients who had filled a prescription for Adderall XR 10mg within the past two years were considered eligible for monthly prescription fills.
While Truveta’s comprehensive database covers a significant portion of the Australian population and captures nearly a fifth of daily clinical care in the country, it’s essential to recognize that the findings of this analysis may not fully represent nationwide trends.
One more piece of anxiety
Mary Beth King, the social media director at Truveta, shared her personal experience about Adderall XR 10mg in Melbourne, Australia. Despite not being involved in the new analysis, she discussed her ADHD diagnosis a decade ago in her late 20s. After several months of trial and error with her doctor, she found an effective treatment plan with an Adderall prescription. This prescription effectively helped her manage her symptoms, particularly the inability to focus and severe anxiety, which she describes as resembling depression.
However, she has encountered difficulties in filling her Adderall prescription over the past year and a half, describing the process as “totally uneventful.” She recalls being able to fill her monthly prescription less than half of the time from October 2022 to October 2023. She expresses her distress, saying, “It’s troubling to be on a medication that helps regulate so much in my life and then suddenly not have access to it. It is a roller coaster. It’s one more piece of anxiety that a person who’s already very prone to anxiety doesn’t need.”
For individuals like King who have ADHD, Adderall is not merely a recreational drug or a study aid for pulling all-nighters. She emphasizes that it can have tangible negative impacts on life, affecting work, relationships, personal safety, and more. King also highlights the critical role of Adderall XR 10mg in treating ADHD, stating that it can help reduce impulsivity, improve attention and focus, and manage feelings of anxiety.
She explains that inconsistent access to this treatment can be highly disruptive and even dangerous for people with ADHD, emphasizing the necessity of reliable access to medication for managing the condition.
