But not all Adderall users are able to gain access to the drug as easily as Henderson was.

Because of a recent shortage of Adderall, a medication commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, millions of people nationwide who are prescribed the drug are faced with the obstacle of finding it.

Throughout the past several months, multiple drug manufacturers have announced their drugs are in short supply and consequently, pharmacies and other distributors of the drug have been experiencing a shortage as well, making it less accessible to those who rely on it.

A drain on the brain
As many students do, junior Trevor Bathe, whose name has been changed to protect anonymity, began taking Adderall to improve his ability to study.

“The reason why I liked it is because it almost gave me a full sense of how much I could understand,” he said. “I really like using it because I procrastinate a lot more without it.”

Because Bathe does not have a prescription for the drug, he has to get it from his friends who do.

And although his actions are against the law, Bathe said he does not feel guilty because he said the amount of Adderall he consumes is not enough to significantly affect those who really need it.

But freshman Samantha Cooke, who was prescribed Adderall about a year ago to treat her ADHD, said people such as Bathe make it harder for her to access the drug.

Not only does Cooke have to deal with the stress that comes with not knowing whether or not she will be able to fill her prescription, but she also has to deal with other students without one who are desperate for the medicine.

Cooke’s name has been changed because of a controlled substance agreement she signed when she began the medication, which requires to keep hush about her prescription to avoid being solicited by individuals looking to use the drug illegally.

“I’ve been hounded down by people who know that I’m prescribed to it — like harassed because people want it,” she said. “People are going bananas about this. It’s been really annoying.”

Cooke said she hopes the end of the shortage also will bring about an end to the anxiety and lack of focus she experiences when she is unable to take her medicine.

“I literally cannot get anything done,” she said. “I just sit there and think about everything I need to get done, and I just don’t do it.”

Supply and demand
Professor of pharmacology and toxicology James Galligan said there are multiple reasons for the large-scale lack of Adderall in the U.S., such as an increasing number of people being prescribed it.

“It’s a supply and demand issue,” he said. “The demand is very high, and the supply is having a very hard time keeping up with it.”

Matt Cabrey, the senior director of corporate communications for Shire, a global pharmaceutical company, said this growing number is partly because of the increased recognition and acceptance of ADHD as a legitimate medical condition.

“We’re seeing more and more folks who are recognizing this condition,” he said. “The industry and the market simply needs to keep up with the demand.”

Another problem Galligan addressed is the inability of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration to agree on how much of the drug to produce.

If a consensus can be reached as to how much of the drug to make and physicians adjust their prescribing practices to take into account those patients who might not actually need the drug, Galligan said the shortage could come to an end.

But many pharmacies throughout the country still are feeling the effects of the shortage and are forced to turn patients away because they aren’t able to fill their prescriptions.

Dede Hayes, a pharmacist at McLaren Greater Lansing, 401 W. Greenlawn Ave., in Lansing, said she first noticed the shortage about four or five months ago.

The facility currently is out of 12.5 milligram pills and is struggling to maintain an adequate supply of 30 milligram pills. Other dosages are not as difficult to keep in stock but still have been in short supply, Hayes said.

“We can sometimes get them, and sometimes we can’t get them,” she said. “It just depends on what is available.”

Facing the consequences
Ben Hesskamp, who was prescribed Adderall in middle school to treat his attention deficit disorder, tried several times during the weeks leading up to his final exams to pick up his prescription at CVS Pharmacy, 240 M.A.C. Ave., but was denied as a result of the deficit.

Because he has taken the drug almost every day since he was first prescribed it, the applied engineering sciences sophomore said he struggled to study for his exams because of his inability to concentrate without his medicine.

“I was not able to focus as well, and it kind of got me off track, being used to taking that medication everyday and then coming off of it,” he said.

To compensate for not having enough Adderall in stock, Amy Hansen, a certified medical assistant at Pediatric Care of Lansing, 2909 E. Grand River Ave., in Lansing, said patients can try other similar medications to see if they work.

Some pharmacies, such as Knight Drugs, 1540 Lake Lansing Road, in Lansing, have been more fortunate.

Because other local pharmacies have experienced a more severe shortage of Adderall than Knight Drugs pharmacist Polly Cover said it has had a recent increase in customers.

“We have honestly … gotten a ton of new customers,” Cover said. “We are one of the few pharmacies who seem to have (Adderall). We have people call us who have called 20 stores before us.”