FORT THOMAS, Ky. – People who rely on medication for ADHD have often struggled in recent months to get their prescriptions filled. Health organizations have offered some possible explanations, but those haven’t stopped patients from taking their frustrations out on pharmacists.
One northern Kentucky pharmacist said he understands the frustration, and he’s trying to work with patients the best he can.
Craig Seither is going on his 16th year as owner of the Fort Thomas Drug Store, which has been a staple in the community since it opened in the 1930s. Seither said he likes to think he has a closer relationship with his customers than what customers at the big chain pharmacies might experience.
“Sometimes the burden in pharmacy with some of the shortages you’re seeing with pharmacists and technicians, it’s creating some hardships for the people that are working there,” he explained. “And obviously that just trickles down to the patients that are either not receiving their medications in a timely manner, or not feeling like they can get that pharmacist’s undivided attention, because they’re kind of going in ten different ways,” Seither said.
As many people know all too well, though, families often take the brunt of the frustration a family member might be harboring. Seither sees that a lot when he has to tell someone that their medication isn’t in stock.
“Moreso, within the last few years, it’s really come to the forefront,” he said. “The ones that are probably receiving the most attention these days, I would say, would be adderall.”
Adderall is a stimulant used to treat ADHD. It’s regulated by the Drug Enforcement Agency as a controlled substance.
As has been the case at pharmacies around the country in recent months, the Fort Thomas Drug Store’s Adderall supply has often run low.
“It’s hit or miss. I think, a lot of the patients, you try to train them to basically say, be proactive when you’re going into that last week of medication. Start calling around, no hard feelings if you want to pick it up at another pharmacy,” Seither said. “We try to be proactive, reach out to patients. If someone was getting a five milligram tablet once a day, we will try to reach out and say, hey, we might not have a five milligram this month. We might have 10 milligrams, in which case you’re talking about splitting tablets.”
The FDA confirmed a nationwide shortage of Adderall in October, after what the agency described as a surge in demand for the drug during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturers previously stated the drug shortage is the result of a worker shortage and have subsequently increased production.
The DEA also limits how much of the active ingredient in Adderall manufacturers can make in a given time.
Annabelle Knef, who is the sister of Spectrum News 1 reporter Sam Knef, described her experience dealing with the Adderall shortage.
“I tried to go pick up my prescription, and the CVS in Florence told me they had no Adderall in stock, and that it would take a while. And then I actually chose a different pharmacy, and I had problems there too. I probably waited a few weeks,” she said. “I was frustrated, because I rely on the medication. As someone with ADHD, very simple tasks can seem daunting and really difficult when you’re not medicated.”
Seither said he believes there are systemic issues in the industry he works in.
“I feel like my mission in life is trying to expose some of the shenanigans that go on within pharmacy,” he said.
The distrust those “shenanigans” foster in patients sometimes shows up at Seither’s door as upset customers. While that isn’t always pleasant to deal with, it is, as he said, family. And he’s willing to take the bad with the good.