KETTERING, Ohio (WDTN) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced there is a shortage of Adderall.

Adderall is commonly used to treat ADHD, a neurodevelopment disorder marked by inattentiveness, impulsivity, or hyperactivity. It can cause kids or adults to have difficulty at school or work.

Teva Pharmaceuticals, the nation’s largest manufacturer of Adderall, has been hit with delays, and other companies cannot make enough supply to keep up with demand. Joel Aylor, the Pharmacy Manager at Kettering Health, said they have been dealing with a shortage on and off for the last six months, and the demand only went up when the new school year started.

“It definitely does increase during school time. So we do see kind of a dip during the summer months when the kids are not in school. At this time of year, usually we see, pretty much consistently every month, those prescriptions coming through,” Aylor explained.

Aylor said his pharmacy has been able to keep with demand by finding alternatives and other generic brands.

“We don’t want them to go without it, which is why we kind of have been able to try to find other wholesalers or also other drug companies who are making those similar products, even if we have to buy it at a little bit higher cost. We’ve been doing that just to make sure the patient doesn’t go without the medication,” Aylor said.

While this shortage might be concerning for some parents with kids taking Adderall, or for adults taking the medication, Aylor said it is important to talk to a doctor about other forms of treatment.

“I say don’t worry. Obviously, it’s been being monitored. There are other alternatives. So even if the child is on a medication that we’re unable to get a hold of, they can contact their doctor and see if they want to switch them to a different medication that’s worked similarly, and kind of hold them over until they to the shortage fixes itself,” Aylor said.

The FDA is working with manufacturers to get production back up to normal. People should expect on and off delays through at least the end of 2022.