The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This is what we are doing when we let politicians make public health policy. Granted, some government oversight is necessary to prevent unsafe health practices. However, my main point for bringing this up is the ADHD medication shortage. The head of the Food and Drug Administration Robert M. Califf, M.D. recently said the ADHD medication shortage is due to telehealth prescriptions and practices.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the Adderall shortage. It has been dragging on for months and shows no sign of ending anytime soon. Word on the street is that other ADHD medications are beginning to see shortages as well. This is bad news for those of us who take our medication daily to combat the effects of ADHD. Many are finding it hard to find their medication which raises the question: What is an ADHDer to do? Here are some ideas.

One thing that I have always struggled with is: What is normal? What is it like to not have ADHD? I am always going to have some level of distractibility. Even non-ADHDers do. So, where should I be? When it comes to treating and managing ADHD, am I where I should be? Do I need to be doing more? Do I need to up the dosage of my medication? Do I need to switch medications? Do I need more coping skills? Do I have non-ADHD issues getting in the way of managing my ADHD?

In November, I published a blog post in which I said that marijuana should not be used to treat ADHD. I have not switched my opinion on that. However, while researching for the second edition of ADHD Talks, I realized that it was not as black and white as I once thought. In fact, it is quite gray (Do you like how this blog post’s featured image is a grayscale version of my previous blog post? That was intentional because of how this issue isn’t black and white; it’s gray. I thought it was clever). As of right now, I do not know if marijuana is a safe effective treatment for ADHD, but it could be.

Marijuana is being legalized in some areas for both medicinal and recreational purposes. There is some debate on the internet about whether or not it should be used in an ADHD management plan. I was recently asked on Facebook what my thoughts were about marijuana use for those with ADHD. To be honest, I had never considered it much. It is not legal where I live (South Dakota), so I have never desired to use it or whether or not it could help with my ADHD. That does not mean it is something that is not important to discuss, however. It appears as though marijuana will continue to be legalized in many places, and it remains to be seen what the long-term implications of legalization will be.

First of all, I am not a doctor, so I am not an expert on medication. All medication decisions must be made under the supervision of a doctor. Having said that, though, many doctors do not know much about ADHD. It can be helpful to research medication options before talking to your doctor. I hope my comments help as a starting point in your research.