The Hill reports that the FDA has approved generic versions of the ADHD drug, Vyvanse, thanks to a nearly year-long shortage of the most popular medications for the condition.
(The generic versions offer similar efficacy, benefits and side effect profiles).
This is huge news for those suffering with ADHD.
I don’t personally struggle with it, but know many who do, and the last year has been a nightmare for them as pharmacies have run out of treatment options, thanks to supply chain issues and a huge spike in demand for the medication.
I know a lot of Christians of a certain ilk will look side-eyed at the idea that the spike is based on a real (and not Tik-Tok fueled) need for medication, but the explosion of diagnoses of ADHD is largely based on increasing awareness of the disease; not some fad.
That’s always the case with disease. The more we learn about aches and pains, the more we can differentiate between them, name the condition, and treat it appropriately.
For example, I don’t think there’s anything in the Old Testament about peripheral arterial disease or anemia or thyroid issues, but that doesn’t mean that King David didn’t get really cold near the end of his life.
He had something. They just didn’t know what to call it.
And that’s probably the case with a lot of the explosion in ADHD diagnoses.
The expanding list of diseases and conditions is an outcome of growing scientific discovery and awareness — not fake diagnoses.
For those I know with ADHD, it seems almost impossible to do certain things without the help of medicine. They absolutely need it. (This brand new New York Times piece does a good job explaining how severely it affects a neglected cohort).
So today’s news from the FDA is really good.
[Photo: Pexels, free photography. Tara Winstead].
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