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The FDA listed amphetamine mixed salts in shortage in October 2022. It is still listed in September 2026.

The DEA raised amphetamine production quotas in October 2025 and again in the final 2026 notice.

National data show switching more than stopping; alternative stimulant fills rose 8.0 points.

Children insured by Medicaid were affected more than commercially insured children.

The FDA added amphetamine mixed salts to its drug shortage list in October 2022. The listing is still active in September 2026, which makes this one of the longest-running access problems for any commonly prescribed psychiatric medication.

I treat ADHD and I study how these medications get prescribed. Over four years my patients have worked out a set of habits that keep prescriptions filled, and those habits have been more useful than anything in the policy literature. What follows is that playbook, along with the arithmetic underneath the shortage, because a patient who understands the machine argues with it more effectively.

Where Supply Actually Stands

The shortage has improved without ending. Teva currently lists amphetamine mixed salts extended-release 10 mg and 15 mg capsules on back order with release estimated in early September 2026, and the 20 mg capsule estimated in late October 2026. Immediate-release tablets remain inconsistent from strength to strength and from pharmacy to pharmacy.

Three forces sustain it. Amphetamine is a Schedule II controlled substance, so the DEA sets a national production ceiling each year. Manufacturing is concentrated among a small number of generic producers, so a single company's problem propagates across the whole market. And prescribing has risen substantially since 2020, particularly among adults.

The quota picture has moved. The DEA raised d-amphetamine production by roughly 25% in October 2025, and in the final 2026 quota notice published January 5, 2026, set aggregate d,l-amphetamine production at 24,234,443 grams, about 14% above the level it had originally proposed, following more than 5,000 public comments. Methylphenidate was held at 2025 levels.........

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