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PaperclipPerfector  4mo ago (text post)   4719 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for December 24, 2023

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So what's up with the amphetamine shortage? I can't tell if this is a shortage shortage, or if you just have to call up your psychiatrist in a panicked tone and mention the fact that you are literally out and won't be able to work tomorrow, and then they'll point you towards the secret stash.

Asking for a friend obviously.

And here I am swimming in them. Shame it's so hard to get the better class of stimulants, I'm not fond of Ritalin.

Any idea why this is the case? I don't know what the situation is in India, but I have read about other countries prohibiting medical amphetamines and allowing medical phenidates. I've never seen an explanation for the distinction though. Is it just fear of the second order effects of introducing a legal path to acquiring the, ahh, better stimulants?

They're legally (and for the most part medically) considered equivalents in the US. Though as you note and in my own experience, one is a lot better than the other in terms of side effects etc.

I would wager it's largely the stigma around amphetamines in general. I don't know any good reason why you'd ban those and allow phenidates, though I know Japan takes the opposite route and bans both, RIP ADHD-ists.

I don't think it's so much a fear of allowing legal amphetamines as much as an aversion to the entire class in general. And there's not much impetus to change things, at least in India, awareness of ADHD is minimal, and "a" drug exists, so it's not like it goes entirely untreated. MPH is ok, in effectiveness if not in terms of how pleasant it is to use.

(In terms of pure availability, India manufactures a ton of the stuff, including what you might import in the States, so it's little surprise we don't have a shortage)

So the status quo allows ADHD to be treated without introducing the wildcard of amphetamines. This makes sense. From what my Indian friends and acquaintances tell me, mental/psychiatric health awareness in general is minimal there so I'm not surprised there is no urgency to make changes to a system that provides at least some avenue for treatment.

I know multiple people that purchase all of their pharmaceuticals, from OTCs to scheduled drugs like modafinil, from online Indian pharmacies (mostly as a work-around for various insane US pharma and insurance pricing) so that also makes sense. Thanks.

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