Medication shortages and stigma are two nightmares that narcolepsy patients must endure.

The FDA announced a nationwide Adderall shortage more than a year ago, and people other than ADHD patients are being impacted. The same medicine is frequently used to treat patients with narcolepsy, a much rarer disorder.Her doctor wrote a prescription for Adderall, the name-brand equivalent of the amphetamine-based drug used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.It was successful. Now 28 years old, Shand felt energized for the first time in years. She was no longer having trouble at work, napping in secret, or putting down coffee to make her body stay alert. She experienced hope.However, by 2022, pharmacies nationwide were unable to fill her prescription due to an Adderall shortage.

Doctors were rushing to fulfill the requirements of Shand and innumerable other patients throughout the nation who were being turned away and forced to piece together a new, frequently ineffective treatment plan.Every month, patients struggle to receive the medication they require to live a normal life, navigating a maze of complex logistics and uncertainty. The negative effects on individuals with ADHD have been the main topic of media coverage of the shortage, including the letter from the House Democrats. However, the consequences can be considerably more severe for those like Shand who suffer from sleep difficulties. Without medicine, simple actions like driving become hazardous or unfeasible. Abrupt onset of sleep and in rare cases even paralysis can jeopardize performance at work and at school. Social lives and hobbies can often fade into obscurity. Shand remarked, "Adderall gave me my life back." "It's like riding a roller coaster and then desperately wanting to get off of it."