A spike in adverse event reports for the most-prescribed ADHD medication has some GPs concerned.
Pressure on ADHD medication shortages have only gotten tighter after reports of the Therapeutic Goods Administration opening an investigation into a spike in adverse event reports for Vyvanse.
Vyvanse, which is Australia’s most-prescribed ADHD medicine, has been no exception to the shortages facing other stimulants.
The drug received over 320 adverse event reports between January and July this year, compared to only nine reports from the six months prior.
Alternatives have been limited given the Australia-wide shortages of alternative medication and the legislative hoops between states that slow prescription switching.
“I think navigating access to medication, as a person with ADHD is looking very challenging right now,” RACGP chair of child and young persons’ health Dr Tim Jones told The Medical Republic.
“It’s state by state in terms of the authority process at the moment for switching medications, so it can be quite tricky.”
The RACGP has not yet provided a guideline on how to address the ADHD medication shortages but has endorsed the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association’s (AADPA) Australian evidence-based Clinical Practice Guideline for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The TGA told the ABC that it will not release a comment on an open investigation but has expressed that “any regulatory actions that arise will be communicated.”
Data from the TGA has also shown a spike in adverse event reports for ADHD medications universally, totalling up to 754 events for the three most-prescribed drugs between January 2015 and June 2025.
The number of adverse event reports related to Vyvanse was the only one high enough to warrant a safety signal.
Safety signals are only published when information suggests a causal relationship between a drug and adverse events.
Given the progression of ADHD treatment this year, this alert still comes with caution from GPs in how patient management may come with hiccups.
“Most states and territories would require a change from one stimulant to another stimulant medication to have a written endorsement from that person’s treating specialist,” Dr Jones told TMR.
“Which means for a lot of patients joining the queue to get back in and have an appointment.
“So even if people are getting side effects or needing to switch to a different form of medication for a lot of states, that can be quite tricky right now.”
To alleviate this issue, the RACGP has suggested to move towards uniform national guidelines for how medications like Vyvanse can be safely prescribed and accessed.
“We’re working with each individual state and territory around their scope of practice reforms and what efficient but safe care could look like,” Dr Jones told TMR.
“We also need to address the manufacturing shortages.
“If these are considered key medications, we need to look at robust PBS supply processes to support that.”
