Yes, there is still an Adderall shortage. As of October 18, 2026, the FDA's drug shortage database lists generic Adderall immediate-release tablets (mixed amphetamine salts) as currently in shortage, a listing first posted in October 2022. The extended-release capsules are not on the list. The refill rule hasn't changed either: a Schedule II prescription cannot be refilled, so every fill of Adderall needs its own prescription. If your prescriber writes several at once, no pharmacy may fill a later one before the earliest fill date written on it.
With no refill to ask for early, what helps during a shortage is knowing the day you will run out and starting the search for stock while you still have tablets left.
Doz is a free download on the App Store: it takes each dose off your count as you log it and flags the medication as low in the app at a number you choose, so you know when to start calling pharmacies.
What the FDA shortage list shows
The FDA lists shortages by active ingredient and dosage form, from what manufacturers report. As of October 18, 2026, the database showed these entries for common ADHD stimulants:
| Product | Status in the FDA database | First posted |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed amphetamine salts immediate-release tablets (generic Adderall) | Currently in shortage | October 12, 2022 |
| Mixed amphetamine salts extended-release capsules | Not listed | Not listed |
| Lisdexamfetamine capsules | Currently in shortage | July 14, 2023 |
| Methylphenidate extended-release tablets | Currently in shortage | July 26, 2023 |
The immediate-release entry lists 11 manufacturers. Some report all of their products available and others report theirs as unavailable or limited, most often giving a shortage of an active ingredient as the reason. Because the data is national and per manufacturer, it can't tell you whether the pharmacy near you has your strength. You have to ask the pharmacy.
The DEA also sets yearly production quotas for Schedule II substances, which limit how much can be made. In October 2025 it raised the quota for d-amphetamine (for sale) from 21,200,000 to 26,450,000 grams, and its 2026 quotas set d,l-amphetamine, d-amphetamine (for conversion) and lisdexamfetamine "at higher levels than were proposed."
The federal rules for your next fill
Adderall contains amphetamine, and amphetamine and methylphenidate are both Schedule II controlled substances. These federal rules decide when and how you get the next fill. State law and your insurer can add their own on top, and your pharmacist can tell you what applies where you live.
| Situation | Federal rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Refilling the prescription | Not allowed. Each fill needs a new prescription. | 21 USC 829(a); 21 CFR 1306.12(a) |
| Several months written at once | Where state law allows, a prescriber may issue several prescriptions totalling up to a 90-day supply, each later one marked with the earliest date it may be filled. No pharmacist may fill it before that date. | 21 CFR 1306.12(b), 1306.14(e) |
| A partial fill you or your prescriber ask for | Allowed where state law doesn't prohibit it. The rest must be filled no later than 30 days after the prescription was written. | 21 USC 829(f); 21 CFR 1306.13(b) |
| The pharmacy can't supply the full amount | The rest may be filled within 72 hours of the first partial fill. After that, a new prescription is needed. | 21 CFR 1306.13(a) |
| Moving an unfilled electronic prescription | Allowed once, between retail pharmacies, at your request, pharmacist to pharmacist, where state law allows. | 21 CFR 1306.08(e) |
| Moving an unfilled paper prescription | Not allowed. The pharmacy can give the paper back to you. | DEA Pharmacist's Manual; 88 FR 48365 |
| Time limit to fill | None under federal law. Some states set one. | DEA Pharmacist's Manual |
| How early the next fill can go through | No federal percentage. Insurers and states set limits. | DEA Pharmacist's Manual |
Several prescriptions at once
Because a Schedule II prescription can't be refilled, every fill starts with a new prescription. Writing up to 90 days as several dated prescriptions is your prescriber's choice: the regulation says it isn't meant to mandate or encourage it.
Partial fills
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 allowed partial fills at the request of the patient or the prescriber, and the DEA rule adding this to its regulations took effect on August 21, 2023. The total can't go over the amount prescribed, and the rest has to be filled no later than 30 days after the prescription was written.
When the pharmacy is the one that's short, the 72-hour rule applies instead, and after 72 hours no more can be supplied without a new prescription. So before the pharmacy starts filling, ask whether it has the whole quantity. If it has only part, ask when it expects the rest and which of the two rules it is filling under.
Moving a prescription to another pharmacy
Since August 28, 2023, an electronic Schedule II prescription can be transferred once between retail pharmacies for its first fill, at your request and where state law allows. The two pharmacists arrange it directly. You get only one transfer, so ask the new pharmacy to confirm it has your strength and quantity first.
Federal rules don't allow an unfilled paper prescription (fax included) or an oral one to be transferred at all. If you handed in paper and the pharmacy can't fill it, it can give the prescription back to you to take to another pharmacy. The prescription transfer guide covers the general process.
How long a prescription stays valid
Federal law sets no time limit for filling a Schedule II prescription after the prescriber signs it, though some states do. The pharmacist also has to judge that you still need the medication, so if a prescription has been waiting while you looked for stock, ask whether it can still be filled.
How early you can pick up the next one
No federal percentage says how early a controlled prescription can be filled. Those limits come from insurers and states, and the DEA's Pharmacist's Manual notes: "Some states and many insurance carriers limit the quantity of controlled substances dispensed to a 30-day supply." Refill too soon: what it means explains how insurers' percentages work, and the refill too soon calculator works out the earliest date your plan is likely to pay for, from the last fill date, the days supply and the plan's percentage.
What you can do during the shortage
- Work out when you will run out, and start looking well before that day. If you know how many tablets you started with, the pill count checker shows how many should be left by today, so you can compare it with the bottle.
- Call before you send or drop off a prescription, and ask whether the pharmacy has your medicine in your strength and the full quantity. The FDA's advice in a shortage is to check more than one pharmacy.
- If your pharmacy can't fill it, ask about moving it. An unfilled electronic prescription can be transferred once, and an unfilled paper one can be handed back to you.
- If only part of the quantity is in stock, ask about the 72-hour limit before you accept the partial fill.
- Ask your prescriber or pharmacist about alternatives, as the FDA advises. Whether one suits you is your prescriber's decision, so don't change your dose or swap products on your own.
- Get your medication only from a licensed pharmacy. The FDA warns that stimulants from anywhere else may be counterfeit.
- If your prescriptions come through telehealth, the DEA's temporary telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled medications currently run through December 31, 2026. As of October 2026 the DEA has not finalized the special registration rule it proposed in January 2025, so ask your prescriber how your appointments would work if the rules change.
Keeping count with Doz
Doz keeps the count that step 1 depends on. Enter the number of tablets once and it takes off each dose as you log it. When the count reaches a level you choose, the medication is flagged as low in the app. Doz doesn't send a push notification for this, so you see the flag when you open the app.
Reminders go off at each dose time, on schedules of every day, chosen weekdays, every 2 to 90 days, on and off cycles, or as needed. You can hide medication names in notifications, a free option, if you would rather your lock screen didn't show the name of a controlled medication. Each medication can have a start and end date, and medications can be grouped under the prescription they came on, with the prescribing doctor and the dates.
Doz is free for up to 4 medications, with no account or sign-up. Doz Pro ($2.99 a month, $9.99 a year or $19.99 once) adds Critical Alerts that sound through Silent and Focus, a follow-up nudge, and Take and Skip buttons on the notification. Doz doesn't contact pharmacies, order refills or check stock; the low-stock flag is there so you can make those calls before you run out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there still an Adderall shortage?
Yes. As of October 18, 2026, the FDA lists generic Adderall immediate-release tablets (mixed amphetamine salts) as currently in shortage, a listing first posted in October 2022. The extended-release capsules are not listed. The list is national, so call your pharmacy to find out whether it has your strength.
When can I refill Adderall?
Federal law does not allow Schedule II prescriptions such as Adderall to be refilled, so each fill needs a new prescription. If your prescriber wrote several prescriptions at once, each later one carries an earliest fill date, and no pharmacist may fill it before then. Your insurer and your state may also limit how early a fill goes through.
Can the pharmacy give me part of my Adderall prescription?
Yes. If you or your prescriber asks for a partial fill and state law doesn't prohibit it, the rest must be filled no later than 30 days after the prescription was written. If the pharmacy is short, the rest can be filled within 72 hours of the first partial fill, and after that you need a new prescription.
Can I move my Adderall prescription to a pharmacy that has it in stock?
An unfilled electronic prescription can be transferred once between retail pharmacies at your request, where state law allows. An unfilled paper prescription can't be transferred, but the pharmacy can give it back to you to take somewhere else.
Do Schedule II prescriptions expire?
Federal law sets no time limit for filling one. Some states do, and the pharmacist must judge that you still need the medication, so ask your pharmacy what applies.
Can I get Adderall somewhere other than a pharmacy during the shortage?
The FDA warns that stimulants obtained outside a licensed pharmacy may be counterfeit. Stay with a licensed pharmacy, and if you can't find your medicine, ask your prescriber or pharmacist whether there is an alternative.
Sources
- FDA Drug Shortages database
- FDA: Frequently asked questions about drug shortages
- FDA: Supply chain news, reports and publications
- 21 U.S. Code § 829: Prescriptions
- eCFR: 21 CFR 1306.08, Electronic prescriptions
- eCFR: 21 CFR 1306.12, Refilling prescriptions; issuance of multiple prescriptions
- eCFR: 21 CFR 1306.13, Partial filling of prescriptions
- eCFR: 21 CFR 1306.14, Labeling and filing requirements
- eCFR: 21 CFR 1308.12, Schedule II
- DailyMed: Adderall label
- Federal Register: Partial Filling of Prescriptions for Schedule II Controlled Substances (2023)
- Federal Register: Transfer of Electronic Prescriptions for Schedules II-V Controlled Substances Between Pharmacies for Initial Filling (2023)
- Federal Register: Adjustment to the Aggregate Production Quota for d-Amphetamine (for Sale) and Methylphenidate (for Sale) (2025)
- Federal Register: Established Aggregate Production Quotas for Schedule I and II Controlled Substances for 2026
- Federal Register: Fourth Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications (2025)
- DEA Diversion Control Division: Pharmacist's Manual (2022)
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