With access to ADHD medications like Adderall becoming increasingly limited, people are searching for alternatives. Some even resort to questionable avenues.
TikToker Lizze Buchanan (@lizzelol), a doctor of nursing practice specializing in psychiatry, recently shared a wild interaction she had on the dating app Hinge.
Her video, now at 178,600 views, recounts the unexpected—and questionable—request she received.
“Someone on Hinge messaged me and asked for Adderall because he’s been so stressed at work,” Dr. Buchanan explains.
Remaining cool-headed, Dr. Buchanan decided to have a bit of fun with her response.
“Yeah, no problem,” she responded. “Send me your birthday, what pharmacy you wanted to go to, and it should be ready in like an hour.”
The unsuspecting Hinge match, perhaps believing he’d hit the jackpot, replied with a “thank you.”
But, as Dr. Buchanan clarifies, things didn’t end as he expected.
“I unmatched him,” she says. “Obviously didn’t send it.”
To conclude, Dr. Buchanan said she hopes her surprise prescription seeker is “somewhere at a local CVS convincing a pharmacist that a girl from a dating app promised Adderall.”
Why is ADHD medication so difficult to access?
Whether Dr. Buchanan’s Hinge match genuinely needed ADHD medication or not, accessing it is a real challenge.
In the U.S., around 8.7 million adults and nearly 6 million children and adolescents have been diagnosed with ADHD, as reported by Forbes.
Regardless of which state they live in, many struggle to fill their prescriptions for medications like Adderall or Concerta.
While the reasons for the shortage are complex, the main issue is that amphetamine mixed salts—key ingredients in these medications—are controlled substances due to their potential for addiction or overdose. This means the DEA sets strict manufacturing quotas.
Even with these quotas, Everyday Health reports that drugmakers shipped nearly one billion fewer doses than allowed in 2022.
There is some good news though, as the DEA recently announced an increase in its quota for the production of lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse), an alternative ADHD medication.
Viewers were entertained
In the comments, it’s clear users found Dr. Buchanan’s story quite amusing.
“The audacity,” wrote one user. “There is a shortage sir.”
@lizzelol Let the record show this was an illegal request. #milennialsoftiktok #fyp #hingefail #adhdcheck #psychnp ♬ original sound – Lizze Buchanan
“I am using hinge incorrectly, but I had never realized how incorrectly before,” joked a second.
“Oh no please don’t,” pleaded a third. “From a pharmacist.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Dr. Buchanan via TikTok and Instagram messaging.
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