File photo of tablets suspected to be fentanyl being examined at the DEA Northeast Regional Laboratory in New York in 2019.
Photo: Don Emmert (Getty Images)
The CDC released a statement warning of an increased risk of drug injuries and overdoses after the U.S. Department of Justice indicted two executives from the telehealth company Done on Thursday. The company allegedly provided medications like Adderall to people who don’t need it, and while it’s not immediately clear whether existing patients can still get their prescriptions, the CDC knows what could happen if they don’t.
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The CDC is concerned that making it harder for people to get Adderall will force many patients to black-market alternatives, including pills that may be laced with other drugs like fentanyl. People with ADHD may resort to other means of self-medicating with drugs like alcohol after withdrawal leads to social and emotional impairment. Patients could also see an increased risk of suicide, according to the CDC.
“Patients who rely on prescription stimulant medications to treat their ADHD and have been using this or other similar subscription-based telehealth platforms could experience a disruption to their treatment and disrupted access to care,” the CDC said in an advisory published online Thursday.
CDC warned the potential disruption for patients with Done’s telehealth services could impact roughly 30,000 to 50,000 people across all 50 states. Americans are already living under a shortage of ADHD medications—a shortage that has been entirely manufactured by the DEA in coordination with the drug companies in the name of protecting the public.
The CDC urged ADHD patients not to seek out alternative ways of self-medicating, something that’s obviously easier said than done in a country with such a pathetically broken social safety net.
“Given the national drug overdose crisis and threats associated with the illegal drug market, individuals struggling to access prescription stimulant medications are urged to avoid using medication obtained from anyone other than a licensed clinician and licensed pharmacy,” the CDC said in its advisory.
Roughly 43% of Americans who need health care for substance abuse didn’t receive it, according to a recent survey from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Cost-related issues were the number one factor, according to the survey.
CDC didn’t immediately respond to emailed questions on Thursday about whether the DOJ’s indictment of Done executives will be a net negative or net positive for public health. Gizmodo will update this article when we hear back.