LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A Lakewood family is feeling the strain of ADHD medication shortages and the frustration of inadequate health insurance coverage.
Maggie Puckett's teenage son Cooper is a fun-loving, hockey-playing sophomore.
"We realized there were certain things that were still really hard for him and making life hard and frustrating. We didn't understand why," Puckett said.
He was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD and eventually started taking and responding well to methylphenidate, the generic of the ADHD medication Concerta.
After Janssen Pharmaceuticals announced last year that it would stop making the generic and would only sell its name-brand drug, methylphenidate was short in supply. Sometimes Puckett would show up at the pharmacy and there were not enough drugs available to fill the prescription.
Because the drugs are considered a controlled substance, picking up a prescription from another pharmacy isn't as easy as driving to another pharmacy.
"He has to email the doctor, call the doctor, we have to ask for a new prescription to be sent to the pharmacy," Puckett said. "Even the pharmacist can only open the safe to get the medication at certain times of the day."
They switched back to the name brand, Concerta, to see if that would be more easily in stock at pharmacies. Their insurance denied coverage, saying they do not have a contract with that brand but offered one way to get the claim approved.
"I would have had to try a couple of other medications. Two or three, to prove that they don't work and that is the only medication he can use," Puckett explained.
After help from her pediatrician's office, her insurance eventually agreed to cover some of the costs of the Concerta prescription for one year, but the price change compared to the generic is significant. A one-month supply used to cost them a little over $200, now their total is $436.
She knows her family isn't the only one dealing with these headaches and financial burdens, but by sharing her story, she hopes it raises awareness and prompts change.
"I would just love to see the insurance and pharmaceutical companies work together. They created these drugs to help people and then they're not making them accessible to those who need them the most. So I would love to have them find some resolve," she said.
