'I drove six hours for ADHD medication. Then I had to make an impossible choice.'

By the time Jane McFadden pulled out of her driveway en route from the Sunshine Coast to Toowoomba, she was running on adrenaline, frustration, and rage.

"I was thinking, 'How the hell is this Australia?'" she tells Mamamia. 

"I packed snacks, fuelled the car, and drove six hours to Toowoomba and back. Because what choice did I have?" 

Jane was on the hunt for Vyvanse, a medication for ADHD, that was out of stock in her local area. One of her three children was "completely unravelling", and she was desperate. 

Watch: WELL: ADHD finally getting the platform it deserves. Article continues after the video.

"Big emotional outbursts, couldn't sit still, disruptive without meaning to be, and then he was punished for it," she said.

That's not to mention the rest of the family of five, who have each been diagnosed with ADHD.

"We're a fully neurodivergent household," Jane explained. "My husband and I have ADHD, and so do our three children. ADHD touches everything in our house."

Jane describes her world as "beautiful chaos with an invisible load".

"There's so much humour, creativity, and love in the mix," she said. "ADHD brings struggles, yes, but also deep empathy, quick wit, and a level of resilience you only get from living in a household where the plan never goes to plan."

For Jane's family, medication plays a big part in helping things run relatively smoothly. Jane knew what her son needed, but she couldn't get it for him.

"I knew what was going on. He needed the medication that worked, and no one locally could help. No stock. No ETA. Just shrug energy from pharmacy after pharmacy."

Jane is far from alone. Australia is currently grappling with a nationwide shortage of ADHD medication, particularly those containing methylphenidate (such as Ritalin, Concerta and Artige), with the Therapeutic Goods Administration warning shortages may continue until at least the end of 2025. 

The issue stems from a combination of global manufacturing delays, supply chain disruptions, and skyrocketing demand — prescriptions for ADHD medication have nearly quadrupled in the past decade, now approaching half a million per year.

This supply-demand balance has led to 13 ADHD medications currently listed as in shortage by the TGA, with more anticipated. Pharmacies across the country are unable to fulfil prescriptions, leaving families scrambling, often calling dozens of chemists, travelling hours out of town, rationing doses, or swapping medications that aren't interchangeable. 

A system under pressure

"We have seen a number of medication shortages since the pandemic," said psychologist Tanya Forste. 

The shortage, she says, is a domino effect, because as soon as one brand disappears, families switch to the next option, instantly pushing that medicine into short supply too.

"This is impacting people of all ages across our country," she said. "Families are travelling considerable distances, rationing their medications, or sharing their medications to try and manage the supply issues. We have to remember that these are regulated medications, so some of this is really concerning and actually quite dangerous."

Inconsistent dosing is also dangerous, she warns, and carries real risks.

"People are taking this medication for a reason, just like any other health condition. If they're forced to ration, skip or swap meds, we see declines in focus, regulation and safety — at work, at school, on the road."

Jane understands this firsthand. "The difference is honestly like flipping a switch," she said of her children's medication. "It doesn't make them quiet or compliant. It gives them capacity to learn, to connect, to regulate. And in our house, it's the difference between just surviving the day to actually having a shot at calm, connection, and growth."

But in Australia's struggling system, accessing the right medication is only half the battle.

"Your child is prescribed 20mg. The pharmacy only has 30mg. You can't swap it. You can't split it. You can't adjust it," Jane said. "You can't even call your paediatrician for a quick script change, because they won't do it without a full review appointment. And that's often a three to six month wait, costing $200 to $300 out of pocket, if you're lucky enough to get in. Meanwhile, your child is suffering."

Ultimately, Jane stopped taking her own ADHD medication, so her children wouldn't have to go without. 

"That's not some noble sacrifice, it's just one more thing mothers are expected to silently shoulder," she said .

"When I finally got medication that worked, I cried. It was like someone had finally handed me the manual everyone else had been using their whole lives."

But six months later, the shortage hit.

"You already sacrifice so much as a mum, your body, your time, your career, your sleep. And now? Your ability to function. And that's what this medication gave me — access to a functioning brain. But when you're handed one box and you've got four scripts? The kids come first. Every time."

"It feels like a second full-time job."

Trying to secure medication each week has become a logistical nightmare.

"When shortages hit hard, I've called up to 30 pharmacies in a single day. I've got spreadsheets tracking stock, alerts set up in ADHD parent groups, and I've driven across multiple suburbs, sometimes hours away, just to fill a script."

She's developed strategies: targeting postcodes with older populations, memorising pharmacy app functions, and relying on fellow parents who share stock updates in the ADHD Mums Facebook group.

To cope, Jane started The ADHD Mums Podcast, initially as a way to explore life as a neurodivergent mum. It has since become an advocacy platform, drawing over 2.5 million listeners a month, sharing lived experience and elevating real-time struggles to policymakers.

"In the lead-up to the last federal election, I used my podcast to platform the real issues ADHD families were facing, and personally wrote to every major political party. Not a single one replied.

"Recently, Rose Jackson, the NSW Minister for Mental Health, reached out to come on my podcast to talk about the upcoming reforms — and it was the first time I felt like someone in government was actually listening."

While there are signs things may be starting to shift, Jane says it's not moving quickly enough. 

For Jane, her community has been her lifeline.

"What keeps me going on the hard days is the ADHD Mums Podcast community. Knowing that over 2.5 million Mums a month are tuning in, sharing, messaging, and saying 'me too' — it reminds me that I'm not alone, and neither are they," she said.

"We might be tired, overwhelmed, and running on caffeine and chaos — but we're doing it together. That matters."

Feature image: supplied.