A Florida man claims to have suffered seizures and a disturbing psychosis after taking “too much” of the common ADHD drug Adderall.
In a landmark case, Robert Buckley accused pharmaceutical giants of prescribing too much of the drug, which is said to have caused the horrific side effects.
The man is now suing Costco, CVS and Publix, the stores that filled his prescriptions, according to court documents.
Buckley is asking for a jury trial, as well as $50,000 in damages from the major media.
The graph above shows how Adderall prescriptions continued to increase in the US.
He is suing five pharmacies, including one run by CVS (pictured) and three run by Publix (one also pictured).
The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Circuit Court, says: “Buckley suffered an overdose resulting in psychosis, is suffering from seizures, and now suffers permanent injuries.” The nature of these injuries is still unclear.
‘(You will now) be required to pay large sums of money for direct and indirect medical, hospital and other related expenses in an effort to alleviate your suffering and heal your injuries.’
Few other details about the case were revealed in the filing, including when the man took Adderall or what dosage he was using.
It’s just the latest of several lawsuits alleging that the drug has been overprescribed to individuals, or that patients were not adequately warned about side effects.
In 2019, a family doctor in Vermont was fined $2,500 for overprescribing Adderall to a patient without properly documenting the treatment or monitoring its use.
In another case filed in April 2022, a former telehealth executive claimed that the prescription company he worked for was distributing too many ADHD medications for profit.
Amanda Bynes, 38, is among those who previously suggested that Adderall use caused her to have psychosis.
In an interview with PEOPLE in 2018, she said, “I definitely abused Adderall (after) reading an article in a magazine that called it “the new diet pill” and talked about how women were taking it to stay thin.”
Amanda Byrnes, an Adderall addict, has previously said she may have suffered psychosis.
The actress, who also used marijuana, added: “I don’t know if it was a drug-induced psychosis or what, but it affected my brain in a different way than it affects other people.” It absolutely changed my perception of things.’
About 45 million Americans are prescribed Adderall each year, and prescriptions have increased 30 percent since 2019.
Adderall is a stimulant that works by increasing hormone levels in areas of the brain involved with concentration and attention.
In ADHD, patients lack some of these hormones, such as dopamine, which is thought to explain difficulty concentrating for long periods.
The medication aims to restore the balance of these chemicals, improving concentration.
However, side effects are known to include hallucinations, as well as dizziness, slower speech, and increased irritability.
It may also increase the risk of seizures when taken in high doses, which is thought to be due to the excessive release of additional brain hormones.
The increase in users has also led to shortages in recent years, leaving those diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggling to access the medications they need.
Experts have warned that many may be using the medication unnecessarily due to incorrect diagnoses of ADHD.
Dr Joanna Moncrieff, a world-renowned psychiatrist at University College London, warned of the rise saying: ‘There is such demand (for Adderall) from patients that doctors feel pressured to give these diagnoses.
“It’s become so common now that I feel like it’s actually peer pressure, people meet other people with a diagnosis and they almost feel like if they don’t get it they’re letting themselves down.”
Celebrities who have been diagnosed with the condition include Harry Potter star Emma Watson, actor Channing Tatum and British singer Lily Allen.