Helping Your Patients Find Relexxii During the Shortage

Your patients are calling pharmacies, hitting dead ends, and coming back to you frustrated. The ongoing methylphenidate ER shortage has made filling prescriptions for Relexxii (Methylphenidate Hydrochloride Extended-Release) a real challenge—and increasingly, patients are looking to their providers for help.

This guide offers practical, clinic-ready strategies to help your patients locate Relexxii in stock and stay on their ADHD treatment without unnecessary gaps.

Current Availability Landscape

As of early 2026, Relexxii supply is best described as inconsistent but improving. Key facts:

• The DEA increased methylphenidate production quotas by up to 25% in October 2025, but manufacturing takes time to scale.
• Relexxii (brand) from Vertical Pharmaceuticals has maintained more stable supply than many generics.
• Several generic manufacturers remain on allocation or have discontinued their methylphenidate ER products (Sun Pharma, Teva's Metadate CD).
• Availability varies significantly by region—urban pharmacies and large chains may have better stock than rural or independent pharmacies.

Why Your Patients Can't Find It

Understanding the bottlenecks helps you advise patients more effectively:

• DEA quotas: Schedule II production limits historically constrained how much methylphenidate manufacturers could produce each year.
• Demand surge: ADHD diagnoses increased significantly during and after the pandemic, outpacing supply.
• Manufacturer exits: Sun Pharma and Teva discontinued key methylphenidate ER products, concentrating demand on fewer suppliers.
• Pharmacy ordering patterns: Many pharmacies order stimulants conservatively due to DEA scrutiny, creating artificial local shortages even when wholesale supply exists.
• Insurance barriers: Prior authorization requirements and non-preferred formulary status for brand Relexxii push patients toward generics that may be even harder to find.

For a deeper dive, see our analysis of why Relexxii is so hard to find.

What Providers Can Do: 5 Actionable Steps

Step 1: Use Real-Time Stock-Checking Tools

Stop relying on phone calls. MedFinder for Providers lets you or your staff check real-time pharmacy inventory for Relexxii and other methylphenidate products. This is the single most efficient way to direct patients to a pharmacy that actually has their medication in stock.

Through a partnership with Relexxii's manufacturer, Medfinder offers complimentary medication locating services for Relexxii patients.

Step 2: Write Backup Prescriptions

When prescribing Relexxii, consider writing a second prescription for an equivalent methylphenidate ER formulation (e.g., Concerta, Aptensio XR) that the patient can fill if Relexxii is unavailable. Document the clinical rationale in the chart and discuss with the patient how the alternatives differ. Our guide on Relexxii alternatives can help with this conversation.

Step 3: Time Refills Strategically

Encourage patients to begin searching for stock 7–10 days before their current supply runs out. Schedule II prescriptions cannot be called in, but e-prescriptions can be sent early to give pharmacies time to order. Advise patients to ask their pharmacy to place a special order once they have a prescription in hand.

Step 4: Prepare Patient-Facing Documentation

A brief letter on practice letterhead explaining the shortage can help patients in several ways:

• Pharmacies may be more willing to special-order when they see documented medical necessity.
• Employers and schools can be informed if treatment gaps affect performance.
• Insurance companies may expedite prior authorizations for alternative formulations.

Step 5: Leverage Your Pharmacy Relationships

If your practice regularly refers to specific pharmacies, reach out to their pharmacists directly. Many pharmacies can hold or reserve stock for established patients when they know a prescription is coming. Building these relationships pays off during shortages.

Alternatives to Consider

When Relexxii is truly unavailable, these alternatives may be appropriate depending on the patient's clinical profile:

• Concerta: Same OROS osmotic delivery technology as Relexxii. Closest clinical match.
• Aptensio XR: Methylphenidate ER capsule that can be opened and sprinkled on applesauce—useful for patients who have difficulty swallowing tablets.
• Jornay PM: Methylphenidate ER taken at night, designed to be active by morning. Unique dosing schedule that some patients prefer.
• Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine): Different stimulant class (amphetamine-based). Consider when methylphenidate products are broadly unavailable.

Always weigh the patient's history, prior responses, and side-effect profile before switching. For detailed comparisons, see our post on alternatives to Relexxii.

Workflow Tips for Your Practice

Integrating shortage management into your clinical workflow can reduce the burden on both providers and staff:

• Designate a shortage point person: Assign one staff member to monitor ASHP shortage updates and check medfinder.com/providers regularly.
• Create a formulation preference list: Rank methylphenidate ER products by clinical equivalence so switching decisions are faster.
• Use templates in your EHR: Pre-build order sets for common alternatives and prior-authorization letters.
• Batch prior authorizations: When a formulation switch affects multiple patients, process the PAs together to save time.
• Set patient expectations early: At every ADHD visit, briefly discuss the shortage status and remind patients to plan refills ahead.

Final Thoughts

The Relexxii shortage isn't something you can solve alone, but with the right tools and workflows, you can significantly reduce the impact on your patients. Start with MedFinder for Providers, build backup plans into your prescribing, and keep communication open with both patients and pharmacies.

The manufacturer of Relexxii has partnered with Medfinder to provide medication locating services free of charge. Visit medfinder.com to find Relexxii in stock near you at no cost.

For more on the shortage landscape, see our provider shortage briefing and our patient-facing shortage update.