School Lane SurgeryYou may have heard about a national shortage of some of the medicines used to treat ADHD. These supply problems are expected to resolve at various dates between October and December 2023.
We have written to those Patients who may be impacted by this to inform them of the current situation.
How does this affect me/my child?
Although not all ADHD medicines are affected by this shortage, our records indicate that you/your child is currently being prescribed one or more of the medicines that are likely to be in short supply, or possibly unavailable.
What do I need to do?
The NHS is working hard to manage this shortage, but there are a few things that you can do to help us minimise the effect on you/your child:
- Please only order your prescription when you have 10-14 days of your medicine left. It is important not to stockpile medicines, and your doctor will not be able to issue your prescription any earlier.
- If your usual pharmacy is not able to supply your medication, please try calling or visiting other local pharmacies to locate stock. Pharmacy contact details can be found via https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy.
Patients currently taking: Medikinet, Ritalin, Concerta XL, Xaggitin XL, Delmosart XL, Affenid XL, Xenidate XL, Matoride XL, Amfexa, Strattera:
Be prepared that your medicine may look a little different to normal:
- You may be asked to take different strengths of your medicine to make up the full dose.
- If your usual medicine is not available, your GP should be able to give you a prescription for a different medicine that works in the same way and is still available.
- Any change to your medicine will be short-term, and only until the supply problems are resolved.
Patients currently taking : Medikinet XL, Ritalin XL, Metyrol XL, Equasym XL, Addepta XL, Elvanse, Elvanse Adult, Intuniv:
- Your GP cannot prescribe you an alternative medicine, if you are unable to find a pharmacy which can dispense your prescription, please contact us so that we can refer to the specialist ADHD team to manage your treatment.
- While we wait for supplies of your medicine to become available again, you may need to change to a different treatment or management plan. Your specialist will discuss the options available to you and agree on the best way to manage your ADHD until your usual medicine is available again.
Where can I go for further information?
If you’ve received a medicine which looks different to what you normally receive, your community pharmacist is best placed to provide information on it. Rest assured that any changes should only be visual, and act the same as your old medication unless directed by the ADHD specialist team.
Due to the complexity of ADHD diagnosis and treatment, medication is started following an ADHD specialist review. The surgery is not able to change medication without specialist input and directive. If you have any questions, queries, or concerns about your medication, then please contact your ADHD specialist directly.