Patients in the UK suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have complained about the shortage of medication needed to treat their condition, which began roughly a year ago. While the UK government promised that shortages were going to end by December 2023 when it issued a patient safety alert over the problem in September last year, patients say that it remains an issue. Brighton-based author and comedian Lorelei Mathias says she has started sharing her pills with friends on similar prescriptions to ensure that everyone has enough and to avoid canceling work commitments.
For some, the only option has been to ration pills as their original symptoms have returned. Dr. Ulrich Müller-Sedgwick of the Royal College of Psychiatrists says that manufacturing issues, coupled with an increase in demand due to the pandemic, have led to the shortage. Controlled drugs like ADHD medications can only be prescribed one month at a time, and only from licensed distributors. Müller-Sedgwick explains that such drugs need to be manufactured in limited, highly secure factories, which are not easy to operate.
The situation has not just affected adult patients: the number of children receiving ADHD medication increased by 7% from 90,491 to 96,727 in April-June this year, according to NHS Business Services Authority data. Deborah, whose 14-year-old son Oliver has ADHD and autism, says she was able to obtain only 16 of the 28 pills his prescription required from a pharmacy in Knutsford, Cheshire. She had to call 45 pharmacies across northwest England before she could buy the remainder.
The Department of Health and Social Care said that it is working with manufacturers to resolve any supply issues that remain. The British Generics Manufacturers Association has stated that it understands a number of manufacturers aim to return more supplies to the market this autumn, and the supply will progressively increase into next year
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