Parents have been forced to spend a long time searching for medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in their children due to widespread deficiency.
Parent told me I She searched the website of a large pharmacy and found none within a 50-mile radius of her home. She fears that without ADHD medication, her son may behave in ways that will get him expelled from school.
The government has confirmed a nationwide shortage of three drugs of varying strengths commonly used to treat ADHD, blaming supply disruptions for the problems.
The affected drugs are methylphenidate, sold under the brand names Ritalin and Concerta, lisdexamfetamine, sold under the brand names Vyvanse and Elvanse, and guanfacine, sold under the brand names Tenex and Intuniv.
It is expected that supply problems, which have arisen during a period of high demand for drugs, could last until December.
Lisa Daly, 46, from Buckinghamshire, fears her 10-year-old son Zach could be suspended or expelled from school. He has been taking Equasym XL brand methylphenidate 20 mg for just three weeks.
Ms Daly, a civil servant, said: “He takes medication to give his brain the space it needs to function and attend school.”
“He wakes up very upset and noisy with a lot of thoughts running through his head and the medication slows them all down so he can concentrate. Some of his eccentric behavior could potentially disqualify him.”
When Ms Daly contacted her son’s GP, she was given a prescription which she could use at any pharmacy in the country. However, ADHD UK says it fears it will not help as it is estimated that around 150,000 people are affected.
“I was given a prescription that is valid in all pharmacies in the country, and I have to look for this medicine. “Well, I already know he’s not there,” Mrs. Daly said.
“I just think it’s absolutely diabolical. Thousands of people use this medicine. Why is there no general communication?
Henry Shelford, chief executive of the charity ADHD UK, said people affected by drug shortages only realize their drugs are unavailable when they go to the pharmacy to buy them.
Parents who I Children said they were not informed about the problem by their children’s GPs or clinical teams, but learned about it from the news or social media.
Mr Salford said: “You are sitting without support. This is an abject failure, but unfortunately we have become accustomed to this lack of care due to our stigmatized condition.
“The Department of Health and Social Care note saying that GPs should consult with specialists who work with patients is simply ridiculous. Patients often wait years to meet with this medication team.”
Torrun Govind, a pharmacist and former president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said it would be helpful if pharmacists were given more power to tailor ADHD patients’ prescriptions to existing strengths without having to return to their GP.
Ms Govind said: “We know more about drugs than any other professional, we study the composition of drugs, we study the side effects, we are the ones who are asked what the ingredients of a drug are.” can’t we just give you 10mg and 10mg instead of 20mg? This doesn’t make any sense.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.