Finding ADHD medication is a ‘monthly battle’, says Birmingham councilor | News

Experts have warned that drug shortages are growing.

A councilor in Birmingham described spending hours round over a dozen different pharmacies in what he says is a “month-long struggle” to get ADHD medication.

Health leaders have said some patients are being forced to ration their drugs because of an increase in supply chain shortages.

Kings Norton North councilor Alex Aitken, who has ADHD, said: “I didn’t think I would end up calling no less than 13 of my local pharmacies before I found one that had ADHD medication.

“It was almost three hours out of my day to get the medication I needed. I’ve already run out of problems at this point and these types of tasks are really difficult for people with ADHD.”

A survey of 6,100 pharmacies found that 97% of staff said patients were inconvenienced by supply issues, while 79% said patient health was being put at risk.

Councilor Aitken said the shortages were just the latest in a series of challenges facing people with ADHD after it took her two-and-a-half years to receive a diagnosis – which she says is much quicker than many.

Councilor Aitken said: “The medication has completely changed my life, it has helped to increase consistency in my day-to-day life, but now I feel the only thing that is consistent is this monthly battle to get medication.”

Describing the risk of running out of medication, he said: “It causes problems with self-care and emotional well-being because people with ADHD are much more prone to mental health problems due to the inability to regulate dopamine levels in the brain and that makes it’s hard to deal with your emotions.”

Health leaders have called on the government to improve the supply system to ensure patients can get vital drugs when they need them, and other drugs such as diabetes and epilepsy treatments are in short supply.

Cllr Aitken said: “They are simply asleep at the wheel and it is unacceptable that they have yet to understand this and are leaving patients with a wide range of needs unable to get the medicines they need.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “Supply issues can arise for a wide range of reasons and are not specific to the UK.

Our priority is to mitigate the risks posed by these problems and to help ensure that patients continue to receive the treatments they need. Fortunately, most problems can be managed with minimal impact on patients.

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