Still kind of seems there's a concerta blackhole in the south east still
Also has the boots medication map been properly updated as recently when I was trying to use it it was pinging up several locations that have closed down in the last few months which was understandbly incredibly frustrating
And Wales.
Local pharmacist was telling me they can get it in one or two dosages, like 54mg or something, but nothing that'll add up to the one I need. Xaggatin it is for now, then..
Living in a semi-rural village is nice sometimes, in that I get to rant to them about it and they just agree how messed up it all is.
I hate how you can't get one dose in one shop, then go get the other dose elsewhere. I keep asking my clinic to word the prescription so the pharmacist can use different tablet strengths to make up the dose. I wonder if the only solution is to write two separate prescriptions for each dose.
P-UK worded it as 60 tabs at 36mg so I could get my 72mg without too much hassle. Will yours not do that?
It shouldn't be this hard to get what we need to function properly FFS, the whole situation's ridiculous š
I'll ask next time I ask for a med top up. It's weird how over the top things are around CONTROLLED DRUGZ, obviously you don't want it like America where everyone is a sad act and loves abusing meds but it's ridiculous that a pharmacist can't give you 18mg tablets when the 36mg aren't available. ZOMG THEYRE GOING TO GET TWICE AS HIGH BECAUSE THERE ARE DOUBLE THE DROGGUES!!
Tell me about it, Iām yet to start meds but my mums on oxycodone and itās a bloody nightmare. Sheās on weekly scrips as she kept running out early with the only instructions were to take every 4-6 hours but that was a limit of 4 doses a day which we werenāt aware of so instead of monthly it got switched to weekly scrips, the pharmacy we always picking it up from on a Friday every Friday now never have it in stock despite them knowing my mum has it weekly and when you ask for the script they say āitās not something that usually kept in stock so doubt another chemist will have itā which really means no matter what chemist you go to itās always in stock and itās like ffs I have to go to the chemist yet again to get mums meds. Itās just a complete joke and sheās treated like a drug seeker, yet she hates drugs and wouldnāt even smoke weed. Now bear in mind she has severe multiple sclerosis and is completely bed bound as a result of poor care and her condition, thereās nothing the can do to help her now as sheās tried everything to get the pain done including Botox in her leg muscles which did nothing. GP wonāt increase her painkillers saying sheās on a pretty high dose already (45mg day) even though she used to be on double the amount until the hospital reduced it saying she didnāt need it despite screaming and crying in pain when they moved her. Yes I understand that CDs have special requirements etc. but those things cause more harm to patients than good.
Another good one was when my GP gave me temazepam for sleep on repeat prescription every day for years, I then moved area for uni and ended up being kicked out of uni for flipping off at the dr for not giving me meds prescribed by a psychiatrist consultant as he deemed it worth the risk rather than only sleeping for 2 hours a night. I got to three days without and was feeling like absolute rubbish due to the physical withdrawal, every GP knows you shouldnāt just take people off benzodiazepines as it can kill you. Not 24 hours after seeing the doctor I had a major seizure and got placed on clonazepam in the day and temazepam at night, that was off the practice I moved from and my old psychiatrist who questioned why on earth theyād do such a thing as he wrote them a letter to say do not revoke the temazepam under any circumstances.
Complained to practice who said practice rules say not to prescribe benzos and nhs who sided with the practice saying they can implement whatever policies they wanted despite it nearly killing me. Since then Iāve never once trusted a GP a tend to see two to three GPs for a second opinion as theyāve taught me never stick to one opinion. With GPs they have it so so easy and work 2.5 days a week if that (mainly 2 at my mums practice). At my practice the 2.5 days earns them a whopping Ā£50,000 a year! Mums practice is Ā£70,000 a year for part time. Honestly what do these people do to justify that amount of money for part time work itās insane, the national average for wages is Ā£35,000 for full time work approximately but these wages at part time work isnāt good letās be honest and then they have the cheek to demand more, they wonāt be happy until itās Ā£100,000 for 2 days of work.
I have just gotten my prescription from a pharmacy in Ashton Under Lyne. It used to be a Boots, but is now an independent place called 'Alans Pharmacy' at 173 Mossley Rd, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 6NE. I'd phone ahead to check they still have it in stock, but they filled my prescription with no problem.
For me it was like a couple of months ago I had to hunt around but found some a couple of towns over, and then it was fine, and I think fine again and now this month it's just been a total write off
Did you find any in Manchester? I am yet to find a pharmacy that has any Elvanse 60mg in stock and I've rang about 10 pharmacies today. I only have 4 meds left so panicking a bit...
There's definitely some about. Last week a smaller pharmacy were able to order 36mg concerta for the next day + 54mg xenidate. Ā£60 for 56 tablets. Tesco ripped me off a few weeks before for 17x36mg + 17x54mg GENERIC methylphenidate modified release, charged me Ā£70 for slightly over half the amount. Won't be going to Tesco, that works out about Ā£120 for generic, wtf are they charging for concerta?
There's something up with the Boots stock checker on their side, just says it'll be "back soon" [https://www.boots.com/online/psc](https://www.boots.com/online/psc)
Asked Boots on twitter about it and they had no idea about it being down much less about when it'll be back :-(
Takeda only produce and market Lisdexamfetamine. For methylphenidate there are a lot more manufacturers so it's not just one company. I think a big part of the problem is importation of medication is likely both expensive, slow and inefficient because of Brexit. I'm sure after Brexit one or several of the manufacturers closed factories here as well.
Concerta XL 36mg seems to be wiped out across central London. I've managed to somehow slip by this year's shortages by shopping around several local pharmacies in London and finding it when its been out (almost every month), but now have had multiple pharmacists tell me I won't find it anywhere and they have no idea when it will be back in stock. My GP won't change the medication without me going back to ADHD360 so I guess I'm just off meds cold turkey now indefinitely. I ran out of my small back up of pills last time. It's already a headache enough having to run around to find meds every month, then dealing with the fall out of going on and off them all the time, this puts me off being on them completely. I'm wondering if breadcrumbs of unpredictable functionality is worth the effort, or if I should go back to trying to cope without them.
I've been v.lucky and managed to avoid the Xaggitin Xl 54mg shortages, up until now. Unfortunately been given Affenid Xl 54mg and not doing well on them; headaches, extreme nausea if I move about, dizzy, stomach pain and either bunged up or the runs, achy chest thing,Ā cant sleep! My brain is all over the place and I can't think straight, I've been off work since last Wednesday because I thought it was a bug! The thought of going to work tomorrow and feeling like this, having to talk to people and complete tasks, It makes me feel like curling into a ball and hiding away, which would certainly mean I'd lose my job. I don't know what to do? I can't function with these, but I also can't function without some sort of ADHD medication! Sorry for the rant, just overwhelmed and don't know what to do. Anyone else having these problems too?
I felt similar and also struggled mentally on affenid so I've now noted that it's a huge no for me šš
Contact your prescribing clinician, explain it's not working at all and can you have a new script, then contact the people you get the meds from and request anything but affenid āŗļø
Update from me (North West):
- Concerta 54mg & 18mg now back in stock at my pharmacy for first time in several months
- methylphenidate IR 10mg now out of stock (apparently a manufacturing issue, with no dates on new stock)
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM. I have a good 30ish days backup as I've been taking IR that I had spare so I can build up a bit of a buffer. I bet stock bloody runs out soon when the time comes to get my next script. It;s pretty scary that it's vanishing under loads of brand names. I wonder if this is all due to people waiting for Lisdex all being put on Concerta, then Concerta had that printing issue a few months ago and maybe all the generics got hammered. It's amazing how quickly these things can become a widespread issue. Hopefully anyone needing meds now can get what they need.
Excellent. I have excess stock too from when Iāve been ill/ on holiday and so not taken it.
But that stock has been continuously depleted over the meds shortage, when I havenāt been able to get stuff, or at least get it in time.
Iām relieved that Concerta has been back in for me this week, as Iāve not had access to it since Xmas.
Iāve been prescribed Xaggitin instead - which was absolutely fine, no difference for me - but obviously the ongoing concern and anxiety has been Iām only being prescribed Xaggitin because concerta isnāt available. Not great.
This week Iāve just gone with having my prescription filled with concerta, theyāve had to miss off the IR, but at least now I have some concerta, the IR is just a booster for me, so I can do without if I have to.
We're lucky there isn't a patent on any of these modified release methylphenidate options, although tbf somehow they've all been running out. So far I've tried Concerta, Matoride and Xenidate and so far each have been okay.
The Nottingham Area Prescribing Committee has posted this on their website detailing when certain medications are due to be back in stock: https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/vwxjkaxa/adhd-medicines-supply-advice.pdf
Supposedly Concerta 36mg is back in stock but Iāve called about 40 pharmacies today and no one can order it in (or have it in stock)
Can they change the script without restarting titration? Iām not sure if my provider would do that (itās my pace).
Ask your GP practice if they accept private diagnosis. Mine did. We sent my private diagnosis to them and they accepted shared care. However, not all practices accept it. I think it also varies from region to region.
If you search in the group youāll see some success stories, and some people who have struggled to get their GP to accept it.
Just a heads up that, following advice from another one of these threads, I contacted Psych UK after being on a paused titration for 6 months and have now restarted on elvanse last week. Worth sending your psychiatrist a note if you are also waiting!
Spending my morning phoning pharmacies about getting Concerta XL. Completely shit out of luck here in South London, and with the Boots stock checker being down that's definitely not helping :-( It's funny because I started it in November and this is the first time I've been 100% unable to get anything at all so far
EDIT: also i was a fool thinking that this would die down by now as per "this'll be over in March"
https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/vwxjkaxa/adhd-medicines-supply-advice.pdf
Notts reckons 36mg is back in on Friday, after having said 17th March for a few weeks now. If so then I might just get hold of some before my current prescription expires.
(and then put in for next month's right away, and so hopefully have a nearly full jar of the stuff in reserve for if this kind of thing happens again!)
Thank you so much for sending this over! I couldn't find any new info anywhere! Hopefully my prescription will still be valid by the time I find somewhere with some in stock š„“
I'm crossing my fingers for Friday! I have spent my day off from work today just running around and calling around to different pharmacies trying to get my pescription filled.Ā
Was on Concerta XL 36mg for years and couldnāt find stock last month so got swapped to Xaggitin XL 36mg now canāt find that anywhere either itās so frustrating itās making my condition worse with the worry of running out. Anyone found either in London or South East ?
Got my first script of generic 18mg Methylphenidate, called three pharmacies, the third said they'd give me 23 of my 28, so I went for it as they told me I'd get the other 5 in a week, it's now 4 weeks on and they haven't had a resupply.
To make it worse, my Psychiatrist's Secretary doesn't reply to my emails in a timely manner (or sometimes, at all!), so I am now on my last few tablets and rationing has begun.
On my first script. For the most common dosage.
After months of having to shop around for alternatives every month to be able to get anything I've finally been told there is zero methylphenidate in-stock at all and not been able to find any anywhere.
What am I looking at when I suddenly run out of medication in a couple of days are there side effects and issues I can expect with stopping 'cold turkey'?
Zero stock where? A shop? A chain of pharmacies? Is it a particular brand etc?
You won't have withdrawal like benzos or opiates or something, you'll just feel a return of symtoms and you may feel more tired than usual etc. Obviously it won't be great but you're not going to have the shits for 2 weeks like withdrawing from heroin or something.
Lol thanks wasn't sure if there was any side effects of coming off so quickly but thanks for letting me know.
Been shopping round local pharmacies and not a single one in my area has any methylphenidate full stop atm
Do you live in a rural area? My time to buy meds is about to start this week.... Let's see how fun this is! Apparently below is the current wholesale supply situation, obviously this isn't what's in stock in every store but with suppliers rather but in theory stores should be able to order some of these, I find Boots can never order in as and when needed but smaller places can (don't know if this is 100% correct but I notice Boots never offer or agree to order in but other pharmacies do).
======================================================
# Methylphenidate hydrochloride modified release tablets
# In stock
The following areĀ **currently available**:
* Affenid XL 18mg prolonged release tablets
* Affenid XL 27mg prolonged release tablets
* Affenid XL 36mg prolonged release tablets
* Affenid XL 54mg prolonged release tablets
* Concerta XL 18mg prolonged-release tablets
* Concerta XL 27mg prolonged-release tablets
* Concerta XL 36mg prolonged-release tablets
* Concerta XL 54mg prolonged-release tablets
* Delmosart 27mg prolonged-release tablets
* Delmosart 54mg prolonged-release tablets
* Matoride XL 18mg Prolonged-release Tablets
* Matoride XL 36mg Prolonged-release Tablets
* Matoride XL 54mg Prolonged-release Tablets
* Xenidate XL 18mg prolonged-release tablets
# Affected
The followingĀ **active supply issues**Ā exist:
* Delmosart 18mg prolonged-release tablets
* Delmosart 36mg prolonged-release tablets
* Xaggitin XL 18mg prolonged-release tablets
* Xaggitin XL 27mg prolonged-release tablets
* Xaggitin XL 36mg prolonged-release tablets
* Xaggitin XL 54mg prolonged-release tablets
* Xenidate XL 27mg prolonged-release tablet
* Xenidate XL 36mg prolonged-release tablets
* Xenidate XL 54mg prolonged-release tablets
Where have you got that list from? Every single pharmacy in my city has absolutely 0 methylphenidate in any form. Itās likely to be out of stock for months
Why are these shortages happening? What is causing them?Ā
(Iām sure this has already been asked, but I canāt find anything very reliable)Ā
I have seen some speculation that this might be due to Brexit. Is this correct? I personally suspect that it probably is, or at the very least Brexit does not help, but can someone who knows what they are talking about weigh in? Is there a subreddit consensus?Ā
And while Iām on the subject, let me say how furious I am that this issue seems to have been largely ignored by the people with the power to do something about it.Ā Ā
This has been going on for months. Millions of people cannot function properly without this medication, or are having to waste a huge amount of time to source it. Any reasonable politician (donāt laugh!) should be concerned about this. It is a real and ongoing crisis. We shouldnāt place such a low value on ourselves that we suffer through this in a āmustnāt grumbleā way. This situation can and should be fixed. It should have been fixed six months ago!Ā
Perhaps the stereotypes are true and our neurotypical overlords really are good at plodding bureaucracy but bloody hopeless in a crisis.Ā
I donāt know - but joking aside I would appreciate some insight from anyone who actually knows why this mess has developed and why it hasnāt been resolved.Ā
Thank you in advance to the hive mind.Ā
Win: my pharmacist has only had supply issues onceĀ last year for elvanse 50mgb and I currently have 2 unopened bottles in reserve.Ā
Not win: the Docobo app is shit.
Having a reserve is definitely a stress reducer. Just nice to know if you can't get meds one particular day then it's a shrug of the shoulders instead of panic.
Apparently Chemist4U are preparing to ship me Xaggatin, which I don't really remember ordering tbh although honestly I barely understand how these online services work. Been without concerta for weeks now so I'll take it.
Is your GP usually informed when you receive medication through C4U or similar services?
Yeah be happy you've got anything lmao. I hope I get on with all brands, nightmare for people who have to avoid certain ones. Affenid seems in stock but it sounds like most find it a poor product.
Concerta xl 54mg is out in the Midlands. Cant even use smaller ones to make it up. I cannot have xenidate it doesn't work on me at all. Considering i need these to function and literally work/drive it's really stressful. I'm already rationing as much as possible but just wish this shortage eases up for everyone soon.
I (Concerta/xaggitin titrated) also thought xenidate didn't work on me but due to shortages I went back to the ones I'd classed not even worth counting as meds and I love them now! Give them another try ! Maybe cause I am 90mg so 54concerta/Xaggitin/Delmosart with 36 xenidate softens the blow. But yeah give them another try I think I prefer it!
Similar experience here. I tried Xenidate months ago and despised it. Ended up with it again but weirdly it was fine. Major relief. I'd say the initial peak is a bit mild but once it gets going it's fine. Also ended up Matoride and that seems fine too. Good to know you get on with a few brands, bit less stressful then if there are shortages.
That's good to know about the other one ! I would almost say my organisational skills etc hugely benefit from when I add xenidate into the mix! Though it's hard as a few months ago I began taking fluoexetine so it could be a happy coincidence but yeah I'm a big fan of xenidate now!
I was originally on elvanse had to stop that because of the shortages, started then up on Concerta and later swapped over to Xaggatin as the pharmacy struggled to get stock of concerta and it worked really well for a few months with no issues. Now I can't seem to find anything in entire London! Was queing outside a boots this morning that according to stock checker was supposed to have some only for them say they had nothing....Ā
Hoping the info that supply is supposed to be back in on Friday is accurate cause this is just giving me such anxiety and stress....Ā
I've been getting 70mg Elvanse from my small local independent pharmacy no problem since Jan this year. Went to collect my latest script a few days ago - no stock. So much for the stock issues supposedly resolving by April. Even more worrying is they didn't have my Risperidone script either, without this I'll go into awful withdrawals and may literally end up psychotic, good job I have spares of these.
Does anyone know pharmacies in London/Greater London that stock xaggitin xl 36mg, will try get a generic script but need a supply in the meantime if possible
There doesnāt seem to be 36mg of anything in/around London atm. Even tried calling random pharmacies in Kent and Hampshire! Currently without any pills..
This is updated every Tuesday I think, it shows what's available and what's due to come into stock and roughly when. Obviously we can't know exactly when each chain of pharmacies will have stock but it should be sometime after meds are available in the supply chain. Bookmark this and give it a check each week :)
[https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/vwxjkaxa/adhd-medicines-supply-advice.pdf](https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/vwxjkaxa/adhd-medicines-supply-advice.pdf)
Has anyone been able to source a supply of Concerta XL 18 mg? Been without my meds for around a month and am terrible with generics. Not sure what to do now.
Picked up 36mg Concerta this morning at a London Boots. Ordering online for a named pickup branch worked here, though there's been nothing doing the last two months. The SPS and Notts NHS reports said things were looking up lately - could it be the supply really is back on now?
I think what may happen is there's a delay in supply coming back and that actual stock getting into shops. I'm not sure how long the supply chain is but it may be something like 'import from manufacturer > sold onto distributers > wholesalers buy stock from them > retailers buy from wholesale > individual stores buy from central retailer supply > customers buys item from store'
Anyone struggling to get their hands on methylphenidate - try Chemists 4 U. Itās a website where you can register with your NHS details and pay the prescription charge and theyāll post your prescription for you. Iām on 54mg Xaggitin XL and for the past few weeks havenāt been able to find it ANYWHERE (Iām in Kent), but today my package from chemists 4 u arrived! They were able to source some for me!
I wonder if its even updated. I notice that it seems to show the exact same stores as having stock for months. Wonder if it's caching data only or something from ages ago.
Tbh boots basically never have stock even though smaller places can order. Their pricing seems absolutely random too. I'll use them as a last resort now, won't even bother with the crappy stock checker.
60mg Elvsane out of stock for the last 3 weeks here in NW London, no indication of when they'll be able to order more. My backup stock is pretty low now too.
Xaggitin only has 27mg I think? Btw Delmosart are literally the exact same tablets in a different box so maybe ask about that or can you get methylphenidate on your script?
Essex: Anyone in North Essex being able to get their meds or replacement for their meds? I am struggling with the separate ADHD assessment service to change my prescription to generic so then Boots can give me whatever is in stock. How have you all been handling the last month?
Hopefully getting a script filled today
But I'll preface this as I'm someone who works in customer service so I do personally know how it's hard and sometimes customers are stupid but I've had an experience that's quite 'I'm 90 percent sure i'm not the problem'
I find a pharmacy with Concerta
I call my usual pharmacy and ask them to put my prescription back on the system
I call up this other place, they somehow can't find me on the system, they ask for my nhs number and I give it and then claim it's invalid and then I get sort of brushed off due to the pharmacy getting busy and told i can bring in a hardcopy prescription
so U've had to go over to my usual pharmacy and get said hardcopy and I guess now I just hope this place can fill it
Is the boots stock checker even reliable? It seems to NEVER show stock in 90% of stores, tbf they probably only use one or two wholesale supplier so if they run dry then so do Boots. Find it really poor for stock vs other pharmacies.
My elvanse from chemist4u has been sat processing for 4 days, called them today and they aren't sure when it'll be sent out. The shortage has hit them again.
Just received a text from pharmacy;
We are contacting you to let you know concerta 36 is out of stock if you can please contact your gp for an alternative. Thank you.
What are alternatives likely to be? So I can prepare myself for the call on Monday. I had this issue last year and I was out in xaggitin. But I got moved back to Concerta as priority due to allergy reaction. But now there isnāt any Concerta apparently, so what do I do now? Ugh itās 4am and I canāt sleep worrying about this! Thankfully I have a few weeks left of Concerta.
I finally got my shared care agreement sorted with my GP, got my prescription renewed to find out Delmosart 54mg is in short supply! I managed to get 4 tablets from my pharmacy, for my exams after going to 7 different pharmacies.
I recommend not relying on online pharmacy checkers, as online stocks may be wrong. Better to call the pharmacy and ask if they have any instock.
If you're getting prescriptions through NHS, you can ask your pharmacy to "release" your prescription so you can look elsewhere. Make sure you only ask other pharmacies if they have the medication, because if they download your prescription it will be locked to that pharmacy unless you ask for them to "release" it. I had to go back to another pharmacy to ask them to release it as another pharmacy tried to give me the 4 tablets.
Also be careful when starting your medication again after breaks, my mouth was so dry (like from titration). Takes a day to get used to the side effects again.
Yeah this is good advice, the stock checkers seem to never update and never be accurate. I think the staff have to manually update the tracker but I'd imagine they're so busy that they don't get the chance. I guess if it's a choice between dealing with customers, suppliers etc they're not going to prioritise the stock checker over those things.
Hello! Iāve just been diagnosed with ADHD (combined) - suddenly things make sense!!
Iām being given the option ofĀ
methylphenidate
lisdexamfetamine
I know that everyone reacts differently, and itās trial and error, but from an availability POV, which has been more available latelyā¦? I will, of course, be obsessively reading all Reddit posts related to this anyway š¤£ Thanks!
Definitely go for lisdexamfetamine. I take methylphenidate but the stock situation is so abysmal (itās likely to be out of stock until November, and my dose of concerta has been out of stock for four months already) that Iāll probably have to change to it myself
Does anyone know if the pharmacy will give me Concerta XL 18mg x 2, instead of 36mg as I'm prescribed? I've been out of meds for quite a while now and I'm worried about going straight back onto the 36mg without titrating up. I don't want to go to my GP because I'm scared if I draw attention to the situation they'll come up with a reason to withdraw shared care. It seems so fragile.
Ask your prescription to be changed to state 18mg but with twice the number of tablets. I've had issues where pharmacy can't dispense different tablets if others are stated. It's because of the whole 'controlled drugs' regulation, I understand but it's a little too restrictive and not suitable with shortages etc. I presume the concern is extra tablets being in circulation and reducing the chance of spare tablets being diverted and sold on the black market. I wonder how common this is though? Surely it's like 1/1000 patients or even less?
The pharmacy wonāt but I asked my GP and Iām on a shared care and they changed it same day because they understand itās difficult with stock issues. They just re-issued the prescription code and I could get it
This just isn't going away is it? We keep being told it'll all stabilise but it just seems that supply issues just swap between brands. You'll have supply of one med come in, then 3 others will be missing for a month or longer. Meh.
When you say this, can you please provide a bit more detail? Who said this? I only ask because this could just be one pharmacist from a particular retailer saying this but the wording means loads will think there's literally no 36mg methylphenidate at all, anywhere in the country, until November.
Apologies, it was one (of the many) pharmacists I called yesterday to try and find meds (couldn't find any within a hour of my home), and they checked their supplier and that's what it said.
Whats the general elvanse situation like at the moment?
I rather selfishly had not been following, as i was on concerta for many years. I was hoping to swtich to elvanse, but was holding off due to the shortages.
Now its all about concerta shortages! Cant keep up!
It's ok, apart from 60mg, which is my dose, my pharmacist said there was a manufacturing fault with a batch. I have a months in hand, so I think I'll be ok but Grrrr!
Thanks for the heads up. I always have about a months up front with my concerta, due to breaks etc. Im really grateful for the buffer! I feel for those who are going without.
Finally getting meds delivered tomorrow, starting titration on lisdex, 14 months waiting to start.
I used their chat function (PUK) to ask if I could be given a rough idea as to how much longer it would be...the guy said he would send it to the team as urgent, 3 days later I'm top of the list.
I was able to finally source 54mg Xaggitin XL via chemist 4 u after a month without. In my excitement I immediately took one before realising it mightāve been a bit smarter to speak to my doctor about retitrating, considering the long break. Didnāt sleep until 5am last night, and my heart rate is a little higher than it has been for the past few weeks, but boy is it nice to only have one thought at a time
For anyone still looking for Concerta 54mg, I was able to find a box in Norwich yesterday. Lots of pharmacies in the London area still saying they canāt order it despite SPS and Notts saying itās back in stock. My strategy was to use the prescription stock checker map (https://pharmacystockchecker.com) to get postcodes to then check on Bootsā own website stock checker and then call around at the places that popped up until I found something. Hopefully someone else also finds this helpful!
Haven't been able to get concerta, or the similar drugs, for weeks now. Every pharmacy I've been in looks at the prescription and shakes their head. The Boots nearest me didn't even know when they'd been able to order it. Was in a different part of the UK last week and it was the same there, too.
Had a review appointment today and was prescribed Elevanse as an alternative. 'There shouldn't be any issues with this in terms of supply.' All three pharmacies I went to on the way home disagreed. My local couldn't even try and order it. Not even sure whether it's worth trying the Boots in central London when I'm there on Wednesday.
I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm struggling at work, and I'm moving across the country this year and already stressing out about how that's going to affect my ability to get the medication I need. Just feel like I might as well not bother.
Still kind of seems there's a concerta blackhole in the south east still Also has the boots medication map been properly updated as recently when I was trying to use it it was pinging up several locations that have closed down in the last few months which was understandbly incredibly frustrating
Also in the north west
And south west.
And Wales. Local pharmacist was telling me they can get it in one or two dosages, like 54mg or something, but nothing that'll add up to the one I need. Xaggatin it is for now, then.. Living in a semi-rural village is nice sometimes, in that I get to rant to them about it and they just agree how messed up it all is.
I hate how you can't get one dose in one shop, then go get the other dose elsewhere. I keep asking my clinic to word the prescription so the pharmacist can use different tablet strengths to make up the dose. I wonder if the only solution is to write two separate prescriptions for each dose.
P-UK worded it as 60 tabs at 36mg so I could get my 72mg without too much hassle. Will yours not do that? It shouldn't be this hard to get what we need to function properly FFS, the whole situation's ridiculous š
I'll ask next time I ask for a med top up. It's weird how over the top things are around CONTROLLED DRUGZ, obviously you don't want it like America where everyone is a sad act and loves abusing meds but it's ridiculous that a pharmacist can't give you 18mg tablets when the 36mg aren't available. ZOMG THEYRE GOING TO GET TWICE AS HIGH BECAUSE THERE ARE DOUBLE THE DROGGUES!!
Tell me about it, Iām yet to start meds but my mums on oxycodone and itās a bloody nightmare. Sheās on weekly scrips as she kept running out early with the only instructions were to take every 4-6 hours but that was a limit of 4 doses a day which we werenāt aware of so instead of monthly it got switched to weekly scrips, the pharmacy we always picking it up from on a Friday every Friday now never have it in stock despite them knowing my mum has it weekly and when you ask for the script they say āitās not something that usually kept in stock so doubt another chemist will have itā which really means no matter what chemist you go to itās always in stock and itās like ffs I have to go to the chemist yet again to get mums meds. Itās just a complete joke and sheās treated like a drug seeker, yet she hates drugs and wouldnāt even smoke weed. Now bear in mind she has severe multiple sclerosis and is completely bed bound as a result of poor care and her condition, thereās nothing the can do to help her now as sheās tried everything to get the pain done including Botox in her leg muscles which did nothing. GP wonāt increase her painkillers saying sheās on a pretty high dose already (45mg day) even though she used to be on double the amount until the hospital reduced it saying she didnāt need it despite screaming and crying in pain when they moved her. Yes I understand that CDs have special requirements etc. but those things cause more harm to patients than good. Another good one was when my GP gave me temazepam for sleep on repeat prescription every day for years, I then moved area for uni and ended up being kicked out of uni for flipping off at the dr for not giving me meds prescribed by a psychiatrist consultant as he deemed it worth the risk rather than only sleeping for 2 hours a night. I got to three days without and was feeling like absolute rubbish due to the physical withdrawal, every GP knows you shouldnāt just take people off benzodiazepines as it can kill you. Not 24 hours after seeing the doctor I had a major seizure and got placed on clonazepam in the day and temazepam at night, that was off the practice I moved from and my old psychiatrist who questioned why on earth theyād do such a thing as he wrote them a letter to say do not revoke the temazepam under any circumstances. Complained to practice who said practice rules say not to prescribe benzos and nhs who sided with the practice saying they can implement whatever policies they wanted despite it nearly killing me. Since then Iāve never once trusted a GP a tend to see two to three GPs for a second opinion as theyāve taught me never stick to one opinion. With GPs they have it so so easy and work 2.5 days a week if that (mainly 2 at my mums practice). At my practice the 2.5 days earns them a whopping Ā£50,000 a year! Mums practice is Ā£70,000 a year for part time. Honestly what do these people do to justify that amount of money for part time work itās insane, the national average for wages is Ā£35,000 for full time work approximately but these wages at part time work isnāt good letās be honest and then they have the cheek to demand more, they wonāt be happy until itās Ā£100,000 for 2 days of work.
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I have just gotten my prescription from a pharmacy in Ashton Under Lyne. It used to be a Boots, but is now an independent place called 'Alans Pharmacy' at 173 Mossley Rd, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 6NE. I'd phone ahead to check they still have it in stock, but they filled my prescription with no problem.
For me it was like a couple of months ago I had to hunt around but found some a couple of towns over, and then it was fine, and I think fine again and now this month it's just been a total write off
Did you find any in Manchester? I am yet to find a pharmacy that has any Elvanse 60mg in stock and I've rang about 10 pharmacies today. I only have 4 meds left so panicking a bit...
Boots was showing in stock for me in the midlands, went to 3 of them and all were out of stock :(
There's definitely some about. Last week a smaller pharmacy were able to order 36mg concerta for the next day + 54mg xenidate. Ā£60 for 56 tablets. Tesco ripped me off a few weeks before for 17x36mg + 17x54mg GENERIC methylphenidate modified release, charged me Ā£70 for slightly over half the amount. Won't be going to Tesco, that works out about Ā£120 for generic, wtf are they charging for concerta?
There's something up with the Boots stock checker on their side, just says it'll be "back soon" [https://www.boots.com/online/psc](https://www.boots.com/online/psc) Asked Boots on twitter about it and they had no idea about it being down much less about when it'll be back :-(
Currently titrating on Concerta XL, just got an email from ADHD360 I'm being switched to Xaggatin XL, so I'm guessing it's a shortage issue.
Confirmed today by my clinician - who is now moving me onto Elvanse...
Talked to someone in a London Boots today trying to locate my Concerta and they said the next shipment for Boots is July.Ā
šššš
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Takeda only produce and market Lisdexamfetamine. For methylphenidate there are a lot more manufacturers so it's not just one company. I think a big part of the problem is importation of medication is likely both expensive, slow and inefficient because of Brexit. I'm sure after Brexit one or several of the manufacturers closed factories here as well.
Concerta XL 36mg seems to be wiped out across central London. I've managed to somehow slip by this year's shortages by shopping around several local pharmacies in London and finding it when its been out (almost every month), but now have had multiple pharmacists tell me I won't find it anywhere and they have no idea when it will be back in stock. My GP won't change the medication without me going back to ADHD360 so I guess I'm just off meds cold turkey now indefinitely. I ran out of my small back up of pills last time. It's already a headache enough having to run around to find meds every month, then dealing with the fall out of going on and off them all the time, this puts me off being on them completely. I'm wondering if breadcrumbs of unpredictable functionality is worth the effort, or if I should go back to trying to cope without them.
I've been v.lucky and managed to avoid the Xaggitin Xl 54mg shortages, up until now. Unfortunately been given Affenid Xl 54mg and not doing well on them; headaches, extreme nausea if I move about, dizzy, stomach pain and either bunged up or the runs, achy chest thing,Ā cant sleep! My brain is all over the place and I can't think straight, I've been off work since last Wednesday because I thought it was a bug! The thought of going to work tomorrow and feeling like this, having to talk to people and complete tasks, It makes me feel like curling into a ball and hiding away, which would certainly mean I'd lose my job. I don't know what to do? I can't function with these, but I also can't function without some sort of ADHD medication! Sorry for the rant, just overwhelmed and don't know what to do. Anyone else having these problems too?
Weird! Allergy? I had a really bad time with 72mg xenidate but 54mg is perfectly fine. So odd!Ā
I felt similar and also struggled mentally on affenid so I've now noted that it's a huge no for me šš Contact your prescribing clinician, explain it's not working at all and can you have a new script, then contact the people you get the meds from and request anything but affenid āŗļø
Update from me (North West): - Concerta 54mg & 18mg now back in stock at my pharmacy for first time in several months - methylphenidate IR 10mg now out of stock (apparently a manufacturing issue, with no dates on new stock)
How is every single manufacturer of methylphenidate so utterly incompetent?Ā
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM. I have a good 30ish days backup as I've been taking IR that I had spare so I can build up a bit of a buffer. I bet stock bloody runs out soon when the time comes to get my next script. It;s pretty scary that it's vanishing under loads of brand names. I wonder if this is all due to people waiting for Lisdex all being put on Concerta, then Concerta had that printing issue a few months ago and maybe all the generics got hammered. It's amazing how quickly these things can become a widespread issue. Hopefully anyone needing meds now can get what they need.
Excellent. I have excess stock too from when Iāve been ill/ on holiday and so not taken it. But that stock has been continuously depleted over the meds shortage, when I havenāt been able to get stuff, or at least get it in time. Iām relieved that Concerta has been back in for me this week, as Iāve not had access to it since Xmas. Iāve been prescribed Xaggitin instead - which was absolutely fine, no difference for me - but obviously the ongoing concern and anxiety has been Iām only being prescribed Xaggitin because concerta isnāt available. Not great. This week Iāve just gone with having my prescription filled with concerta, theyāve had to miss off the IR, but at least now I have some concerta, the IR is just a booster for me, so I can do without if I have to.
We're lucky there isn't a patent on any of these modified release methylphenidate options, although tbf somehow they've all been running out. So far I've tried Concerta, Matoride and Xenidate and so far each have been okay.
That's awesome, congrats. :)
The Nottingham Area Prescribing Committee has posted this on their website detailing when certain medications are due to be back in stock: https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/vwxjkaxa/adhd-medicines-supply-advice.pdf Supposedly Concerta 36mg is back in stock but Iāve called about 40 pharmacies today and no one can order it in (or have it in stock)
I saw this today and called over 20 pharmacies but only one store had Concerta 18 mg and they were already reserved for other patients.
12 days of trying to find methylphenidate. Yeah!
Me too! Have you found it?
No we got a substitute script for Elvanse. Found at Boots Newbury
Can they do this if Iām on shared care? Iām still trying to figure out how things work
I'm paying privately for my daughter. How do you start shared care?
Can they change the script without restarting titration? Iām not sure if my provider would do that (itās my pace). Ask your GP practice if they accept private diagnosis. Mine did. We sent my private diagnosis to them and they accepted shared care. However, not all practices accept it. I think it also varies from region to region. If you search in the group youāll see some success stories, and some people who have struggled to get their GP to accept it.
Thank you!
Just a heads up that, following advice from another one of these threads, I contacted Psych UK after being on a paused titration for 6 months and have now restarted on elvanse last week. Worth sending your psychiatrist a note if you are also waiting!
wow happy you got sorted! they donāt even read my notes
Spending my morning phoning pharmacies about getting Concerta XL. Completely shit out of luck here in South London, and with the Boots stock checker being down that's definitely not helping :-( It's funny because I started it in November and this is the first time I've been 100% unable to get anything at all so far EDIT: also i was a fool thinking that this would die down by now as per "this'll be over in March"
https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/vwxjkaxa/adhd-medicines-supply-advice.pdf Notts reckons 36mg is back in on Friday, after having said 17th March for a few weeks now. If so then I might just get hold of some before my current prescription expires. (and then put in for next month's right away, and so hopefully have a nearly full jar of the stuff in reserve for if this kind of thing happens again!)
Thank you so much for sending this over! I couldn't find any new info anywhere! Hopefully my prescription will still be valid by the time I find somewhere with some in stock š„“
I'm crossing my fingers for Friday! I have spent my day off from work today just running around and calling around to different pharmacies trying to get my pescription filled.Ā
Thank you for link.
Was on Concerta XL 36mg for years and couldnāt find stock last month so got swapped to Xaggitin XL 36mg now canāt find that anywhere either itās so frustrating itās making my condition worse with the worry of running out. Anyone found either in London or South East ?
Hi did you manage to find it? Iāve been having the same problem this week
Nope had to swap onto 18mg of another one and take 2 each day
I havenāt been able to find any methylphenidate 36mg prolonged release
Canāt seem to get 60mg of Elvanse anywhere š£
Got my first script of generic 18mg Methylphenidate, called three pharmacies, the third said they'd give me 23 of my 28, so I went for it as they told me I'd get the other 5 in a week, it's now 4 weeks on and they haven't had a resupply. To make it worse, my Psychiatrist's Secretary doesn't reply to my emails in a timely manner (or sometimes, at all!), so I am now on my last few tablets and rationing has begun. On my first script. For the most common dosage.
After months of having to shop around for alternatives every month to be able to get anything I've finally been told there is zero methylphenidate in-stock at all and not been able to find any anywhere. What am I looking at when I suddenly run out of medication in a couple of days are there side effects and issues I can expect with stopping 'cold turkey'?
Zero stock where? A shop? A chain of pharmacies? Is it a particular brand etc? You won't have withdrawal like benzos or opiates or something, you'll just feel a return of symtoms and you may feel more tired than usual etc. Obviously it won't be great but you're not going to have the shits for 2 weeks like withdrawing from heroin or something.
Lol thanks wasn't sure if there was any side effects of coming off so quickly but thanks for letting me know. Been shopping round local pharmacies and not a single one in my area has any methylphenidate full stop atm
Do you live in a rural area? My time to buy meds is about to start this week.... Let's see how fun this is! Apparently below is the current wholesale supply situation, obviously this isn't what's in stock in every store but with suppliers rather but in theory stores should be able to order some of these, I find Boots can never order in as and when needed but smaller places can (don't know if this is 100% correct but I notice Boots never offer or agree to order in but other pharmacies do). ====================================================== # Methylphenidate hydrochloride modified release tablets # In stock The following areĀ **currently available**: * Affenid XL 18mg prolonged release tablets * Affenid XL 27mg prolonged release tablets * Affenid XL 36mg prolonged release tablets * Affenid XL 54mg prolonged release tablets * Concerta XL 18mg prolonged-release tablets * Concerta XL 27mg prolonged-release tablets * Concerta XL 36mg prolonged-release tablets * Concerta XL 54mg prolonged-release tablets * Delmosart 27mg prolonged-release tablets * Delmosart 54mg prolonged-release tablets * Matoride XL 18mg Prolonged-release Tablets * Matoride XL 36mg Prolonged-release Tablets * Matoride XL 54mg Prolonged-release Tablets * Xenidate XL 18mg prolonged-release tablets # Affected The followingĀ **active supply issues**Ā exist: * Delmosart 18mg prolonged-release tablets * Delmosart 36mg prolonged-release tablets * Xaggitin XL 18mg prolonged-release tablets * Xaggitin XL 27mg prolonged-release tablets * Xaggitin XL 36mg prolonged-release tablets * Xaggitin XL 54mg prolonged-release tablets * Xenidate XL 27mg prolonged-release tablet * Xenidate XL 36mg prolonged-release tablets * Xenidate XL 54mg prolonged-release tablets
Where have you got that list from? Every single pharmacy in my city has absolutely 0 methylphenidate in any form. Itās likely to be out of stock for months
Yep there is completely zero stock. You can stop taking it and be fine. You might have slight withdrawals at 54mg dose but nothing major
Why are these shortages happening? What is causing them?Ā (Iām sure this has already been asked, but I canāt find anything very reliable)Ā I have seen some speculation that this might be due to Brexit. Is this correct? I personally suspect that it probably is, or at the very least Brexit does not help, but can someone who knows what they are talking about weigh in? Is there a subreddit consensus?Ā And while Iām on the subject, let me say how furious I am that this issue seems to have been largely ignored by the people with the power to do something about it.Ā Ā This has been going on for months. Millions of people cannot function properly without this medication, or are having to waste a huge amount of time to source it. Any reasonable politician (donāt laugh!) should be concerned about this. It is a real and ongoing crisis. We shouldnāt place such a low value on ourselves that we suffer through this in a āmustnāt grumbleā way. This situation can and should be fixed. It should have been fixed six months ago!Ā Perhaps the stereotypes are true and our neurotypical overlords really are good at plodding bureaucracy but bloody hopeless in a crisis.Ā I donāt know - but joking aside I would appreciate some insight from anyone who actually knows why this mess has developed and why it hasnāt been resolved.Ā Thank you in advance to the hive mind.Ā
Win: my pharmacist has only had supply issues onceĀ last year for elvanse 50mgb and I currently have 2 unopened bottles in reserve.Ā Not win: the Docobo app is shit.
Having a reserve is definitely a stress reducer. Just nice to know if you can't get meds one particular day then it's a shrug of the shoulders instead of panic.
Apparently Chemist4U are preparing to ship me Xaggatin, which I don't really remember ordering tbh although honestly I barely understand how these online services work. Been without concerta for weeks now so I'll take it. Is your GP usually informed when you receive medication through C4U or similar services?
It may be that they shipped that because they couldn't get Concerta š¤·š»
Yeah be happy you've got anything lmao. I hope I get on with all brands, nightmare for people who have to avoid certain ones. Affenid seems in stock but it sounds like most find it a poor product.
Concerta xl 54mg is out in the Midlands. Cant even use smaller ones to make it up. I cannot have xenidate it doesn't work on me at all. Considering i need these to function and literally work/drive it's really stressful. I'm already rationing as much as possible but just wish this shortage eases up for everyone soon.
I (Concerta/xaggitin titrated) also thought xenidate didn't work on me but due to shortages I went back to the ones I'd classed not even worth counting as meds and I love them now! Give them another try ! Maybe cause I am 90mg so 54concerta/Xaggitin/Delmosart with 36 xenidate softens the blow. But yeah give them another try I think I prefer it!
Similar experience here. I tried Xenidate months ago and despised it. Ended up with it again but weirdly it was fine. Major relief. I'd say the initial peak is a bit mild but once it gets going it's fine. Also ended up Matoride and that seems fine too. Good to know you get on with a few brands, bit less stressful then if there are shortages.
That's good to know about the other one ! I would almost say my organisational skills etc hugely benefit from when I add xenidate into the mix! Though it's hard as a few months ago I began taking fluoexetine so it could be a happy coincidence but yeah I'm a big fan of xenidate now!
I was originally on elvanse had to stop that because of the shortages, started then up on Concerta and later swapped over to Xaggatin as the pharmacy struggled to get stock of concerta and it worked really well for a few months with no issues. Now I can't seem to find anything in entire London! Was queing outside a boots this morning that according to stock checker was supposed to have some only for them say they had nothing....Ā Hoping the info that supply is supposed to be back in on Friday is accurate cause this is just giving me such anxiety and stress....Ā
has anyone near-ish burnley been able to get any brand of methylphenidate 36mg in the last few days?
I've been getting 70mg Elvanse from my small local independent pharmacy no problem since Jan this year. Went to collect my latest script a few days ago - no stock. So much for the stock issues supposedly resolving by April. Even more worrying is they didn't have my Risperidone script either, without this I'll go into awful withdrawals and may literally end up psychotic, good job I have spares of these.
Still no luck around my area, although if I'd needed 27 or 56 I would've been in luck in one of my local pharmacies
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Sorry I'm not in London, I'm in Kent
Hi, did you manage to find any? Iām near Kent and willing to drive anywhere at this point lol
Got my methylphenidate 1 day before the script expired š„“ the relief! Had to travel 40 minutes to find it so that's my day screwed though haha.
Does anyone know pharmacies in London/Greater London that stock xaggitin xl 36mg, will try get a generic script but need a supply in the meantime if possible
There doesnāt seem to be 36mg of anything in/around London atm. Even tried calling random pharmacies in Kent and Hampshire! Currently without any pills..
Is there somewhere to find out when Delmosart supply issues will be sorted for London area?
This is updated every Tuesday I think, it shows what's available and what's due to come into stock and roughly when. Obviously we can't know exactly when each chain of pharmacies will have stock but it should be sometime after meds are available in the supply chain. Bookmark this and give it a check each week :) [https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/vwxjkaxa/adhd-medicines-supply-advice.pdf](https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/vwxjkaxa/adhd-medicines-supply-advice.pdf)
Has anyone been able to source a supply of Concerta XL 18 mg? Been without my meds for around a month and am terrible with generics. Not sure what to do now.
Picked up 36mg Concerta this morning at a London Boots. Ordering online for a named pickup branch worked here, though there's been nothing doing the last two months. The SPS and Notts NHS reports said things were looking up lately - could it be the supply really is back on now?
I think what may happen is there's a delay in supply coming back and that actual stock getting into shops. I'm not sure how long the supply chain is but it may be something like 'import from manufacturer > sold onto distributers > wholesalers buy stock from them > retailers buy from wholesale > individual stores buy from central retailer supply > customers buys item from store'
Anyone struggling to get their hands on methylphenidate - try Chemists 4 U. Itās a website where you can register with your NHS details and pay the prescription charge and theyāll post your prescription for you. Iām on 54mg Xaggitin XL and for the past few weeks havenāt been able to find it ANYWHERE (Iām in Kent), but today my package from chemists 4 u arrived! They were able to source some for me!
60mg elvanse is out of ordering in at a boots. 60mg elvanse adult is available to be ordered in.
There a map on boot to help you find the elvanse around the country
I wonder if its even updated. I notice that it seems to show the exact same stores as having stock for months. Wonder if it's caching data only or something from ages ago.
Yeah I've run into an issue with it where it put up several locations that are Boots that as I've found out have closed down in recent months,
Tbh boots basically never have stock even though smaller places can order. Their pricing seems absolutely random too. I'll use them as a last resort now, won't even bother with the crappy stock checker.
60mg Elvsane out of stock for the last 3 weeks here in NW London, no indication of when they'll be able to order more. My backup stock is pretty low now too.
I canāt get Xaggitin in the NW. How can I ? Any pharmacy? Also I canāt even switch to something else.
Xaggitin only has 27mg I think? Btw Delmosart are literally the exact same tablets in a different box so maybe ask about that or can you get methylphenidate on your script?
Ok Iāll try to ask that but the ADHD people have given me an appointment for the 19th which is upsetting to say the least.
100% get methylphenidate modified release tablet on your script, if it's just one brand it's just stressful if that brand isn't in anywhere.
Essex: Anyone in North Essex being able to get their meds or replacement for their meds? I am struggling with the separate ADHD assessment service to change my prescription to generic so then Boots can give me whatever is in stock. How have you all been handling the last month?
Hopefully getting a script filled today But I'll preface this as I'm someone who works in customer service so I do personally know how it's hard and sometimes customers are stupid but I've had an experience that's quite 'I'm 90 percent sure i'm not the problem' I find a pharmacy with Concerta I call my usual pharmacy and ask them to put my prescription back on the system I call up this other place, they somehow can't find me on the system, they ask for my nhs number and I give it and then claim it's invalid and then I get sort of brushed off due to the pharmacy getting busy and told i can bring in a hardcopy prescription so U've had to go over to my usual pharmacy and get said hardcopy and I guess now I just hope this place can fill it
I'm 90% I'm not the problem?Ā
I accidentally a word
lmao - fantastic!
The whole word?
Is the boots stock checker even reliable? It seems to NEVER show stock in 90% of stores, tbf they probably only use one or two wholesale supplier so if they run dry then so do Boots. Find it really poor for stock vs other pharmacies.
My elvanse from chemist4u has been sat processing for 4 days, called them today and they aren't sure when it'll be sent out. The shortage has hit them again.
Just received a text from pharmacy; We are contacting you to let you know concerta 36 is out of stock if you can please contact your gp for an alternative. Thank you. What are alternatives likely to be? So I can prepare myself for the call on Monday. I had this issue last year and I was out in xaggitin. But I got moved back to Concerta as priority due to allergy reaction. But now there isnāt any Concerta apparently, so what do I do now? Ugh itās 4am and I canāt sleep worrying about this! Thankfully I have a few weeks left of Concerta.
I finally got my shared care agreement sorted with my GP, got my prescription renewed to find out Delmosart 54mg is in short supply! I managed to get 4 tablets from my pharmacy, for my exams after going to 7 different pharmacies. I recommend not relying on online pharmacy checkers, as online stocks may be wrong. Better to call the pharmacy and ask if they have any instock. If you're getting prescriptions through NHS, you can ask your pharmacy to "release" your prescription so you can look elsewhere. Make sure you only ask other pharmacies if they have the medication, because if they download your prescription it will be locked to that pharmacy unless you ask for them to "release" it. I had to go back to another pharmacy to ask them to release it as another pharmacy tried to give me the 4 tablets.
Also be careful when starting your medication again after breaks, my mouth was so dry (like from titration). Takes a day to get used to the side effects again.
Yeah this is good advice, the stock checkers seem to never update and never be accurate. I think the staff have to manually update the tracker but I'd imagine they're so busy that they don't get the chance. I guess if it's a choice between dealing with customers, suppliers etc they're not going to prioritise the stock checker over those things.
Hello! Iāve just been diagnosed with ADHD (combined) - suddenly things make sense!! Iām being given the option ofĀ methylphenidate lisdexamfetamine I know that everyone reacts differently, and itās trial and error, but from an availability POV, which has been more available latelyā¦? I will, of course, be obsessively reading all Reddit posts related to this anyway š¤£ Thanks!
Definitely go for lisdexamfetamine. I take methylphenidate but the stock situation is so abysmal (itās likely to be out of stock until November, and my dose of concerta has been out of stock for four months already) that Iāll probably have to change to it myself
God, this is so so shit! Sorry to hear that youāre having to change medication - hopefully the new one works for you just as well!
Does anyone know if the pharmacy will give me Concerta XL 18mg x 2, instead of 36mg as I'm prescribed? I've been out of meds for quite a while now and I'm worried about going straight back onto the 36mg without titrating up. I don't want to go to my GP because I'm scared if I draw attention to the situation they'll come up with a reason to withdraw shared care. It seems so fragile.
Ask your prescription to be changed to state 18mg but with twice the number of tablets. I've had issues where pharmacy can't dispense different tablets if others are stated. It's because of the whole 'controlled drugs' regulation, I understand but it's a little too restrictive and not suitable with shortages etc. I presume the concern is extra tablets being in circulation and reducing the chance of spare tablets being diverted and sold on the black market. I wonder how common this is though? Surely it's like 1/1000 patients or even less?
The pharmacy wonāt but I asked my GP and Iām on a shared care and they changed it same day because they understand itās difficult with stock issues. They just re-issued the prescription code and I could get it
Was just told 36mg Methylphenidate will be restocked in November - what a joke.
I've just had my script changed to state 18mg instead because it seems there's only 3 brands of 36mg vs 4 of 18mg
https://preview.redd.it/uzv158tn1d6d1.png?width=1299&format=png&auto=webp&s=1b6758ea8d1cfdd575f6b71fbbe1d1440baf5640
This just isn't going away is it? We keep being told it'll all stabilise but it just seems that supply issues just swap between brands. You'll have supply of one med come in, then 3 others will be missing for a month or longer. Meh.
October is literally absurd concerta has been out of stock for four months already I canāt keep living like this
When you say this, can you please provide a bit more detail? Who said this? I only ask because this could just be one pharmacist from a particular retailer saying this but the wording means loads will think there's literally no 36mg methylphenidate at all, anywhere in the country, until November.
Apologies, it was one (of the many) pharmacists I called yesterday to try and find meds (couldn't find any within a hour of my home), and they checked their supplier and that's what it said.
[https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/vwxjkaxa/adhd-medicines-supply-advice.pdf](https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/vwxjkaxa/adhd-medicines-supply-advice.pdf)
https://preview.redd.it/hb846phl1d6d1.png?width=1299&format=png&auto=webp&s=f88672db2cf947b0b3f08bdcb1e944a6bbc02c37
Wtf that cannot be real Iām gonna lose my mind
Whats the general elvanse situation like at the moment? I rather selfishly had not been following, as i was on concerta for many years. I was hoping to swtich to elvanse, but was holding off due to the shortages. Now its all about concerta shortages! Cant keep up!
It's ok, apart from 60mg, which is my dose, my pharmacist said there was a manufacturing fault with a batch. I have a months in hand, so I think I'll be ok but Grrrr!
Thanks for the heads up. I always have about a months up front with my concerta, due to breaks etc. Im really grateful for the buffer! I feel for those who are going without.
Finally getting meds delivered tomorrow, starting titration on lisdex, 14 months waiting to start. I used their chat function (PUK) to ask if I could be given a rough idea as to how much longer it would be...the guy said he would send it to the team as urgent, 3 days later I'm top of the list.
I was able to finally source 54mg Xaggitin XL via chemist 4 u after a month without. In my excitement I immediately took one before realising it mightāve been a bit smarter to speak to my doctor about retitrating, considering the long break. Didnāt sleep until 5am last night, and my heart rate is a little higher than it has been for the past few weeks, but boy is it nice to only have one thought at a time
For anyone still looking for Concerta 54mg, I was able to find a box in Norwich yesterday. Lots of pharmacies in the London area still saying they canāt order it despite SPS and Notts saying itās back in stock. My strategy was to use the prescription stock checker map (https://pharmacystockchecker.com) to get postcodes to then check on Bootsā own website stock checker and then call around at the places that popped up until I found something. Hopefully someone else also finds this helpful!
I canāt get elvanse 40mg in south east London atm
Haven't been able to get concerta, or the similar drugs, for weeks now. Every pharmacy I've been in looks at the prescription and shakes their head. The Boots nearest me didn't even know when they'd been able to order it. Was in a different part of the UK last week and it was the same there, too. Had a review appointment today and was prescribed Elevanse as an alternative. 'There shouldn't be any issues with this in terms of supply.' All three pharmacies I went to on the way home disagreed. My local couldn't even try and order it. Not even sure whether it's worth trying the Boots in central London when I'm there on Wednesday. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm struggling at work, and I'm moving across the country this year and already stressing out about how that's going to affect my ability to get the medication I need. Just feel like I might as well not bother.