ADHD Medication Shortages in the UK

Current status

The two authoritative UK sources are the Department of Health and Social Care's medicine supply notifications, issued to the NHS, and the Specialist Pharmacy Service, which publishes supply information for clinicians. Your pharmacy sees both, which is why they are usually the fastest way to find out where things stand.

Broadly, supply of ADHD medicines has been disrupted at various points since 2023, affecting different products at different times. Some issues have resolved and others have recurred, and the position for one brand tells you little about another.

Why shortages happen

Several factors compound, and understanding them helps explain why the problem has been persistent rather than a one-off.

• Demand has risen substantially as diagnosis rates have increased
• Manufacturing capacity for these products is concentrated in relatively few sites
• Stimulants are controlled drugs, so production is subject to quota arrangements
• Modified-release products are technically complex to make, limiting substitutes
• Brand-specific prescribing means one brand's shortage cannot be absorbed by another

That last point is the one people find most frustrating. Because the MHRA advises prescribing modified-release methylphenidate by brand, a pharmacy cannot simply hand over a different brand of the same drug, even when it is sitting on the shelf.

What to do if you cannot get your medication

Act early rather than at the point you run out, and work through this in order.

1. Ask your pharmacy

They can check wholesaler availability and will know whether the problem is national or local. Sometimes another branch or a nearby pharmacy has stock.

2. Try other pharmacies, with your prescription in hand

A Schedule 2 prescription can only be dispensed at one pharmacy, so do not hand it in until you have found stock. Phoning round first avoids having the prescription tied up somewhere that cannot fill it.

3. Contact your prescriber

If no stock can be found, your prescriber can consider an alternative. That may be a bioequivalent brand, a different formulation, or a different medicine. This is a clinical decision and cannot be made by the pharmacy alone.

4. Do not stop abruptly or ration doses

Splitting a modified-release product to make it last destroys the release mechanism and delivers the whole dose at once. Stopping without advice is also not the answer, particularly for guanfacine, which is reduced gradually.

How to reduce the risk of running out

You cannot fix a national supply problem, but a few habits make it far less likely that you are caught without medication.

• Order the repeat as soon as you are allowed to, not when the box is nearly empty
• Collect prescriptions promptly, since Schedule 2 prescriptions expire sooner than ordinary ones
• Keep the same pharmacy where possible, so they can plan your order
• Ask your pharmacy to order ahead if they know your cycle
• Tell your prescriber early if a product has been difficult to get twice
• Know which alternatives your prescriber considers acceptable, before you need one

That last point is the most useful and the most often skipped. A short conversation at a routine review, agreeing what a reasonable substitute would be if your usual product is unavailable, saves days of back and forth later. Some prescribers will note the agreed alternative so it can be actioned quickly.

If your prescribing has moved to your GP under a shared care agreement, that conversation belongs with the GP, since they will be issuing the prescription.

If you have to switch

A switch made for supply reasons is still a clinical change, and it is worth treating it as one rather than assuming it will pass unnoticed.

Where the new product is bioequivalent to the old one, most people notice nothing. Where it is a genuinely different release profile, the day can feel different: cover may start sooner or finish earlier, and food instructions may change. Ask specifically what the new product requires.

Keep a brief record for the first fortnight after a switch, noting when the effect starts and stops and how you sleep. If the new arrangement is not working, that record makes the next conversation quicker. Our guide to titration covers how adjustments are made.

• Methylphenidate brands compared How the six UK brands differ
• Shared care agreements Who prescribes once your dose is stable
• What ADHD medication costs NHS charges and private prices

Common questions