I remember when there was no shortage of prescription medication.

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

And now it’s so difficult to get!

ADHD meds are a fucking nightmare
eye drops
HRT ( which was meant to have been sorted)

Why is this happening? 15 years ago it was unheard of.

There wasn’t such a high demand for medications when that generation was young.

Many / most of the medications didn’t even exist.

plus globalisation

Adrenaline auto-injectors are another one, plus some antibiotics and hydrocortisone cream. It’s like a game of bingo these days.

I live in a massive city in the US. HRT, asthma meds, contraceptive pill - all very difficult to get hold of now. Manufacturers not able to cope with demand; lack of ingredients; shipping delays from China.

I think it’s easy to blame brexit for everything, but I don’t think this is true for meds. We’re all suffering.

Ha ha! I’m a Boomer! Very end of them sometimes Gen X.

Boomer is in quotations as someone else seemed to imply it was the fault of them. Just like people in the other thread implied the same.

I never had problems getting any medications as a young woman or older woman until the last 4 years.

I remember not being able to get ‘sea legs’ travel pills for my dc about 20 years ago. That was the only time l encountered a shortage until now.

Boomers are in the 80/
S and 70s. They are not hrt age

No, the ‘Boomer’ cohort ended in 1964. So some are still in 50’s

It's been going on for years, unfortunately. Much worse since Brexit, but I've had occasional trouble getting Novorapid for 10 years plus. I make sure I put my request in while I still have some in hand now, because it takes 2 weeks to process even when it's all in stock.

I didn't imply anything. I stated the problem was the sheer volume of people in those generations.

Regulary:
Yes. 2 diff types of contraception ( i have to be on one otherwise im seriously ill)
no painkillers,
no epilepsy meds
one month none of my 3 inhalers

I think most Baby Boomers are probably past "HRT age" by now. The eldest boomers are now 78 and the youngest are nearly 60.

I haven't been able to get montelukast for four months

You can take HRT at any age past menopause.

exactly what we were told would happen with Brexit

Global issue. When a relative came here from Canada recently they took back a ton of Calpol etc as it's in such short supply where they live

My DM has just been prescribed Ozempic. I phoned around about 15 pharmacies. They don't even say they'll order it. They just say they don't have it. I finally found one who had one box. So I had to rush over and get it before someone else did.

Ozempic and similar are in short supply since people discovered it could be used as a quick weight loss drug.

this is a big factor

Brexit is a huge factor but it’s a global problem

that and hugely increased demand

we can’t create new supplies in this overpopulated world either.

it’s not a problem with any straightforward solutions

It was hard to get some medicines in the 90s, 00s and 10s
It has been an issue with some for many years

It's a worldwide issue for many meds because of ingredient supply, and also because of the knock on effects of lockdowns etc still being felt years later.

However, countries are seeing the impact due to their governments management of relationships with suppliers and distributors. Brexit is a factor for us, and also the novo nordisk issue which has massively impacted their attitude to supplying the UK.

I'm on several medications and not had an issue.

Like @dizzy174 I'm struggling now to get insulin. That's bad.

Scabies medication is now being shipped in from Australia. The waiting for that isn’t going to help control that epidemic is it.

Can’t believe insulin and epilepsy medications isn’t obtainable.

@useruserna those issues are still rooted in Brexit.

Is it because Diabetes meds are being sold to non diabetics the World over perchance?