Medications and manufacturing problems

[dottieautie]

Just discovered my ‘owing’ prescription for HRT patches can’t be dispensed as there’s a manufacturing issue with all strengths
so I’m about to run out with no alternative (will take 3 weeks to get appointment and I can’t take the oral kind & gel didn’t work). I handed my prescription in 3 weeks ago, they gave me one month packet but I can’t get my second month. I’m going to be all kinds of hormonally fucked up without its

Now I’ve just read that my partner’s ADHD meds won’t be available until mid November at the earliest so he’s going to really struggle with work and life. Off his ADHD meds the whole family suffers with his anxiety and moods.

Whats going on? We both need our respective medications to function. He has an important patient facing frontline job and can’t afford to be forgetful or distracted.

AIBU to think they really ought to have sorted out these manufacturing problems by now? It’s been like this for years for HRT and it’s regular with the ADHD meds too but rarely for that long.

I'm on medication for Hyperemesis and am having problems getting my hands on it as well. Apparently there's a shortage

Look on the British Menopause society website at alternatives as the oestrogen patches are interchangeable and if you have a womb there is separate progesterone. Don’t go without. Write to the manufacturer and question them or look on the BMS website as they update the stock issues regularly. Xx

I’ve done a lot of that. For me, I’m on estradot which are the only ones that don’t peel away after a few hours. I have plenty of progesterone so no worries about that but it’s the estrogen that I’m concerned about as that keeps me stable.

I’m really worried about my partner though who has been through loads of adhd meds to find ones that fit and now he’s being told he won’t get any for aa couple of months. They can’t just stop his medication. The knock on effect is huge and he’s scared.

@NinaGeiger may I ask what medication you are taking? I suffered terribly with HG so you have my sympathy ❤️

Cover the alternative patch with a tegaderm film dressing or use transpore tape.

This has been going on for months and is affecting all sorts of things. The pharmacist I spoke to about it this week (when yet again they didnt have something) said it was brexit related.

The ADHD medication shortage is worldwide - it seems to be based on higher demand because more people are being diagnosed particularly since covid. There was some info on Reddit about this today (Takeda is the company that produces Elvanse): https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHDUK/comments/16smy87/takeda_update/

My guess is that also there was probably a redirection of many medication-producing resources (human, chemical, machine) into COVID-fighting resources for a while and we're probably seeing a delayed effect of that.

My adhd meds are impossible to get. I've been on them for 10 years and never had any issue getting them before

I am on a medication to treat a problem with my pancreas and it is out of stock across the UK. There was a stock out in the US early in the year for several months. Unfortunately, there is literally only one medication in existence that treats what I have so switching to something else isn’t possible. I’m hoping that they will come back in stock soon (have heard that possibly in the next week), but if not, I truly don’t know what I’ll do. Sick leave from work? Some people literally cannot leave their house as they shit themselves constantly without treatment (I wish that was an exaggeration). I would be uncomfortable but I could probably leave the house, but I’m very fortunate that it’s not as severe for me as some people. I would be interested to know the cause as it’s much bigger than Brexit or increased prescribing.

AIBU to think they really ought to have sorted out these manufacturing problems by now?

Who are 'they'? This is suuuuch a complex problem, it's not as simple as someone sorting out a manufacturing problem. There can be various causes for supply issues - shortage of raw materials, contamination of a batch, Brexit has had an impact, massive run on GLP1 agonists after the Ozempic weight loss publicity, it goes on and on. Ranitidine has been out for years. Is the ADHD med atomoxetine? We (healthcare professionals) are trying our best to come up with alternatives. It's just really complicated

I'm having the same problem with my dry eye medication for at night. My GP has changed it to a water based one instead of the oily one & I'm waking up with my eyelids stuck to my eyeball again.

@mindutopia I think I'm on the same medication as you. I was worrying about it this evening before I saw this thread. Without my medication I could not leave the house with any sort of confidence. I would be housebound - even a short trip to my local shop could be an embarrassing disaster and going to work would be out of the question.

The shortage/supply difficulties have gone on for weeks now. I'm not sure why, from what I read from other users of this med, no adequate explanation of the shortage has been given and no one seems to have any idea when supplies will be back to normal.