cant get antidepressant

[nicknamehelp]

I've been on this particular tablet for 13 years. just been to pharmacy to collect it and its not available and no date when it Will be again. Ive rung docs who've said they will try to get me a different one for tomorrow but last time they tried switching me I spiralled downwards very quickly. At the moment everything in my life is not stable so I really need to be mentally stable.
Why do drug companies feel this is ok without any warning, if I cant get a suitable replacement I will suffer horrendous withdrawal which I cant handle right now. Yes in an ideal world I wouldn't be dependent on this drug but life happens.

Hi, sorry if this is an obvious question, and you've already tried it, but did your pharmacist try ringing around to see if anywhere still had stock leftover that s/he could order in? Or if you have the prescription could you try ringing around some other local pharmacies yourself to see if any have some left?
Suddenly stopping any antidepressant, especially if you've been one it long term, can be very detrimental. Your gp really should have been aware of this and at least tried weaning down whilst a new one was slowly introduced. You're right that drug companies really shouldn't do this, particularly if they don't make doctors and pharmacists aware. Does your surgery have the option to have your Gp call you if there's no appointments available, especially as this is really quite urgent if you've run out of your med?

they've tried they are really good but just none anywhere. just feel so stressed by it. Will see what happens tomorrow and if no substitute will insist on app Monday

Do you have some of your previous prescription left? Do you have enough to last over the weekend if you can get an appointment (or even a phone call from Gp) Monday? I really hope they can get this sorted out for you, and to actually clarify if it's a temporary stock/manufacturing issue or if it's permanent. Some antidepressants can be more dangerous than others to suddenly stop. This can be more so with the 'older' generation of ADs, which, considering the length of time you've been on them, may be the case for yours. I had to have mine changed a while ago. I'd been in them for quite some time, and apparently they don't prescribe them much anymore due to certain side effects (is personally not had any problems), so it was actually quite a long, drawn out process over the space of a couple of months or so of slowly weaning off one and introducing the new one due to the dangers of suddenly stopping. So I do know that, potentially, some are worse than others to just suddenly stop, and in your situation it really is important that they get you an appointment ASAP to actually discuss this. I think some people can think 'oh, it's just a medication, it's not the end of the world' type thing, but it is actually very important. I really hope you can get this sorted out very soon.

Which medication is it? Have you tried other pharmacies?

I'd try other pharmacies.

tried other pharmacies there are none.
I've enough for weekend but scared I can't just stop one tablet one day and start a new one the next with no issues and next week I have a really important medical app with my dd I need to be thinking clearly for so really not great timing

What is the medication, you haven’t mentioned it

venlafaxine slow release capsules. can get a venlafaxine tablet but that doesn't agree with me.

I'm on those and have just had a repeat prescription without any problems ( I literally got it yesterday). I don't think they have been withdrawn. I have no idea why your pharmacy can't get them. Sometimes I have a different brand name ( currently Venlasov) but it is still the same stuff!

well they've tried and Ive tried and cant get my prescription filled perhaps you got the last box?

I think the OP's difficulty is getting SR capsules. Venlasov is not produced in SR formulation so you don't have the same prescription.

OP do you know if the XR formulation is available? They tend to be more expensive so not often prescribed, but I've swapped between the two without problems, they're closest in formulation.

Also if you have a mental health specialist, they can check with the mental health trust pharmacy. If anyone has any, or knows what the difficulty is, it will be them. Not sure if a GP is allowed to call them or not.

This happened to me, nowhere locally had my diabetes medication and I was then given the generic brand which put me in hospital for days as I was allergic. The hospital told me I'd been lied to that there was no problem getting it as they had it but it was a manufacturing problem.

I'm on a diabetes forum and know some areas did still have old stock but many places found they didn't have it, I'm rural and they tend to not keep a lot of stock in hence running out faster than other areas. It took weeks to build up in my system again and I had to go through all the side effects again.

SR is officially sustained release, and XR extended release, so basically the same thing. They rebrand things because it means they can charge more for them.

In my area you must pay private for prescriptions from the hospital pharmacy. They're only free for inpatients. I don't know if that's just a Wales thing or not but my meds cost my a fortune from there.

I picked up mine yesterday 225mgs and 150mgs. Not been informed of issues this end. I cannot miss a day without electric shocks.

If it is an emergency, where are you based roughly?

Mine is Venlasov XL. I've not noticed any difference in the different brands I've had. They are always capsules not tablets.

Tablets give me migraines, capsules don't, filled MHRA report but tablets are cheaper so trusts prefer them. I dont tolerate them. May be a money thing from local health care etc...speculation at best

If it's a national shortage they've not done it on purpose! It's a manufacturing problem.

That drug is made across several brands so they should be able to fill it without too much difficulty

I'm getting venlafaxine 225mg slow release capsules ok in Glasgow - or I was last week!

Have you tried getting a paper prescription and just going around pharmacies? Might mean going a few miles out of town but there's no shortage of it around here so you ought to be able to get it somewhere.

thanks for messages going to go to gp and ask advice Monday.

I’ve just picked mine up today
Effexor venlafaxine 150mg SR and 75mg SR
2 mths supply, never have a problem getting them.

Can you try one of the chain pharmacies like Boots, Lloyds, etc? Even if they don't have it in your branch, they might be able to get it sent in from another one.

As above, try chain phamarcies.I had a similar problem getting a different antidepressant. DH rang around loads of pharmacies--he spent hours on the phone and figured we'd drive anywhere in Scotland for them. He eventually found a place that had a branch down in Manchester with stock (we're in Scotland). They sent their supply up to us. Everything was back to normal for the next prescription.

Hi, did you get any solution/answer to your meds? I realised I am also currently on the same meds as you - but the modified release capsules, are they the same as the slow release? I'm on a lower strength so I'm not sure if it's a shortage of your particular strength, but if it is, what I have found in the past is that pharmacists don't like to make up a prescription with different strengths to what the GP prescribes. By that I mean making up your dosage with 75s, for example, so it comes to the same dosage, so maybe that would be another solution, to ask the Gp to do a new prescription with more of a lower dose to make up to yours (eg 4 a day, or whatever) if it is just a shortage of a particular strength. I last got my script last week so it's possible it may just be certain ones there's a shortage of?
Obviously, ignore all the above if it's all been sorted out today!