A Warrington MP has criticised the government over shortages of ADHD medication for her constituents.
A BBC North West investigation has found that drugs used to treat ADHD are being traded to UK buyers on encrypted apps in “potentially lethal” doses.
Warrington MP Charlotte Nichols said: “The deadline for when we expect the situation to improve keeps moving, in the meantime for constituents of mine they are having to travel huge distances to try to secure their medication. Having to ration their medication.”
A national shortage in medications including Methylphenidate, Lisdexamfetamine and Guanfacine mean that those who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are not able to get their prescriptions regularly.
Ms Nichols said: “It’s particularly difficult because this medication is a controlled substance so it’s not something that can be put in the post.
“It must be collected in person from a pharmacy, so if the nearest pharmacy that has any of it is 200 miles away then that’s where they are going to have to go.”
A combination of manufacturing issues and an increase in global demand have been the main reasons for the shortage.
The Warrington MP has been hearing complaints from her constituents since August 2023.
She said: “At that time the government had said that they were aware there was a shortage and they expected that things would be remedied by the end of the year.
“Coming into the new year it was apparent that that was not the case.”
According to ADHD UK, around 2.2m people have ADHD in England and 9.1% of those receive a prescription. There could still be a struggle to distribute medication until April.
Charlotte Nichols brought up the issue in the Prime Minister’s questions in January. She said: “The health secretary essentially said that people should go back to their clinicians and change to a different medication.
“Do you really think people are coming to me before they’ve been back to their clinician? Clearly people are only coming to me at the point where they have tried everything and are getting nowhere.”
Featured image (c) Abigail Ford
