Lisburn man calling for ADHD to be taken seriously amid medication supply issues

A man from Northern Ireland has called for ADHD to be taken more seriously amid ongoing supply issues with medication for the condition.

In September 2023, a National Patient Safety Alert was issued regarding shortages of certain ADHD medications, with hopes that supply issues would be resolved between October and December.

While some of the shortages have been resolved, the Department of Health said certain medicines are still in short supply across the UK. As a result of this, people across Northern Ireland have been finding it difficult to get medication for the condition.

Read more: NI woman diagnosed with ADHD at 46 starts support group

Read more: Petition for commissioning adult ADHD services in NI submitted to Stormont

ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a developmental disorder associated with an ongoing pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity. The symptoms can interfere significantly with an individual's daily activities and relationships.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Lisburn man Ryan Hendry said he has a two week supply left of his ADHD medication, methylphenidate, and is frantically trying to find a further supply. He has been trying various different pharmacies and keeping an eye out for any with a supply of the medication, but said this is proving difficult.

He said: "The lack of communication from the Department of Health on this has been shocking, everything I've heard has been from pharmacists. For example, in Lisburn the pharmacist I was talking to today told me the wholesaler who supplies all the pharmacists in that area is out of stock and they don't know where they're going to get it.

"I've spoken to a couple of families and for example in one of them, their daughter is due to do her A Levels and she's about to run out of medication, so they had to drive from Newcastle to Derry to get medication to get a two week supply."

Ryan is worried about what happens when his medication runs out if he can't find a renewed supply, as side effects of withdrawal can be debilitating. He is having to take alternative ADHD medications in the meantime.

He explained: "The way my medication, methylphenidate, works is that it builds up in your system over time. So I've been on it for 20 years now. I don't ever remember a time I haven't been able to get it, but a sudden withdrawal has really serious side effects.

"Whenever I've even went a day without them, I've suffered, I would suffer massive headaches and that's just within 24 hours of not having any. Insomnia is quite a common side effect of them, and acute depression is a well known side effect of a sudden withdrawal.

"At this point, I'm on this sort of perennial cliff edge, as I have about two weeks worth of medication left. It's at the point where you're having to go into the pharmacy and say 'can I get whatever you have?' I'm having to take alternative ADHD medications so I don't even know how they'll affect me, but its a better alternative than nothing.

"I was out on my lunch hour at work running around different pharmacies trying to get some medication, and contacting people who might know where to get it. It makes it hard to concentrate on my work, and if I do run out I'll not be able to go to work.

"I wouldn't feel safe driving without medication, I wouldn't trust myself to not get easily distracted. It just affects so many things in everyday life.

"Without my medication, it would almost be like short term memory loss as I get so easily distracted. It would be extremely debilitating, and it's very mentally tiring as well."

He is calling for the condition to be treated more seriously, as currently, there are no regionally commissioned ADHD services in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health previously said any decision to commission services in the future "will be based on an assessment of the level of demand for services, and in the context of future budget availability."

Ryan said: "The health minister has said ADHD services will be looked at if there's enough demand, but how many people is enough demand? You don't hear that with any other medical condition.

"My fiancé works for the health service as a midwife and she said for example if there was a shortage of say insulin or heart medications, there would be alarm bells going off everywhere.

"But with ADHD, I find the times when I've got through to GPs, they've been unsympathetic. If I can't get a hold of medication, they'll say you can do without it for a while. There's a real prevailing attitude among quite a surprising amount of people that it's not a real thing."

The Department of Health said supply of some ADHD treatments have now been resolved, but there are continuing ongoing disruptions across the UK. They said it's anticipated supply issues will be resolved by September.

In the meantime, they have advised anyone affected that their specialist time will be able to provide advice on management options.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: "While supply disruptions of some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatments have now been resolved, there continues to be some ongoing disruptions across the UK affecting various preparations and strengths of these medicines.

"Guidance, which has been agreed by the UK administrations, has been issued to healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland addressing the medicines affected by these disruptions.

"Currently, the anticipated resupply dates of products affected by these disruptions are expected to resolve between May and September 2024, depending on the strength and preparation affected. A list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products has been published to assist healthcare professionals on SPS website.

"Healthcare professionals can also register with SPS to access SPS medicine supply tool for information on shortages and resupply dates of affected products. Where patients with ADHD have insufficient supplies to last until the re-supply date, the patient’s specialist team will be able to provide advice on management options if the product cannot be sourced."

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.