ADHD drug shortage 'nightmare' for Kent families

The lack of certain drugs at pharmacies has left some waiting years for prescribed medication

Some people in Kent with ADHD say a shortage of vital medications is making life a "living nightmare".

The lack of medications at pharmacies has even left some people waiting years to get the drugs prescribed for them.

Some said they regularly have to ring dozens of pharmacies before finding their medication or drive up to 20 miles (32km) to collect treatments, while one person has resorted to paying £200 a month to get hers privately.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said that, while the majority of medicines were in good supply, it is working to resolve issues caused by complex and highly regulated global supply chains.

Hairdresser and single mother Tracy McKenzie has ADHD, along with her 10-year-old daughter and teenage son.

"My son is on a high strength of stimulant medication and without it becomes impulsive and aggressive," said Ms McKenzie, from Dartford.

"Every month I worry about trying to get medication for us all, which then impacts my own mental health.

"I phone many chemists within a 20-mile radius to find which has it in stock and pray that, by the time the doctor writes the prescription, someone else hasn't managed to get the last of it before me.

"It's a living nightmare."

Tracy McKenzie was diagnosed as having ADHD as an adult

Kent University student Zoe Horsham said her ADHD heightens her anxiety in public spaces, making it hard to leave the house.

She added that not being able to access medication earlier this year caused her "a great deal of distress".

As a result she had to consult a private clinic and pay £200 for a month's dose.

"Being a student it's not viable for me to keep paying that amount every month," she added.

Rainham's Nikki Negus has struggled for more than two years to get ADHD drugs for her 14-year-old daughter.

"We have to go to a chemist 20 miles away as local pharmacies don't ever have it in stock," she said, adding that even then it can be "hit or miss".

Another mother, who did not want to be named, said her daughter faces a 12-month wait for her medication, leaving her "unable to attend school and a depressed, anxious wreck".

And it is not just ADHD drugs - shortages of HRT for menopausal women and Creon, often taken by patients with pancreatic cancer, have also made the headlines in recent years.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We know how frustrating and distressing medicine supply issues can be for patients, and the pharmacists and clinicians caring for them.

“This government inherited a broken NHS alongside global supply problems that continue to impact the availability of (certain) medicines.

"We are working closely with the NHS, manufacturers and other partners in the supply chain to resolve current issues as quickly as possible.”