ADHD drugs shortage fuels online black market

The tablets are on sale on Telegram, an encrypted app

Drugs used to treat ADHD are being openly traded in "potentially lethal" doses to UK buyers on encrypted apps, a BBC North West investigation has found.

Criminals are cashing in on a national shortage to offer the prescription tablets in a secret mail-order service.

The BBC found an unregulated online market stacked with medication which high street chemists were struggling to stock.

It is feared patients are turning to the black market in desperation, but one psychiatrist has warned some of the drugs could contain other potentially harmful chemicals.

Thousands of people with ADHD have been unable to get prescribed medication amid a major supply shortage.

The BBC has heard how the situation has left children and adults in limbo and with the shortage set to last until December many are believed to be turning to illegitimate traders to help treat the condition.

The BBC found several marketplaces on the secret messaging app Telegram with evidence batches were being sent to UK buyers.

One, which the BBC is not naming, offered "pharmacy-grade" pills to treat ADHD with the phrase #noshortage.

The seller, who claims to be based in the UK, posted: "Anyone struggling or having a hard time getting your hands on specific meds and can't afford to purchase then I am more than happy to help you through your hard times.

"I will send meds upfront only on sensitive cases."

What is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? (ADHD)

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a condition that affects people's behaviour

• People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse

• Most cases are diagnosed when children are under 12 years old but sometimes it is diagnosed later in childhood

• However, on other occasions ADHD was not recognised at all when someone was a child and they are diagnosed later, as an adult

Source: NHS England

The seller shared videos of envelopes packed with tablets - addressed to buyers in Manchester, Reading and Northern Ireland - next to pieces of paper bearing the vendor's trade name and date.

Also on offer were pictures of a range of anti-anxiety and sleeping pills - including a "street benzo" known as benzocaine, a local anaesthetic, which sparked an alert form Public Health England.

The BBC contacted the vendor and asked to buy three types of drugs to treat ADHD.

The seller told us a minimum order would cost £120 and would contain about 40 pills.

Asked if we were buying from the UK, the seller replied: "Yes, UK-based," adding: "If you are ready to I'll need you to make payments by bitcoin and provide your delivery details."

Experts have said black market anti-anxiety tablets are often mixed with more dangerous substances

The BBC took these findings to Dr Morgan Toerien, associate specialist in mental health at Beyond Clinics in Warrington, who said: "A lot of these drugs are potentially lethal, not just dangerous - particularly if you weren't used to taking them and if you took a higher dose.

"During my work in illicit drug treatment, we've tested people alleged to have taken a lot of the drugs seen on this channel and they don't actually contain what they say they do."

He said people could be taking a tablet purporting to be to treat ADHD, but could be "far more dangerous".

Dr Toerien said: "These black market sellers are taking advantage of people who are vulnerable and desperate.

"They know how to exploit that and they are so good at creating blister packs and boxes that look like the real thing.

"There are so many risks to getting involved in these kind of transactions."

Dr Morgan Toerien said the tablets could be "potentially lethal"

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has a criminal enforcement unit which is investigating a number of suspected prescription dealers.

In June, Kieron Banks, 24, from Wolverhampton, was jailed for five years for illegally possessing prescription-only medications with intent to supply.

More than 23,000 sleeping pills were discovered along with evidence showing banks had received more than £2m from the sales.

In March, the Crown Prosecution Service said Marc James Ward, 36, Christopher James Kirby, 35 and Thomas Russell Durden, 36 were jailed for a total of 20 years for using the dark web to distribute counterfeit Xanax.

Alison Cave, MHRA chief safety officer, said: "Medicines approved in the UK to treat ADHD are prescription-only medicines.

"You should always obtain these medicines from a pharmacy and only when prescribed by an authorised healthcare professional.

"Buying such medicines from any other sources increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not licensed for use in the UK.

"Products purchased in this way do not meet our strict quality and safety standards, and taking such medicines may put your health at significant risk."