Australians with ADHD could face drug shortages for rest of year, TGA says
People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are being advised to contact their doctor as Australia's drug regulator warned a common medication used to treat the condition may be in short supply for the rest of the year.
Methylphenidate – known by its brand names as Ritalin, Ritalin LA and Concerta – is in short supply in Australia due to manufacturing issues, according to a notice from the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Wednesday, which advised people to speak to their pharmacist to help source their prescription.
ADHD drug shortages have been an ongoing problem in Australia for a number of months. But Prof Dave Coghill, Chair of Development Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, is warning people who live with ADHD not to panic, saying not all forms of ADHD medication are currently experiencing a shortage.
He said methylphenidate is only one of four medications used to treat ADHD, and even within that class of drug, there is not a complete shortage but a shortage of some brands at some doses.
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'The problem we have is the ones that are in shortage are changing constantly so it's very difficult to predict from one week to the next which medications are going to be available,' Coghill said, adding people who live with ADHD should speak with their doctor to work out a good alternative medication.
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects how the brain develops, processes and handles information. About one in 20 Australians have it.
'People who live with ADHD have problems in three main areas, which is difficulty with attention/concentration, focus and planning,' Coghill said.
'They often have problems with overactivity and restlessness … and they also often have impulsivity or impulsiveness.'
Coghill said medication shortages can be challenging.
'We've now got good evidence to show that the ADHD medications not only help you concentrate and focus but help you to stop and think before you act,' Coghill said.
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'So they don't just make people feel better, but actually they help people live safer, more productive lives, and ADHD medications are really a key to helping people manage those symptoms.'
A massive increase in demand globally for ADHD drugs as well as restrictions placed on the manufacture of one of the core ingredients by the US Drug Enforcement Agency has led to the shortages, Coghill said.
The TGA has convened a medicine shortage action group with health professional and peak body groups to help manage the ongoing shortages..
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