00:00There's quite a complicated path for ADHD medicines to get to us as prescribers and
00:08consumers in Australia.
00:11It starts in the US, where the raw ingredient for these medications is actually restricted.
00:19The amount that's given to companies who make and sell the medication is restricted by the
00:25DEO.
00:26And what's happened is as the demand for these medications has increased, the supply of
00:33the raw ingredient hasn't.
00:35So the companies that make ADHD or one of the ADHD medications, methylphenidate is its
00:42name, are currently unable to meet the demand.
00:48So not all ADHD drugs are in short supply?
00:51No.
00:52And that's really important.
00:53People shouldn't panic about that.
00:56We have four different types of ADHD medication.
01:00And it's just one of them that is currently in shortage.
01:05That's the medication that's most usually prescribed to children and adolescents.
01:12And as you get older, the type of medication prescribed switches.
01:17So it becomes less of an issue, but still an issue for a large number of Australians, the
01:23older that you get.
01:24Sure.
01:25So what can you do if you can't get your particular medication?
01:29Yeah.
01:30So of the medication that is in shortage, there's more than one brand.
01:36And the different brands have different properties.
01:39So, for example, some of them last for four hours, some for eight hours, some for 12 hours.
01:45Now, most adults, for example, would be on a long-acting medication because that's a lot easier to manage.
01:53It means you don't have to have additional doses during the day.
01:57For them, they may need to switch from one brand to another.
02:02And so it may not change the medication you're taking, but it will change the pattern that you have to take that medication.
02:10And as long as your prescriber, as long as your doctor or nurse who's prescribing understands the medication well, then, although it's less convenient, it shouldn't have a clinical effect on you if you change from one to the other.
02:27Right. So who should people go to, then, if their pharmacist says they're out of a particular drug?
02:31Should people call up their psychiatrist, their GP, the practice nurse, as you say?
02:38So whoever's actually writing the prescription for you, and there's quite a lot of restrictions on who can write prescriptions for different medication.
02:48So the person who's prescribing, the person who's helping you with that medication, the first person you should speak to.
02:56And do you have any indication when this issue may be resolved?
03:00Well, they're telling us December.
03:02We know last year we had one of the other ADHD medications that was problems with availability for quite some time.
03:11When the TGA, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, told us it would be back, it was back.
03:20So I've got my fingers crossed that December is when we're looking at.
03:23But remembering that not all of the different brands are out of stock and it changes over time as to which brands you can and can't get.
03:33So I'm hopeful that most people will not need to change medications.
03:39OK.
03:40Dave Coghill, great to talk to you. Thank you.
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