There is currently a national shortage of ADHD medication. The supply disruption of these products is caused by a combination of manufacturing issues and an increased global demand of these medications.
We are expecting supply issues to continue into December. We will update our website regularly with any information we receive regarding supply.
When a child or young person is prescribed stimulant medication for the management of ADHD (e.g. Medikinet XL, Equasym XL, Delmosart, Concerta XL, immediate release methylphenidate etc) it is always advised by the clinician that they should take frequent breaks from their medication to assess efficacy, most children and young people should be used to taking breaks from their medication.
Guanfacine (Intuniv) should not be stopped suddenly as it can cause the child/young person to experience high blood pressure. Subsequently we would ask that you contact us if your child is currently on this medication and you have not already spoken to your paediatrician about this by telephoning 01276 454 141 or 01276 454 140 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Children and Family Health Surrey, along with Mindworks Surrey colleagues, are working hard to ensure parents/guardians and schools have support available through this challenging time.
We understand this is an extremely worrying time for parents and carers and would urge you to take a look at the information and resource page for Neurodevelopmental needs on the Mindworks Surrey website which has recently been updated, has lots of helpful strategies and interventions to support ADHD symptomology as well as some medication advice under the ADHD section.
If you do need any support for your child’s behaviour, you can telephone the Mindworks Surrey out of hours advice line on 0300 222 5755 between 5pm and 11pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year.