Thousands of people living with ADHD could be left without medication due to a national shortage of certain drugs.

The NHS issued a national patient safety alert in September about a shortage of some drugs used to treat the condition.

These include some formats of the most prescribed drug for ADHD, methylphenidate hydrochloride, alongside all lisdexamfetamine and guanfacine medication. The NHS previously said there is also a shortage of some types of atomoxetine.

Some 5,650 patients were prescribed one of these drugs in some form in the former NHS Sussex integrated care board in the three months to June.

Henry Shelford, CEO of the ADHD UK charity, said medication is "life-changing" for those with ADHD and taking it away can have disastrous consequences for individuals with the condition.

He said: "The NHS should have realised that this was happening and had a plan in place. Instead, people are only finding out when their pharmacy can't supply. They've been left stranded with no support.

"Medication is carefully given with dosage and type worked out over months. The idea it can be chopped and changed is wrong.

"This is devastating for individuals across the country and will be life-changing for some. People with ADHD are being let down by the NHS – this is just the latest way in which we are being failed.”

Across all forms of ADHD medication, 6,248 patients were given a prescription in Sussex in the three months to June.

This was a rise from 5,049 patients during the same period last year and a jump of 73 from 3,605 in the spring of 2020.

The shortages are expected to be resolved between October and December.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "We are aware of supply issues affecting medicines used for the management of ADHD due to increased global demand, and we have issued communications to the NHS to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients during this time.

"We continue to work closely with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the UK."

The ADHD Foundation said roughly 200,000 of an estimated 2 million UK citizens with the condition are receiving medication.

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Tony Lloyd, CEO of the charity, said ADHD has been significantly underdiagnosed, particularly among women.

He attributes the increase in prescribing to "rebalancing" this underdiagnosis.

However, he said: "Medication should not be used in isolation and should form part of a range of strategies and lifestyle choices to manage ADHD successfully."