In this way, supply bottlenecks can cause problems for people affected by ADHD

“Currently unavailable at that time.”

These words came as a shock to Anina, who wishes to remain anonymous. Since the 28-year-old was diagnosed with ADHD three years ago, medication has helped her cope with daily life better.

The drug Elvanse from the amphetamine group has become your daily companion. “I have to take the medicine continuously so that the body does not get confused,” says Anina. After a break, she feels the side effects of the medication more strongly than normal for a few days.

In concrete terms, this means: nausea that lasts all day, inner restlessness all night long, not only when falling asleep, stomach cramps that occur several times a day.

The medications that Anina takes to treat ADHD have not been available for more than six months. The drug is only available in higher doses.

Fearing even more serious side effects, Anina tried to switch to other, low-dose preparations. But her body couldn’t tolerate this. “With other medications, I felt down, depressed, slept poorly, or could barely swallow a bite for several days due to nausea and loss of appetite.” So she had no choice but to take a higher dose of her previous medication.

The increased dose of Elvanse also causes her to suffer more from nausea and loss of appetite. “But at least I don’t get into a depressed mood.” And: at least she could work like that. Work in a loud, open office.

Colleagues who interrupt her work several times an hour, talk loudly next to her or walk past her with clicking shoes, all of which she would hardly be able to tolerate without medication. “At the end of the day, I would be so overstimulated that I would barely have the energy to pursue hobbies, do housework, or even get ready for bed.”

There is no ray of hope for Anina at the moment. According to pharmaSuisse, the availability of medicines can change from day to day. The Swiss Pharmacists’ Association confirms that the availability of AD(H)S medication is currently difficult.

This means that ADHD preparations have also joined the list of more than 900 medications that are currently no longer available. There is no improvement in the situation in sight. The problem of drug supply bottlenecks is now a global issue that will worry us for a long time, says the pharmaSuisse report.

The search for alternative medicines, which are usually more expensive, requires a lot of effort. In most cases, importing the medicines is not an option because they are also missing abroad. Many pharmacies have now started producing medicines themselves, for example by producing lower doses from active ingredients.

However, with Anina’s medicines this is not possible because it is a powder capsule that is designed so that the effect lasts for several hours.

So Anina has no choice but to hope that her medicines will be available again soon.