Is there an ADHD medication shortage right now?

Supply varies by medication, by strength and by wholesaler, and it changes week to week. No public database publishes pharmacy stock levels in the UK, so no website can tell you whether a particular pharmacy has your medication today. This page shows how much of each ADHD medication England actually dispensed each month, down to individual strengths, which is the closest public measure of whether supply is flowing.

Can I check if my pharmacy has Elvanse in stock?

Not online. Pharmacy stock is not published anywhere publicly. The fastest route is to phone the pharmacy and ask what they can order from their wholesaler, which shows availability in real time on their side.

What is a Serious Shortage Protocol?

A Serious Shortage Protocol, or SSP, is a temporary measure issued by the Department of Health and Social Care that lets a pharmacist supply a different quantity, strength or formulation of a medicine without going back to your prescriber. SSPs are issued per product and expire. They are published by the NHS Business Services Authority.

What should I do if my pharmacy cannot dispense my ADHD medication?

Ask what they can order rather than what is on the shelf, ask which strengths they can get, and ask whether a Serious Shortage Protocol applies. If not, contact your prescriber, who may be able to switch you to an equivalent strength or formulation. Do not stop a stimulant abruptly without speaking to your prescriber first.

Supply briefing · England · NHS dispensing data

Your supply briefing.

Name: ADHD Medication Shortages UK: Live Supply Data
Creator: Matt
Published: 2026-08-01

Tell it what you take and it reads the NHS dispensing data for you.

May 2026 All ADHD medicines · 388,411 items Up 34% on a year ago

Your medication

Your strength · optional

Nobody publishes live pharmacy stock in the UK, so this can't tell you what's on the shelf near you. It reads what England actually dispensed, on data that runs two to three months behind.

Report 01 · The headlineLisdexamfetamine (Elvanse) · England

126,857

+50.2% on May 2025 Items dispensed in May 2026

Dispensing of lisdexamfetamine is at its highest level ever recorded. Supply, nationally, is flowing.

Jun 2024May 2026

Report 02 · Your strengthLisdexamfetamine (Elvanse)

Six strengths, one tap.

Pick your strength above and this report reads its line for you: items dispensed, growth on last year, and whether its share of all Elvanse dispensing is behaving.

25,253

+40.0% on May 2025 30mg items in May 2026

30mg is being dispensed in its usual proportion. When a strength goes short its share drops sharply, and that isn't happening.

Jun 2024May 2026

Your strength in teal · the other five ghosted

A straight answer about strengths.

Strength-level reporting is only honest for lisdexamfetamine right now, because other ADHD medicines split across brands with different release profiles. National and regional views cover every medicine.

This report returns when lisdexamfetamine is selected

Report 03 · Your areaLisdexamfetamine · NHS integrated care boards

Reading OpenPrescribing…

Fastest riseSlowest

Report 04 · Last time this happenedLisdexamfetamine · five years

49k

Aug 2023 · the peak

48,977 items, the record at the time.

35k

Dec 2023 · the low

Down 28% in four months.

8months

To a new record

Back above the old peak by April 2024.

The autumn 2023 Elvanse shortage is what a real break looks like in this data: serious shortage protocols in September, dispensing down by more than a quarter within four months, and a recovery timetable nobody could forecast in advance.

Jun 2021May 2026

Report 05 · Your daysADHDose · the app

This page reads the national data. The app reads your days.

If a shortage moves you to a different strength or brand, ADHDose recalibrates your curve to the new dose, so you can see what the change actually does to your day.

Download free →

At the pharmacy

Six things you can discuss with your pharmacist.

01 Ask what they can order, not what's on the shelf Pharmacies see live wholesaler availability. Out the back is often orderable for tomorrow.
02 Ask which strengths they can get If yours is short and a neighbouring one isn't, your prescriber needs to know.
03 Ask about a Serious Shortage Protocol An SSP lets the pharmacist adjust quantity, strength or formulation without a new prescription.
04 Take the prescription back You're not tied to one pharmacy. Ask for it back and try another branch.
05 Ring your prescriber about an equivalent Strength and brand swaps need a new prescription, and they're prescriber decisions.
06 Say something before you ration Tell your prescriber early if you're running low. Never change a stimulant dose on your own.

Written by Matt, founder of ADHDose Sources: OpenPrescribing / NHSBSA SSPs / NICE NG87 Data to May 2026