Scotland's Supplies Of Prescription Co-codamol Limited Until June

Supplies of prescription-strength co-codamol will beryllium constricted until nan summer, nan Scottish authorities has confirmed.

A UK-wide shortage of nan strongest shape of nan painkiller - nan 30/500mg dosage - is ongoing owed to nan Indian authorities delaying nan authorisation to import ingredients required to make nan supplier there.

The Scottish authorities told BBC Scotland News replacement curen options will beryllium offered to those affected by nan shortages.

However immoderate wellness boards has warned that while different medicines are available, nary of them tin prolong nan full uplift successful request that is expected.

BBC Scotland News has been contacted by group who trust connected nan drug, but person been informed by doctors it will not beryllium disposable until June.

Jocelin Harrison was contacted by NHS Lanarkshire past week and told to statesman reducing her tablets by 1 a week to "avoid broadside effects of stopping suddenly".

She has been taking nan medicine for complete 30 years to thief her header pinch nan symptom caused from 5 spinal surgeries.

She said: "The only proposal I've been fixed truthful acold was to trim nan tablets and effort to negociate my withdrawal symptoms.

"I was not offered immoderate different proposal aliases imaginable replacement symptom killers and it's a awesome interest for maine and different chronic symptom sufferers passim Scotland and nan UK."

Co-codamol contains nan addict codeine and tin beryllium addictive.

It comes successful 3 different strengths - containing either 8mg, 15mg aliases 30mg of codeine, arsenic good arsenic 500mg of paracetamol.

The lowest spot tin beryllium purchased from pharmacies but nan others request to beryllium prescribed by a doctor.

Patients person been warned to gradually trim their usage of nan painkiller arsenic stopping altogether tin bring connected withdrawal symptoms for illustration headaches, nausea and sweating.

It tin besides origin an summation successful symptom for group who usage nan supplier nan most.

A informing on NHS Lanarkshire's website says that "there are different strengths of co-codamol tablets but location are not capable supplies of these to move everyone onto them."

It adds that each patients - isolated from patients having curen for crab - should commencement gradually reducing nan number of tablets they return until stopping completely.

No caller patients will beryllium prescribed co-codamol until supplies statesman to return to normal successful June, though nan wellness committee added that this day cannot beryllium guaranteed.

Alternatives to co-codamol

NHS Grampian has listed a akin message, saying pharmacists should "use master judgement to prioritise stocks and quantities supplied to patients."

However it stops short of nan NHS Lanarkshire guidance that group presently taking nan painkiller should statesman cutting back.

BBC Scotland News understands that delayed authorisation by nan Indian authorities regarding imports of codeine-based progressive pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) - which are required for co-codamol - has led to nan proviso issues.

The Scottish government's main pharmaceutical serviceman Alison Strath said: "Medicine proviso is simply a matter reserved to nan UK government. We are alert of constricted supplies of nan commonly prescribed pain-relief medicine co-codamol and cognize this whitethorn origin immoderate concern.

"Supply issues are expected until June 2026 and we are successful regular interaction pinch nan UK authorities to activity assurances they are doing each they tin to resoluteness this.

"We person issued proposal to wellness boards to guarantee patients affected person meticulous accusation and clear advice.

"We would inquire that patients do not interaction their GP believe aliases organization drugstore – instead, activity is underway to place those who whitethorn beryllium affected, and they will beryllium offered replacement curen options."

The UK government's section of wellness and societal attraction said nan "vast majority" of licensed medicines were successful bully supply.

A spokesperson added: "We are alert that co-codamol tablets are presently successful constricted proviso owed to manufacturing issues, and are moving intimately pinch suppliers to resoluteness existent disruptions and guarantee continuity of supply.

"We are besides engaged pinch NHS master clinicians and person issued broad guidance connected really to negociate patients during this time, including proposal connected replacement preparations."

Generic, non-branded medicines, specified arsenic co-codamol 30/500mg are usually manufactured successful China and India, pinch recent stats by nan shaper Actiza saying it exported products to complete 200 countries crossed nan world.