DOCTORS have been urged to dole out less prescriptions of Prozac – amid a nationwide shortage of the antidepressant.
Supplies of the drug fluoxetine, best known by its brand name Prozac, are running low due to manufacturing problems.
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It comes after NHS docs received a letter last week from The Department of Health telling them to contact their patients who take the drug to ask how many supplies they have at home.
According to the magazine Pulse, the letter said that any patient with enough pills to last until November should not be given a repeat prescription.
GPs have instead been given a list of alternatives including unlicensed 10mg capsules that are being sourced from abroad.
It comes after GPs prescribed record numbers of anti-depressants last year – with demand doubling in a decade.
Demand doubling
NHS Digital data shows medics issued 70.9 million prescriptions for antidepressants last year – at a cost of £203 million – compared with 36 million in 2008.
Marjorie Wallace, chief executive at Sane, said Brexit uncertainty may be fuelling rising demand.
The Department of Health said there would be supply problems with some doses of fluoxetine capsules until early November.
In the letter sent to GPs, they wrote: “Due to the long-term issues affecting fluoxetine 10mg, 30mg and 40mg capsules, we recommend the following actions be undertaken.
Worklpad pressures
“GPs and prescribers should identify all patients currently prescribed fluoxetine 10mg, 30mg and 40mg capsules.
“Early contact should be made with the patient or patient’s parent/carer to determine if the stocks at home will last until early November.
“If the patient has sufficient supplies to last them until early November, then no further action is required.
“These patients should not be issued with a repeat prescription during this period.”
GPs have now admitted their concern at the extra workload required to contact all patients on the antidepressant.
Stressful for patients
Professor Azeem Majeed, head of primary care at Imperial College London, told Pulse: “Contacting patients would be a lot of work for practices as fluoxetine is a commonly-prescribed drug.
“This illustrates how shortages of key drugs, as well as being stressful for patients, is also leading to extra work for practices and pharmacists at a time when they are already under considerable workload pressures.”
It is the latest in a series drug shortages, which have reached a peak in recent months due to a ‘perfect storm’ of production and manufacturing issues.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are aware of an issue with fluoxetine capsules from two UK manufacturers.
“However, supplies of alternative presentations of fluoxetine remain available from a number of manufacturers including the brand Prozac.
“We have been working closely with NHS England and national experts and have issued advice on management options to the NHS to ensure patients can continue to be managed appropriately during this time.”
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