Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Service
The Leeds Adult ADHD Service provides specialist assessment and management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults.
ADHD affects 2-4% of adults and can cause significant issues for people living with the condition. Fortunately, effective treatments are available.
Our service provides assessment for people over 18 years old with suspected ADHD. A diagnosis can usually be made after 1-2 appointments with one of our clinicians. Following diagnosis, treatment is offered in the form of medication and non-drug related approaches such as group psychoeducation* and work to develop new skills.
*Psychoeducation means supporting service users and their family members about the nature of an illness or condition, how to treat it and live well with it.
Where medication is required, this typically requires several appointments with a clinician to get to the most effective dose.
Once a diagnosis has been made and treatment started, this treatment is then continued by your General Practitioner (GP) under a Shared Care Agreement. Our service will do an annual review of your treatment to ensure that it remains indicated and appropriate.
Our service is run by a small but dedicated team. We do not currently have sufficient resources to meet the demand for our service which is resulting in lengthy waiting times. We are trying to address this and apologise for the issues this may cause you. Read more about our waiting times on this page.
Shortage of medicines for ADHD (updated January 2024)
There is a national supply shortage of the medication prescribed to help manage ADHD symptoms. This information has been produced to help our service users and their carers understand the shortage and how it may impact them.
What service users can do
We are asking you to:
- Check how much medication you have.
- Make sure you order your next supply in plenty of time.
- Only order medicine that you need, to help pharmacies manage supplies. If you over order and stockpile, this can make supply issues worse.
- Try a few different pharmacies in your local area if you cannot obtain your prescription from your usual pharmacy. You can search for your nearest pharmacies on the nhs.uk website.
This information includes information to help you:
- Manage your supply of medicine so that you are less likely to run out.
- Reduce your dose safely if you are unable to get your medicines.
What medicines are affected by the shortage?
Methylphenidate
- Equasym XL® 10, 20, and 30mg capsules
- Xaggitin XL® 18 and 36mg prolonged-release tablets
- Concerta XL® 54mg prolonged-release tablets
- Xenidate XL® 27mg prolonged-release tablets
Lisdexamphetamine
- Elvanse® 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70mg capsules
- Elvanse® Adult 30, 50 and 70mg capsules
Guanfacine
- Intuniv® 1, 2, 3 and 4mg prolonged-release tablets
Atomoxetine
- Atomoxetine 10mg capsules
- Atomoxetine 25mg capsules
- Atomoxetine 40mg capsules
- Atomoxetine 60mg capsules
Other ADHD products remain available. They may not be suitable for everyone and may not be able to meet the increases in demand. Unfortunately, there may be unavoidable gaps in your treatment.
For service users and carers: we have compiled a Frequently Asked Questions document which has more detail on this issue.
For primary care colleagues: we have produced information on the management of ADHD medication shortages in this document.
The West Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership has also produced a Frequently Asked Questions information page that has more details on its website.
The medication shortage is placing our service under additional pressure, meaning that we can’t carry out some of our usual activities. Whilst we are supporting individuals manage during the medication shortage we aren’t able to do some other tasks such as assessments and offer clinic appointments.