My pharmacist told me he couldn’t get my crucial epilepsy medication due to ‘problems caused by Brexit’ A young woman was told that there have been issues with supplies over the last month due to Brexit and that ‘it will probably get worse’

A young woman who suffers with a rare form of epilepsy could struggle to access crucial medication after her pharmacist told her that Brexit had caused complications and delays in the supply chain.

Chantel, a 23-year-old professional from London, was diagnosed with a rare form of frontal lobe epilepsy when she was in her teens after suffering from several seizures every night during her sleep.

Routine prescription

One of the complications with the form of epilepsy Chantel suffers from is that it appears to be drug-resistant but she has been prescribed oxcarbazepine which, despite not stopping the fits all-together, helps to alleviate her symptoms.

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She takes six tablets every day to reduce the number of seizures she suffers from and minimise the severity of them, and requires a repeat prescription every month.

“I have been on this medication for a year. It eases off the seizures and it does help to stop them, not completely but it stops the majority,” she said. “So it is very vital for me to keep taking the medication.”

After running out of her current dose last week she visited her doctor who, as is routine, sent a repeat prescription note to her usual pharmacy.

Supply problems could get worse

But when she went to collect the medication she was told that she would not be given it because there had been problems getting hold of the drug in the first place.



“The pharmacist said that they had received the notification [from the doctor] but they can’t get the medicine from the suppliers,” she said. “I asked why and he said: ‘Because of everything happening with Brexit, suppliers are finding it hard to supply your type of medication’.”

Chantel was told that there had been issues getting hold of certain types of medicine and that it was “very likely that it was because of Brexit” but was not given any specific details.

“He said he was working on it for me and gave me enough for a week but that was all I could have at the moment. He also told me it was going to get worse as the months go on so maybe I should change tablets.

‘Is Brexit going to start killing people?’

“But I said that I can’t really… It has taken so long to find the right tablets that changing would not be convenient.”

She said that the pharmacist told her that the main issues were with epilepsy medication, diabetic medication and heart medication.



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“It’s quite serious stuff. Is Brexit going to start killing people? Because the whole thing is stupid,” she said.

“I am generally not into politics because I don’t really understand what is going on and why they can’t fix it. But I am really shocked that something like this can happen.”

Chantel’s brother Anton returned to the pharmacy the following day to collect enough medication for her to last her a month but the pharmacist repeated to him that they had been struggling to get hold of certain drugs in recent weeks.

She is now concerned that she could be faced with the same problem again the next time she goes to collect her prescription.

Coincidental?

There have been reports of other people being told the same thing when they attempt to collect their usual prescriptions and taking to social media to express fears that Brexit is already causing shortages.

Amid concerns that the UK will not be able to secure a deal in time for the Brexit deadline of 29 March, hospitals and doctors have urged patients not to attempt to stockpile medication.

I was in a pharmacy the other day, and the discussion behind the counter was: “oh, the supplier hasn’t delivered. That’s strange. This one and also it was naproxilim [I think] the other day. Do you think” – a sort of dawning light – “it’s something to do with Brexit?” https://t.co/b09WEtldGN — Charles Arthur (@charlesarthur) January 16, 2019

And Government-published advice for preparing for a possible no deal has specifically requested that drug manufactures stockpile six weeks’ worth of medication as a precaution.

But when asked if this stockpiling could be the reason for the supply issues before Brexit, the Department for Health would not specify.



Read More How would a no deal Brexit affect people who rely on EU medicine?

In response to questions about this, a spokesman sent a generic statement reading:“Our number one priority is to ensure the continued supply of medicines and we work closely with industry and partners in the health and care system to help prevent disruption, including increasing UK supplies ahead of EU exit.

“We have well established processes to manage and mitigate the small number of supply problems that may arise at any one time due to manufacturing or distribution issues and this has always been the case – every day over two million prescription items are successfully dispensed in England.”

Global drug shortage

Experts from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society have suggested that drug shortages are not a new issue and is primarily down to manufacturing problems, exchange rates and global demand.

“Medicine shortages are an increasing problem and a range of factors are responsible for shortages, such as manufacturing problems, global demand for medicines and fluctuations in the exchange rate,” a spokeswoman said.

“Medicine shortages have been around for many years, and the situation will continue to be managed effectively and safely by pharmacists in collaboration with GPs.

“The RPS have been talking to the Government about contingency planning. The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer has outlined contingency protocols, guidance and legislation in preparation for a no-deal Brexit in a letter to all pharmacists.”

‘This is affecting people’s lives’

Anton said, however, that when he returned to the pharmacist the following day he was told that staff there were certain that the issue was linked to Brexit, although could not prove it.

“[The pharmacist] cannot directly link it to Brexit and they are not willing to talk publicly on this,” he said, adding that he also does not think it is just a coincidence that people are reporting such problems in the lead up to Brexit.



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“The medication is not totally stopping the fits so […] whilst the drugs are not long-term, they are controlling symptoms,” he said. “The fact that Chantel was told this is worrying because, although this medication won’t cure her, it was going some way to making it better.

“If there is now a shortage then there are people’s lives being put at risk here in my view. This is not about one person this is about many people in this country who are experiencing life-long conditions that require daily medication.

He said that he believes there is a “clear link” between people reporting that they are unable to access medication and manufacturers preparing for Brexit.

“You can keep talking about the macro issues of Brexit, which everyone is arguing about, but if you go into the micro issues these are affecting people’s lives,” he said.

The pharmacy in the report did not want to be made public and declined to give a comment to i

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