A commonly prescribed antidepressant is out of stock in Britain, health chiefs have warned.
Venlafaxine tablets, used for treatment depressionfear and even menopausewill not be available in a 75 mg dosage until November.
The drug is available in different doses and is prescribed more than eight million times each year across Britain, according to the most recent data available.
However, officials from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have warned there is now a shortage of them.
It comes after a turbulent summer of medicine shortages in Britain, which has been labeled a ‘national crisis’ by pharmacists.
DHSC officials said new prescriptions for 75mg venlafaxine should not be issued until the shortage ends.
The warning concerns so-called immediate-release tablets, which are prescribed for more serious mental health problems. These pills work quickly and are taken twice a day.
Immediate-release venlafaxine is not as widely prescribed as so-called modified-release versions, which are taken once a day and work by releasing the drug into the bloodstream more slowly.
A commonly prescribed antidepressant is out of stock in Britain, health chiefs have warned
Some forms of controlled-release venlafaxine medicines could be used to support additional demand for the medicine, the DHSC said.
These include the 37.5 mg, 75 mg and 150 mg capsules, as well as the 75 mg tablets.
However, they warned that other types cannot be prescribed to help.
These include 37.5 mg immediate-release tablets, as well as 37.5 mg, 150 mg, 225 mg and 300 mg modified-release tablets.
The 225 mg and 300 mg capsules may not help either, nor can the 37.5 mg/5 ml and 75 mg/5 ml liquid versions.
Venlafaxine is a so-called selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or SNRI for short.
SNRIs are thought to work by increasing levels of mood-controlling chemicals, serotonin and norepinephrine.
When effective, the drugs are said to reduce the stress levels and negative thoughts associated with conditions such as depression and anxiety.
The drugs differ from other popular antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which work by merely increasing serotonin levels.
A person may be given an SNRI if the SSRI has not been effective, or has responded poorly to SSRI side effects, for example.
According to DoseTrend, which tracks NHS prescribing data, more than eight million prescriptions for venlafaxine have been written in the last 12 months.
The majority – around 6.5 million – was provided in England.
Venlafaxine is also used to treat hot flashes and night sweats in menopausal women because the chemicals it targets can help control temperature.
Experts have previously warned that access to other medicines in Britain is at its most vulnerable point in years, putting patients at risk of stroke, heart attack and seizures.
“These shortages are among the most serious Britain has ever seen,” said Oliver Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association.
‘Our drug market has never been more volatile, with patients and primary care providers finding themselves at the sharp end of events beyond their control.
‘It is very disturbing to see patients who have traveled from pharmacy to pharmacy to find the medicines they need without success.
“While drug shortages are frustrating and concerning, it is clear to us that in some cases they pose a serious risk to patient safety.”
Ade Williams, lead pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy in Bristol, said the lack of medicines had become a ‘national crisis’.
There are currently shortages in the UK of a range of medicines including ramipril, propranolol, estradiol, creon, co-codamol, diamorphine and cefixime.
