Receiving Adderall from US

Hello all! Long time listener first time caller here!

I moved to Manchester September '09 on a student visa. While I was at my last university in Miami we discovered I had mild ADD. I moved to the UK with 2 months worth of Adderall that lasted me all 6 months of uni!

Now uni has started back and I'm Adderall-less and there's a noticeable difference in my studying this year compared to last. Now I'm back home for Christmas and I plan on getting a refill, but because its regarded as a controlled substance I'm only able to get one month at a time (unless someone knows of anyway I can get more, legally of course)

My situation is that the NHS doesn't recognise adult ADD as an actual diagnosis and Adderall isn't a licensed drug in the UK. If you can find a doctor that will recognise adult ADD Adderall then costs hundreds of pounds to get from some pharmacy in Marble Arch. 

So is anyone at all clued up on the legality of sending prescriptions from the US to the UK or know how I can possibly get more than one month supply while I'm here on holiday?

Thanks so much for you responses in advance and happy holidays whereever you are in the world!

Have you spoken with your doctor at home? I was able to get extended prescriptions from my doctor on some meds as a "travel" prescription. That might work for you.

Try calling your insurance company and explaining the situation - they may be able to lift the restriction on only allowing you one month's worth, provided your doctor has written you a prescription for enough months. You can also ask your pharmacy to call your insurance company if they're willing. I've only done this with birth control, so I don't know how easy it will be with something regarded as a controlled substance, but it's worth a try.

At the same time, I was unable to get enough pills to cover the whole time for that period I was in the UK, so I had my mum pick up my prescriptions and post it over. She was a bit sneaky and posted it over with a box of other things so as to get through customs a little easier, which probably isn't the best method, but it worked. I've no idea on the actual legalities of shipping prescriptions from the US to the UK, though.

Hi!

I work in a pharmacy and thought I'd let you know. You can call your insurance company and speak to them. It's easier on the pharmacy, that way you are able to explain your entire situation and if they ask personal information that way you'd be on the line. However, I know that here there are no refills allowed on a controlled substance. I would speak to your doctor and see if they would be alright to write a prescription for you monthly if the insurance company won't allow for more than a month supply, and have your mum pick it up for you and then figure out if you can get it mailed to you? I would check into how that would go through customs though. I just know it's a LOT easier for you to get ahold of your insurance company yourself

Maybe I'm a hippie (I get called that a lot, but I'm really not. I just like evidence!) but I take a supplement that helps and I have a few friends that have ADD and use it instead of Adderall. My husband is very ADHD (and a whole 110 lbs- all energy!) and he likes it to study. Its called Kratom. It the extract from a small tree that grows in south asia- related to the coffee plant. In large (and I mean large) doses it acts as an opiate, but in smaller doses- one or two teaspoons of the powder- it is mood enhancer/energy supplement. It is basically a natural Adderall. It does not make you jittery or loopy or anything (Its not one of those herbs... I really am not a hippie.) but it helps you focus and work. I cant stand the taste of it - which I think is like trying to chew a multivitamin- so I put it in little capsules and they are easier for me to carry with me too. Its pretty cheap if you make the pills yourself.

Maybe you could use that as a temporary solution? I know a few countries in the EU have banned it though- or maybe it was just Denmark...

Oh found the wiki page- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kratom (ftp://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kratom)

My advice also is, when you get back here, contact the US Embassy and explain the situation to them and they may even have a list of American doctors, in London particularly, you can go to who MAY be able to prescribe Adderall for you and can easily get it shipped over for you!!

I know, its a total pain over here!! When we lived in the USA my son, who was about 6 at the time was diagnosed with ADHD/Tourettes and he was first prescribed Ritalin, then they found out that it was no good for him and in the end after a lengthy stay at the Generose Hospital at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, he was eventually prescribed Clonidine and Wellbrutrin and then when we returned back here to the UK to live we could never find those 2 drugs, as we thought we could, but Ritalin was readily available, and yet for a lot of ADHD patients it just doesnt work for them and theres a lot of serious side effects associated with Ritalin!!!

The thing is hes 24 now and even after also being diagnosed with slight Asperges Syndrome, they dont even want to treat him or prescribe meds for him here for those illnesses cos hes an adult!!! If he was properly treated here and prescribed the right meds here, he probably would b able to find a suitable job for him but hes on benefits here and wasting all his talents and gifts, which a lot of these type of people have despite their illnesses!!!

It sux here!!!!

Mancmiamian,

You are probably stuck with buying Adderall from a UK pharmacy.

I would not try to ship it and "hope it gets through customs".  If you import/possess a controlled substance without the proper legal (medical) documentation, then you are importing/possessing an illegal substance.  Shipping Adderall in a box unannounced would be, from a legal standpoint, more akin to sneaking in cannabis than sneaking in birth control pills.  If you make an effort with HM Revenue and Customs to obtain permission, I wouldn't be surprised if you're just directed to the processes they already have in place, which they have already vetted and control, namely, using the importer(s) they have already given permission to.

In the US, three entities have to agree to prescribe more than an one-month supply: your doctor, your insurance company, and the pharmacy.  I would be surprised if you ever have all three agree to give you several months' supply based on a stated reason of enabling you to ship the medication out of the country to bypass the cost of export/import controls.  Unusual prescribing practices being flagged by the DEA and lack of knowledge of UK law are just two of the reasons why I think you won't get much help from America.  I could be wrong here--I'm just saying that I would be surprised to be wrong here.

Having an American doctor in the UK prescribe Adderall will not get you around the issues above.  Such a doctor will either simply use a DEA number to have it dispensed from an American pharmacy, or a GMC number to have it dispensed from a UK pharmacy, and all of the country-based legal/financial barriers will apply.

Your best bet is to concentrate your efforts as follows:

1) Find a doctor familiar with Adderall and its use in adult ADD/ADHD.  For a doctor to be familiar with it, they need to either have experience using it (likely an expatriate doctor in the UK), or have been well-read on its use (likely an NHS consultant psychiatrist affiliated with a major teaching hospital.  A start: http://www.uhsm.nhs.uk).

2) Obtain documentation from your American doctor detailing why he/she has diagnosed you with adult ADD.  This letter should be on letterhead with all possible contact information for the practice included, and if the doctor listed his/her state license number on it, that would be a bonus.  The more well known (internationally) the practice, the better, so a letter from Mayo Clinic or a university-based practice would be a bonus.  In the case of your illness--because of controversy that exists in the medical literature regarding the diagnosis/existence of adult ADD--this letter should also go into detail as to the criteria used by your doctor to give you this diagnosis.  Also, because you will be requesting a controlled substance, this letter should be sent directly from your American doctor to your UK doctor, as a copy from your hands will be viewed as having the potential of being altered.

You are seeking a controlled substance with abuse potential for a diagnosis that many practitioners either believe doesn't really exist or cannot be reliably diagnosed.  Many entities on either side of the pond will think of how to limit their professional risk in helping you, so you're going to need to have a lot of patience and play by the rules to maximize your chances of receiving help while you're in the UK.  Keeping this in mind when you deal with people regarding your situation will serve you well.  Good luck.

Hello! I know this is an older topic but the earlier posts are still relevant. I am having similar troubles about finding medication. I ran out weeks ago after being prescribed for the past four years.

I may have a bit of information on the subject but am also looking for more help.

A regular GP is not allowed or able to prescribe Adderall because the generic (amphetamine salts) or an equivalent does not exist within the UK.  The medications used in the UK to treat ADD and ADHD are generic and are called dextroamphetamine, methylphenidate and atomoxetine. The NHS only recognises ADD or ADHD in children, and will usually only prescribe it to people under the age of 16. They may only be prescribed to adults in the UK by a specialist, not a GP. You must be referred first by your GP to a specialist, unfortunately even if you have your medical records from the United States.  A GP is simply not permitted to write prescriptions for such medication.

Your GP may want to retest you for ADD or ADHD, and will have to apply for the public funding to do so. Even if they recieve the funding, and then test you, they will still have to forward the results to a specialist.  The specialist may still want to test you themselves. Therefore, it may be wisest to have your GP book an appointment with a specialist directly and just wait for the testing then.  It is also important to consider if the specialist is a private practice as well as the time it takes to complete these appointments.  Once you see your specialist, it is up to them what type of treatment you should receive.

There isn't much your doctor or pharmacy can do in the US.  And DO NOT mail a controlled substance, it's a federal offence.  Check with the UK Home Office for more information. I called them from the phone number listed on the website.

The Home Office said that your UK doctor can 'source' the medication and import it from the US for you to pick up in the UK. But I think this still has to be done through a specialist.

Does anyone have any more information? I'm not a doctor, I'm only repeating what I've been told.  Also, I'm on a spouse visa. Will I be allowed to use public funds if they are through the NHS? I wouldn't want to jeopardize my next visa application.

Thanks for any input!

I don't know if this will help you or not, but I have seen people get a three month's supply of Adderall at one time by using mail order. I used to run a dr's office in Texas and we did mail order prescriptions for Adderall all the time. Sometimes you have to argue with the insurance company as to whether or not the script for three months is allowed, but in the end it is legal and they always fill it. Good luck! I know that I was definitely missing my Adderall when I moved over there.

Thanks for the quick response! My only issue is that I don't have insurance in the US and in the UK I use the NHS... Do you have any recommendations as to who I would contact or any next steps?