Hi Katy,

you wrote:
> I have a student from  the States who is on medication for ADHD
> and pain control. He says he has been told that the medication he
> takes is not available on prescription here. Can anyone confirm this
> or tell me where I can find out? His American Drs are prepared to
> send it to him if necessary but I am presuming that it would not be
> allowed through Customs?
> 
> Wellbutrin SR 150mg capsules, Adderall XR 20 mg capsules,
> Oxycontin 10 mg
> 
Again a reply from someone who is not a doctor, however...

Wellbutrin SR in bupropion hydrocloride. In the UK this is available under
the brand Zyban® (GlaxoWellcome) at 150 mg strength. In the UK its mostly
used to help people give up smoking. The SR stands for slow release so it
might be advisable to check if this is also the case with the Zyban.
(source of info BNF43 http://bnf.vhn.net/bnf/documents/bnf.1049.html)  

Adderall XR is the recently introduced slow release form of Aderrall which
is a combined medicine, but amphatamine based. ("A single entity 
amphetamine product combining the neutral sulfate salts of dextroamphetamine
and amphetamine, with the dextro isomer of amphetamine saccharate and d, 
l-amphetamine aspartate"). The main reason for its introduction was that 
the original Adderall was about to go out of patent. Adderall is made by a 
UK-based company (Shire). It can be obtained on prescription in the UK.
The instruction for getting it are complicated "Adderall is now available in
the UK though only on the same basis as Ritalin SR i.e. your pharmacist has
to fax your prescription to BR Pharma on the following number
(UK Only), 020-8441 0374 (Tel:020-8364 9823). BR Pharma then deliver to the
pharmacist the next day. Also, only packs of 100 tablets are available in 
both 5 and 10 mg doses.

(information from the ADDers site (http://www.adders.org/info24.htm)

OxyContin is oxycodone hydrochloride. In the UK it is listed as for use 
or "moderate to severe pain in patients with cancer; postoperative pain". 
In other words its a very strong painkiller. 

OxyContin® (Napp) at 10 mg strength is listed in BNF as a prescription drug
(see http://bnf.vhn.net/bnf/documents/bnf.946.html)  
However as a morphine salt it is subject to the prescription requirements of
the Misuse of Drugs Act. Misuse of oxycodone as a 'recreational' drug is 
very much a live issue in the USA.

So your student /should/ be able to get hold of these drugs through a GP in
the
UK, if he were able to provide sufficient supporting evidence that they are
appropriate to his or her needs. However at least two of these drugs are 
potentially 'drugs of misuse' so I'm sure that a GP would need to understand

why they have been prescribed such a potent brew. I would have thought that
in the circumstances they would also prefer to be in touch with a
fully-informed
health professional in any event.

regards,
--
Toni Roome
Disabilities Co-ordinator
School of Computing & Engineering