Shout out to all Flecainide Accord brand users

[secondtry]

This month my GP surgery pharmacy again couldn't supply the Accord brand Flecainide I have used for 10 years and loathe to change as it has been pointed out here that different brands can have different 'fillers' that can cause issues/AF.

Evidently the wholesaler says there is no future delivery date! Has anybody found out from the manufacturer or elsewhere whether this is a temporary problem?

Going on holiday next month and organising a conference as well, so do not want to change brands in the short term even if the long term it is necessary.

In the meantime I am chasing around Boots/Asda & independent pharmacies with paper scrips to pick up any remnant stock.

Any info welcome!

[jeanjeannie50]

See what strength of Accord Flecainide tablets are available (you don't say what strength you're on). Then either half the 100mg dose so you're getting 50mg, or if you can get the 50mg and need to take 100g take two 50mg tablets.

My GP prescribed a higher dose of certain pills for me and I now take a half tablet.

I used to call Accord often, asking about deliveries, sometimes they could look on their screen and see what depots had them. Then I'd tell my Pharmacist where they could be ordered.

Jean

[Teresa156]

Hi secondtry,

I’m sorry to hear about the shortage you’re experiencing- it’s a right pain when medication you’re taking suddenly goes out of stock, I’ve had it a few times over the past year for a couple of items.

Have you contacted Accord themselves? I must admit, I have contacted the makers themselves for a couple of items recently. One was HRT ( notoriously awful recently for going AWOL) and they gave me specific dates for when Wholesalers would get items back - and the other was contact lenses…I’d been waiting weeks for some trials and it turns out the optician hadn’t ordered them as there were no issues. It pays sometimes to go direct to the ‘horses mouth’ and find out what’s going on. Different wholesalers might also be getting them, you never know.

if you go on the accord website, look for a ‘contact us’ link or customer services. Most are usually quick to come back.

[opal11uk in reply to Teresa156]

I'm wondering if this is all down to Brexit because Disopyramide is manufactured in France!

[Thomas45 in reply to opal11uk]

I regularly get prescribed drugs made in France with no problems at all.

[kitenski]

have you tried any of the other brands whilst you still have some Accord left? Might be worth it as it could have zero difference?

[secondtry]

Thanks all for your suggestions, which I will follow up next time there is a shortage, evidently happening to many more drugs at present, I guess Brexit has something to do with that.

Any way having been told last Friday my GP pharmacy had none and the wholesaler had no new delivery date for them. I located one and a half packs at two different places to pick up today. So returned to my GP surgery today for the paper scrips to head off some miles away to collect the last few tabs.

Astonished when went into my GP surgery and instead of handing me the scrips they handed me the full allocation of the right Accord brand Flecainide with no explanation 🤩.

[Teresa156]

wow…something odd going on there then 😳 glad you got some!

[secondtry in reply to Teresa156]

Thanks, no one has time to explain what happened 🤔. So sorry I can't offer you guys any insights for the future.

[opal11uk]

This has now happened to me but with Disopyramide so waiting on the Cardiologist for an alternative drug. Ive been on Disopyramide now for 20 years so non too pleased. Contacted the Manufacturers and they say that the 250mg is not discontinued but they cannot give me a date when it will be released again,

[Andyb7612]

Hi there secondary, I also had the same problem 3 months ago , my gp told me the brand I was on which is called almus flecainide was not available , so I tried all the other local pharmacies who also could not trace me any either..so I had no choice as to go on the available alternative make , but luckily I have had no problems with them so far..I hope you get sorted , all the best andyb

[Speed]

Ha ha - if anything changes it must be because of Brexit! Confirmation bias?

From what I can establish, Accord Flecainide is Manufactured in Argentina.

Pharmaceuticals is rightly a highly regulated and compliance driven industry with very tight manufacturing - I formerly worked in the industry - resulting in occasionally manufacturing / distribution having to be suspended until none compliance issues are resolved. Some manufacturers may choose to cease production altogether due to commercial reasons. There is no indication that Accord supply is discontinued. There are lots of reasons why you may occasionally struggle to get your specific generic flecainide but fortunately there are a large number of alternatives authorised in the Uk.

My latest batch of Accord was from Lloyds Direct, despatched 27 July 23 with exp date 12/25. Manufaturing date therefore likely 12/22.

Hope you get your preferred brand soon.

Flecainide

[secondtry in reply to Speed]

Yes, back on track now 🫡

[LaceyLady]

OR even alternating with the brands?

[Sniggetts]

Gosh, I didn’t even realise there were particular brands of flecanide!

I just get flecanide and that’s what it says on the box. It does the trick , so guess I’m fortunate, probably the cheapest brand but as long as it works I’m happy 😊

[Qualipop]

Not Flecanide but I take Oxycodone; a specific brand. Tried all the others and had really bad side effects. I had the same problem in MAy when I ended up getting 2 bottles here, 1 bottle there from 3 different pharmacies. IT was weeks before it came back in stock. I'm still sorting out the mess because my GP forgot to cancel the original script and I ended up with double the mount. A class 1 drug of all things! I did find one really helpful pharmacist who told me he had several patients with the same problem and he'd found one specific brand that hadn't caused such bad effects so I tried i t and he was right. It wasn't perfect but it was ok. Maybe talk to the actual pharmacist and not just the sales person. With another tablet (I think it was furosemide) a pharmacist was able to tell me that a different brand was actually made by the same manufacturer and just packed in a different box under a different brand name but it was identical. Ask them to check the small print for the actual manufacturer rather than the distributor.

[LaceyLady]

Flecainide & Bisoprolol stopped working for me it appeared hence change to Dronedarone.

[Ersilia2]

Been a shortage here too,so Pharmacy is giving me Tamborcor, it’s the original brand same thing only more expensive