A national shortage of epilepsy medication is putting patients’ safety at risk, consultants have said.
Medical professionals are becoming genuinely concerned as ever more frequent supply issues continue to bite tens of thousands of sufferers.
According to the Epilepsy Society charity, over 600,000 people in the UK have the condition, or about one in every 100 people.
Among them is Charlotte Kelly, a mother of two living in London who has had epilepsy for over 20 years. She must take two tablets a day to manage her condition but issues with supply have forced her to start rationing her medication.
Speaking to Sky News, Ms Kelly told us of the fear surrounding the restricted access to the medicate she needs to survive.
“I’m scared. If I’m truly honest, I’m scared knowing that I might not get any medication for a few weeks, or a couple of months, I just don’t know when.
“It’s scary to know that I have to worry about getting hold of medication. I do believe that something needs to happen very quickly because even if it’s pre-ordered there’s no guarantee you’re going to get it.
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“The anxiety of worrying about if you’re going to get your medication builds up and the worry alone can cause seizures.”
It’s added worry knowing her chances of having seizures increases her reliance on her 14-year-old daughter who often has to make the 999 calls to get help for her mum.
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She was due to get a renewed supply in December to get her through the next two months.
But there’s no guarantee of when any of it will next be in stock.
“I get very, very frustrated. There’s times when I’ve had to call five, six different pharmacies and the more you’re calling, and you’re not hearing what you need to hear.
“You’re getting more and more frustrated and then you’re getting upset and it’s like where do we stand? Epilepsy is a very, very, very common condition.
“Over 600,000 people in the UK alone, have epilepsy. And when but yet we feel like we are just a hidden condition.
“People just don’t understand that if I don’t have my medication I could have multiple seizures, and that could lead to hospitalisation, and at worst case, death.”
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain and causes frequent seizures.
It can start at any age, but usually starts in childhood or in people over 60.
Seizures are bursts of electrical activity in the brain that temporarily affect how it works. They can cause a wide range of symptoms.
Symptoms include:
• uncontrollable jerking and shaking, known as a “fit”
• losing awareness
• becoming stiff
• strange sensations, such as a “rising” feeling in the belly, unusual smells or tastes, and a tingling feeling in your limbs
• collapsing
Seizures can be triggered in numerous ways including flashing lights, sleep deprivation, misuse of drugs or missing medications.
The condition affects more than 600,000 people in the UK.
Kay Dhillon, a pharmacist in west London, showed me the near-empty cubby hole and cupboard which is usually full of epilepsy medication as she told Sky News she started noticing products were flagging and being out of stock three weeks ago.
She describes it now as being at crisis point.
Image: London pharmacist Kay Dhillon
“It is a crisis. You don’t know how many epilepsy fits or tablets the person can have or how severe their epilepsy is. Because obviously, they’ve been taking it every single day for so many years and it just stops one day, or even if they miss a dose, it’s a big deal.”
Ms Dhillon says she has been given no indication of when the drugs will be back in stock.
She says she’s been managing so far by helping patients access resources shared between four pharmacy branches but says everyone’s supplies are running low.
“It seems like it’s a manufacturing issue. Obviously, patients are asking – how can you not know when it will be back in stock?
“It’s a shame because patients rely on you for this and they shouldn’t have to go looking around for their daily medication.”
Speaking to Sky News, Professor Ley Sander, director of medical services at the Epilepsy Society, says the supply concern is not just on the minds of patients but those in the industry too.
“It might be that we need a strategic reserve for storage of drugs, we might have to bring drugs over from other parts of the world to avoid this from recurring.
“We’re not at that point yet, but this is an urgent issue.”
In a statement provided to Sky News, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We understand how frustrating and distressing the possibility of medication shortages can be and are aware of supply issues with the epilepsy medicine carbamazepine. These have been communicated to the NHS, with information and advice provided on how to manage patients affected by these issues.
“The department is working closely with suppliers, NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the devolved governments and other stakeholders to ensure patients continue to have access to the treatments they need. Through this work, problems with carbamazepine should be resolved by early February.”
It is those like Charlotte who are left bearing the brunt till then.
A man has died after suffering cardiac arrest onboard a boat attempting to reach the UK.
The vessel turned back towards Equihen beach on the French coast yesterday morning.
A nurse tried to resuscitate the man but was unsuccessful.
Image: Pic: PA
French authorities have now launched an investigation into the circumstances.
A spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, has criticised authorities on both sides of the Channel.
Jacob Burns said: “Yet again we have a tragedy in the Channel, that is the consequence of the deadly, costly and ineffective security policies implemented by the UK and France.”
Image: Pic: PA
Later on Saturday, a lifeboat carried migrants who have made the voyage into the Port of Dover.
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Photographs showed them huddled under blankets and orange life jackets on board.
“The opportunity of tomorrow and what’s on offer is the best thing in football,” the England captain said. “I think we don’t necessarily carry the weight of it and how much it means to people, but we’re aware of it because it means the same to us.”
So often they were only watching other nations making finals.
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England’s first was the men winning the 1966 World Cup.
Image: England manager Sarina Wiegman reacts to defeat against Spain at the Women’s World Cup final in 2023. Pic: Reuters
Image: Lauren James looks dejected after their World Cup defeat, but is confirmed fit for Sunday’s revenge match against Spain. Pic: Reuters
Now, in Basel, comes the chance for revenge against Spain – even though no one in the England camp is saying that, publicly at least, in Switzerland.
Especially knowing how challenging a task it is coming up again against Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putella – the recent winners of football’s biggest individual honours.
Image: England fans celebrating after England beat Italy to reach the finals. Pic: Reuters
Image: Given England’s history against Spain, it could be a nerve-wracking time for England fans. File pic: Action Images/Reuters
But this is Spain’s first Euros final.
And there is some fear from the world champions at England’s grit and resolve to produce comebacks late in the quarter-finals and semi-finals – with 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang’s goals integral to the fightbacks.
Image: England celebrate their semi-final win against Italy to reach the finals. Pic: Reuters
Image: Michelle Agyemang has propelled England to the Euro 2025 final with two vital goals. Pic: AP
Spain captain Irene Paredes reflected yesterday on how the Lionesses can flip a result late on.
But she was also discussing how their World Cup win was tarnished by the on-pitch kiss that led to former Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales being convicted of a sexual assault on striker Jenni Hermoso.
It sparked a wider clamour in Spain for improved rights and respect for women.
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Spain’s players struggle for respect
“Since then [2023] we took big steps forward,” Paredes said.
“I think this idea is disappearing from society. I still believe we have to continue opening doors… we’re a reference for boys and girls in society, but we still have things to do.”
It is a reminder that while tonight is about collecting silverware, both England and Spain know that emerging as champions can drive further growth in women’s football back home.
Amid it all, they’ll try to savour just what reaching a final means and how rare they are – until recently for English and Spanish women.
A woman who thought she was being injected with Botox was left unable to swallow and doctors thought she had suffered a stroke – after she contracted a life-threatening illness from a potentially illegal product.
Nicola Fairley is one of dozens of people who have developed botulism linked to unlicensed anti-wrinkle injections.
She had the procedure done with her regular beautician after winning a Facebook competition for three areas of “Botox”.
Image: Nicola Fairley
“Within two or three hours my forehead and the sides of my eyes had started to freeze,” Nicola says.
“At first I thought ‘amazing’, that’s what I wanted – then it just carried on.”
Nicola was eventually sent to A&E in Durham, where she met several other patients who all had similar symptoms.
Doctors were stumped. “They thought I’d had a stroke,” she says.
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“We all had problems with our eyes, some of us with our breathing. I couldn’t swallow – they put me on nil by mouth because they were worried I would choke in the waiting room.”
Image: Doctors were worried Nicola could choke after she was injected with a suspected illegal product
It turns out all of the patients had recently had anti-wrinkle injections containing botulinum toxin.
Health officials believe they were imported, illegal products.
Botulism – the disease they caused – is so rare many doctors never see it in their entire careers.
It can cause symptoms including slurred speech and breathing problems, and can be deadly.
The disease is so unusual, and so many cases were coming in, that doctors exhausted their stocks of anti-toxin and had to ask hospitals as far away as London to get more.
The UK Health Security Agency has so far confirmed 38 cases of botulism linked to cosmetic toxin injections, but Sky News has been told of several more.
The outbreak began in the North East but cases have now been seen in the East of England and East Midlands as well.
There are only a handful of legal botulinum toxin products in the UK – of which Botox is one.
But cosmetic treatments are largely unregulated, with anyone allowed to inject products like fillers and toxins without any medical training.
Cheap, illegal products imported from overseas are easily available.
Image: Dr Steven Land
‘It’s the Wild West’
Dr Steven Land runs Novellus Aesthetics clinic in Newcastle upon Tyne. He worked for decades as an emergency medicine doctor before moving into aesthetics.
He says he has been warning health officials of an outbreak for years.
“It’s the Wild West,” Dr Land told Sky News.
“Because anyone can do this, there is a lack of knowledge around what is legal, what’s not legal, what is okay to be injected.
“These illegal toxins could have 50 units, 5,000 units or rat poison – there could be anything in there.”