Concerta and Teva shortage-
Request for alternative prescription
Shortage of Concerta & Teva XR-slow release over 12 hours- alternative medication options
There is a nationwide shortage of all strengths of long-acting (i.e. slow release over 12 hours) Methylphenidate medications Concerta and Teva XR.
The earliest estimated availability is not expected until December 2025.
(The other 12 hr Methylphenidate brand XR ARX has been discontinued.)
The following information and services are for patients currently under the care (for ADHD) of paediatricians associated with Prosper Paediatrics:
Please complete the Script Request Form below.
Your provider may be happy to issue a new prescription without an appointment or may require a brief video appointment if no other review is needed at this time.
Scripts are to be provided as eScripts wherever possible.
Video Appointments for new scripts:
To advise on and issue alternative scripts, your paediatrician may need to see you and your child in a Video Appointment, especially where there are questions or concerns or previous problems with medications.
The following paediatricians will require a short Video Appointment with all their patients for all new scripts:
Dr Marianne Yanni
Dr Rishi Agrawal
Dr Rebecca Holst
Video Appointment fee for new script:
The associated paediatricians have advised that brief appointments of at least 5 minutes will be $74.25 and will be fully rebated if Medicare requirements have been met. Medicare requires that your child is present and participating for the duration of the appointment. Fees for longer appointments will include a gap, and your paediatrician will determine this fee. Each paediatrician has many patients who will require new scripts and will endeavour to fit these consultations in. Prepayment of fees may be required, but if the appointment is longer, you will be required to pay the additional amount at the conclusion of the appointment
Scripts Request Fees are normally payable at the time of the Request
unless an appointment is certainly required
this is a non-rebated script fee to process the request and provide a new prescription.
The fees are listed in your provider’s Fee Schedule. This is routinely included in Booking Emails. Please let us know if you need us to send the Fee Schedule Link to you.
To commence the processing of yor request, please phone the rooms to pay the applicable Script Request Fee. Alternatively, you can email a copy of your bank’s remittance advice of the fee payment to your provider.
Where prescriptions are required urgently and within 24 business hours (3 business days), an extra fee will be charged.
If your doctor, at their discretion, declines to issue the script, needs to complete the request in an appointment or waives the fee,
any script fees you have paid will be changed to an Account Deposit and applied to contribute to the payment of the fee for your child's next appointment unless there are no further appointments scheduled.
Dr Yanni and Dr Agrawal’s patients may be required to pay the expected appointment fee at the time of booking, especially where appointments are scheduled outside normal business hours.
Please ensure you check your repeats before submitting a script request to avoid an unnecessary Script Request Fee:
You can check the number of repeats left either on the medication packet or at a pharmacy. The Script Request Fee will be applied to this service notwithstanding that a script could not be supplied because current repeats were available.
Further Information about checking Repeats is available here.
ADHD Medication options while Concerta is unavailable:
Methylphenidate formulation options
Ritalin LA/Rubifen LA (Methylphenidate slow release over 8 hours)
Ritalin LA/Rubifen LA topped up with afternoon short-acting (methylphenidate) Ritalin/Artige.
The biggest anticipated issue is the shorter action duration, potentially requiring an afternoon top-up of half a short-acting Ritalin to allow 12 hours of coverage.
Methylphenidate short-acting (Ritalin/Artige) 2 or 3 times a day, such as at 7.30 am, 11.30 am & 3.30 pm.
This link provides a table of some suggested Methylphenidate medication combinations to substitute for Concerta.
Lisdexamfetamine. Vyvanse, is
an alternative stimulant class of medication with similar action to methylphenidate;
has a 12-hour duration and similar side effects;
is available in capsule form but can be opened and dissolved in liquid;
is available in 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 mg sizes.
There is no direct conversion from Concerta/Teva dosing. It is metabolised to the active ingredient by the body, so dosing is generally worked out with trial and adjustments to reach a satisfactory management plan, starting with 20 mg and building up as needed.