Corrected 27 October 2026: this page previously said a prescriber's request could be used for Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs. It can't.
The rule that matters
Regulation 225 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 lets a pharmacist supply a medicine you already take, without a prescription, in an emergency. But it excludes controlled drugs in Schedules 1, 2 and 3, and so does regulation 224, the separate route for when a prescriber asks the pharmacy. The only exception under either route is phenobarbital for the treatment of epilepsy.
If your medicine is in one of those schedules, no amount of explaining will change the answer at the counter — the pharmacist is not being difficult, they are being lawful. You need a new prescription. Go to NHS 111, your out-of-hours GP service, or your specialist team.
What can and cannot be supplied
| Category | Examples | Emergency supply possible? |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule 2 controlled drugs | Methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, dexamfetamine, morphine (except the low-strength oral liquids below), oxycodone, methadone, fentanyl | No — not even at a prescriber's request; you need a new prescription |
| Schedule 3 controlled drugs | Tramadol, buprenorphine, temazepam, midazolam, pregabalin, gabapentin | No — not even at a prescriber's request, except phenobarbital for epilepsy |
| Schedule 4 and 5 controlled drugs | Most benzodiazepines such as diazepam and lorazepam, zopiclone, and low-strength preparations in Schedule 5, including low-strength oral morphine liquids (0.2% or less, such as morphine sulfate 10mg/5ml oral solution) | Yes — up to 5 days' treatment when you ask yourself |
| Prescription-only medicines that are not controlled drugs | Insulin, inhalers, levothyroxine, antidepressants, blood-pressure medicines, HRT | Yes — up to 30 days' treatment when you ask yourself, with the exceptions below |
Schedules can and do change — pregabalin and gabapentin only became Schedule 3 in April 2019 — so if you are unsure which applies to your medicine, ask the pharmacist. They will know immediately.
The medicines with their own quantity rules
Some medicines are named in the regulations with a specific quantity rather than the general 30-day limit, because packs cannot sensibly be split:
- Insulin — the smallest pack the pharmacist has available.
- An inhaler for asthma — the smallest pack available.
- An ointment or cream — the smallest pack available.
- An oral contraceptive — enough for a full treatment cycle.
- An antibiotic in liquid form for oral use — the smallest quantity that provides a full course.
Practically, this means someone who has run out of insulin or their preventer inhaler is in a much better position than someone who has run out of ADHD medicine: the pharmacy route is open to them.
If you have run out of ADHD medicine
This is the most common version of this problem, partly because ADHD medicines have been in repeated national shortage. Two different things can be going on, and they need different responses.
- You have run out and need a prescription. A pharmacy cannot make an emergency supply, whether you or your prescriber asks. Contact your prescriber for a new prescription, or NHS 111 out of hours, and be ready with the exact product, strength, formulation and when the next dose is due. If your treatment is managed under a shared-care agreement with a specialist, say so — it changes who needs to act.
- You have a valid prescription but no pharmacy has the product. That is a supply problem, not an emergency-supply problem. Check the national picture on the ADHD medication shortage page and use the stock checker to build a call list, then ask whether a Serious Shortage Protocol applies to your exact product.
If you have run out of insulin
Go to a pharmacy without delay. Insulin is not a controlled drug, the smallest-pack rule exists precisely for this situation, and pharmacists take running out of insulin seriously. Take the pen, cartridge or vial, or a photo of the label, so the exact product and strength are unambiguous — insulins are not interchangeable and getting the specific product right matters.
If you have run out of an opioid or another Schedule 2 or 3 medicine
Contact a prescriber for a new prescription straight away rather than travelling to pharmacies. Out of hours, that means NHS 111, which can route you to an out-of-hours GP service or urgent treatment centre where someone can assess you and prescribe. If you take opioid substitution therapy, contact your treatment service — they have arrangements for exactly this and missing doses matters clinically.
Why a prescriber's request does not change the answer
There is a second emergency-supply route. Under regulation 224 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, a pharmacist can supply at the request of a prescriber who, because of an emergency, cannot give a prescription straight away, provided the prescriber sends one within 72 hours. But regulation 224(5) carries the same exclusion as a request from a patient: it does not cover Schedule 1, 2 or 3 controlled drugs, apart from phenobarbital for epilepsy. Neither route is open for these medicines.
What works is a new prescription: from your GP or specialist, from an out-of-hours GP service or urgent treatment centre through NHS 111, or, if you take opioid substitution therapy, from your treatment service. That is why the fastest path for a Schedule 2 or 3 controlled drug is "get a prescription", not "try another pharmacy".
Questions people ask
Can a pharmacist give me an emergency supply of ADHD medication?
No. Most ADHD stimulants — methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, dexamfetamine — are Schedule 2 controlled drugs. Regulation 225 does not permit an emergency supply of a Schedule 1, 2 or 3 controlled drug at a patient's request, and regulation 224 excludes them in the same way when a prescriber asks. You need a new prescription: contact NHS 111, your out-of-hours GP service, or the specialist team that manages your treatment.
Can I get emergency insulin from a pharmacy?
Insulin is not a controlled drug, so a pharmacist can consider an emergency supply in the normal way, provided the usual conditions are met. The law sets a specific quantity for it: the smallest pack the pharmacist has available. Go to a pharmacy promptly rather than waiting — and if you have symptoms of very high blood glucose or diabetic ketoacidosis, treat it as an emergency and call 999.
Which controlled drugs can be supplied in an emergency?
Only those in Schedule 4 or 5. If you ask the pharmacist yourself, the most they can supply is 5 days' treatment. Schedule 1, 2 and 3 controlled drugs are excluded whether you or a prescriber asks, with a single exception: phenobarbital, which may be supplied for the treatment of epilepsy.
Are pregabalin and gabapentin controlled drugs?
Yes. Both were reclassified as Class C controlled drugs in Schedule 3 on 1 April 2019: Class C by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2018, and Schedule 3 by amending regulations to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (with matching Northern Ireland regulations). That means a pharmacist cannot make an emergency supply of either, whether you or your prescriber asks, which surprises a lot of people who take them for nerve pain or anxiety. You need a new prescription.
Can I get an emergency inhaler?
An inhaler for asthma is one of the medicines named in the regulations with its own quantity rule: the pharmacist supplies the smallest pack available. Ask promptly rather than waiting until you have none left. If you are having an asthma attack — struggling to breathe or speak, or your reliever is not working — call 999.
What do I do if I have run out of my opioid painkiller?
Strong opioids such as oxycodone and most forms of morphine are Schedule 2 controlled drugs, and tramadol and buprenorphine are Schedule 3, so a pharmacy cannot make an emergency supply of them, whether you or a prescriber asks. Contact your prescriber for a new prescription, or NHS 111 out of hours, and explain what you take and when the next dose is due. If you are dependent on an opioid, say so — abrupt withdrawal is a clinical issue in its own right and services take it seriously. The exception is low-strength oral morphine liquids (0.2% or less, such as morphine sulfate 10mg/5ml oral solution), which are Schedule 5, so the 5-day limit applies to them.
Related pages
Emergency supply: the full guide
Both routes, the quantity limits, the costs and the out-of-hours plan.
Pharmacist emergency supply rules
The three things a pharmacist must be satisfied of, how much they can give, and why they sometimes say no.
Can NHS 111 prescribe?
What 111 can and cannot do about a prescription, and what it actually does when you say you have run out.
Out of hours, weekends and bank holidays
Where to go when your GP surgery is shut and the usual pharmacy is closed.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The devolved emergency supply services and how they differ from England.
111 online emergency prescription, step by step
The NHS 111 online emergency prescription service: what it asks and what happens next.
Emergency supply by medicine
Inhalers, insulin, epilepsy, antidepressants, HRT, the pill and ADHD medicine: what you can get for each.
How much an emergency prescription costs
NHS 111 referral vs walking into a pharmacy, who pays nothing, and how to pay the least.
Forgot your medicine away from home?
On holiday or staying away: any UK pharmacy can help. How to prove what you take.
Medicine stock checker
National shortage status plus a call list of nearby pharmacies.
Track your medicine free
Get an email if your medicine enters or leaves a national shortage. Free, and alerts are rare — that is good news.
Track a medicine free →Written by the MediWatch editorial team and checked against the official sources above on 27 October 2026. This page is information, not medical advice. Always follow your pharmacist, GP, specialist, NHS 111 or urgent-care advice for your own medicine. Report an accuracy issue.
This page was written by the MediWatch editorial team and checked for accuracy against NHS, NHSBSA and legislation.gov.uk guidance. Shortage information comes from official DHSC medicine supply notifications and NHSBSA Serious Shortage Protocols. See our editorial policy and data sources.