Who can prescribe ADHD medication in BC if my family doctor retired and I am waiting a long time for a new GP?

, but no clinic is required to continue stimulants just because you are unattached. This is a British Columbia pathway, not a national rule. , a physician registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, including doctors working in walk-in clinics or Urgent and Primary Care Centres, and a nurse practitioner registered with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives who meets that college’s controlled-drug prescribing standards, may prescribe drugs they are authorized to prescribe. Many ADHD stimulants are federally controlled drugs, so extra prescription rules apply and a clinician may decline if they cannot take on monitoring. HealthLink BC says walk-in clinics provide non-urgent assessment and treatment, and that people waiting for attachment should register on the Health Connect Registry and can use walk-in clinics, Urgent and Primary Care Centres, pharmacies, and 8-1-1 in the meantime. FasTreat also offers private online ADHD assessment and ongoing care, depending on your needs and clinical assessment. References: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/bcs-primary-care-system/provincial-attachment-system https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/prescription-stimulants.html https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87/chapter/recommendations https://www.fastreat.com/en/adhd-faq

Different experience, also just mine. I brought my old prescription bottles and a private assessment to an Urgent and Primary Care Centre, and a nurse practitioner agreed to continue my existing dose while I wait for a family doctor. They asked a lot of safety questions and said they might not adjust the dose. My friend’s walk-in would not do the same. Coverage and clinic policies are not the same everywhere, even inside B.C.

This is only my personal experience in B.C., not a province-wide rule. After my GP retired I went to a walk-in with my psychiatrist letter and they would not start or refill a stimulant. The receptionist said their doctors do not take on ADHD prescribing for unattached patients. I am still on the Health Connect Registry. I am not saying every walk-in will refuse; this is just what happened to me.