Access to melatonin, psilocybin and ADHD treatment is changing. Photo: AFP / File / RNZ illustration
Explainer - The government has changed regulations on several medications in the past fortnight.
Here's what you need to know about melatonin, ADHD medicine and medicinal psilocybin access.
What's happened with melatonin?
Melatonin, which is used to treat sleeping problems, has up until now been tightly restricted in New Zealand, unlike many other countries.
But it will soon be available over the counter at pharmacies, Associate Health Minister David Seymour said last week.
It will be available in pharmacies as pills up to 5mg in packs with up to 10 days' supply, or pills up to 3mg.
"Modified release doses" - pills, capsules, gels and medical devices which allow the drug to be administered over a specific period - could also be available with dosages of up to 2mg.
Melatonin will remain prescription-only for children and adolescents, "following expert clinical advice to ensure proper oversight when used by younger patients," Seymour said.
Melatonin is used to treat sleep disorders. Photo: Quin Tauetau/RNZ
What is melatonin, anyway?
Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland in your brain that helps regulate sleep cycles. It tends to decrease as we get older. Supplements are taken to help those with insomnia or other sleeping problems.
"Most countries in the world allow you to buy it," Seymour said, noting Kiwis would often buy it on trips overseas and take it back home despite it being restricted here. "That makes no sense."
One Auckland mother told RNZ recently that melatonin was "life saving" and a "game-changer" for her 10-year-old son with autism.
Still, not everyone is convinced that it works.
Studies have so far shown melatonin to be a "dud" in terms of effectiveness, Dr David Reith, an associate professor of pharmacology at the University of Otago, told RNZ last year.
"The studies indicate it gets you to sleep 15 minutes quicker. But not that it keeps you asleep, improves the quality of your sleep, or increases the amount of time you sleep."
Watch: David Seymour on changes to melatonin and psilocybin access
When can we get it?
It will take a little more time to see it on your chemist's shelf.
Seymour said he called on the melatonin manufacturers of the world "to apply to bring their products into our country."
"We are entirely dependent on the manufacturers to apply to have specific products available in New Zealand. The market dried up because it was so restricted nobody wanted to sell here.
"But when we did this with pseudoephedrine it was a matter of months before the products were on the shelves and I hope we can beat that record."
And what are the changes to ADHD medicine availability?
GPs and nurse practitioners will soon be able to diagnose and prescribe medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, to adults age 18 and over.
The changes affect the stimulant medicines methylphenidate, dexamfetamine and lisdexamfetamine, also sold under various brand names. Medsafe and Pharmac announced the changes on Tuesday.
Until now, it has required a written recommendation from a psychiatrist or paediatrician to start prescribing ADHD medications, a process which can take months.
"I have heard stories of many people with ADHD who have been unable to get a diagnosis and treatment in a timely manner because of long wait items and costs associated with seeing a specialist," Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said in announcing the change.
Children and teenagers 17 and younger will be able to get prescriptions from nurse practitioners who work in mental health services as well as psychiatrists and paediatricians.
Dr Anna Skinner, the Chief Clinical Advisor for Primary Care at Health New Zealand, told Checkpoint that the change would help eliminate barriers for people to get treatment.
"People have been accessing private psychiatry at considerable personal costs," she said.
Ritalin is one of several drugs that treat ADHD. Photo: CC 2.0
When will the ADHD prescribing changes happen?
Health agencies have set the start date at 1 February 2026 to address potential supply issues related to methylphenidate or Ritalin, and to give more time for workforce preparation.
However, not all GPs and nurse practitioners will be equipped to carry out the work immediately, so it will be important to talk to your physician about your options, Pharmac said.
The assessments will not be done in your typical 15-minute GP visit and will possibly require multiple visits to specialised staff, Skinner said.
"It's certainly not a 15-minute diagnosis so it's not something that everybody will be able to access the morning after the changes."
In making the announcement Doocey said it was important to have consistency as the policy changes.
"The Ministry of Health is working with sector representatives to develop a clinical principles framework for the assessment and treatment of ADHD. This will ensure there is quality and consistency for supporting patients with ADHD in New Zealand."
Psilocybin, a chemical from certain mushrooms, has been used to treat depression. Photo: Pixabay
And what's this I hear about magic mushrooms?
Psilocybin is a chemical obtained from certain kinds of mushrooms. It's been used in spiritual rituals, recreationally and as medicine over the years - and picked up the tag "magic mushrooms".
It's also become a possible treatment for depression, as psilocybin is believed to interact with serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which regulates mood and other bodily functions and is sometimes called "the happiness chemical".
It will still be an unapproved medicine but available for clinical treatment for the first time outside of trials.
"Psilocybin is a medicine that can treat untreatable depression," Seymour said in making the announcement.
"It was first researched in the 1950s and '60s and more recently there's been extensive research and approvals by the FDA in the United States to be able to use these types of medicines."
Australia made a similar move to allow prescriptions of it in clinical settings two years ago.
However, initially its use will be very limited in New Zealand.
Who will be able to prescribe them?
Only one person at the moment in all of New Zealand - psychiatrist Dr Cameron Lacey, based in Christchurch.
Speaking to RNZ recently he said it had taken "a long time, a lot of energy and perseverance" to get to the approval stage, which had taken around four years.
The treatment isn't cheap in other countries, however - Dr Lacey said it could run from NZ$16,500 to NZ$40,000 for the course of psychotherapy and psilocybin sessions. He hoped it would be cheaper when it comes to New Zealand.
"I'm hopeful we can work with Health New Zealand to create a funding pathway for those who have failed to respond to current standard treatments and endure significant symptoms to be able to get access to this treatment."
The latest data from the New Zealand Drug Foundation shows the use of psychedelics - which includes substances such as LSD, psilocybin and ketamine - has doubled in the past six years.
Dr Lacey will operate under strict reporting and record-keeping requirements, Seymour said. He hoped more psychiatrists would apply to use it.
"If a doctor believes psilocybin can help, they should have the tools to try."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
