I'm partially disabled, suffer chronic pain from slipped discs and arthritis of the spine but still manage to work full time in the NHS in a medical job where I sit all day and I only work 9-5.
I take co-codamol and tramadol which keeps me going and I'm very careful how I take it, tramadol I only take at bedtime, one or two depending on how bad my back is so I can get off to sleep as by that time my spine is intolerable and co-codamol I take 2 four times day to keep ticking along.
I'm well used to it so it doesn't impair my ability to work in any way and I'm not doing any procedures that might be affected by this medication, I've discussed all this with my GP many times as you need to be on the ball in my job so I go for regular check ups to make sure I'm ok and safe to work.
Anyway I recently moved to another area and when I put my prescription order in for tramadol I was told by the prescription clerk I could only have half the amount I normally take per month. Bearing in mind I've never seen my new GP as I've only been here for a couple of months.
She said everybody on tramadol is getting their prescriptions cut as the GP surgery has decided they have been over prescribing analgesia.
I was stunned, in my 35 years working in the NHS I have never seen this happen. How can you just decide to cut everybodys medication without even a review appointment, I am absolutely raging.
Everyone is an individual and it is highly dangerous to just cut everybodys medication by half without a medication review!!
Now I'm ok as I've always had regular tramadol breaks to make sure I don't get addicted to them and can easily come off them without getting withdrawal symptoms but many on high doses are not.
Obviously I'm going to contest this decision as I think it's bonkers and/or the prescription clerk is muddled and I'm going in for a medication review that I have requested with my new GP to discuss this.
What I'm asking is has anyone else had this experience where the GP surgery has just made a global decision about prescriptions because I am really concerned about this.
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GPs cutting everybodys medication down.
10 replies
madcatladyforever · 18/01/2020 10:09
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