is this medical negligence??

[icannotdothis]

I am epileptic and after my 3rd child was born lastyear my epilepsy nurse changed my meds to sodium valporate

Since then i have suffered low mood and attepted suicide which was put down as PND

this year this felt so bad that i attepted to end it again twice ended up in a mental hospital on 3 ocassions and have generally had a tough 4 months

Now i have an appojntment with my new community mental health dr soon and i have started researching my medications as a suffer severe fatigue and what to change my meds to stop this

For me to discover that my epilepy meds the soduim valporate one of the main and moat serious side effects is thoughts of suicide, self harm and attempted suicide

Why has no dr picked up on this!!?? Not one and this all started when i changed meds!!!!!

I am going to demand a medication review ASAP

Is this medical negligence??? Should i complain to the nHS trust??? I feel so let down thia has ruinned my life at the moment

Sorry to hear this OP.

I certainly think you have every reason to discuss this with your GP and question why this wasn't detected before now. I assume your community MH GP wasn't the one who prescribed it? I'd discuss with him what he thinks, but I'd certainly consider taking action in light of the hell you've been through.

I hope you're ok now?

^agree

I think it depends on the rational for the change of medication and the information you were given before taking the medication. So if you were told that depression / suicidal thoughts were one of the side effects of the medication, then you made an informed choice to take it, then it probably isn't negligence. Also, if it's a rare side effect and there were other possibl causes (e.g proving that the medication caused the pnd) then this may be a factor which would be considered in a medical case.

I'm in no way an expert in these issues, so it would probably be better to complain to PALS in the first instance to investigate your case first, or find an expert to speak to.

valproate is often used by psychiatrists as a mood stabiliser so whilst it sounds as if it is sadly not the drug for you I don't think it's likely this could be construed as negligent

Sorry about spelling typing on the phone

Welshmoth :- thank you i am doing better :) now but to even think i could have gone through this because of medication and no.one knew or checked just shocks me

Also i can not just stop taking yhe medication will have to wait to review

The information sheet for sodium valproate suggests that it is a class effect, so applying to all anti-eplieptics, rather than just to sodium valproate.

It would be worth mentioning to the doctor that you see that it is something that you are concerned about, but you don't know for sure yet that this is the cause of your problems - depression is very common (and more so in people with epilepsy), but the incidence of suicidal ideation caused associated with sodium valproate is very rare.

I hope that you can get some answers to your questions from the people looking after you.

You poor thing - i don't have any expertise in this but i would definately be seeking legal advice if i were you. I hope that someone comes along who can advise more specifically, but maybe the citezen advice beaureau would be a good start and they can point you in the direction of a solicitor who specialises in medical claims.

I don't think it's medical negligence, sorry.

would you care to qualify that statement lyndie? only im not sure if it is or not, so didn't comment but i do think the OP deserves to be taken seriously.

Please don't miss understand me i am not looking to sue or anything i just wondered if others thought this issue should be raised with the trust

I will look in to PALS

I would be seeking medical advice, not legal advice!
All anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) have some heavy duty side effects, I do not believe your symptoms constitute medical negligence, though are clearly unfortunate.
I've just developed a stress fracture and may have reduced bone mineral density due to long term use of AEDs, it's nobody's fault.
Get a medication review ASAP, I hope you feel better soon.

Didn't the drugs come with a leaflet listing side effects?

I recently took something and within about a week of being on it I could feel myself sliding towards depression. This was one of the drug's listed side effects, although not the most common. But it clearly had that effect on me. It helped to know that it was chemically induced and not "real" iyswim. I stuck it out for a little while longer to see if it would stabilise, it didn't, it got worse day by day, so I stopped those drugs.

Apologies I thought you were looking for legal advice about making a claim for medical negligence. In which case you would have to prove that valproate caused your symptoms which would be difficult. It would be worth asking for a meeting with your HCPs to ask why they made the decisions they did about your treatment. Its always a difficult balance with medication, and predicting what would happen if you started something OR changed to something else. All the best.

This isn't negligence in the prescribing at least. You've been given a proven drug for your symptoms. There is no concrete way to link the drug to your worsened health and in fact you may have had PND. The only thing that I think does require further investifgation is why a medication review hasn't happened sooner. It sounds as if you feel that the medics have assumed you have only PND and not probed further. You could complain to the TRust and ask why you weren;t tried on another medication given the possible side effects of this one BUT that will take your time and energy and you may not get an answer you're happy with in the end. It's very hard to prove one way or the other whats happened - especially when you add the possibility of a condition as varied as PND.

Every single medication has side effects, and they affect people differently. Itis up to the patient to make the doctor aware of the symptoms you are experiencing. Doctors cannot know if they are not told, and also may need to be told a few times, then it is on your medical notes so that different doctors can check back

You are unlikely to get anywhere with medical negligence, I don't think you have a case. If the medication was changed initially, the the doctor had his/her reasons.

When on medication, keep a daily record of how you feel, symptoms, side effects etc so that you can track changes. This is really important. Doctors need feedback.

Hope you get better soon

My chemist always supply data sheets for every tablet they give me which explains all side effects and interactions with other drugs.

I also check on line for additional info so I am fully aware

well not really because the packet have leaflets in them which you are meant to read so you are pretty much at fault for not bothering to read up on what you are taking.

doctors cant be expected to remember every little very rare side effect in medications. take charge of yourself and dont expect everything to be done for you