To be shocked at the attitude of this doctor

[ScrambledEggAndToast]

Over the last few weeks my epileptic seizures have started back up with a vengeance after settling right down. I had one today at work at in suddenly occurred to me that this all started when the pharmacist gave me the generic medication rather than the brand name of my medication that I usually have.

Anyway, I managed to get an emergency appointment today at the GP and was pleased to get one with my usual GP. However, as soon as I said what I wanted she started being so utterly rude, I was absolutely shocked. She kept firing all these questions at me which I was unable to answer due to the confusion that I was feeling after the seizure. Normally, the doctor just put the name of the medication and the pharmacist gives me the correct one (different companies make it). However, she kept barking at me, "what's the name of the one you have", "different companies charge more, I need to know"

However, I don't know why she needed to know as I. The 2.5 years I have been going there, the docs have never done this before. They have just put the medication name and the pharmacist has sorted out the rest. She then started saying I was attacking her (verbally, not physically). My mum was there and can vouch I was perfectly polite. In fact, I was so weak from the seizure I didn't actually say much. At one point I didn't think she was actually going to give me the medication

Sorry for the rant. I feel very stressed now and was just so shocked by her attitude. She is normally so lovely and I just couldn't believe it.

Well done to you Writer for standing up for yourself and getting the treatment that you deserve. Sadly, people with epilepsy seem to get a raw deal a lot of the time I've found because so many medical professionals don't seem to have a true understanding of it. The issue surrounding the meds is just one thing but trying to explain a complex partial seizure to a GP who has never heard of it is trying.

I think what a lot of people, medical or otherwise, don't appreciate is that when most people with epilepsy are fine, they are perfectly OK assuming that they have no other health conditions. However, the epilepsy is always there in the background meaning there are lots of things you have to be careful with and activities that are too dangerous to do. The last thing that anyone with epilepsy needs to a mess up with the meds to mess things up. I had no idea the generic meds would do this, the pharmacist said they would be fine as they still had the same active ingredient. Well after three seizures in three weeks since starting them I can say otherwise

infinitySeven
"if I know how expensive I am and how much I cost the NHS, and she often asks if I'll give generic medication a go. "

There is nothing wrong with asking you to try a generic but to tell you "how expensive you are" is a disgraceful way to behave.

They say generics are all the same but in my experience there can be a difference between different generic brands and of course the 'brand' brand.

The Op went to her GP stating that she has had poor seizure control for a number of weeks since a medication change. I would assume that she would have told the doctor that she had a seizure that day and was therefore post ictal. A little understanding from the GP would have been more appropriate than the reaction that she received .
Mumbanator this comment
'sounds like she was having a bad day and perhaps didn't register that you were post-ictal. '
has really upset me and really says all that is wrong about the care of people with epilepsy in this country. Was it acceptable for a healthcare professional to 'have a bad day' which reduced her ability to assess her patients condition and go on to have a little rant. I think not.

I am a healthcare professional and the parent of a child with epilepsy. I am sick of healthcare professionals cover up their lack of knowledge about the illness with anger and accusations which leads to poor and inappropriate care.

In saying this you are attempting to minimise what was a very upsetting event for the OP and very poor conduct on behalf of the GP.
Have a look at the Epilepsy 12 clinical audit that was released recently. Healthcare professionals in the UK need to step up and provide appropriate , uniform care for people with epilepsy in this country. Epilepsy is far more prevalent than type 1 diabetes yet it is constantly put on the back burner
www.rcpch.ac.uk/epilepsy12.

Let's all stop making excuses for our poor treatment of people with epilepsy, we need to step up and educate ourselves and put proper services such as epilepsy specialist nurses in place in all areas. Maybe then we would actually also save some money and wouldn't have to rant at our patients about the very small amounts of money saved by forcing them to use a generic medication that doesn't control their seizures.

Sorry for taking over your thread op but I just needed to express my anger at this comment.

Which brand are you on Scrambled? I'm on Lamictal (lamotrigine) and have been for 11 years.

When I had to go and see a GP about another unrelated issue I noticed that on her computer screen was a note in red type that said I must be given Lamictal and it had been authorised by the PM. My letter had also been scanned and uploaded onto my online profile and the doctor sat reading it in front of me and raising her eyebrows as she did so. She was no doubt thinking what a PITA patient I was going to be. She passed a comment to me about generics being no different to branded drugs but I just smiled sweetly at her - if she was wanting to get into a debate with me about it then I wasn't giving her the satisfaction.

Is this epanutin? My DH got a letter saying that they wanted him to have a generic version.

Yes lodge a complaint with the Practice manager, that sounds disgraceful. Even Doctors have to be polite and professional.

That sounds utterly awful.

Could the gp not have checked their own bloody records to see what you normally take?

So generics & brands have different ingredients?

Never knew that!

Writer, I am on lamotragine, exactly the same brand as you. I am also on topirimate and peramponal. They tried to take me off topirimate last year but it brought back my seizures

The thing with epilepsy is, the stakes are so high. If a change of brand of medication for (say) diabetes, or high blood pressure, makes the control slightly worse, it's a nuisance and means reviewing and adjusting - but if epilepsy control goes awry and you have a seizure as a functioning, driving adult, not only do you have the risk sustained during a seizure, but the consequences re driving last a year or two. High risk demands high vigilance.

Exactly. When I got the letter to inform me of my medication change I had been seizure free for 7 years, I had my driving licence, my job was dependent on me having a car (community nurse) and me and DH were just starting out on our TTC journey.

I put all this in my letter and asked who they thought they were to put my health at risk, my seizure stability at risk, potentially causing me to lose my driving licence and ultimately lose my job. That's why I used the term "Play God" with my life.

It drives me mad that people think "ah well, it's just a seizure" when the reality is that one seizure can completely destroy everything.

Hi Padthai (and OP) so sorry you were upset and angry at my post. I should have also made it clear that I agree it is completely unacceptable to behave this way and I did not mean to minimise the incident that caused upset to OP. I was trying (badly) to state that as the OP is usually happy with the GP then hopefully it was an (unacceptable) one-off that can be sorted out with the practice manager and I hope future care received will be up to a high standard. We don't know why the GP behaved this way, I wasn't trying to downplay the high standards and care that should be directed towards people with epilepsy. Fwiw, I have never asked a patient to be less expensive, asked someone to switch to generic AEDs or taken out my mood on a patient, I agree with you entirely. Sorry again...

She wasnt sympathetic to you which doctors should be sometimes when you complain about people you regularly see it gets you no where, you should just say it to her face that the way she spoke to you last time upset you and you felt pressured ect