To think this GP surgery response was a bit ridiculous?

[lougle]

I have chronic migraine. Treatments over the years have failed, so the next step is anti-epileptic drugs which have quite serious side effects for some patients. I am quite sensitive to drugs and have had to stop several because they gave me severe side effects (e.g. collapse).

I told my GP that I would try the topiramate, but would like to start at a low dose and go up as tolerated. She agreed and said to just keep in touch by phone. I've been on a subtherapeutic dose for 5 days with no serious effects so am happy to try the lowest therapeutic dose.

I telephoned my GP surgery and asked to leave a message for Dr to say that all was well with 15mg and I'm happy to go up to 25mg as planned. 'Ok' said the receptionist, but I won't be able to leave a message until Wednesday.' 'Why?' 'Because that Dr is part time and her telephone appointment slots are full for today'. But I don't need a phone call. It's just a message to confirm what has already been discussed. I suggested that she popped a note on her desk. Can't be done. I told her it seems hopelessly inefficient that a message can't reach a GP who is in the surgery that day until 48 hours later.

Bearing in mind that they've asked me to switch to this drug because the neurologist wants me to reduce another drug I'm on. Given that the prescription then needs to be written, printed, signed and delivered to the pharmacy, who then need to order the drug in and check it, it would be next week before it was ready.

In the end the receptionist decided that she'd add a slot.

AIBU? I know the GP would have to open my record, refresh her memory of our appointment 5 days ago and write the prescription, but that will take a lot less time than phoning me or have me take an appointment slot.

As a GP I do think this is a bit silly. We have a message book on our appointments screen. The duty doctor looks after the urgent stuff and other messages are left in there for the other doctors. I often ask patients to call me back in a couple of weeks to see how they are especially about something simple like that.
Leaving it to pass for 48 hours does seem daft.
An extra hour for paperwork, I did laugh. I work half time which is 30+ hours a week scheduled. My paperwork gets done in my free time usually a friday afternoon. I actually have no problem with this as I am a professional and I have a duty of care to my patients, we also spend a lot of time on letters and prescriptions each day as it is.

Anyway I am starting surgery in 20 minutes (7am) so better go to work.

I agree with kali110.

Hughes syndrome /APS should be considered in anyone with chronic/frequent migraine.

OP you did well, at our surgery the receptionist would not have taken the message and the no longer do telephone appointments, my only options would be to try to book one in of their non existent appointments, go and sit and wait at the emergency walk in clinic or write a 'prescription request' and leave it with reception. Every time I have a reason to contact the practice I want to raise a complaint although I don't as it's just not worth it, really I should be looking for an alternative.
Last week I had to use a private GP as I was desperate.
Good luck with your new drug.

I don't think you are barmy OP. You are saying it is ridiculous that a whole appointment is needed for such a simple message.

If every surgery had one case like yours a day, they could free up lots of appointments! But they don't - "cos it's the system"..

It's. But like the NHS outpatient appointment system. You can only phone. No emails. I have missed appointments - a DNA - because I quite simply couldn't hold the half hour to cancel.

You should be able to email to be honest. I know there are security issues around email but there are ways around this.

The NHS just wastes money

My old GPs used to do this - you couldn't even ask a simple question without booking an appointment, then getting an appointment was almost impossible.

Current GP are a lot better. They'd rather their time not used dealing with simple queries and seem to have some time set aside to deal with those every day, and getting an appointment when you need one is a lot easier.

Could you not just adjust the dose yourself if the gP had already said to do that?

My dr is very happy for me to change my medication doses. I take double when I'm feeling ill, normal dose most of the time.

I guess what you're asking the GP to do takes as long as a normal appt. so they would need a slot somehow to do this but yes I agree that having a dedicated period for paperwork each day would help.....but maybe they have too many patients to see to do this.

i also think an appointment may be better..have had all sorts of hassles trying to pass a simple message to GP which got changed and mixed up in both directions.

or ideally a direct email to GP

who maybe the op doesn't have enough of the drug?
Also from experience you really need to keep the gp informed if you're altering dosages on this drug as it can be dangerous.

3little why do docs never check for this? It's a couple of blood tests!
If i hadn't have been in so much pain with an unrelated issue i would be dead right now. It should be routinely tested for.

Interesting about the Hughes/APS. I'll ask my GP.

Ladystoic thanks for checking, but I already have botox. I have had 2 rounds and have another booked in May. The pain consultant is very sensible and he adjusts the frequency according to my symptoms, so it was 5 months last time between appts, but only 4 months this time.

I couldn't adjust myself because I only had 30 15mg capsules. I can't achieve a 25mg dose with those and even if I doubled to 30mg, I'd only have 10 days' supply and they aren't on repeat yet.

Do you just take one, or two 25mg a day?
You should ask about it though i wouldn't be surprised if you're told That they won't be a possibility.
It took nearly a year for me to be diagnosed as the specialists were convinced it was somethingelse as i was quite young

how the receptionist does her job is between her and her physician employer.
although it may not seem efficient to you, on one level it is about professional responsibility and liability.
just saying she is probably following the protocol her physician has requested of all phone call requests.

Kali I'll take one 25mg initially, then go up to two after a week or so.

Just to update, I collected my new dose this evening. The pharmacy don't stock topiramate tablets (small village) so had to order it in. I think it was right to push for the message to be pad on because it's likely that the drug wouldn't have been ready until Tuesday if it wasn't passed on until Wednesday.

My surgery is like this. The slightest administrative thing requires a telephone appointment which can be a five week wait. Clarification or following up on something like DD's urine test for her chronic UTIs all need an actual appointment even though all I really need to do is leave a message to say "can you leave out a form for her next urine test".

I'm currently mystified by how to get a message to my GP. I wanted to just leave a message to let him know the medicine he prescribed had made me ill and I had stopped taking it, thinking I should pass that info on. I already had a follow-up appointment scheduled in three weeks time, but figured it would help if that detail were known when I arrived. I was unable to leave a message and I even suggested I wrote a note and leave it at the desk, but no, I had to be scheduled for a telephone appointment in a week and a half (I called one Wed and the phone appointment was the next Fri). So then he phones and I tell him first thing and he asks me, "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" and I said I already told him, that I'd stopped the medication. It was the weirdest thing.

I also wondered what would happen if I had an urgent message to pass on - or one I didn't know was urgent? I was extremely confident stopping the medication would do me no harm, but suppose I had been wrong, or for someone else in a different situation was wrong? It would have been a week and a half before he knew.

And just making next available appointment with anyone wouldn't do - I ended up taking up far too much of a poor GP's time explaining my very complex history when all I went in for was checking on a changed cough and fever. Felt really bad as he was already very behind and I made him stay even later (at least I was the last appointment), but he kept insisting I continue to explain. So just providing the gist of what's wrong with me takes more than 10 minutes, but my GP knows it already (or can quickly remind himself from his notes; although based on the fact he recognised my voice on the phone once and remembered my stuff suggests he actually knows it). So I really don't know how to get a quick response if needed at all. I will just hope I continue to not need quick responses...