To be unspeakably angry at the doctor?!

[showmethegin]

I have been having really awful, incredibly painful periods from the age of 11 so 19 years of agony. My GP finally relented and prescribed me naproxen which has helped. In the same appointment I explained that me and DP are TTC. After 3 months of relentless negative OPKs, wondering what the hell was wrong with me I've now found out that Naproxen stops ovulation for approximately 27% of women.

AIBU to expect the doctor to have told me that?!

Thats difficult, all medication has side effects, did it say anything on the information leaflet about how it can affect ovulation in some women.

You should definitely go back to him and ask him to explain why you were prescribed this without being told of the potential side effects - did he know you were TTC?

Doctors are human. They make mistakes too. At least you found out now. Good luck with ttc

I honestly don't think most doctors would know that.

I didn't although I don't treat ovulating women

Oh dear, yes Doctor should have told you about something as big as that, it's not just a small side effect is it.
Good job you found out about it after 3 months not years and years 🤭

I am a doctor and had no idea this was a potential side effect.

Have you had bloods and hormone tests done in the past?

That's been the procedure for my two previous GPS, both my DDs have PCOS/Endometriosis.

It's obvious that it's out of your GPS remit and you need a referral to Gyne.

Did you read the patient information leaflet because that states that Naproxen may make it more difficult to get pregnant?

Wasn't there something about this in the papers a while back, isn't it the same with other NSAIDs.

I know a lot of people who have had useful warnings and tips from pharmacists that the doctor didn't mention simply because they know more about drugs than doctors

MrsMyrtle, you wouldn't look it up if you were perscrbing it and ask your 30 year old, in a relationship, patient, a few questions?

Women's health care is sadly lacking and GPS need to come up to speed.

I've been neglted by my GP failing to prescribe HRT.

Hi,
Sorry to read your post. I have no advice about the ovulation thing, though I understand why you're upset. But please look up endometriosis as this is classic for that condition. It's worth insisting on a referral to one of the specialist centres accredited by the BSGE, where you will get taken seriously - I don't want to scare monger but the condition can sometimes be serious so it really does need to be investigated.
I'm sorry you're going through this.

so 19 years of agony. My GP finally relented and prescribed me naproxen

Have you spent this amount of time asking your GP to prescribe to you? If so they may have decided that the risks outweigh the benefits and prescribed because you asked.

I would've thought a side effect like that would be on the info leaflet that came in the box? I always read those for something new

It says so on the leaflet in the box though - here

So presuming you read that before you started taking the tablets, why are you so angry at your doctor?

All medication has side effects, often many many possible ones. I wouldn't expect the doctor to know all side effects of all medication. Don't they usually come with a leaflet inside lising all the possible side effects, their likelihood and what to do in case of side effects. I think you are also responsible for reading this information.

I am a GP and have never heard of this until now - but will remember it in future. Every medication we prescribe has multiple potential side effects, we can't possibly know them all. We usually know the most common few and the most serious so we can warn patients what to look out for. I would encourage you to always read the info leaflets to check if there's anything specific for you - but it will probably put you off taking any medication ever. Here is the full list for naproxen.

Cautions: Allergic disorders; cardiac impairment (NSAIDs may impair renal function); cerebrovascular disease; coagulation defects; connective-tissue disorders; Crohn’s disease (may be exacerbated); elderly (risk of serious side-effects and fatalities); heart failure; ischaemic heart disease; peripheral arterial disease; risk factors for cardiovascular events; ulcerative colitis (may be exacerbated); uncontrolled hypertension

Side-effects

Frequency not known

Agranulocytosis; alopecia; angioedema; aplastic anaemia; asthma; cognitive impairment; concentration impaired; confusion; constipation; corneal opacity; depression; diarrhoea; dizziness; drowsiness; dyspnoea; erythema nodosum; fatigue; gastrointestinal discomfort; gastrointestinal disorders; glomerulonephritis; haemolytic anaemia; haemorrhage; hallucination; headache; hearing impairment; heart failure; hepatic disorders; hyperhidrosis; hyperkalaemia; hypersensitivity; hypertension; increased risk of arterial thromboembolism; infertility female; inflammatory bowel disease; malaise; meningitis aseptic (patients with connective-tissue disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus may be especially susceptible); muscle weakness; myalgia; nausea; nephritis tubulointerstitial; nephropathy; neutropenia; oedema; optic neuritis; oral disorders; palpitations; pancreatitis; papillitis; papilloedema; paraesthesia; photosensitivity reaction; platelet aggregation inhibition; pulmonary oedema; rash pustular; renal failure (more common in patients with pre-existing renal impairment); renal papillary necrosis; respiratory disorders; seizure; severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs); skin reactions; sleep disorders; thirst; thrombocytopenia; vasculitis; vertigo; visual impairment; vomiting

Surely doctors don’t know every side effect of every drug? I would assume they know the big no no’s but ttc isn’t life threatening and hasn’t harmed your body.
I totally get your annoyance but I would put this down to a “that’s life” rather than aiming it at your doctor. If they had put your life at or health at risk then fair enough...but they didn’t.

I think people do need to take a bit more responsibility for their own health... You went with a problem and the doctor prescribed something for it (something which from your OP it sounds like you've long been asking for). I know it's not ideal but have you seen the list of side effects for almost any drug? If doctors went though them all with every patient they prescribed something to each appointment would take hours!

Just to add, there is currently no blood or hormone test that will diagnose endometriosis, and most sonographers are not capable of spotting it on a scan, so don't be fobbed off with an offer of an ultrasound because the rate of false negatives is so extremely high, it's more often than not a complete waste of time and NHS money.

How long do your periods last? You need to take naproxen for ten days before possible ovulation issues occur so unless you have very long periods, you shouldn’t be taking the medication long enough for it to have an impact.

Have you had tests to confirm you do ovulate prior to starting on the medication? It might be worth having some blood tests to investigate and to try other pain relief in the meantime.

I would be far more concerned that it wasn't on the patient information leaflet, and would be raising this.

Sort of cross posted with CantChoose, such a long list!

would be far more concerned that it wasn't on the patient information leaflet

It is.

It does say female infertility on the side effects list. I found this from a few years back in the DM.
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3124640/Are-pain-drugs-making-INFERTILE-Naproxen-diclofenac-significantly-inhibit-ovulation-just-10-days-scientists-warn.html