To want to sue my local surgery?

[beeblabs]

TRIGGER WARNING: If you’re taking Zoloft/Sertraline and it’s working for you, best skip this thread.

A few weeks ago I started having dizzy spells and mild panic attacks. I also noticed my thoughts were getting racier (if that makes sense). I’ve suffered from an overactive thyroid and low blood sugar in the past, so I rang the Dr and asked for a blood test! They told me they couldn’t see me face-to-face due to Covid but asked if I wanted something for my anxiety and prescribed me 50mg of Sertraline.

From the first day of taking these tablets, I couldn’t eat or sleep! I’d lie in bed at night breaking out in cold sweats and twitching involuntarily. I rang the GP and asked them to change my meds, but they told me the benefits will outweigh the side-effects eventually and prescribed me Diazepam! By week 2, I felt like I was tripping on LSD and became utterly delusional (convinced I needed to take my life to save my son from the “evil presence” in the house!). I spent a few days in a psychiatric hospital before being discharged (when I stopped taking Zoloft, the delusions stopped).

Now my mother is talking about suing the local surgery. My husband said that I had a very rare reaction to a popular SSRI and despite my experience, they do help a lot of people.

I can’t help but feel that these mind altering drugs are prescribed too easily and there should be further tests before writing a prescription (especially over the phone, by a nurse practitioner!). I’m currently on a new antidepressant called Mirtazipine and I’m still taking Diazepam for my nerves.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with SSRIs? Or is it all positive?

They are listed as side effects (extreme ones) in the patient leaflet we are all supposed to read.

Chalk it down to experience. Alert the GP of the side effects, and make sure its in your notes.

Yes, I had serotonin syndrome from taking Sertraline. I told the GP I was concerned about taking it as I’d had a strong reaction to Citalopram. The other drug sensitivities I have also point towards issues with serotonin levels. The GP who prescribed the Sertraline assured me it was safe and I wouldn’t have the same issues as the Citalopram.

It was actually all an Acute Stress Response to my daughter’s cancer diagnosis; I wasn’t depressed and SSRIs shouldn’t have ever been prescribed in the first place.

Under NICE guidelines Sertraline is the first line treatment, if that fails they’ll try something else.

The GMC would ask if another dr would have done something different & as they followed protocol you won’t have a case.

This happened to me. I'd been on a couple of antidepressants without much bother. Then I went on Fluoxetine and I started to believe I was possessed. I really felt that something was trying to get in me and was also living in my house. I couldn't look at crosses and felt like I was seeing blurred due to something else looking through my eyes. My neck went stiff as if I had swelling, like with meningitis. It was the most digusting and hellish experience I've been through. I still can't sleep without a lamp on, 5 years later.

The docs wanted me to persereve on the pills but I would've died or been sectionned if I had. They swapped me to duloxetine and I felt better very quickly, but the trauma of what happened has stayed with me.

Listen to your sensible husband and ignore your batshit mother.

I don't understand what you'd be suing them for?

@LAgeDeRaisin

Many people have increased anxiety after starting an SSRI which then decreases and it starts to be effective after a couple of weeks.

A breakdown and hospitalisation is rare and not the fault of the GP.

Some people who take paracetamol have an extreme reaction. Should they also sue their GP?

Sometimes you have bad luck in life and it's not automatically someone else's fault.

This sums it up.

All medication has side effects you unfortunately had one of the rare extreme ones.
Obviously all about money

I've been on sertraline myself and tbh the first several weeks are hairy. The doctor said it takes up to 6 weeks for it to settle down and start working. Which it did, and it changed my life for the better. I see so many people unable to deal with the side effects at the start and stop taking them or think it's rare.
It sounds like you had an extreme reaction, but that isn't really anyone's fault. It sometimes takes years to get these sorts of medications right and what works well for one, doesn't work well for another. But there's no way to know this beforehand.
For example; millions of women have the mirena coil and rave about it. My body has rejected it 3 times and twice I've been hospitalised due to related complications. I'm not about to go suing anyone because of it, because it was impossible to predict.
I hope you find something that works for you and you make a good recovery.

I was on Sertraline, overseas, and it was hell. I was in a country where I don't speak the language and felt shocking (not to the point of hallucinating, but rough). I considered throwing myself off the nearest bridge because I felt SO BAD.

I managed to get a call to my GP who advised reducing the dosage, which I did, and felt instantly better. The reviews of Sertraline baffle me because of how bad I felt, and yet felt numb, all at the same time. I sometimes wonder if it's even the same drug.

That said, I would never think about suing my GP because they wouldn't know how I would react to the drug. How do you know you react badly or are allergic to something? Does someone give you a heads up? No. Life doesn't work like that.

I appreciate you had a rough time of it but the Dr wouldn't gave known that you would react how you did. Maybe the suggestion of PALS would be helpful?

Seeing your anxiety face-to-face wouldn’t have stopped the side effects.
Also telling you all the side effects and the extents of every possible complication would put anyone off getting something that for most will not occur. Especially if someone is anxious or depressed.
I think your Mum has probably been very worried about you and not thinking this through fully.

Sorry you're struggling at the moment OP.

I get on well with sertraline, but the first few weeks are always hell, they often increase symptoms before you even out after a week or so.

Unfortunately it's so hit and miss with side effects on these medications, you mention mirtazapine and I had the same reaction as you but with this.

Your side effects are listed in the information leaflet, they are rare and it's really unlucky that it happened to you but your practice isn't at fault here.

I hope you start to feel better soon, it's really hard finding medication that suits you in this situation.

You could always get in touch with the practice may and provide feedback on what could have been done to improve your experience (they should have followed up with you etc.) and make sure they add a note of your reaction to your records.

Also please tell your mum to calm down and think it through, you don't need advice like that when you are already anxious and struggling!

I think my GP surgery have been quite irresponsible throughout this.

My son has a skin thing I'd like to get checked out. The receptionist told me she's sure it's "fine" but do I want some steroid cream? How do I know that won't make whatever it is worse? There's not even a facility to send a photo or talk by videochat.

Plus two years ago I had to fight to get a prescription only inhaler I felt I needed. My GP wasn't happy, said it was a one-off. During lockdown I've had one randomly included with my other medication twice, I didn't even request it!

YABU. Sorry you had such a poor reaction but if you'd read the information that comes on the leaflet, you'd see that sweating, dizziness, hallucinations etc are all listed side effects.

They're not negligent at all, they can't predict who'll suffer side effects and they can't just not prescribe to anyone on the basis that they might get negative side effects.

In order for a solicitor to proceed you would need to demonstrate that long term harm was a consequence.
You would not have a chance.
I was on a medication that gave me a side effect that it took three years and multiple Dr's to work out it was due to the medication. This side effect had a severe impact on my quality of life while I was taking it. I spoke to a medical malpractice lawyer who told me as the side effect resolved once the medication was stopped, I had no recourse of action.

My ds who has autism and learning difficulties had a very bad reaction to fluoxetine which ended in him being sectioned. They will never take responsibility. I went all the way to the ombudsman to get camhs to take responsibility and got nowhere. I have zero trust in mental health services.

You won't get anywhere trying to sue your GP because you had side effects to a commonly prescribed medication. Your husband is right. Also, don't you think the NHS have enough pressures to deal with at the moment?

The potential side effects would have all been outlined in the leaflet in the medication. Any medication is not without risk and you should have read through it before you took the medication.

These drugs help a lot of people and it's well known that you may have to try a few different anti-depressant/ anxiety medications before finding the right one for you.

I hope the new drugs work for you and that you feel better soon but you are being ridiculous thinking of suing your doctor over this.

My ex has sertraline syndrome. Rare but awful. I dont think youd win though OP, sorry.

I don't think you'll get anywhere if you try to sue because doctors prescribe based on what the patient tells them. Drugs are always taken at own risk and doctors will tell you that if they do not suit you, stop them.

Sertraline is dreadful stuff, so are most antidepressants and anxiolytics.

You do need to have your thyroid function and glucose levels checked though if you have had problems in the past. You can buy a kit to test at home.

My ds who has autism and learning difficulties had a very bad reaction to fluoxetine which ended in him being sectioned. They will never take responsibility.

Take responsibility for what? Not knowing in advance that he would have a bad reaction to fluoxetine? I didn't get on with fluoxetine either, I had terrible insomnia that worsened an already poor mental state, but that was just the luck of the draw. My GP took me off it at review and put me on another SSRI which suited me much better. There is no way to predict precisely how a person will react to SSRIs before they take them.

Everything we put in our bodies has side effects. Everything. Paracetamol, caffeine, food, vaccines, every prescription drug on the planet. Everything that has effects has side effects. Leaving mental health issues untreated also has consequences. All a HCP can do is follow best practice guidelines, provide patients with information and monitor responses.

Based on what you have said I don’t think you have much of a case for suing the GP surgery. The whole issue of the prescribing these kind of drugs is a national issue that is much bigger than your GP surgery. If you did decide to make a complaint you can either complain to the surgery Direct , go via PALS (although PALS tends to be more for concerns that can be dealt with quickly etc such as not being able to get through on the phone for example) or you go complain to NHS England. I’m not sure what you want to achieve by complaining though, it’s sounds like these drugs do not suit you so perhaps arrange a consultation with another GP or health care professional.

So your GP prescribed you a medicine that works for the majority of people.

You were unlucky and had a bad side effect. I expect there's a very long list of potential side effects on the medication information booklet inside the packet.

Would you prefer not to be prescribed anything ever again incase you react to it? Perhaps all medicine should be stopped for everyone and everything just in case.

You are being unreasonable and somewhat irrational.

Sue them for what?

This is crazy.

Do you not think they are going through enough?

There are groups on facebook for this medication and alot of those kind of side effects.
Did you read the leaflet which come with the drugs?

The nurse wouldnt of been able to prescribe something f, she would if had to get the doctor to sign it

And if you wasnt happy, because it was a nurse over the phone giving you something then you should never of started them