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?

I wouldn't take diazapam again, made me psychotic and nearly ended up walking into a lake.
Not good at all.

this aint America, how can you sue for a reaction from drugs that many people take

Unfortunately COVID trumps everything and is a great excuse for shit care so they will just go 🤷🏻‍♀️ COVID we couldn't do anything else.

It's ridiculous to want to sue them. We all need to take some personal responsibility for our health, which includes reading potential side effects of drugs we might take.

Your doctor could have no idea that this particular drug would have this exact effect on you. It's a shame you went through this, but we should all understand that drugs are never risk free, even OTC medicines can cause side effects, in some cases serious ones.

It's one thing sending them an email to discuss why you're not happy but ridiculously over the top to sue an already overworked, overwhelmed and underfunded NHS.

@anniegun

Why are you more interested in making money than getting help?

Why are you making the assumption that this is the OP's intention?

How rude!

That must have been awful for you, and very scary

I think your husband has a more helpful attitude here than your mother though.

I wouldn't be angry about the reaction to sertraline but for the neglect in refusing a blood test. Especially as you have an overactive thyroid. This can be dangerous if un treated or wrongly treated.

I would insist on a test and if they refuse ask them to specifically write in your file the medical reason for the refusal and to send you a copy of this for your records. GPs are seeing people face to face for tests.

You have had some really shitty responses on here.

I wouldn’t be at all happy with the nurse prescribing me anti depressants or anti anxiety drugs. I would want to see the GP and have a blood test.

Although what you experienced is rare, it did happen and it sounds frankly horrendous. Ending up in a psychiatric ward is no laughing matter.

Your mum needs to back off though. She’s probably hugely worried, of course but don’t let her bully you into something that a) it’s no go and b) you don’t actually want to.
By all means talk to PALS. Your husband sounds sensible and maybe you can do it together.

My GPS have been seeing me face to face for about 6-9 months. I had a smear with the nurse too, as well as a couple of zoom consultations.

My husband developed a severe drink problem and very nearly ended our marriage due to personality changes on Paroxetine...took me 6 months to realise it was the drug turning my husband into a stranger before my eyes.

I have never once wanted to sue the surgery. They were just trying to treat his depression.

1 year later and he’s back to my lovely husband who doesn’t drink anymore

I feel for you OP, but suing the surgery won't be an option.

I do think though, that drugs like this and other strong mind-altering drugs should be prescribed a) warning people that occasionally there are very rare side effects and to let the surgery know immediately if that occurs and b) to have a plan of action if that does occur so that they don't just dismiss/let the person stay on them and c) have a plan for getting them off this particular drug especially as many of them are known to have major withdrawal syndromes that are very unpleasant.

I have also had that 1 in 1000 (hmmmm) drug reaction with an anti-epilepsy drug which sent me completely crazy. My mental health deteriorated when I have never been depressed or had any issues prior to that. I wasn't warned this could be a rare side effect but on going on the web, I found it was at least fairly well-known. I also think the GP has a duty of care to help you if you do have a reaction.

You can't sue your GP surgery for this, there have been 700 plus lawsuits against Prizer for sertraline/Zoloft and none have won:
www.drugwatch.com/ssri/zoloft/lawsuits/

OP you want to sue/complain weekly about your health professional and the police.

Granted you have slightly changed your posting style as in the details but I am 99% sure its you.

Please please accept the help you are being offered.
Everytime I read one of your threads I am so upset for you that you live in this constant circle of blame. It must be exhausting.

You unfortunately had a severe reaction, these although uncommon are noted as potential side affects. You have absolutely no grounds to sue.

Any drug could have that effect. Antidepressants are notoriously trial and error. Its a very rare reaction. I couldn't have SSRIs as I had too many side effects on them. Sertraline I went 14 hours without urinating and came off immediately, Citalopram didn't help and I had vivid dreams that scared me and felt very suicidal so switched onto Paroxetine which caused me to hallucinate. I has a whole conversation with a customer who wasn't there. I tried 2 others and just felt ill and dizzy.

Eventually a psychiatrist gave in to my requests to go onto a Tricyclic instead, although not without dire warnings of side effects including heart arrhythmia and black hairy tongue. As it happened I didn't have any side effects except a dry mouth and a few dizzy spells in the beginning.

Apparently this is not the norm and the majority of people don't tolerate it well at all, to the point of GPs not being able to prescribe it for depression over a certain dose. SSRIs are much more widely tolerated.

There is always going to be a minority of patients who react differently. The surgery are not responsible for this and a lawsuit will not stick. You would have to prove they were somehow negligent and they weren't.

You haven't really said on what grounds you think you should sue the surgery @beeblabs

A rare reaction. I presume the medication insert with possible side effects which includes rare ones was in the box?

Focus on getting better rather than suing.

Good luck with that.

You haven't got a leg to stand on. I've taken sertraline before and it literally days on the patient info leaflet these things can happen. You sound dramatic and a bit self involved. What you have to understand about medication like this is their safety is assessed on a population level. It's unlucky to have a bad side effect. Bura re you seriously trying to say they should be banned or not given to people in need? That's so self involved. Just wow.

Sorry that you have had such a rubbish time. Glad you are on the mend.

Unfortunately it is a known side effect which means that you probably won’t get far by suing them.

They made me suicidal and so I changed to a medication that suited me better. I have however seen many people (Rmn) react really well to them.

‘You sound dramatic and a bit self involved’.

you read that op hasn’t been well right?

That must have been scary. But why even attempt to sue them? You won't be able to btw, because there will be no case. You had a bad reaction. If you want to complain and are genuinely concerned about the way your case was handled there are ways you can do this but to jump into attempting to sue a GP is an odd stance to take, IMO. Hope you're feeling better.

I'm sorry you had to existence that but yours was a "worse case scenario" No one knows how one would react on medication until they try it.

@ITSADOGSLIFE21

I'm sorry you had to existence that but yours was a "worse case scenario" No one knows how one would react on medication until they try it.

Experience

@ErickBroch

Suing is absolutely ridiculous. I was prescibed dianette (BC) in 2019 and I developed a very rare side effect and was very unwell. I reported it to the NHS for their safety measures - I didn't sue them? It's a risk with all medications.

Can I ask what side effect you got? I know 2 women who went through hell with dianette

I wouldn’t be at all happy with the nurse prescribing me anti depressants or anti anxiety drugs. I would want to see the GP and have a blood test

What do you think the GP would have done differently @Kapalika? A blood test for what?!

I have bipolar disorder. It was diagnosed after a similar issue with a GP ending with hospitalisation for psychosis with an SSRI which was prescribed for anxiety/depression. It wasn't their fault but it happens sometimes as brains are weird. The diagnosis was accurate, and I have been on the correct meds ever since. Maybe ask for a referral to discuss with your GP or a psych.

Crikey I had the WORST reaction to Mirtazapine! Sent me spiraling out of control. So the doctor then prescribed me an SNRI Duloxetine and I've been settled and much happier ever since. If you react to an SSRI then I'm surprised you were then given another.

I was prescribed setraline by a consultant psychiatrist. Within a few days I had a horrendous headache and pins & needles constantly in both arms. Couldn't eat, needed to lie down in a dark room because felt so nauseous/dizzy if I did anything else. Stopped when the pins and needles became so painful I started to think something was burrowing inside me (also didn't help my mental health).Took around 3 weeks after stopping to feel physically better. He then refused to let me try any other SSRIs.

No one had any idea how I'd react until I took them. My mum took then after my dad died with zero side effects.