Doctor reducing dosage

[goldlamps]

Hi all

I have suffered from anxiety for years. I’m not medicated other than propranolol that I take when I feel very panicked. I work in a stressful job and whilst I’m in no way reliant on the propranolol it is very helpful and effective and I have taken it for many years before stressful events.

i was at the doctor a couple of weeks ago for an unrelated matter (UTI) and I mentioned that I was running low on propranolol. The doctor was a locum and very very stern. Wasn’t too bothered about that but she looked at the propranolol prescription that I’ve had for years and decided that she was going to reduce the dose from 40mg to 10mg.

is this normal to cut a dosage so severely? I know propranol isn’t addictive and I’m certainly not using it every day (not even every week) so but it felt like a sharp cut. The propranolol is useless now. I happened to take it the other day and it did nothing. Now I feel like I’ll need to go back to the docs and fight my case to have the dosage upped.

is it normal for a doctor to do this?

That’s awful!
Speak to another Dr. until you do, just take 4 of the others to take you to your usual dose.

I would complain to the surgery; you didn’t even ask about a reducing dose so a locum Dr shouldn’t be changing a long term medication. If they weren’t happy with the dose you’re on they should be asking you to book a phone appointment with either the surgery’s pharmacist (if they have one) or the Dr who usually sees regularly to discuss your meds.

Locums can be a fucking pain sometimes. I suffer from chronic pain and have done so for 40 years (happy bloody anniversary this year), I'm on oxycontin for over a decade now, it's a low dose that I've never had to increase and on my good days I can reduce the dose, I know all the dangers of opiates but I also know I'd had almost 30 years of pain being unsuccessfully treated until I moved house and so changed gp's and was prescribed oxycontin. GP went on holiday a few years ago, I requested my prescription from the locum who refused it, chastised me and was very surprised when I argued back, I was lectured about addiction, misuse of drugs and finally told that my illness didn't exist and I needed counselling!!! I asked her to put in writing that she was refusing my prescription, over ruling my GP who had been treating me for years and that she was taking responsibility for any withdrawal I would suffer and possible consequences. She relented, wrote the prescription and told me to leave the surgery. When my GP returned she apologised, told me the locum shouldn't have over ruled her but what made me laugh was that she told me they were sisters!! Go back and see your GP if possible, if not try calling them, as long as you're not abusing the medication and it's working while the lower dose isn't the prescription should be reissued

definitely go back and speak to your normal GP.