To think £290 for my prescription is insane?!

[Justintimeee]

Posting here for traffic

I was diagnosed with ADHD 18 months ago and have been receiving monthly medication since.

I have been having follow up zoom calls with my psychiatrist every 6 weeks at a cost of £170. On top of that, to actually have the prescription written is £25 and the meds themselves are £95 so it is a huge cost for me.

The meds have completely turned my life around so I really do not want to go back to life without them.

The issue is, I can no longer afford to pay for the £170 follow ups so regularly. I have asked for a prescription but it has been refused if I don't book a follow up so I am at a loss... I had no idea they were mandatory for me to get medication when I have been diagnosed.

Do I just find another doctor? Is it the same everywhere? I have been refused shared care due to some NHS rules against accepting patients from private ADHD doctors so I don't know what to do.

I am in Essex if it helps.

At the risk of sounding like an arse, I strongly advise that any person going down the assessment process for ADHD pro-actively researches (including asking your health care provider) what shared care actually is, what right to choose actually is, what the process actually is and what the likely medication is.

We're talking about your health and potentially taking controlled drugs people, for condition where the care and process can vary greatly from area to area and private v NHS. FGS sake be fully informed be before you embark on the process.

@WaitingForSunnyDaysAgain No one is saying ADHD is not real or denying that medication can help. We are just saying that stimulants also improve the functioning of people without ADHD, because they are stimulants.

Yep. I'm like a broken record saying this to all the naysayers. My parents have very obvious ADHD but were able to leave school young, get a council house and make lives for themselves. It was a different world.

Does anyone else actually have recent experience of both private and NHS diagnoses?

The NHS procedure is absolutely not more rigorous, as I’ve mentioned upthread the paediatrician barely spoke to my son and offered my then 7 year old stimulant medication “to see if he has ADHD or not”. And people think that’s rigorous?

I believe this. Because thats what people are encouraged to do to get funding for SEN. Plus there are some high risks involved.

@freespirit333 that is really shocking

Sorry you’re in this position. I work in CAMHS and we won’t accept private adhd assessments because a huge number of them are unreliable unfortunately (although of course not all). I understand the waiting list for adult assessment on the NHS is even longer than for children.
Can you clarify with them if the reviews are indefinite or just until they are convinced you are on the correct dose? Will they write to your gp to confirm this?

The NHS will fund but have to go through their process. They won't take a private diagnosis. So maybe start the process with NHS and carry on private til move over?

I used the term 'rigorous' - purposefully also saying 'on average' - and yes I absolutely have recent experience of both private and NHS diagnoses. I wouldn't have said it otherwise. I've been diagnosed by both a private psych and the NHS. My children, with me present, were both diagnosed by the NHS.

My private psychiatrist was great, and eminent, but no way was the assessment anywhere near as thorough and rigorous as the NHS one. That might be because he's allowed to use his experience and instinct more and not go through a checklist, and he specifically said I had a very specific trajectory in one area to a certain sub-group of women with undiagnosed ADHD. But the NHS assessment, even though I'd already been assessed by the private psych.

Both my DC's assessment on the NHS were thorough.

Your experience sounds shocking bad, and I'd say that's a rogue paediatrician. It shouldn't' even be diagnosed by a paediatrician, but a paediatric psychiatrist if that's what you meant. You can't categorically say the NHS process isn't rigorous based on ONE experience. That's ridiculous.

When I say go through a checklist, I mean metaphorically, like stick to a rigid system. He did give me a literal checklist to fill in.

My son was diagnosed privately in 2019. Couldn’t afford private prescriptions so had to wait for the NHS to assess again before they’d medicate, costing the NHS money for no reason.

I would say - change the surgery!
Regulations have been the same for a few years now.
I work as a pharmacist at 2x different surgeries and as long as shared care request comes from private or NHS clinic and all requirements are met - no issue with getting NHS prescriptions.
for monitoring we require annual reviews with the psychiatrist and 6monthly physical check - pulse, BP, weight and height
how often does your private consultant wants to see you?
I would recommend ADHD 360 for all UK - they happily request shared care and if you are around London or Hampshire- I can give more options of clinics our patients use.

I think this is the case. I know of someone else who had the same problem, where the GP said almost exactly the same.

I would recommend ADHD 360 for all UK - they happily request shared care and if you are around London or Hampshire- I can give more options of clinics our patients use.

Um @lalalala1234321 perhaps you haven't read the full thread but it's been said several times on here that ADHD 360 is one of the clinics the Panorama documentary featured as unethical and very quick to give someone an ADHD diagnosis. I believe a PP went into detail about why, possibly from their own personal experience, I can't remember.

Also, the issue with this whole malarkey is not the shared care agreement coming from the private clinic, it's the GP willing to accept the shared care agreement. And as you'll no doubt know, they are not obliged to, there is criteria that has to be met in their view.

I agree. Some of these clinics give 100% diagnosis. Basically you are paying for a guaranteed adhd label.
Sometimes there are multiple causes especially autism and ocd, but people go in looking for an adhd diagnosis and they are the customer.

Can you not just go to your gp with the evidence that you’ve been diagnosed & tell them that the medication has turned your life around for the better & ask them to prescribe it

You’ve chosen private healthcare and that is the cost.
you can ask your GP if they’ll honour the prescription but they may say no

It's such a shame people don't realise the Tory government agenda to privatise the NHS until they're personally affected. Act Now to save the NHS, it needs modernised and reviewed, but not like this.

Did they smoke? I think ADHD has always been around but until quite recently we had a then socially acceptable way of medicating away certain aspects of it in the shape of smoking (smoking is/was statistically very common in ND adults, but obviously has stigma now).

If you are stable on your dose and have been for a while I.e 6 months or more I can’t understand why you need to have a consultation every 6 weeks? Have you been referred to an nhs adhd clinic? I know the waiting times are long but atleast you are on the path? Can you query why you have to have a 6 week review every time? Can you find a different private clinic who might take over your care? Really feel for you I know 2nd hand how life changing (saving) adhd medication can be 💐💜

Wow - this m in America and have health insurance so my weekly appointments and DBT classes are only $10 each copay and my meds are $3 a month. I would never have imagined uk would cost more than here. Most expensive prescription I got here was $400 for an anti nausea med an ER doctor prescribed, needless to say I just accepted the nausea. Is there no generic version of the med? Or could you not use an online psychiatrist service for it?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001m0f9