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.

@AndrewGarfieldsLaptop and as with other conditions, Gp’s deal with crisis everyday… their role is to refer you on… your son would be no different and Gp’s could phone the specialists and get advice or refer you onto them in crisis as they do with many other conditions on a daily basis.
my daughter would just be sent straight to the children’s ward if we had a crisis of her condition… in fact we basically have an open pass to the ward and I believe can skip A&E although (touchwood) have never needed to.

Someone getting private treatment isn't making your wait longer though. If anything it means one less person on the same waiting list.
I'm saying that as someone whose kids have had a rough ride with the NHS. No-one should have to pay, but the vitriol needs to be laid at the door of the government, not at the door of people who pay to seek help.

No vitriol here, just desperation.

Hi there
thats an insane cost.

im in Ireland, and diagnosed with adhd, my assessment was costly, around 1000 euros but I only have yearly follow ups, or if I feel I need it I can email my psychiatrist and she adjusts my dose.

i get a 3 monthly prescription for 50euro and my Ritalin and my lorazapam is a monthly cost of 30 euros

I really feel for you. My granddaughter has just been diagnosed with combined type adhd. We went private as were told waiting time to even start assessment would be 3+ years. I don't think she needs medication although we will be speaking to psychiatrist about this, just so all options are considered. She was assessed by both a psychiatrist and psychologist, at home, at school and in clinic. I would hope, it there's a need for shared care, the NHS would accept the validity of the private assessment - the psychiatrist involved has been the head of two London CAMHS and provides expert advice to the family courts. Try get an NHS assessment and pay the costs in the meantime.

I am a Pharmacy Technician who used to work in Community Pharmacy, now working for NHS in Gp surgery.
For ADHD meds to be prescribed by NHS u need a SCA or transfer of care to show patient is stable on meds- height, weight and bp/pulse check also required.
Also since social media emergence more undiagnosed people are asking for diagnosis ( which of course is good for them), but not for all, as this causes a back log for private Psych appointments.
wait time for this is approximately 2 years for an NHS diagnosis last year this was just 12 months.
last year the decided to not take on anymore patients to diagnose, this recently started up again.
All ADHD meds have a nationwide shortage at the moment- please check out the SSP - Stock shortage protocol- this will tell u what ADHD med is out of stock.
this is what we are using to see what is stocked to provide prescriptions for alternatives to Elvanse and Concerta.

As I have said before have ADHD and Autism, no meds- I think im happy like this ( although I have problems all day every day because if this )

Hope this helps

OP basically check with NHS Gp again as this may have changed now ,
as it has in SW London since last year we are now accepting ADHD diagnosis from private GPs as long as they send SCA or Transfer of care.

You haven't said the most important thing - the decision about whether to share care with anyone, private or NHS is an individual one taken by each surgery so the fact that your surgery shares care is only useful for people registered there.

Of course it will make the wait longer.

NHS budgets are finite.

To my mind, as I stated above, if you chose to go private that's grand. However, you should be prepared to fund the entirety of your diagnosis/medications via that route and not use a private diagnosis to queue-jump to access NHS budgets.

Every penny spent on drugs for those with (apparently increasingly dubious) private diagnoses means less funds available in NHS mental health budgets to treat people who can't afford to go private to jump the queue to access drugs.

I feel very sad and frustrated at the situation for people. I do undertand the NHS’s reticence to accept all private diagnoses. I am sure some ADHD clinics are wrongly diagnosing. However, there are many more people who are accurately diagnosed and unable to access treatment.

I understand Shared Care Agreements. I had years of navigating long waits at the busy hospital pharmacy, not to mention the expense and hassle of parking and driving to collect my (physical health) meds until the GP did a SCA. However, upshot is that far fewer people would seek private diagnosis if the NHS wait was even vaguely reasonable.

One you are stabilised on the meds, you should be able get your psychiatrist to write to your GP and you should be able to get them from your Gp going forward.

Tell me that you haven't read any of the thread without actually saying that..........

I am sure some ADHD clinics are wrongly diagnosing. However, there are many more people who are accurately diagnosed and unable to access treatment.

Sorry @Teder but this is a somewhat disingenuous statement. That group of people ARE able to access treatment IF they pay for it. The fact that some cannot continue to afford to do so is unfortunate, but they chose to get a private diagnosis and they chose to then take and pay for medication.

I'm not talking about the OP here as her situation is specific to the number of reviews she's been forced to have, but some people absolutely do have a sense of entitlement that they should be able to go private (and I'm not talking about right to choose) then get shared care and not have to pay for their subscriptions. No one should have that entitlement.

The fact that so many people have gone private, more tbh than will actually have ADHD, and private for their young children who are then on controlled drugs requiring proper oversight, is exactly why the NHS have cut back on shared care agreements with private companies and psychiatrists.

Also @Teder for ADHD, treatment is not just medication.
Anyone diagnosed privately but unable to pay for medication are still able to benefit from that diagnosis. Under NICE guidelines, the first suggested form of treatment for children is reasonable adjustments at school/the environment. So a child diagnosed privately can get those, which will help.

Wow, not one person thinks the nhs is also a business...it is.

Blame tory cuts for what we have in place now, not private medical facilities who are clearly filling the gap facilitated by tories so their mates with shares etc get a lick off the backs of tax payers. Yet another way to hold the masses back by making everyone who's not rich pay for their healthcare or suffer cos thry can't pay.

Stop having a go at @Justintimeee whos as much a victim as those who are queuing to get a diagnosis. It is ridiculous that a consultation is needed before you get a prescription, then a prescription plus dispensing cost. Greed knows no bounds and healthcare is a big playing field.

The tories have finally killed off the one thing we need.

Congrats all tory voters. Hang your head in utter shame.

I haven’t read the pages of comments but fyi, the adult mental health department are not accepting any new referrals until further notice (if ever!). My GP called me yesterday to say my referral had been rejected and that was the reason why.
I don’t want meds myself, I just want an official diagnosis. It was recognising in my son that he has it that made me realise that I’ve been living with it all my life, at age 46.
Good luck x

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.

This, So many posts on here saying their son/daughter was a different person, motivated, up and about, getting stuff done blah blah. So clearly they didn't have ADHD at all as the meds worked exactly like speed does - on someone who doesn't have ADHD. People with ADHD would take the actual drug speed and NOT be off their heads like everyone else.

If you actually have ADHD the meds calm you. Allow you to focus and stop all the distractions. LIke coffee. Coffee to me is calming. It actually sends me to sleep.

Son's paed said the vast majority of people diagnosed privately do not have ADHD. That's not to say they're not suffering from depression/low mood or something else causing their life difficulties.

People going private need to be honest with themselves - they are trying to 'beat' the system. They do think that by throwing ££ at a problem they can miss the queue. I would also add that it's highly highly unlikely that the first medication you take even works. Most people have to try 3 or 4 before finding one that suits them. Yet all these posts are, omg first day I took it was amazing etc etc. You're all functioning better because you're basically running off a stimulant!

The results (mainly heart health) of lots of middle aged people suddenly taking their ‘life changing’ stimulant medication really does worry me. I don’t think lots of people even understand what they’re taking and the risks for heart health etc. Ticking time bomb that will ironically probably cause lots more work for the NHS in the long run. Of course even if the NHS could asses everyone that wanted it many would probably not accept the result anyway.

Not necessarily.

Treating my ADHD has switched off the issues with binge eating that I have had since primary school. My weight, and therefore risk of diabetes, heart disease etc, is falling in a slow and sustainable way, whilst there has been no increase in my pulse of blood pressure - in fact, now that I'm feeling healthier and exercising more, my pulse will probably drop over time.

Son's paed said the vast majority of people diagnosed privately do not have ADHD.

I'd love to know what that is based on - has he studied hundreds of private diagnoses and found holes in them? of course not. Yes, there are some dodgy clinics out there and I'd generally advise people to steer clear of ones not run by doctors, but there are plenty of safe diagnoses made in the private sector.

brightyellowflower

Your post is at odds to what my NHS consultant told me. He said many of his ADHD patients see a difference with medication straight away and don’t need to try several. He also said you get more motivated on it because the noise in your head is switched off.

Son's paed said the vast majority of people diagnosed privately do not have ADHD

Is this because the vast majority are still waiting for their appointment for an assessment through the NHS.

brightyellowflower ADHD is a lack of dopamine to the areas of the brain that need dopamine.

Amphetamines help to deliver that
dopamine to the required destination

This in theory allows those with ADHD to be able to think/focus on one thing at a time

I take the top amount of one lot of amphetamines and top ups of different amphetamines each day. Which has the affect of keeping me awake to be able to function during the day and stops me from trying to get dopamine by snacking.

I only get that quiet brain about twice per year for about 2 hours at a time.

It is in those 2hours I can see how NT people actually think and how they can plough through tasks.

I think you are seeing how NT people can take ADHD meds and they get through things quicker

Where as someone who has ADHD, might need vastly stronger meds and they will just get to where a NT person is as a base point or the meds have no effect.

Grandmasswag. Which do you think is a ticking time bomb.
Middle aged people who are obese and can’t stop constantly snacking

Or people on ADHD meds who have lost 5 stone in weight and have a healthier diet and lower blood pressure

My blood pressure and heart rate have gone down since I have been on meds and stopped my snacking and now am 5 stone lighter

That might be the case in the short term for some people. I mean there are other less risky ways to lose weight though, with help from drugs too. But the fact is increasing numbers of people taking amphetamine medications, many who have survived to middle age without them and many who are wrongly diagnosed anyway, will lead to problems down the line. There will be a scandal akin to the opioid scandal in time. They have normalised them in exactly the same way as they normalised opioids use. It was all brilliant, successful businesses to boot. Until it wasn’t.

Survived to middle age at what cost?

They’re heavily monitored and often a low dose.