Really frustrated with the NHS

[BabyCatMama]

They keep asking if things are an emergency or I can't get an appointment. Well one thing that isn't an emergency is I have had a fungal infection covering my feet for years last year. Nothing at the pharmacy helps. My skin is bleeding and cracking. When you try to tell the doctor all of your health problems they say they don't have time for all this. I've lots of issues that I just ignore because I only get time for serious things.

I just say I'm in agonising pain and there's no appointments left. Today they did say someone will call me in a few days. But I'm on weak sleeping pills that don't work and I don't know if I will be able to be awake at the time they call me. I told my psychiatrist these ones don't work and he said lets just see. Why don't they listen to you ?

The pain medication I'm on isn't strong enough and I've seen several doctors and they refuse to prescribe anything stronger. And I'm taking paracetamol with codeine every day and it's making me ill. Like it's burning my stomach so they gave me something to coat my stomach but I just think if it's doing that to my stomach how is my liver taking it ?

My psychiatrist office just doesn't answer the phone. They just send letters that I can't attend he appointment because my sleeping pills aren't working. Then they wrote to me saying they were taking me off the patient list for not attending appointments even though I had phoned and left messages on the answering machine. I have a psychotic illness and can't take the meds I was last prescribed because of horrible side effects.

I can't call the GP to repeat my prescription I have to have in a form every month and it is on the other side of town from me and I can't always afford to travel there and back every month.

I bought a private prescription for pain meds last month but it was a hundred pounds. I can't afford it this month. I have bought meds online for half the price but I can't really afford it and I'm worried about being poisoned.

I'm thinking about going to see a private GP next month they charge £50 an appointment. But a private psychiatrist would be 2 or 300 hundred. This is why people aren't working. They are staying unwell because of this. I don't know is it this bad for everyone ? If it is how is this allowed for go on. Why has no one sued them ?

Regarding the sleeping pills OP, you’re asking for the impossible. The NHS guidance is what matters here not opinions, and they are incredibly reluctant to prescribe them at all, but when they do it is only ever short term for 2 main reasons:

1. Your body actually gets used to them, so they do not continue to have the same impact long term, so it ends up being pointless taking them long term unless you just continued upping your intake for the rest of your life, which you can’t as that is unsafe.
2. It is very easy to become addicted to them.

You need to engage with psychiatry or other serviced, CBT for example is a common one for insomnia, to resolve those issues.

OP try this for your foot, it might help you, or you can get others over the counter at the pharmacy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002BKHBZE?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder_k0_1_6&amp=&crid=1CY35HJZAVHWL&sprefix=mycota&th=1

You should have yearly med reviews for the antipsychotics as well, blood tests?

My GP manages those meds now. Hope you can get an appt soon.

Also for the other issues, if your GP is genuinely refusing anything other than urgent appointments then you need to call 111. They can then book you an appointment at another service, walk in centre or where we are the A&E in our local hospital now has a team of GP’s there Mon-Fri so anyone who calls 111, isn’t an A&E case and cannot be seen anywhere else gets booked in there.

It’s sounds like your sleeping tablets are very effective if there’s such a significant risk that you’ll miss this phone call! Surely stronger ones will make life even harder?

When you say you bought it from a private doctor? Do you mean you handed the doctor money for a box of codeine tablets?

There are some sleep meds which have a very short half life so they don't affect your ability to wake up normally. I've been prescribed sleeping pills on and off all my life, and consistently for 2 years. I was taking a benzodiazepine for one year but the psychiatrist felt uncomfortable about it, I believe they are trained and told not to use it.

It worked really well for me, and if I had a tolerance I would just take a break and just deal with insomnia for several days. I never became addicted to it or enjoyed using it. After a while all it does is what it's intended to do. So I started on the Z drugs the first of which gave me really weird side effects like doing things I had no memory of. And having sleep paralysis and terrifying nightmares. So now it's the one I use currently and it doesn't work, which I was aware would be the case

I have been too harsh because my recent psychiatrists do appear to be taking me seriously I just wish it wasn't a constant stress to get my medication. It takes up so much time and I'm really tired

I used to get temazepam, it worked well, there were no side effects, but I think a lot of people were using them recreationally a little over a decade ago and a GP told me it is a highly controlled medication now.

I just think there is a time and a place for very effective medicines

I am just tired of it all

Instead of £50 to see a gp spend £50 to send a
Solicitors letter to surgery stating you have been fobbed off since xxxx date and a list of everything you have requested and been fobbed off about. Send photos of your condition. You need to put in a official complaint and ask
Them who u complain to further for lack of duty of care. Then you need to do it. You need to take some responsibility for it too. Make sure you are awake for phone calls. Change surgeries if yours is too far. Ask for help from
Relatives etc.

I understand that you are frustrated OP and there is a place for every medication, but the medications you are talking about are for short term use only for very good reasons which I don’t think you fully grasp.

Taking benzodiazepine as an example, long term use can lead to cognitive impairment, as well as motor incoordination and anterograde amnesia plus others, not to mention addiction- there is a very good reason they do not prescribe it long term.

The same goes for temazepam, long term it can cause breathing issues, can actually cause sleep problems, it can give you headaches and tremors as well as impacting your memory- plus addiction. It is not a drug that it is safe to be on long term, which is why nobody would prescribe it as such. Any doctor who did could lose their license at best or be criminally charged at worst.

The thing with this is OP is asking the GP for stronger painkillers and stronger sleeping tablets- both of which the GP is not willing to provide for very good and well known medical reasons as well as legal reasons, no solicitor is going to get involved with that.

The GP has referred OP to psychiatry, OP hasn’t attended the appointments.

The GP has arranged a telephone appointment for OP, OP is saying they might not answer because they will be asleep.

No solicitor is going to put their name to a letter with those kind of details, and even if you could find a solicitor who would the GP has a perfectly reasonable and iron clad response: we have done the referral, we have arranged a phone appointment, we are not providing strong pain killers or strong sleeping pills long term for these very clear reasons.

What path did you take to have seen a psychiatrist for so long? I am surprised you do not have a care coordinator.

Oh OP I get you. It’s not as simple as just getting out of bed and rocking up to appointments sometimes.
You should prioritise your pain issues first because it’s going to on your mind a lot.
You need to tell the receptionist that you’re on severe pain and have been taking pain relief long term. Tell them the truth, that you can’t beat it any longer and need help.
Once your pain is sorted then prioritise your mental health. I don’t know what NHS trust you are but mine offer video calls.
Re refer yourself and get the ball rolling again.
A PP mentioned an advocate, if you have a friend or relative to help initially they will be able to help you get your issues addressed.
I really hope you can get the help you need. I have been where you are and it’s shit. One tho f at a time and it will all come together eventually x

I'm sorry you are struggling at the moment.

Regarding your comment:

To be honest a private and insurance based model from birth would have worked out a lot better for a lot of us. Maybe I could have had a normal life.

I don't currently live in the UK. If I want to see a doctor, although I have health insurance, I still have to pay $40. You don't want to know about the cost of blood tests and other treatment.

I have no advice but it all sounds very overwhelming and I'm sure the lack of sleep isn't helping any of it. I hope you can get some support soon.

@MMrsttcno1 I am honestly scared of the risks I know full well what they are to me but in the times I have not had the medicine I have simply suffered far too much and for too long and I just refuse to live like that ever again so I think it is about managing the risk as best as possible

I do totally understand why you feel like that, but the reality is it’s not up to you. These are controlled medications for a reason and they have very strict rules around prescription and use for a reason. The doctors are not refusing to prescribe them because they want you to suffer, they legally cannot prescribe them the way you are asking them to, and doing so could lead to them losing their license or at worst being criminally charged.

Nobody wants you to suffer, but they also cannot give you what you are asking for because it is simply not allowed and that is in your best interest.

The way to manage the risk is short term use only, that’s the legal and medical standpoint. Your psychiatrist is the one best equipped to getting you through that.

@koolcat someone told me to say so are you refusing me a treatment that will work ? And then if they say yes to ask for it to be written down in my file the discussion we had and the outcome

You should go to a podiatrist. They see this sort of thing every day and will be much more knowledgeble than a GP.

@dwnhag I don't really know. My GP referred me to a psychiatrist. And I've been in their care for 2 years but I don't know anything about a care coordinator. They have referred me to a mental health nursing unit to check up with me more regularly maybe it's to do with that ?

I would def get in touch with the MH unit. They will be able to advocate for you and be far better able to advise and support you than MN.

@denhaag yes I think that is a good idea

@OpalMaker there was an online consultation

As you have a psychotic illness, ask your GP for your SMI (Serious Mental Illness) Annual Health Check.

You should get at least 40 minutes to go over lots of health stuff and will probably get blood tests too.

Looking for ‘strong’ sleeping pills or won’t attend appt as asleep.
Looking for stronger pain killers too.
Buying online for stronger painkillers.
Don’t attend the gp due to money but will spend online or privately for the prescription you want.

All screams addiction issues to me.

They’re refusing you pain relief and sleeping pills that they legally and medically are not permitted to give, and your desperation for stronger this and that only supports the fact it is not healthy. Any doctor, nurse, will happily sign to say that they are following the rules.

You need to get this idea that they’re depriving you these pills out of spite out of your mind, they’re following the rules and regulations that they HAVE to follow.

Try filling out an e consultation on the GP's website for your foot including a picture and hopefully they can issue a prescription without seeing you.

This is absolutely what I’m thinking, and it’s what any medical professional is also thinking.