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Children's health

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Original poster

Roaccutane privately

36 replies

naughty40me · 22/07/2023 17:20

Hi

My DS16 has awful acne.

The GP has tried 3 different antibiotics and several creams.

He has now been referred to a consultant in order to start Roaccutane.
However the waiting list is really long.

I've never used private medicine before.

How much would it cost to get this sorted for him.

I'm starting a new job so will have some spare cash after years of very low income. I would love to be able to get him treated as its really affecting his confidence.

Any advice/recommendations appreciated thank you.

OP posts:
ProseccoOnTap · 22/07/2023 17:25

OP, I'm wondering the same thing for my son. Also been through all the NHS medication.

He is 14 & been referred to dermatology but the lists here are 1.5-2 years long.

So we are due to see a private consultant in the next few weeks.

We're in Scotland so things are slightly different- eg free NHS prescriptions but I'm hoping it's not too costly.

imadeitnice · 22/07/2023 17:30

I went private for an initial consultation (about £200) and they transferred me back to NHS start treatment.

grass321 · 22/07/2023 17:30

I had a private quote for my son but ended up getting slotted into the NHS.

It was a few years ago but I think it was something like £100 per month for the prescription. They said my GP should be able to arrange the blood tests but if not, you'd have to pay for those on top.

mycoffeecup · 22/07/2023 17:31

Remember that all the monitoring bloods etc will also be private so budget for that

Original poster
naughty40me · 22/07/2023 17:36

Thanks all

I've had a response from one clinic saying consultation would be £175 with follow ups.

They say he should be able to have bloods at GP for free though.

I will discuss it with them and check.
I don't drive so would be easier to get them done at GP surgery.

Clinic is 1.5 hours by train.

Wish he was a girl and could go on the pill!

OP posts:
glasgow1983 · 22/07/2023 17:38

From experience of having a somewhat similar dermatological problem, the private consultant discussed options with me and then referred me back to himself at the NHS, which is where he saw me a week or so later.

All blood tests and prescriptions are done at the NHS hospital.

With all that in mind, if you’re booking a consultant privately, look for one who operates at the hospital which would normally treat you as an outpatient.

hammyhamster72 · 22/07/2023 17:45

Hi,

We did this with our son - had about 4 private consultations but got monitoring bloods done through GP. Was probably the best part of £1000 all in (consultations plus prescriptions)

Original poster
naughty40me · 22/07/2023 18:17

glasgow1983 · 22/07/2023 17:38

From experience of having a somewhat similar dermatological problem, the private consultant discussed options with me and then referred me back to himself at the NHS, which is where he saw me a week or so later.

All blood tests and prescriptions are done at the NHS hospital.

With all that in mind, if you’re booking a consultant privately, look for one who operates at the hospital which would normally treat you as an outpatient.

Thanks for this....

I've had a Google and found a Dr who runs a clinic at a local private hospital but also works in the main NHS hospital that we would use.

I have a friend who works there and says yes this is what the consultants tend to do....refer you back to themselves on the NHS.

Hoping I can get a slot with him 🙏

OP posts:
mycoffeecup · 22/07/2023 20:15

I'm a GP, we don't do bloods at the request of private clinics. Don't assume you can do that unless you've heard it from your GP

noglow · 22/07/2023 20:17

The queue would just get even longer on the NHS then? Or does it not work like that

mycoffeecup · 22/07/2023 21:57

noglow · 22/07/2023 20:17

The queue would just get even longer on the NHS then? Or does it not work like that

Was that a reply to me?

As a GP, I'm medicolegally responsible for every blood test I do, whether done at the behest of a consultant or not. I have the time to assess my patients and do the tests that I think necessary, I don't have the time to do tests on behalf of every private consultant who asks and look at those results. Some private consultants ask for tests that are appropriate - some don't.

noglow · 22/07/2023 22:04

mycoffeecup · 22/07/2023 21:57

Was that a reply to me?

As a GP, I'm medicolegally responsible for every blood test I do, whether done at the behest of a consultant or not. I have the time to assess my patients and do the tests that I think necessary, I don't have the time to do tests on behalf of every private consultant who asks and look at those results. Some private consultants ask for tests that are appropriate - some don't.

Show quote history

No it wasn't sorry. I was surprised you could go private and then get referred back to the NHS. I'd have thought it would push the NHS backlog up? Although I guess if the first bit is the part that holds everything up it might relieve some pressure.

mycoffeecup · 22/07/2023 22:07

noglow · 22/07/2023 22:04

No it wasn't sorry. I was surprised you could go private and then get referred back to the NHS. I'd have thought it would push the NHS backlog up? Although I guess if the first bit is the part that holds everything up it might relieve some pressure.

Show quote history

You can get referred back to the NHS but you're back in the WL - you don't jump the queue. It is much tighter now than before and consultants can't just slot their private patients in at the top of the queue - though I'm sure that used to happen.

Original poster
naughty40me · 22/07/2023 22:15

I thought it was an odd system myself.

I said to my friend are you sure they can do that? Is that not just queue jumping?

Think I will ring GP and ask. It was a clinic thing we got sent to who made the referral.

I rang the hospital who said he should have been seen in May but they only have 2 consultants available, and referrals are dating back to 2021!

So i was told to call clinic back and get the referral updated as "urgent".

No idea if it will make any difference.

OP posts:
noglow · 22/07/2023 22:16

If it gets to a consultant quicker then I guess that's good as they might rule it out quicker if it's unsuitable.

mycoffeecup · 22/07/2023 22:44

naughty40me · 22/07/2023 22:15

I thought it was an odd system myself.

I said to my friend are you sure they can do that? Is that not just queue jumping?

Think I will ring GP and ask. It was a clinic thing we got sent to who made the referral.

I rang the hospital who said he should have been seen in May but they only have 2 consultants available, and referrals are dating back to 2021!

So i was told to call clinic back and get the referral updated as "urgent".

No idea if it will make any difference.

Again, please don't ask the GP to expedite the referral - we don't do that. If the hospital told you to get the GP to mark it as urgent, please make a formal complaint as they aren't meant to be doing that. It's stuff like this from hospitals which takes up time that we could be spending seeing patients. You haven't done anything wrong but the queue is the queue.

hammyhamster72 · 22/07/2023 23:31

Just to clarify the consultant we saw (after 4 years of trying to get the appropriate treatment on the NHS and losing the will to live) practised privately and for the NHS. She updated my son's GP after each appointment and advised them of the treatment prescribed. At the same time she asked for cooperation in carrying out blood tests so that he was able to get these done locally to us at our local surgery.
They worked together and cooperatively but at no point did the private consultant refer my son back to the NHS - we were being seen privately and that remained the case until he was discharged. No jumping the queue but I'm glad to say he's finally received the treatment he needed and has responded well and has managed to escape the facial scarring his father and grandfather had to endure.

Hope that helps

grass321 · 23/07/2023 06:56

I'm guessing it varies by GP. Both of my parents have blood tests through our GP requested by private consultants for different conditions. They also cover some quite expensive heart medication my father was prescribed privately. And my post (private) surgery blood thinners which weren't cheap.

I can appreciate the GP's view of tests coming out of their budget which they may not deem necessary. Not sure why ours are accommodating, I'm guessing there's a high proportion of patients with private health care.

Back to the original question, Roaccutane was amazing for my son. Some quite nasty side effects but completely cleared it up before it got to the scarring stage.

ProseccoOnTap · 23/07/2023 07:16

For those who had private roaccutane, how long was the treatment course?

hammyhamster72 · 23/07/2023 07:20

Course was a good 6-8 months for our son but this probably varies by person. His skin/lips got very dry so I would recommend plenty of lip salve and moisturiser. He also got some nose bleeds but these were minimal. We were warned about side effects and told what to look out for.

grass321 · 23/07/2023 07:43

Same for us (I think 6 months through the NHS). The doctor said it was total volume of the medication rather than length of time per se. There was a slightly awkward appointment where they were trying to work out the remaining dose on a calculator but kept making a mistake.

I think you have the first course, then an extended period to see whether it's worked. From memory, most people don't need a second course.

My son also found it slightly easier over winter as you don't have the sun issue. He didn't put suncream on for a fairly average day in September at school, his face went bright red and he shed his skin like a snake. Not good so I'd say be careful about sun exposure.

cathyandclare · 23/07/2023 07:52

We also had a private consultation, blood tests and initial private prescription, then followed up on the NHS with my DD.

SlipSlidinAway · 23/07/2023 08:06

Wish he was a girl and could go on the pill!

Doesn't necessarily help acne. Didn't for me - Roaccutane was the only thing that helped. Hope you manage to get something sorted for your ds soon.

Original poster
naughty40me · 23/07/2023 10:24

Thank you for all the responses everyone and I'm pleased to hear that Roaccutane generally does work for most people.

I feel so bad for him. His father and I never suffered from it and his sister doesn't either.

He says it's embarrassing but also painful.

I will make some calls tomorrow and find out more info from our GP.

Waiting for a start date on new job so once I get started and have a wage I will be able to book him in.

Thanks everyone

OP posts:
mycoffeecup · 24/07/2023 10:03

grass321 · 23/07/2023 06:56

I'm guessing it varies by GP. Both of my parents have blood tests through our GP requested by private consultants for different conditions. They also cover some quite expensive heart medication my father was prescribed privately. And my post (private) surgery blood thinners which weren't cheap.

I can appreciate the GP's view of tests coming out of their budget which they may not deem necessary. Not sure why ours are accommodating, I'm guessing there's a high proportion of patients with private health care.

Back to the original question, Roaccutane was amazing for my son. Some quite nasty side effects but completely cleared it up before it got to the scarring stage.

It's not so much the cost of the actual test. It's our time. GP is going up in flames at the moment - we are in complete crisis and we only have time to do what we are there to do. Every ten minutes that I spend actioning something for a private consultant, is a patient who can't get to see me.