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Moved to UK. Dr. refusing to prescribe meds

92 replies

SoDiana · 14/11/2014 12:22

HI there,
I'm in a bit of a tizz. I have moved over from Ireland and have registered with a GP practice here. GP here, despite getting fax of my prescribed meds from my GP in Ireland, refuses point blank to prescribe my meds until he receives a detailed history from my GP in Ireland. Apparently they can't get through to my doctor today.
Basically, I'm on two anti-depressants and 2 other meds for other conditions. If he doesn't give me my meds today, I will be 5 days going cold turkey off my anti-depressants by Monday. This is potentially lethal for me as it has taken literally years to get my meds to a point where my condition is stable.
What in God's name can I do?
Urgent advice required!!!

OP posts:
AdoraBell · 14/11/2014 14:13

Sorry, crossed posts

SoDiana · 14/11/2014 14:14

Spoke to doctor. He is NOW going to prescribe all the other meds except Valdoxan. He is getting some Crisis team to call out to my house now. FFS. I was absolutely fine until today! What an absolute shambles.

OP posts:
QuintsBombWithAWiew · 14/11/2014 14:15

Weekend trip to Ireland?

When we moved to the UK from Norway, we were told we were not eligible for a UK GP unless we had lived here for three months first.

QuintsBombWithAWiew · 14/11/2014 14:15

Ok, so you have some resolution. Sort of.

SoDiana · 14/11/2014 14:16

I'm in floods of tears. At this rate they'll cart me off! Fecks sake.

OP posts:
QuintsBombWithAWiew · 14/11/2014 14:16

One of the joys of moving countries, that you wont know about until you are in the thick of it. Flowers

Wishtoremainunknown · 14/11/2014 14:20

Norway isn't quite the same as Ireland is it ? With not being an EU member ?

Anyway glad you're half way to resolution.

tywysogesgymraeg · 14/11/2014 14:22

Hope all goes well from here on OP. Please bear in mind that there is always more than one way of treating most illnesses, and your UK GP, who is restricted by the NHS budget (rightly or wrongly, but let's not start that discussion now), may well prescribe different medication than that you've been receiving via the Irish medical system, where I believe there is no NHS.

Just a thought - is there some patient confidentiality thingy that's preventing your Irish GP from discussing your history with the UK GP? Is there any way that he should be checkign that GP is who he says he is, and not some random person. Could that be what's holding up the conversation between them? How do GPs in different countries "recognise" each other's validity?

SoDiana · 14/11/2014 14:29

A faxed letter on headed paper, signed by Irish GP, with her credentials on it should be sufficient?
He has received my full history now by fax from IReland.

They will not try to change me off Valdoxan. I have attempted suicide over 100 times and not once since being prescribed valdoxan 2 years ago.

OP posts:
SoDiana · 14/11/2014 14:30

Or should I say - it will be over my dead body (literally!) that they dare take me off it.

OP posts:
QuintsBombWithAWiew · 14/11/2014 14:32

tyw - No, should have said, we have residency in Britain, and our kids were born here, we were just away a couple of years.

Wishtoremainunknown · 14/11/2014 14:37

Oh I see ! Didn't know that then no !

SophieBarringtonWard · 14/11/2014 14:41

That was wrong Quint!

tywysogesgymraeg · 14/11/2014 14:42

OP - I don't think you can dictate what you're prescribed. I'm prepared to be proved wrong though.

MiscellaneousAssortment · 14/11/2014 14:43

Don't waste your time pleasing with pharmacists, it would be highly unethical & more than their jobs worth to give out unprescribed medicines.

As a last ditch attempt you could go to a private gp and ask them to write a private prescription. They may well do it if you can supply evidence from Irish gp. Thinking of placed like Medicentre in major London train stations, or look on Internet for any private gp in your area.

You'd need to be booking an emergency appointment now & also ringing pharmacies to find out who has the unusual prescription in stock...

I know how stressful this is, having been in the same situation, with gp receptionist having fucked up repeat prescription all week, then being deliberately obstructive and refusing to inform the gp of what had happened (out of spite as I made her look bad). I needed venlaflaxine, amiltriptaline, plus high doses of fentanyl and morphine, so major physical dependencies and danger of very nasty side effects (like, err, death), as well as risk to psychological health.

The receptionist had 'forgotten' to give the repeat prescription request to the gp, then when she did that, days later, she then lost' them, and then to add insult to injury, she then refused to give out the replacement prescriptions issued on the grounds that I'd have too many controlled substances, if added onto the first set of prescriptions - the ones she lost somewhere between the doctors office and the receptionist desk.

I finally managed to get through to a doctor at 6pm on Friday, who was horrified as she'd even had a couple of free appointments that afternoon, so had been available at the very time the receptionist was blocking me from getting medical help! The gp actually faxed a local pharmacy my prescription herself, as she didn't trust the receptionists to do it. The pharmacy had ordered in the CD and stayed open 20mins later, otherwise it would have been Monday or Tues before I could have got them as they don't keep CD on the premises. I still didn't get the venlaflaxine (can't remember why in the tangled mess of events!), so went cold turkey off it & didn't go back on. Not good.

It's awful someone else having your life in their hands and not behaving in a responsible way. This was last year yet the sense of panic and dread is still there as of it were yesterday. Shudder.

Good luck Flowers

Waitingonasunnyday · 14/11/2014 14:48

Oh god this is awful for you. I hope the crisis team are there soon and you get the medication you need. Good luck.

SoDiana · 14/11/2014 14:55

Miscellaneous assortment - I have a feeling I will recall today as vividly as you recall your experience in a years time! The feeling of dread of the repercussions has spiralled me into them!!! Jesus, for something so simple. If all came to all, they should prescribe an emergency supply until a specialist appointment comes up.

OP posts:
SoDiana · 14/11/2014 14:56

Thanks to everyone else for the kind words and suggestions. Unfortunately, I am broke! That rules out a weekend trip to Ireland or to a private GP.

OP posts:
SoDiana · 14/11/2014 14:58

tyw - I don't want to dictate. It would be very dangerous to mess with my meds though. If they do, they do - and they can face the repercussions.

OP posts:
Musicaltheatremum · 14/11/2014 15:04

Sorry you are having a tough time. I would have given you some Prozac the other drug does not seem to be freely available in the UK. you may find that it is only available in hospital pharmacies and therefore not available for GPs to prescribe in the community anyway. Good luck.

MiscellaneousAssortment · 14/11/2014 15:06

PS no you cannot dictate to a doctor what they prescribe, but they have a professional duty to provide a responsible plan aaltair just abandon you.

It's not acceptable to leave a vulnerable patient in a difficult situation whilst knowing that by refusing to continue with an existing treatment plan, the patient may be at risk.

MiscellaneousAssortment · 14/11/2014 15:13

Also ... Their edict is 'do no harm', but what about when no action does harm?

Good luck. It's great you are able to get one script, so that's one thing less to worry about. The other one seems more difficult - I hope they can provide an emergency appointment if nothing else...

SoDiana · 14/11/2014 15:15

When speaking to the doctor he gave me the line 'I'm responsible for the medication I prescribe'. I asked him whether he was also responsible for the medication he refuses to prescribe. That's when he decided on calling the Crisis Team.

OP posts:
SoDiana · 14/11/2014 15:16

I also had to use the 'my brother is a doctor' (he is). He wouldn't get involved, though he might at an inquest!

OP posts:
Wishtoremainunknown · 14/11/2014 15:17

Quite. As their patient doing nothing would be very harmful for you and falls far away from do no harm in my book !

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