I called my Doctors surgery this morning to request my prescription for Diazepam. The medical receptionist informed me that apparently there had been a change in policy since Oct 1st whereby requests for medication can’t be taken over the phone. She said that I would have to come into the surgery every 3-4 weeks to ask for it directly. This would be really detrimental to my mental health. Actually the whole thing is causing me anxiety. The women at the surgery said this was something that had been implemented by The health board so I decided to call them.
When I called the Health board for my area the woman I talked to said she hadn’t heard of this happening anywhere and to call back and speak to the practice manager of my surgery to make sure and if it was happening to call someone from ‘Primary care services’ (Not exactly sure what they do) and talk to someone called Alistair Mackintosh. I called the practice manager and she said that ‘yes this was definitely something they were implementing’. I wasn’t happy and she said someone would get back to me.
So I called Alistair who was a nice posh man who talked a lot about person centred care. I believe my surgery has always been Dr centred. I have to write formally to the practice manager to tell her why this new policy would be detrimental to my mental health. GAH!
Then.. My Doctor (Dr Slaven) called me and said ‘oh the reason we thought this would be good was because some woman walked in saying we had to prescribe her drugs that the hospital said she had to be on and we prescribed too much’… My Jaw literally hung open.. ‘Secondly, an old man with hearing problems called up and it took the receptionists 20 minutes to list all the medication he was on, which is a waste of time’ !?
So..these are the reasons for the changes..
Worst of all …and something I am freaked out more by was that my doctor proceeded to say ‘Oh! I was going to call you this week because I’m taking you off your medication because well, it’s now been proven not to be effective long term and well Doctors are not being given legal help any more when people sue them if they erm have problems’
I told him I read about this over two years ago.
My doctor has always told me that the level of medication I am on is not addictive (So he lied..or just didn’t have the knowledge). I told him it wasn’t working as well and he said ‘It should be’ (I honestly don’t think he has a clue). Anyway, I have been on the same level of medication for about 5 years (and have been on it before)
Honestly, I know I am not psychologically addicted to the drug because I go days and forget to take it. After about day 4 I feel worse physically and more anxious and I know it’s the side effects of the drugs I am on.
My doctor knows I don’t take 3 per day.. that just doesn’t work for me. I don’t take them and when I need to do something stressful (depending on how I am feeling this could be going to the dentist or even just leaving the house I will take a larger dose). I have told my doctor this and he is fine with it.
Basically this is not about me, it is not person centred it is about my Doctor being afraid that I will sue him. The other stuff about having the prescription.. I have no idea.
Sorry, this is a bit of a rant.. but I had to get it off my chest. I am so angry at the way I have been treated over the years By The Calderglen medical practice (The hunter health centre). I feel like I have fallen through the net. 10 years ago I called the Dr whose Practice it is, Dr Mctaggart and I told her I was agoraphobic but she refused to see me unless I came into the surgery. Which is a totally bitter catch 22 situation, which made me suffer a lot for about 3-4 years until I managed to actually see a Doctor.
Basically it has been a nightmare and now I am facing another one. I have no idea how I am going to feel coming off these drugs atm as I have so much happening and I realise now after looking up online groups that my Doctor was talking crap when he said taking meds at the level I do doesn’t cause addiction!!
Not sure where to start.. so I thought I would get some of my thoughts straight here first and look for some support. It’s weird that I have felt more supported here in Two months (ish) than I have in Yeeeeeeeears at my Doctors surgery.
Doctors are meant to make you feel better but mine makes me feel worse!!
Diazepam at any level can cause addiction… what is your Dr on about?! That is quite unbelievable that they would make someone with agoraphobia have to come into the surgery to see a doctor… that is pretty much going against some sort of disability act surely… they should be accommodatg to your needs…. sounds like a very stressful situation. I’m sorry
xx
Thank you. I tried to study there and fell asleep for a couple of hours. Sometimes my body does that when I’m stressed.. Feel less raw now and ready to do some arse kicking.. by which I mean letter writing!
xx
I can imagine the anxiety your feeling right now!..It must be hard on the doctors as well.
The thought of been sued could ruin him and his family! … This is my problem with taking medication they say will help us!…Does it help or create more anxiety when situations like this happen?…Breathe Lisa! …then say lots of bad words. *smiles*…which I’m sure you have already done!
It’s a rant under extreme anxiety!!
I’m glad you vented!..I hope someone can sort something out for you…now poke your tongue out and smile. Lol xxxx
lol I will try! Yeah, I read a couple of years ago that people were starting to sue their doctors for prescribing benzodiazepines and them becoming ‘accidental addicts’ or whatever the term is. It’s not the suing part that is worrying them it’s the fact that their union wont be paying for their defence.
Doctors should know that these drugs cause addiction but they hand them out like sweeties. If I’m honest for me it taking them has been like choosing the lesser of two evils because without them I wouldn’t have been able to go on holiday, visit friends and at one point leave my house at all. You can see why I’m slightly worried that I wont be using them.
What actually bothers me the most about this is the fact it was sprung on me when my Doctor didn’t have time to talk about my concerns and if you are anxious that is pretty harsh. . also that he has suggested no alternative. There is no phone counselling on the NHS apparently but I have decided to get my own. I will just be put on another type of drug like Effexor or Prozac which I really didn’t want because I want to test out doing things with less meds or none and I can’t do that if I am on a drug that I have to take every day.
Wow… In your country, is the health system socialized? Here in the USA, if Obamacare is not repealed soon, our health system will be socialized and honestly, it doesn’t work.
Obamacare adds 16,000 IRS (tax collectors) agents to handle the “penalty” if you don’t have health insurance, but they aren’t adding any doctors to the health care system, not one!! So, the 10 million plus uninsured people who are now going to be forced to purchase health insurance through the government will surely overtax (no pun intended) the doctors. EVERY doctor I have talked to here in Florida DREADS Obamacare. Can you believe a person can be ‘penalized’ $1,200 MINIMUM per year if they do not purchase health insurance?! I am so ready for someone else besides Obama to be in office. He does NOT represent the common, hardworking family, he represents those who believe they are “entitled” to free stuff because they don’t want to work. It’s different if someone truly has a debilitating issue, but I see healthy people collecting welfare and paying for cigarettes and alcohol with government issued welfare debit cards. AAUUGGHHHH… I had better stop thinking about this, my blood pressure is going through the roof, I might just blow a gasket, my kids will come home and find me in a fetal position on the floor, rocking and sucking my thumb or something… Maybe I’ll just talk out of the side of my mouth and drool… Okay, okay, I’ll stop with my rant! Like you, just had to get it off my chest! Look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdnY8r7_fLw
I hear your fear and I’m not saying that it is invalid.
Do you realize how broken our privatized health care is, though? How much money goes to administration? How much the AVERAGE person and employer pays per year for something that is so broken?
Universal health care would be so welcome, in my opinion. I worked in Human Resources for 12 years and the horror stories I could tell you dwarf the aggrevation that our blogger is going through immensly. (But I feel for you, hon, and I”ll write letters if you’re too burnt out to do so yourself!)
I closed a factory that had been in production for 25 years. Those people could NOT afford Cobra. I saw a diabetic denied state health care because she had a trailor home and therefore wasn’t poor enough to qualify. And don’t get me started on dental care!
Yeah.. I just walked in off the street a wee while ago into a brilliant dentists that is right next door to me and they started work on my teeth right away. I had an abscess and I needed a surgical extraction ..I was in pain all night and they told me to come in right away and they removed my tooth. Honestly this complaint of mine is more to do with policy makers and Unions it’s not so much The National Health Service.
I have actually cried before because I have American friends who can’t afford medication to make them better. I have one friend who had to wait in emergency for about 8 hours just to be seen and she thought her condition was life threatening.. That just wouldn’t happen here. I am not blaming the NHS which is a wonderful thing I am blaming The doctors Union.. I understand why they are doing it though. It’s one of those things. My doctor is phoning me tomorrow and We will work out a course of action.
Diazepam had pretty much stopped working for me anyway.. My Doctor was stupid (I was too a for believing him!) for allowing me on it long term in the first place. Diabetics not being given insulin, people not being cared for because they are poor…just wouldn’t happen here and I can’t say how grateful I am. If you get a chance of National Health care grab it with open arms.
I honestly don’t understand why people would be against sick people getting help?! I’m not saying that to be challenging.. I really, truly don’t understand.
I understand what you are saying, but, my best friend is head nurse at a Hospital ER and she sees so much abuse. She had a lady call an ambulance to come and get her and take her to the emergency room for a toothache and asked the ambulance driver on the way to the hospital to stop at a store so she could buy some cigarettes. Yup, I guess her nicotine withdrawal was an emergency! I just bought a 30gram tube of cream for eczema, $238… Thank goodness I have health insurance because my co-pay was only $12. I just wonder, how could a tube not much bigger than a travel size toothpaste cost $238, does it have gold in it? Geez, I just think the prices are outrageous, malpractice, frivolous lawsuits and people submitting fraudulent claims to our medicare/medicaid system. I just hate to think about the ‘death panels’ that will be created, well, that’s what I call them. Government bureaucrats who will decide if a person is ‘worthy’ of having a specific medical treatment done. Climbing off my soapbox… Hope I don’t fall, might require medical attention! haahaa… It is sad though, that people who really need help can’t afford it. It’s hard to say exactly what can be done without overtaxing everyone.
Well here they ask people what’s wrong before they send out an ambulance and they wouldn’t for a toothache. They certainly wouldn’t stop an ambulance so someone could buy Cigarettes. That is one weird anecdote!!
What would the ‘death panels’ be?
I can’t even think about what it must be like to have to pay that sort of money for meds as all out medication is free.
Oh just noticed you had offered to write my letters for me.. I didn’t think you were talking about me for some reason. That Is very sweet of you.I may not be good at going outside but I have a knack at letter writing. Thank you so much though.
xx
Americans have been sold a lot of lies about how keeping health care private is somehow in their best interest. They don’t want to pay for “other people’s” health care and they want competition to exist so that they get the best care.
Fact is, SOO much money goes to the middle man. An employed American family typically pays 20k/yr for health care, whether they know it or not. (Trust me, your employer knows what you pay and it is part of your compensation package.) And if you lose your job, it is gone.
I originally wanted to reply to give you support, though! Not to talk politics.
I may be in the minority here, but I think that if you can tolerate a habit forming drug, there is really no harm done. I mean, anxiety is a bad habit, too, you know?
I’m sorry the world is crapping on you today.
Thank you. Today is another day and I am feeling less vulnerable and more fighty!
You did give me support and I thank you. I think it’s good to talk about the politics of medical care too. I like to come at problems from all angles so it helped me to put things into perspective.
Again, thank you. xxLisa
Yes, we have the NHS which is brilliant. (This is not about the NHS it’s about The Doctor’s Union)
I love the idea that no matter how much money you have you are entitled to health care.
I would hate to live in a country where if you had an accident they would look in your wallet before they looked for a pulse to decide which hospital you went to. To me that’s so scary and harsh and money grabbing.
We don’t have insurance here The NHS is paid for out of our taxes and it does work. People complain some of the time but really they would go mad if it was going to be taken away from them.
People who design policies should stop and think what they’re doing once in a while, as what they do doesn’t actually deserve being called designing; it’s more like slapping a piece of gum on an acid leak, hoping it will have some weird reaction and agglutinate instead of just creating new problems, like having wasted a perfectly good gum
Yes, I was thinking about this. The 1st policy was to save time and apparently lives but a lot of people can’t leave their homes and they are screwed ..plus Its not going to save any time as loads of people will be in and out the surgery (I think you may be able to write to ask for a prescription but the Royal mail isn’t exactly always reliable so you might not get meds that you need)
The 2nd part. I think they should protect the doctors from being sued. If people are addicted to Valium they will just buy it (which is illegal) and if the dealer doesn’t have it they might try something else. I foresee a lot more alcoholism and other drug dependency in the future.. but as long as the Doctors are ok. Person centred my arse…with gum on it! x
It’s pretty hard to sue a medical practitioner here in Germany; we need to go all the way to the bureau of medical practitioners, and they have an army of lawyers,but they also conduct inquiries and investigations on their own accord. I don’t know if I can get prescription over the phone normally, but my village doctor, who has known me for nearly 24 years now, and the local apothecary, just give me or members of my family the medication and prescriptions that I need.
And you were all bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning =(
Has your Dr. considered the withdrawal symptoms of many mental illness drugs? Coming off without stepping the meds down can be hazard to both your mental stability and your physical health.
I hope someone gets around to actually helping you soon.
Yes, he is stepping them down .. I’m not sure by how much though as he called me and that was just a ‘by the way’ as he was on the way to a meeting. I will find out more tomorrow. I wanted to come off meds anyway.. but when I had other coping mechanisms in place. I’m not there yet.
I have been hoping someone would help me since I was small and I have realised that now I am 34 I need to just help myself. I don’t mean that in an annoyed way or anything.. I mean it in a determined way.
x
If you are in the UK I believe there is a complaints section for doctors. We sent a complaint letter out about our son when he was only a couple of years old and they have to look into it. sometimes they nothing other than speak to the GP, confirm details and give them a verbal (nice, not on record) warning other times if its serious enough they are monitored – especially more so if they have complaints from others which they might have if he’s that bad! Can’t quite remember who you write to but sure you can find it on the interwang
Try and change doctors surgery and good luck!
Apologies for spelling – think this is it or might give you directions to it..
http://www.gmc-uk.org/How_to_complain_about_a_doctor___easy_read_0512.pdf_48902797.pdf
Again.. thanks loads! I actually called someone from The health sector or something today and they said I could talk to my Ombudsman (whatever they do!) If things don’t get sorted out.
xx
Thanks for the advice. I was thinking of changing surgery before this happened actually. Weirdly my doctor said that The Doctors in Saltcoats (My doc is in East Kilbride) would ‘Throw up their hands if they knew someone was on Valium’ which is rubbish as I know a friend of a friend who gets prescribed about 4 x the amount I am on because he used to be either an alcoholic or a drug user.. (I mean Heroin or something) ..
I need to think about whether I will go down the road about complaining about him.. I think he is possibly a good doctor otherwise.. I keep having my doubts though as he has told me a load of crap.
Thanks again..xx
I think it helps us to recognise that the doctors are not always working for our best interests. As they are influenced so strongly by the self-protective drug companies and what they have to offer, and their own practice protocol – which changes to suit the ideas of so-called experts of the moment, whose ideas are often contradicted a couple of years later! It’s no wonder we get confused! We also have to remember that doctors are not the only people who can heal our ailments, as there are many complementary therapists out there who do excellent work, without the use of addictive chemicals that only increase our problems! Also, most importantly, we have to be aware that whilst we may need GP’s for hospital treatment, we can influence how we want to be treated.
Very wise. Thank you. xx
I think the reason they put a lot of people on Diazepam is that it costs pence per packet to buy it in. Drugs like Effexor cost over £10 per prescription.. Though I was offered Effexor after a while..
I actually think I became more anxious since he put me on Diazepam actually.. Yes It has loads of side effects and I would rather not be on it.. on the other hand it allowed me to leave my house. I think what bothers me most is that I feel I have no autonomy over my own mental health. It feels like it’s being decided by Doctors and policy makers.
Thanks again. xx
I can never understand why they put people with panic and anxiety disorders on drugs with side effects that increase these symptoms?
No me either. Probably something to do with Money and the fact that it doesn’t take a lot of effort to shove people on Valium. Actually helping people find other therapies etc would take time and people generally have 10 mins max with their GPs.
xx
Things will gradually change and improve, once people realise and accept that doctors are not never-failing gurus. They are simply human beings like us, with specific knowledge of a particular area! Problem for us, like any other area of expertise, is that at times we have no other option than to trust that what they are saying is accurate! Then later to find out they were wrong!
Yes, very true. The weird thing is because I have been studying Psychology and counselling I probably know more about mental health that him yet still I believe him over myself when deciding what is good for me. Never again. I am learning valuble lessons here!
xx
Wow, sounds like you need either a more thoughtful or a far more holistic doctor. Do they have any in your area that you know of? Someone who thinks outside the box a bit? I haven’t had much better luck with traditional medicine myself, so I feel for you.
I also sympathize with those who are talking about the problems with health care in this country – I don’t have any since I left my job to work for myself, and at my current income level I could not afford either to purchase insurance or pay a penalty. So I guess they’d have to lock me up in debtor’s prison or something. Do they still have those?
Wow..Sorry that you don’t have medical insurance. That must be edge of the seat stuff! I really hope that some sort of a national health service is implemented in America soon. Must be the socialist in me.
Generally GP’s are not so holistic here. They follow a strict medical model though mostly if you say you want to try alternative things they will pretty much say ‘knock yourself out’. In saying that certain alternative therapies are now being offered on the NHS. I will need to look into it.
I hope they don’t start building debtors prisons over there!!
xxLisa
BIIIGGG HUGS!!! I am so very sorry to hear this. :C I will tell you that I talked about you with my students today. I told them that the thing I admired about you most is that no matter how hard things got you never give up. You keep trying and always look for the positive.
I will keep you in my thoughts. Please let me know how things go, and I promise I will stick with you!
Love,
Rebecca
P.S. Can you change doctors?
Aww.. Thank you. You always make me smile.
Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts ..things look a bit better today. Same crap different perspective and strategy!!
I can change Doctors and I will but I need to sort out things with my own doctor first. I guess it’s a matter of principal now as I feel I have been treated badly.
Thank you again for being so kind.
xxLisa
Lisa,
I’m alarmed that your doctor is all of a sudden talking about discontinuing your medication. How often do you take diazepam? If you are taking it regularly, your doctor needs to taper you slowly and safely. Frankly, I think it should be your choice to quit, if and when you want to, and you should be in control of how fast or slow you taper. I’m really glad I had enough clonazepam to taper off over a slow period (it took me 10 months), because it would have been even more hellish if I hadn’t. Look up the Ashton Manual–it’s a document written by a UK doctor who is an expert on benzodiazepines and tapering off of them. If the doctor insists on your discontinuing diazepam, I would give him the Ashton Manual to read. Good luck, sweetie.
Thank you so much. I’m looking at the legal side of things atm. I don’t actually think my Doctor can actually stop my medication. Things are changing for me and I am doing a lot more things now.. I am about to get therapy over the phone and I’m about to finish my honours degree in psych.. I don’t feel ready to come off my meds until I have scaffolding put into place. I do eventually want to come off them. I had hoped when I had got more into meditation and had at least spoken to a counsellor.
Thank you for your advice. xxxx
Although I am not clear as to what you are trying to explain here, I am clear that you are in pain and frustrated. I am sorry that you are struggling right now and hope that the sky brightens in your inner world. Stopping Valium cold-turkey can be VERY dangerous. Be careful, be safe, and don’t stop advocating for what is right for YOU>Keep on going.
Thank you. It’s difficult to explain..as there are so many departments involved. I think I just needed to vent.
Thank you xx
My understanding is when you take a specific type of medicine i.e. Anti-Depressants or Morphine or other controlled drugs the doctor now has to see you to do an evaluation with respect to a repeat prescription or if your medication needs reviewed. And I agree it can be tough having to go every month.
He has now said I can write to get my prescription.. which makes even less sense..I am more annoyed that he said I had to come off my meds but didn’t make time to talk to me about it.. Gah!
x
Sorry but I also wanted to add another thought about medication. I suffer from chronic pain etc and as such take pain killers and other medicines and by their very nature they are addictive and I am what’s known by Doctors as a clinical addict however this is to be expected with these types of medicines and is managed but the key point is your quality of life for example if you can function and interact with the world when talking the medicine is this not a fair trade off? What if you don’t take the medicine do you skip life de to pain or depression?. I believe there is a world of difference between this type of addiction and the type we see in the average junky.
Yes, this was my Doctor’s view too. Doctors have been sued over here for creating addicts so it’s not really about how I feel or what He or I think, It is a decision being made by the practice. It’s infuriating. From what I have read of this it has been made clear that no patient should be made to come off medication if they don’t feel ready.
xx
Yes, I do feel like my medication is the lesser of two evils.. the other would be to never leave my house. (Hopefully when I have other coping mechanisms in place this will be different though)
Thank for writing!
This whole situation sounds like a nightmare! Sorry you had to go through that
I hope it all gets sorted out without causing too much anxiety! Ellie hugs xx
Thanks missus.
xxLisa
I’ve personally been shunning medication for years as I know it’s not it’s not a solution but a temporary reprieve that can help you find a solution. Trouble is, in the UK, where is the support that can help you find those solutions?! If you’re very lucky and end up in a good area with a good doctor’s surgery, you’re fine. You can get doctors who listen, who are willing to stick by you as they refer you on for the next stage of your treatment. Whilst I was still in the UK, I didn’t get any of that! I’ve spent years up and down with various levels of depression. I was once offered psychotherapy, which I found very traumatic. After I told them that, they basically acted like I’d refused help! So… So, I stopped going to the doctors, stopped talking about it, stopped the medication I was on and just didn’t say anything. I just worked and tried to survive on my own… After moving, the next doctors I saw when I became really ill again, there was only the option of booking an appointment myself for counselling. I’d have to make my way there… As soon as I became so ill I couldn’t go out, my appointments were cancelled as there was a waiting list and they were a charity. There was no back-up option. The doctor’s surgery… Well, they had a policy where you could incur charges if you didn’t turn up for an appointment! I was lucky that didn’t happen, but they did threaten me with it which scared me. So, I stopped going. I just languished inside until my relationship failed and I moved… To Belgium!
After that next survival spurt, I became ill again. Difference was, I saw a lovely understanding doctor and was referred to a psychologist. I still see her. I received a proper diagnosis last year and it’s helped a lot. Just someone willing to take the time for you, caring about what happens… It makes so much difference. It’s given me some strength to learn to be independent again, study. I don’t take any medication anymore. Knowing that I have to get out, go to my classes… That helps a lot. Knowing that when I get there I will see kind, caring people who will make me feel happier (as well as the lessons cheering me up), helps. I have bad days, many bad days, but it’s somewhat balanced by the fact that I push myself towards the happier ones. But your blog has given me many more ideas that I could be doing in between!
By the way, you can complain. The NHS has a rating service. Check out http://purplepersuasion.wordpress.com/, as she wrote something not that long ago about making complaints!
Sorry, wrote a book on your page, but I can’t stop once I start! lol!
For some reason I couldn’t reply to your last post (It has happened with a couple of other posts too..hope it’s just a glitch!)
No apologies.. I loved your book!
I am so sorry you were treated like crap for so long.. It sounds pretty much identical to the way I have been treated for the past 10 years or longer.
I am glad now that you are doing better. I think we really need to be proactive in getting help.. I think I am at that stage now.. I still need to fill out my form for actually getting counselling but I hope that will be a start.
It was great to hear I am not alone.. of course I wasn’t happy that someone else had to go through the same crap.
I wish you continued healing. xxLisa
Oh! I got your post to post!! Yay!..
Thank you for your story and advice! … I say more on your post apologising for this one!!
xx
lol, no worries & hope it helps!
It was 8 years between my first diagnosis of depression to leaving the UK to move to Belgium. In that time I spent more time hoping for something better than trying to make it better, just accepting that the medical profession were pretty much useless on the MH front and… Just surviving, somehow. For some of it I wasn’t even really living. All the “fit for work” tests have never helped, either! It’s like they force you onto a guilt trip, because you don’t meet their standards of what “ill” is.
Here they have a better understanding of MH issues (from my experience so far). Even when I go for the yearly medical assessment with the health insurance, the doctors there have been brilliantly understanding so far! Learn something from that, ATOS/Tories!
What I don’t have, though, are the friends that I had when I was in the UK, people who I could call for help if needed. It can be quite lonely at times, because of having to make all those friendships again. Took several years the first time; I’ve been here four years and still haven’t completely found the right people! The strong friendships are as important a part of the treatment as the understanding doctors.
I think so too. I do have a couple of really close friends but I still get lonely. I am sort of isolated where I am and don’t get to see my friends as often as I would like..plus they are not really ‘phone people’… not sure I am totally either..
Social relationships/friendships are so important in having good mental health. I think local community groups are a great idea ..if people have the confidence to go along.
I hope you find the right people for you soon. xx