Advice on pausing statins

[RG72]

Hi folks, I've been doing well recently - changed cardiologist, had my meds reduced and excellent test results. All was looking good. Then I had to make a routine appointment with the cardiologist for a repeat prescription of Artorvastatin. I tried a few times to get an appointment but kept being told it wasn't possible, being given the run around, then attempts to refer me to a different GP instead of the cardiologist to look at "my general health" (I had my annual health check 3 weeks ago, my general health is great, it doesn't make sense). Things aren't quite adding up and the best estimate I can make is that there has been some kind of loss of records. Additionally, the operating hours have changed and now it is very difficult for me to make the surgery times required in order to get my prescription, it's right in the middle of my work day and I can't go in at the start or end of work, so it's 3-4 hours out and a half day of leave gone. Because this has been bumbling on for 2 weeks+ now, my current prescription ends tomorrow and I have no more statins.

I work through health insurance (fairly useless) and they have given me 2 options. 1) go through a new process with my current hospital (because that's where my prescription came from before.) 2) Find a new hospital. My preference is option 2 due to the access difficulties with my current hospital which will always be a problem moving forward and, basically I've lost faith in them for not being able to get me an appointment. The problem with this is that the next alternative say that they will not accept my previous medical records (a lot of tests from May this year) and will insist on running me through all of my previous tests (holter, stress, ultrasound, ECG, etc, etc) so that they can make their own diagnosis (ah! the joys of profit driven private practice...).

So - simplified, I either start taking a half day of leave off every 4 weeks for the odd blood tests and mainly just to pick up a prescription, or I stop taking statins until the new hospital has time to run me through their own tests and re-diagnose me. The current cardiologist says "don't stop taking the statins, make an appointment" - it seems he is happy to direct message me, but won't speak to his colleagues on my behalf to book me in.

Any thoughts? Any major implications if I stop for a few weeks?

Sorry - To be honest, I feel a bit defeated by the system. I'm also doing all of this in a second language because I live overseas, which means a lot is lost in translation and mainly I just feel like giving up meds for good! It shouldn't be so hard to access routine prescriptions.

[Wooodsie]

Hi RG72, you don't say where you are, but I doubt many of us can help. It may be a good idea to explain where youbare in the hope that someone will understand the health care system in your country.

Have to tried speaking to a chemist? They can often sell the drugs you need over the counter, I have found this is many countries i have visited. The statins are probably the most important drug to take.

[RG72 in reply to Wooodsie]

Thanks Woodsie - I think taking my empty box of statins around chemists, pointing at it and saying "please" in my limited capability in the local language might be my last desperate attempt at getting some medical attention. Although considering that you have to register your passport details here just to buy Ibuprofen, it may be along search!

[RG72]

Sorry - it is more a frustration borne rant than anything. I'm stuck in a loop where my cardiologist sends me whatsapp messages saying "Please phone reception to make an appointment" whenever I contact him directly (which he asked me to do) and when I contact reception, they say they aren't able to book me an appointment/ the cardiologist is unavailable/they will call me back - and they never do. This cycle has been going on for 2 weeks. Every message I get from the cardiologist is the same except for when I ask if I need to continue with the statins and he responds "you MUST continue with your medicine". My healthcare provider is also trying to make appointments on my behalf but consistently, almost comically or deliberately keep messing it up (e.g. they sent me a message at 1pm today saying I can see the cardiologist today at 1:30pm at the hospital which is 35 minutes from my work. They have also booked me into the wrong clinic, the right medical group in the wrong city - so far they have unsuccessfully booked me on 18 different appointments, I am starting to think the statins are messing with my sanity)

I'm not in the UK, although I am British, I didn't think this was just a forum for people from the UK, apologies if I am wrong.

[RG72]

Backtotheblues, I was expecting help in the form of empathy, sympathy, some understanding or just a little solidarity as I have seen offered to others through kinder comments. The advice/support I was after was purposely framed as general and not location specific. Please consider that people may not wish to share certain information on a public forum, and would have very good reasons for doing so. In which case repeatedly questioning them is not helpful and just adds to the anxiety they may already be feeling about their situation. I’ve come here as a result of feeling in helpless isolation and I’ve been made to feel like even more of an outsider.

[Anon2023 in reply to RG72]

hi. It sounds like you have had an awful time running around trying to get appointments and I can certainly empathise with that. Getting prescriptions from my gp means that I have to be up at the crack of dawn and partaking in the lottery, which is their telephone system in the hope that eventually I’ll get to speak to a human being!! It’s so frustrating and anxiety provoking that by the time I get through I’m completely strung out 😂. Things shouldn’t be that difficult for any of us.

[RG72 in reply to Anon2023]

Thanks Anon2023. It is a bit scary how dependent we are on fairly simple but hard to access services. Like a lot of us, I need to have blood tests every month for the meds I’m on, this has been straightforward for a year and then just a slight switch in arrangements for these seems to have thrown a spammer in the works. But, I’m hopeful that I’ll be picking up my meds tomorrow. I paid for a blood test with an alternative clinic which was kind enough to lobby my cardiologist on my behalf. I could have kept fighting it out with my insurance and the hospital, but it was going nowhere and although it’s an expensive fix, I just wanted it solved.

[Anon2023 in reply to RG72]

it sounds like a complete nightmare, especially as you are grappling with another language. I have monthly blood tests for warfarin so I appreciate how hard it must be for you to get this sorted. I wish you luck.