I've been on Flouroxitine for 13 years. My last repeat prescription was late last year. When that ran out, I used all the spare tablets I had (saves money for me and NHS). Then I decided to see how I went without them. I have hit the depression full on. Put in a request for a repeat and booked the nearest GP appointment.
After some pointless messing around (they didn't action the request for 4 days) I was told by the receptionist that the doctor wouldn't issue a repeat even for 20 days.
Is this normal or reasonable?
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TotallyHatstand
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No that's terrible! Can you get a telephone call from the doctor to ask him/her? The other way round it is to try your pharmacy. If you have used them before they can check the system and if you tell them the problem they can sometimes issue you with some for the time being. I have done this with mine and they have been fine with it. x
Thanks for that advice. I'm curious to know whether they are following procedure and/or whether I have grounds for complaint.
BTW I'm on 10-20mg of Flouroxitine. I was rather haughtily told by the receptionist that these were "strong medications" and that I shouldn't justcome on and off them. I asked her where her medical degree was.
TotallyHatstand, SHE was exactly right ! At least she works in the medical field . Where is your medical degree ? Be Aware, you don't just stop medications , you have to be weaned off !
Receptionist do not have medical degrees generally and should not make sweeping statements about medication. I have been on anti-depressants for 13 years and have read a great deal about them. I also have experience of close friends and family members battles with depression.
Please also note that I quite diligently take my anti-depressants and had cut down gently over some time. I followed the procedure I used before originally as advised by a GP.
Your GP most probably feels you have come of the drug according to the records as you have been taking back supplied medications. Possibly they feel a new asessment will be in order as the script could be misused
Make that appointment on Monday,
The time period between now and last script will be ringing warning bells, He is rightly questioning your drug use
I could understand this were an addictive drug,one with resale value or with highly dangerous side effects. Also since the nearest appointment I could get is 20 days time (which I have already booked) the chances of a nearer one on Monday is remote.
I guess I'm annoyed with a pschological assessment by prescription records.
You are messing with a tough opponent when you let anti depressants run out. You don't need me to tell you that it would have been far more sensible to have kept the spare tablets in hand if you wanted to try going without them .
Anti depressants take time to work and need often to be continued when the depression has lifted. Depression is a tough enough problem for both you and your GP without taking a cavalier attitude to the drugs prescribed.
I would imagine your GP wants to see you before issuing a repeat prescription. I imagine his/her job could be on the line if they suddenly complied with a repeat prescription after a lapse of 4 months, without seeing the patient..
Your GP is probably your best friend when depression recurs and I would have thought you should have discussed your actions with your GP ,if only as a matter of courtesy. Anti depressants are hardly to be taken or not taken like aspirins.
Olderal
I think you are being quite harsh here Olderal. I am sure the poster does understand that but I am sure s/he didn't know in advance that it would take 20 days to see a GP.
I know many people do treat ad's like that and do come off them when they shouldn't, but we all make mistakes and as the poster has said they are suffering from depression, and you should know that depression can cause mistakes and misconceptions. I don't see the point in trying to make them feel guilty or worse. x
There are certainly mistakes in what I have done. Didn't however expect 20 days for a doctors appointment. Nor did I expect the doctor to refuse a repeat for a drug I had been on for 13 years since my first daughter died.
Hi TH we all make mistakes but none of us can predict the future. It does sound like your doctor is very caring even though it might not seem like it right now. Too many of them issue drugs willy nilly without exercising a proper duty of care. Don't beat yourself up over it but it you really need the meds then try and get to speak to your doctor over the phone and explain the situation. Good luck and take care. x
Get an urgent appointment with your GP and you will probably be prescribed again - but it sounds as though you have not recovered since your daughter's death and I wonder whether it is also time to try to resolve your grief, maybe some counselling with a specialist grief counsellor would be a good idea, your GP can arrange that.
I'm suggesting only that they don't try it again. Treating depression is tough enough already. According to the statistics the prime reason ADs "fail" to work is the patient does n't take them, or takes them intermittently . We're talking a potentially life threatening illness here , not painkillers, or sweeties.
Yes I know we are but I think the poster realises that and I didn't see anything in the post to suggest otherwise, maybe you did? The point I am making is that when someone is depressed they perhaps lack proper judgement and their thinking processes aren't as clear. x
I wouldn't worry about trying to save the NHS money, you've paid your taxes so are entitled to treatment. Staying on anti-depressants even when you feel better is important, I've been on anti-deps for years and have never knowingly missed a dose and they have kept me free from depression (I'm bipolar II), I take 40mg of citalopram every morning and was on fluoxetine before that. With respect to your question about whether its reasonable not to issue a repeat after so long I guess it probably is as they need to see how you are, however, 20 days is definitely out of order, could you get an emergency appointment? We can at our surgery and can see a gp same day, especially if you are seriously depressed. Wishing you all the best Poppy
Poppy2015 having read this thread this is the only sensible answer to the question (which secondhandrose has also re-iterated in her response) Why on earth did the post present so much debate??
I think most of the replies including mine are sensible too Gemma.
No that isn't reasonable at all. Tell them you have ran out and need the repeat or you are making a complaint. Explain that you tried to come off but it didn't work. My GPs used to make me do a review every 30 days constantly. That really did my head in and I'd been in them for 4 years.
No it will more than likely get the receptionists back up and you can go straight to the surgery manager. It is your right to do so. 20 days wait is unacceptable. You don't get anywhere by sitting back and taking it and they know that depressed people are often not in the correct frame of mind to challenge them, that is exactly why they are doing this.
I came off sertraline and I'd been on it for 10 years, previous to that I'd been on various anti depressants for 15 years. It doesn't always go wrong trying to come off them. I am totally on non precribed supplements now and doing fine. I also found out privately that my 'depression' for years was actually undiagnosed hashimotos disease which is a very common cause of depression as you get highs, lows, anxiety and fatigued with it. Doctors just prefer to not investigate physical causes properly and throw anti depressants at people. It is totally normal with depression to become forgetful or lack motivation to return to the doctors too, that's part of the depression for some people so it's understandable this has happened.
Although it is very difficult for you I think it is normal. Your GP is responsible for assessing your need for treatment and then prescribing on that basis, as you decided to go without and now need them again he is rightly asking to assess your condition now before prescribing, and he is behaving responsibly to do that. What is not right is that you should be offered an urgent appointment with your GP but it sounds as though the receptionist didn't offer that, my own surgery would have told me to phone for a cancellation the next morning and if one was not available probably have suggested that I come and wait and will be seen at the end of surgery. Perhaps you could phone the surgery and say you need to see a GP urgently, do not expect it to necessarily be your usual GP.
You sound angry about the situation and that is natural but if you are feeling seriously depressed then you need to say so and ask for an appointment sooner than you currently have arranged.
I wish my surgery had offered an appointment on Monday. I'd have been happy with that as an approach. Even if it were a "wait to be seen at end of surgery" jobby.
My local GP is overloaded. We never see a consistent GP. Getting an appointment with any GP is extremely difficult.
You just have to be a bit pushy and keep trying to get a nearer appointment or even think about changing GP's if they are so bad; it isn't as hard as it seems; just look for another GP in the area if this practice is oversubscribed and not able to give you a nearer appointment. Best of luck. Your post certainly seems to have set off a debate on here!! x
I hope everything worked out, heres some advice if it ever happens again.
If you have a psychiatrist ask to speak to him or her, they understand the emergency. Usually if I mess up my prescription I explain exactly what I did and how important it is you take this medicine tell them its 'very important that you take this medicine' new staff are only trained in procedure and don't understand real life events until they happen or have them explained by other members of staff.
Also try going in every day for a few days until you have asked more than one person (don't ask to see someone else, that can get you thrown out) its more than likely an experienced member of staff will put your repeat at the top of the pile requiring just a signature, they can do that with no appointment and it should be ready the next day. In fact that should be doing exactly that.
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