Named Patient Basis

[earlybirdsarah]

Hi there,

Can anyone explain the process for getting Armour Thyroid on a named patient basis? I am not sure what I need to do and in what order?

I am currently being prescribed Armour via a private prescription (first one since the lovely Dr Skinner passed away) and I want to apply (I suppose that's what you do?) for it on a named patient basis. I think I have a good case as after Dr Skinner I was referred to a consultant at the hospital (by my GP who refused to prescribe Armour) who also consults privately. He won't prescribe the Armour via NHS practice, only privately. So I tried various levels of Levothyronine and Liothyronine for 6 months. Still no joy and at last apt he changed my meds to 100mg of Levo and two lots of 10mg lio (morning and argo). OMG. I went down hill so quickly. Literally by day 6 I was suffering major anxiety, heart palps, panic attack etc. Anyway, during this same consultation he mentioned if I saw him privately he would be happy to re-prescribe Armour as I seemed (!!)( ha! I most definitely was), better on it previously. Whether it was my imagination or not after taking the first Armour tablet about a day in and I started to feel much better.

So I wondered, if I use this as my basis for having it on a named patient basis would this work? Especially considering the GP has already refused. Do I put the request through to the GP or to the consultant as an NHS consultant and not in his private capacity?

PHEW!

Thanking you in advance

Sarah

[Clutter]

Sarah, The link below explains about named patient basis but as Armour isn't licensed for use use in the UK doctors aren't obliged to prescribe it on the NHS or privately.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

[susymac]

If both your GP and consultant have already refused to provide armour on an NHS prescription, but the consultant has already said he can only prescribe on a private prescription, it may be the case (as it often is) that it is not allowed to be prescribed by the local PCT. The PCT's are the ones who say what can and what cant be prescribed, many have NTD's on their blocked lists.

You would be better to find out why the consultant only provides armour on a private prescription before wasting time and energy trying to get it on the NHS if its been blocked by the PCT.

In my area (east and south cheshire) GPs are not allowed to prescribe it at all, only the Endo can, he can only prescribe Erfa, he can only prescribe it were it is deemed necessary,and only through the hospital pharmacy. ( I have also been told unofficially that he can only prescribe to people that live within the trusts boundaries).

I have no idea how much a private prescription costs, but possibly it works out cheaper to buy from abroad without a prescription, if not then at least you get a private prescription!

(PS, I know PCT's are not called that anymore, but I can never remember what they are called, and the principal is the same, so I just used the term anyway)

[earlybirdsarah]

Lol, thank you. I think in fact you are right that our local pct won't prescribe it as that is what he has said in my letter to gp about why I was to see him privately. On a completely different note, if I asked him to prescribe a ntd alternative to armour are they different in dosage etc? is there a resource that shows how to calculate the new ntd? xxx

[shaws in reply to earlybirdsarah]

This is a conversion chart from RLC labs who produce Naturethroid and WP thyroid (previously Westhroid. Both are hypoallergenic.

nature-throid.com/images/RL...

i.e. grains are used for natural dessicated thyroid hormones and 1gr is equal in effect to 100 levothyroxine.

[ritz]

how come the nhs is convinced that 1 pill cures all, is levo some sort of magic pill? nowhere else in the nhs do you get this brush off.

- if you have cancer they try you on more pills than you can shake a stick at in a month of sundays and they keep saying "everyone is different and reacs differently to drugs"

- at endocrinology suddnly there is this one drug that works for every one and cures them all??

how does that work then???????