The Doctor who Gave up Drugs

[Angel_of_the_North]

Did anyone see the programme on BBC 1 last night? Not exactly applicable to hypo, but worth watching in iPlayer if available. I especially enjoyed his rant about over prescription of anti-depressants and the excessive influence of the pharmaceutical industry. And he was from an NHS practice!!!

[Hidden]

Saw the first one and will catch up later on i-player. Last week it showed the GP handing out prescriptions to every single patient except one. I think we need to educate GPs as well as change their mentality.

Edit; stop this QoF incentivisation nonsense too.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Hidden]

I think there's something wrong with me - I never get offered a prescription by my NHS GP - not even ADs!

[crabapple]

If that's what he said on-camera about big Pharma, I'd love to see / hear his thoughts off screen. It was good that the surgery docs mentioned the stuff they didn't go for.

Did you catch "Trust me, I'm a Doctor" before that on BBC 2? I think I must have dozed off in the middle.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to crabapple]

I did, but as usual I wasn't very impressed. Honestly, before taking a supplement discuss it with your doctor????!!

[crabapple in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Well, as my GP said when I tried discussing food intolerance, they're covering their backs. It's funny that one of the places recommending discuss with your GP was NHS website.

[Trixie64]

He was good , but spoiled everything by saying he would still keep prescribing statins for 'high' cholesterol.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Trixie64]

But at least he didn't try to change the man's mind when he said he'd rather not.

[VulpusVulpus]

Only saw the end but was heartened by his attitude towards pills. How can a GP prescribe 30 pills for a young woman? It beggers belief.

I'm glad the statin guy held out for a 3 month trail to try and reduce his cholesterol naturally. Well done him!

Last week Dr Chris cut his prescribing of antibiotics by 10% by using a machine that measures CRP. GPs weren't interested in something that cost £4.50 per test and that they would have to administer themselves. Sod antibiotic resistance; they're busy, important people.

[Hidden]

Well well, that was interesting viewing!! Well done to those patients who managed to cut down/reduce their drugs, perhaps their motivation could be bottled and passed on to others! Loved the comments about Big Pharma from various doctors but how jaded they all were, even the nurses. That perhaps is the crux of the problem?

As much as I hate to see organised activities and believe that folk should motivate themselves to be healthy, these organised walks are importantly a social activity too which is no bad thing.

Has anyone seen any feedback on this series from healthcare professionals?

If you haven't seen these two programmes then you really should! i-Player is your friend.

[Lealea1981]

Yeah I watched it too. I wish my doctor would stop prescribing me pills. Currently my list of meds are;

2 Tramadol 50mg: 4×Daily

1 Pregabalin 150mg: 2×Daily

1 Omeprazole 20mg: 1×Daily

1 Ferrous Fumerate 20mg: 4×Daily

1 Levothyroxine 50mg: 1×Daily

1 Venlafaxine 150mg: 2×Daily

2 Ibuprofen 400mg: When needed

I am 35!

[Hidden in reply to Lealea1981]

Take control of your health Lealea1981, patients are not cash cows!

[Lealea1981 in reply to Hidden]

I fully intend to. It's got to a point where the side effects outweigh the benefits now. I am a walking Pharmacy! I am hoping to gradually wean myself off them one at a time. Failing that I am willing to check myself into a private detox centre and do it that way. I can't carry on like this.

[VulpusVulpus in reply to Lealea1981]

Everyone I know in Ireland over the age of 50 is on Pregabalin. It must be this year's drug du jour!

[humanbean in reply to VulpusVulpus]

I've been on Pregabalin. It made me sleep for 16 - 18 hours out of every 24. Hated it.

[VulpusVulpus in reply to humanbean]

Good grief! What's with the need doctors have to sedate folk?

[humanbean in reply to VulpusVulpus]

It was being given to deal with pain I was told was neuropathic. It wasn't for sedation or insomnia.

[VulpusVulpus in reply to humanbean]

Yep, my uncles are on it for pain left over from shingles and various other pains. I'm surprised they aren't prone tbh.

But how are you meant to function if you are left sedated as a side effect?

[humanbean in reply to VulpusVulpus]

I imagine some people adapt very quickly, or don't get sedation as a side effect or get it to a tolerable degree.

[Gambit62]

Actually he wasn't a GP but was working in the surgery to try and change attitudes to prescribing drugs.

I really liked the rant about the depression questionnaire - and the interview on 'hypersitting syndrome with the former adviser who was really down on using hypertension etc as diseases that need to be treated - when actually they are indicators and correct treatment would depend on what was causing the indicator to be off.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Gambit62]

No, he was a researcher, but working out of a GPs' surgery for the programmes.

[Gambit62 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

he was medically qualified, and works as a doctor but not as a GP - see the start of the first program in the 2 part series

[helvella Administrator]

I thought it highly applicable to hypo!

We see a steady stream of people who have been prescribed all sorts of things when what was actually needed was diagnosis and treatment of their thyroid issues. A shame Dr Chris didn't happen across one of these people - some would have been excellent candidates for the more extended investigations/treatments.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to helvella]

What I meant was that stopping levo or whatever wouldn't be a good idea, but his attitude about ADs etc would have been very relevant.