Named patient basis

[JANJAN2]

I posted recently to say that like many people on here, I have had my NHS prescription for armour abruptly stopped. One of my options is to return to my endocrinologist and be on a 'named patient basis'.Because the endo prescribed armour back in 2014 and I have been on it for five years on the NHS, does that mean that I am already on a 'named patient basis'.At the time the endocrinologist said he didn't usually prescribe it but a previous blood test years ago had shown my T3 at the bottom of the range while on thyroxine. He knew I had been on it privately for 15 years and wanted to help me after Dr S died. Do you think I will need to fight yet again to prove myself? I have checked out private doctors but they are costly. Does anyone know of one who is reasonably priced (pm please).

[MaisieGray]

Well not quite. It's not you who are on a "named patient basis", it is the med that has been prescribed on that basis, and that can be recinded at any time of course. It happened to me with T3 after 9 yrs of being prescribed it because the rules are now different. Unless your Dr is happy to ignore the CCG expectation that he won't continue prescribing to you, which they can do if they are committed to patient care rather than pacifying the CCG, you will have to be assessed afresh under the new guidelines sps.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploa...

[JANJAN2 in reply to MaisieGray]

Thank you-I had a feeling that I would need to be re-assessed. I worry that i might need to try and come off meds to PROVE to them again that I need T3. I'm not going to go back to those dark days again! It took years to get diagnosed in the first place!

[MaisieGray in reply to JANJAN2]

They might ask you to do that, but it's not necessary. A straightforward indicator is where FT4 is high in its range and FT3 is low in its range, when medicating optimally with Levothyroxine; and thus, where the FT4:FT3 ratio is 4:1 or less. Additionally, you could test the DIO2 gene for any variations of the gene that if positive, may identify a genetic problem with T4 to T3 conversion.

[JANJAN2 in reply to MaisieGray]

My T3 was on the baseline, which was why he let me have armour in the first place and he realised the thyroxine hadn't worked.I will go back and see the endo and show him the letters he sent to me saying I could have armour!