Lanarkshire t3 guidelines

[Forestgarden]

Can someone point me in the direction of local prescribing guidelines for liothyronine for nhs Lanarkshire, Scotland? I presume at best I'd only get a trial....I haven't had much success googling. Thank you!

[helvella Administrator]

Suggest you put in a Freedom Of Information request. I imagined that would be to the relevant health board? They can take some time to come through so best to get it going asap.

Of course, someone might be able to point you in the right direction anyway.

[Forestgarden in reply to helvella]

Thanks, I'll do that. I'm not overly hopeful of a positive response....

[SlowDragon Administrator]

FOI drew a blank

gov.scot/publications/foi-1...

Mentioned here

external.parliament.scot/S5...

[Forestgarden in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you. It's almost like they don't actually want to give out that sort of information!

[helvella Administrator in reply to SlowDragon]

However, that was over four years ago.

They might, or might not, have formed local guidelines since that time.

Given that not everything will be accessible online, a new FOI could end up being the only effective way of getting the document or a definitive statement that none exists.

Forestgarden might have been told by a GP that they are only following (local?) guidelines. Which could be true, or not!

Ask in such a way that a negative response effectively can be used as a proof that no such guidelines exist!

[pennyannie]

Hey there again :

If you go into openprescribing.net and then ' analyse ' you can see by surgery and or local CCG area how many active T3 prescriptions are being written :

Enter Liothyronine as the drug :

or if checking for NDT prescriptions - enter Armour as the drug :

Sorry this went before I had finished writing - !!

[Lalatoot in reply to pennyannie]

That's only for England unfortunately.

[pennyannie in reply to Lalatoot]

Oh !

Thanks I didn't realise - how ridiculous :

Sorry Forest Garden -

I led you up a garden path that doesn't wind and stretch it's way far enough up to your garden in Scotland.

[Lalatoot in reply to pennyannie]

And if our wee bitty parliament in Edinburgh had anything to do with it, the path would definitely be cut off at the border!

[Forestgarden]

Have just sent a FOI request to nhs lanarkshire

Nhs lanarkshire foi request

[Wua13262348 in reply to Forestgarden]

Can you let me know what you find out, as I am in nhs lanarkshire too.

A forum member who has just recently moved from Ayrshire to E.K. and is on T3 got a call from an Endo (E.K.) to do a blood test and it sounded as if the intention was to pave the way for removal of her t3 which Ayrshire were providing. She said in her post that our health board doesn't prescribe t3, or is anti t3.

[Lalatoot]

nhslguidelines.scot.nhs.uk/... page on thyroid medication is under review . However I would presume that they are bound by the general principle set by the Scottish government that all patients are entitled to a trial of liothyronine if their symptoms do not abate on levo only .

The first step is to set out your historic blood results showing poor conversion. Add to this the steps you have taken to improve your symptoms such as taking levo on empty stomach, ensuring vit levels optimal, going gluten free etc. Then list ongoing symptoms.

You then need to pick a listening GP and convince them to refer you to the endo team.

If the endo team accept your referral then armed with the same info you explain to them your ongoing symptoms. They may make you jump through several hoops first but may eventually offer a trial of lio.

I have been through the process successfully in NHS Grampian so please feel free to pm me if you need any help.

[Forestgarden in reply to Lalatoot]

Thanks Lalatoot. Yes, just trying to get all my ducks in a row!

[Lalatoot in reply to Forestgarden]

In the end it all boils down to establishing a need for lio by each individual whether or not the health board write 60 or 6000 prescriptions for it per year. And in that the endo holds the trump card. If they "approve" of combo therapy then can prescribe; if they are of a T3-unnecessary mindset then they will not be likely to prescribe even though they can.