danielleh_
07-15-2016, 08:29 AM
Hello!
I am in pretty dire straits at the moment with my NHS surgery and I am desperate for advice. Really, really desperate.
Long story short: when I was 17 I used to see a private psychiatrist (via my father's health insurance (under-18 children are covered) due to the length of the CAMHS waiting list), and I was prescribed Pregabalin back in January 2015 to deal with my anxiety after trying numerous SSRIs. Over a period of time I was gradually brought up to 250mg bi-daily, and I have been taking it ever since. My GP on the NHS refused to prescribe it at the time, despite my psychiatrist's wishes, citing the fact that I was under 18. Yet, when I turned 18, my GP still refused to prescribe it as my "BMI is lower than average", and therefore we came to a compromise: they would prescribe it to me if I agreed to attend an eating disorder service (I don't have an eating disorder, I am just underweight!!), and they have been prescribing it for 6 months since then. However, unfortunately the eating disorder clinic assigned me an appointment on the day of one of my A-Level exams, and I was therefore unable to make it. They then (apparently!) sent me an opt-in letter, which I didn't receive for whatever reason. As I didn't receive it and therefore didn't reply, they took me off the register.
So, I received a voicemail on Monday from my GP who said the surgery would no longer prescribe me Pregabalin as I had failed to attend the appointment and that was that. My mum, on my behalf, then tried for the next two days to get through to them on the phone, to no avail each time. Desperate, because at this point I had run out of medication, the receptionist at my surgery said it would be easier to make an appointment with the GP, so we made an appointment for that evening (yesterday).
Annnnnnywaaaaay, as I have gained a little bit of weight since the last time, the new excuse was that she was not prepared to prescribe Pregabalin as it is supposedly "off-license" (it's not - I've checked the NHS website). She said she would prefer to consult the senior practitioner "tomorrow", and that "you'll only be without tonight's dose" in the meantime (is this even legal? She has a duty of care - sudden withdrawal from Pregabalin is very dangerous!).
So, the senior practitioner got back to us today and said he would not prescribe it anymore under any circumstances, and that I will have to go private. I said I would be happy to come off Pregabalin if that is what it takes, but I need the surgery to wean me off it. Despite this offer, he still refused. So, he's left me with a week's supply to "give me time" to go private.
I can't get a private prescription. My mum and I don't have much money. I don't know what to do. I'm desperate. The last thing I want to do is to suffer that Lyrica Withdrawal Syndrome, as just one missed dose is enough to cause my anxiety/depression to relapse and it takes me days to feel some semblance of normalcy again.
They have been prescribing me 250mg of Pregabalin for 6 months and now they are prepared for me to experience withdrawal, despite their duty of care.
So I am asking: what on earth can I do? Is there an authority I can contact to complain? Are they within their rights to stop me so suddenly and allow me to suffer withdrawal?
Please help. I don't know what to do. I am so scared.
Thank you so much in advance to anyone who can offer any vestige of advice.
I am in pretty dire straits at the moment with my NHS surgery and I am desperate for advice. Really, really desperate.
Long story short: when I was 17 I used to see a private psychiatrist (via my father's health insurance (under-18 children are covered) due to the length of the CAMHS waiting list), and I was prescribed Pregabalin back in January 2015 to deal with my anxiety after trying numerous SSRIs. Over a period of time I was gradually brought up to 250mg bi-daily, and I have been taking it ever since. My GP on the NHS refused to prescribe it at the time, despite my psychiatrist's wishes, citing the fact that I was under 18. Yet, when I turned 18, my GP still refused to prescribe it as my "BMI is lower than average", and therefore we came to a compromise: they would prescribe it to me if I agreed to attend an eating disorder service (I don't have an eating disorder, I am just underweight!!), and they have been prescribing it for 6 months since then. However, unfortunately the eating disorder clinic assigned me an appointment on the day of one of my A-Level exams, and I was therefore unable to make it. They then (apparently!) sent me an opt-in letter, which I didn't receive for whatever reason. As I didn't receive it and therefore didn't reply, they took me off the register.
So, I received a voicemail on Monday from my GP who said the surgery would no longer prescribe me Pregabalin as I had failed to attend the appointment and that was that. My mum, on my behalf, then tried for the next two days to get through to them on the phone, to no avail each time. Desperate, because at this point I had run out of medication, the receptionist at my surgery said it would be easier to make an appointment with the GP, so we made an appointment for that evening (yesterday).
Annnnnnywaaaaay, as I have gained a little bit of weight since the last time, the new excuse was that she was not prepared to prescribe Pregabalin as it is supposedly "off-license" (it's not - I've checked the NHS website). She said she would prefer to consult the senior practitioner "tomorrow", and that "you'll only be without tonight's dose" in the meantime (is this even legal? She has a duty of care - sudden withdrawal from Pregabalin is very dangerous!).
So, the senior practitioner got back to us today and said he would not prescribe it anymore under any circumstances, and that I will have to go private. I said I would be happy to come off Pregabalin if that is what it takes, but I need the surgery to wean me off it. Despite this offer, he still refused. So, he's left me with a week's supply to "give me time" to go private.
I can't get a private prescription. My mum and I don't have much money. I don't know what to do. I'm desperate. The last thing I want to do is to suffer that Lyrica Withdrawal Syndrome, as just one missed dose is enough to cause my anxiety/depression to relapse and it takes me days to feel some semblance of normalcy again.
They have been prescribing me 250mg of Pregabalin for 6 months and now they are prepared for me to experience withdrawal, despite their duty of care.
So I am asking: what on earth can I do? Is there an authority I can contact to complain? Are they within their rights to stop me so suddenly and allow me to suffer withdrawal?
Please help. I don't know what to do. I am so scared.
Thank you so much in advance to anyone who can offer any vestige of advice.