GP won't prescribe me pregabalin.

[SmilingAlbert]

Sorry to hear all this Rocksie.

Talk to close local friends and see if they can recommend a good local sympathetic GP that you can transfer to. Then go and see them asap; arm yourself with some of the information on this thread maybe as a printout, and remind him/her of how Preg has helped you in the past.

This sort of thing really annoys me, and also reminds me why I hate black marketeers who abuse Preg for stupid reasons, making it that much harder for legitimate users to get hold of it. As you know, Preg is licensed for anxiety in England and is now widely done so; there is also a generic available which has reduced prices somewhat.

Good luck

Albert

[rocksie67]

Went to my GP today still refused to prescribe me pregabalim he said it you can become dependent on it .Precribed me Mitrazepine and proponal .So I suppose I have got to try them .
Really a bit annoyed because pregabalim worked for me before

[SmilingAlbert]

>>Went to my GP today still refused to prescribe me pregabalim he said it you can become dependent on it <<

Grrrrr; this really annoys me.

Medicines exist because they manage and sometimes cure conditions, and very clever people have spent years and billions of pounds developing them; if people have to take them for a long time, they are doing their job, even if they don't cure them.

Countless people walk this earth having productive and relatively normal lives because of them; I know, because I'm one of them.

Millions of people in the UK have been taking more or less the same MH drugs for years, sometimes decades. This is not ideal, but is almost always better than the alternative. They exist, use them.

As I say, find a new GP asap. If you can afford it, find a good private psychiatrist and talk this over with them. Explain your situation and how you have been helped by Pregabalin before, and get a private prescription. Then give this to (ideally new) GP, and get a confident friend to accompany you on the appointment.

I don't advise this to patronise you, but I know how people can feel in these situations, and how "the doctor knows best" thing can get them to dismiss you; my experience of doctors, as is frequently discussed here, is that they don't know nearly as much about MH issues as they should. If they still don't help, tell them you will raise this with your MP, and be prepared to do this too.

This sounds dramatic, but sometimes you have to take things into your own hands. As I have said before in these parts, I appreciate the NHS. But I strongly dislike the fact that it so often forgets that it is the provider of a service, and you are the consumer, which you have paid for.

Good luck,

Albert

[rocksie67]

Thanks Albert
Im just feeling a bit low and I know I am far too meek an unassertive with my GP I suppose thats to do with how Im feeling .When Im well I am no pushover.
I know some of the mental health support groups in Glasgow ,they have a drop in centre I will contact them on Monday .
I know my local MSP .in Scotland the NHS is run by the Scottish Parliament .In fact my MSP is the First Minister .She knows me well because when Im well Im involved with a lot of community work in my home area. .Its makes me quite sad thinking about it because I really do miss getting out and about .These panic attacks are really ruining my life at the moment .Im just so scared to go out and get caught in situations where I cant cope and I make a fool of myself

[MyNameIsTerry]

You might want to ask your GP why in England & Wales we have NICE guidance that states to consider Pregabalin as a stage 3 med when others have failed. Plus there is online evidence of over 200+ CCG's who have been prescribing it.

NICE guidance is sent to the Scottish version for consideration and they map to NICE where they wish too.

As hanshan has said many times, there is no clinical evidence in the world stating that Pregablin creates tolerance. If it does, why does our NHS activelly prescribe it for GAD, a chronic (long term) condition and have the British National Formulary (BNF) produced licencing guidelines to allow it to be prescribed to treat GAD and whhat it was originally licenced for, epilepsy.

If you want to poke another hole in your GP's excuse, search your local formulary and NHS trust + pregabalin and you will dig up information that could show they use it. Just digging up information that proves they use it for epilepsy will achieve this anyway as I'm sure NHS Scotland aren't creating a whole bunch of addicts when their are other meds available with a similiar method of action e.g. gabapentin.

It's just about cash. Preg is approx £60 per month, common SSRI's like Citalopram/Sertraline cost less per month than the prescription charges the NHS levy for them (in countries where we still pay ). Cash is king as they say and the NHS are will known for turning required treatments down due to the cost.

[hanshan]

Hi Rocksie,

Getting a politician on your side can be very helpful. Of course, they won't interfere in medical matters, but they will vouch for you as a responsible person who feels all options have not been explored.

As for pregabalin being addictive, there is no evidence that it is addictive when taken according to prescribed guidelines.

There is evidence of abuse where some people are taking doses several times the maximum prescribed limit (eg 2,000 mg or more per day), but they are generally people with a prior history of drug abuse, not your average person prescribed pregabalin.

[MyNameIsTerry]

And to add to hanshan's explanation, I know from reading the guidelines we have that it specifically states it should not be considered in people with a history of substance misuse. So, your GP cannot use the area you live in to make a judgement, it is purely individual.

Of course, the politicians in the NHS who want to save bucks may use that excuse as smokescreen but lets face it, GP's are dishing courses of Benzo's out daily and those are well accepted as tolerence forming as well as a known drug that is trafficked hence the UN even has it stated in their agreement for all US countries to control it's movement. Preg isn't on that list.

[shiznit76]

how is the OP getting on with these? Would love to hear

[nickw]

It's one of those ones that will vary from Doctor to Doctor.

Chiefly because it has some relaxing therapeutic effects that can make it desirable recreationally and groups such as heroin addicts will seek it out so there is potential for black market resale.

Despite the fact that these therapeutic effects are part of what makes it an effective treatment, some Drs simply do not feel comfortable with using anything that has a cold purely medical purpose. Some however are more laid back - my ex for example mentioned anxiety and got Diazepam straight away - something even I thought was a bit irresponsible.

It's not know exactly how Pregablin works and there are more common alternatives.

So they will be looking to see if you've asked for it as you think you may enjoy it. They will also be looking at your personality - someone who is a little unstable, prone to mood swings and depression also runs a higher risk of abuse and addiction.

It is frustrating that there are so many barriers to potentially effective legitimate medicine, when hard rugs are easy enough to get on the black market if you were not going by the book. If something makes you feel good on top of treatment then bonus!

[karenp]

I just cannot get Pregablin either...always told, it is not for anxiety.......they really mean it is expensive,lol. I can't do Mirtazapine, makes me suicidal, I have tired everything and only Citalopram works but it takes about 4 months to make me better and without sleeping pills or benzos is like hell!