Thinking of asking to be on this medication

[M1]

Hi

I am currently experiencing a lot of quite crippling anxiety issues, and this has been the case for a cery long time now. I am diagnosed as ASD, but also depression, and mood disorder, but the anxiety is the a lot of the trigger, or at least the anxiety plays a large part of the fluctuations to other symptoms etc...

I am currently taking Lorazepam again, prescribed by my NHS GP, which is something that I would prefer not to be doing, as it quickly becomes tolerated and I know it is cery addictive. They say it should only be prescribed short term, but I was on it for three years last time, until it basically stopped working in the amounts I was prescribed, so I refused to take it. I have also been referred back to the psychiatric NHS services in my area, but I am simply too scared to keep pursuing this route, as it takes so long to get no where. One consultant is soley in charge, and he is terrible at his job. I was taken on and off several medications within a short time by him, and he just ignored anything I said and tried to add another drug or increase dosages etc, but there is no second consultant to see in this catchment area.

Now I may be in a position to see a private psychiatrist and get a recommendation for medication for my NHS GP. I basically need to get my anxiety stabalised so that I can pursue other non-drug therapies, and hopefully get some kind of sustainable life back.

I am wanting to ask people here if they have had any experience of getting Pregabalin from their NHS GP, or using private psychiatrists in general, with intent to get recommendations.

Pregabalin is the drug that I am considering, because I have tried so many now it is quite scary to list them. Including SSRIs, SSNRIs, Tricyclics, Mirtazapine, Beta-blockers, Antipsychotics and the benzodiazepines, the total exceeds 16 meds in as many years. The only ones that have ever helped have been the diazepam and Lorazepam, but I know they are not good long term options.

Pregabalin sounds the better option, or perhaps clonazapine, but again I would like to stay clear of benzos if possible.

What are your experiences on getting prescribed this drug, as I am terrified to even ask for things off the doctors, but I don’t see many options left? :(

Thanks

[max_dose]

Hi,

Sorry about your issues, sounds you have been\are going through a lot.

I learnt via a mental health nurse about pregabalin ( a friend of a friend ) and I went to my GP and asked to be put on it for GAD. To be honest he did not really know about pregabalin for GAD and had to look it up.

That was maybe 4 or 5 years ago and I still get it prescribed. The friend of a friend did say at the time that i may not get it as it was v expensive for the NHS. prior to that I had only been on fluoexitine for a few years.

Maybe take some information into your GP meeting supporting pregabalin for GAD. I think there is something on wikipedia about it.

good luck and take care,

[SmilingAlbert]

Hello M1,

Sorry to hear all this - you are far from alone on this board, but they're some great people here who've also been there - I know I have.

As you have probably discovered in your research, Preg has a similar effect for most people as drugs like Lorazepam. However, it has 2, related, advantages. 1: its effect doesn't seem to wear off over time for most people. 2: for that reason, it is medically respectable to be on it for a long time (I've been on it for 4 years, still doing good, ditto loads of others on this board).

It is a much more sophisticated medication than Lorazepam, which I think was developed 50-60 years ago. However, as Preg is fairly new it has only recently come off patent in the UK, so while generics are available, it is still quite expensive.

This last point is relevant, but Preg is listed (in England and Wales) as a suggested medication when all the others don't work as seems to be the case for you:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/genera...der/treatment/

And it really does work, for most people, and quite quickly in my experience - none of that awful "give it 3-4 weeks" stuff with SSRIs. Indeed, I felt better within 24 hours, though everyone is different and you may need to give it a bit of time to see if it works.

Also, the start-up side effects (SEs) of Preg are benign for nearly everyone; remember, this same med is given as a painkiller and to people with epilepsy, so Preg wouldn't be any use for those patients if it did have bad SEs for most people. If you do get it, I suggest not reading the listed side effects in any detail as they go on forever, needlessly cause worry in my view, and most people won't see any that aren't listed as 'common' (believe it ot not the list for aspirin is never ending too!). And even the common ones go away usually as the body adjusts.

However, there is a but coming: you seem to be in Scotland, and its NHS is different from E&W, and as such I think Preg *still* isn't indicated for anxiety there, a situation not helped by the fact that I gather it is abused by some drug users (in stupidly large dose) in places, including in Scotland.

This has proved tricky for previous Scots folk here. While it can be prescribed 'off-label' as elsewhere (in the USA it's still not formally approved for anxiety also, but is widely used there for it), this fact can be a barrier for many GPs if they aren't MH professionals with experience of Preg.

Which leads me onto your main question: can you get it prescribed by a private doctor and delivered by the NHS? The answer in England is certainly yes, as that's the way I did it. Like most people with MH issues, I found it not hugely useful to be told to come back in a few months time when there is space in the never-ending queue to see a proper MH doctor, when getting through the next 24 hours can seem a nightmare.

So you have to short circuit that; the expense I know is a pain, but you're probably talking only 1 or 2 appointments - it seems like a lot of money, but see it as an investment in you.

Ideally, we would'nt have to do this, but the demand for MH services is, sadly, almost limitless in many places, and nowhere near enough GPs are MH experts, even though MH issues represent 33-50% of NHS GP appointments from what I've heard.

I saw a private doc, and he suggested it; I went to get the private prescription filled, and it was something like £100 per month - unaffordable - so the kind pharmacist told me to see my GP. They read the letter my private doc had done, and NHS prescribed without question; the cost of Preg is actually pretty low compared to endless GP appointments, let alone any more extensive journeys into the MH system... And most GPs are intelligent enough to realise that. This route has worked for Scots folk on this board from what I've read, though it may be harder than in England.

So my advice would be to find a good private psychiatrist - there's probably a way online to find a good one in your area, and go for it. If then your GP doesn't then play ball, find another one, as is your right, and take a friend along if need be, which I believe is also your right. They will usually glad to get you off Lorazepam if they have any sense.

But you'll get there, and you'll find tons of good support on here if you choose to start it, and take one day at a time.

Best wishes,

Albert

[Cherryade]

I live in Scotland. Had absolutely no problems with my Gp when I asked for it. Have been on it 18mnths now.

[Greycylinder]

It started working for me within hours and the side effects are tolerable. I couldn't believe how quickly it helped. I had a massive anxiety spark at the beginning because I was desperate for the drug to work and was panicking that it wouldn't but it really, really helped and I could but my psychiatrist for prescribing it for me.