Useless GP - Getting my own meds?

[crackdown]

hi,

I've been living with anxiety, phobias and what not for the past 12 years, now for the first time ever I decided to go to a GP to see what can be done about it because I'm loosing my energy on a daily basis, always exhausted and obviously anxious all day. The thing is this GP here is pretty much useless in my opinion, I went there and told him all my problems and he prescribed me propranolol.

I hardly have any panic attacks I'm more anxious and having constant "crazy" and worrying thoughts. I've got extreme social phobia, immense fear of dying/death, always imagining the worst possible diseases that I have and worrying constantly about everything. My brother has the exact same stuff as I do, however he is not living in the UK so we don't share the same GP etc...his doctor back home prescribed him cipralex and he is totally happy with it for the last couple of years.

So I went to the GP and asked him to prescribe me cipralex instead of propranolol, since I read on the internet that propranolol is mainly to calm down the heartbeat in panic attacks etc..since I hardly have panic attacks (once a week maybe) I don't need stuff like that but more stuff against anxiety. My GP told me basically that this stuff will work for my anxiety too and basically "if I don't like it I can just go to another GP" (his words).

The problem is that there are only two GP's in my area that I can register with, so one sucks and the other one has a waiting list till september (ridiculous!).

Now since I've been taking these propranolol tablets I've not felt any different, I noticed my heart wasnt racing at one point where it normally would have but apart from that its not doing anything, my thoughts are still making me crazy and I still can't leave the house without almost collapsing.

Well here is the thing, my brother has like a 6 months package of cipralex and he can get more if needed (GP back home is a good old friend of the family). So my brother is sending me some Cipralex tablets to the UK, now I'm not sure how to proceed. Should I just stop taking propranolol (have been taken them only since 3 days) or do I need to talk this through with my GP first? The thing is obviously that my GP sucks, his attitude towards me and my anxiety, and especially since I just moved here, it was my first visit ever and basically as I had been told to go to another GP if I'm not happy with his decision (in a rather nasty voice), I rather just stay away from that w**ker and get cipralex through my brothers (and my ex) GP.

My brother said I should take 5mg at first and after couple of weeks increase it to 10mg (half a tablet). Thats how he did it. Now I know I normally should discuss things like that with a GP but he is just refusing everything I say or do and I just don't wanna get back there anymore, especially if I tell him I get the medication sent from my brothers GP he probably will even refuse to tell me anything usefull.


I'm sorry for this long post, just want to make sure people see my reason why I would hate to go back to the GP and also I just wanted to get this all of my chest finally!!


This post has been automatically edited by the NMP post filter

[Phill2]

I've been on Cipralex for 2 years now and can't fault your brothers advice re dosage I can't however give any advice re stopping your other med.
Phill

[crackdown]

Hiya

Welcome to NMP.

I just wanted to say that everyone on here will understand what an awful time you are going through. There are people on here that will have one or two of your symptoms and there are people on here that will think they could have written that post themselves as they are going through exactly the same.

But I just wanted to say it's never a good idea to self prescribe. I know they are brilliant for your brother but we all react and have different effects from medication. I know your GP isn't very good but you really need the support of a healthcare professional to support you when starting medication.

Could you not travel a bit further to find a GP or speak to the one that has a waiting list till September and explain your circumstances. If not ask your GP to refer you to your local mental health team and i'm sure they can offer advice regarding medication.

I hope you get the help and support you need.

Lolly X

thanks lolly for your reply.

Well I tried calling other GP's that were near me, however they refused to let me sign up with them since I don't live in their designated area (street/house number), they just refered me to the NHS to get a list of GP's that will serve my area and as I said those are the only two. I did speak to the lady about the waiting list, saying I've got extreme anxiety and wanted to seek help asap as its getting worse but she just said "sorry nothing I can do".

I just moved to london, before I lived up north and actually did see a mental heatlh team called MIND, after speaking with them for about 2 hours telling them that I'm lightheaded, choke on my food at times cause I'm too scared to swallow, hardly leave the house because I'm scared etc..all she said was I should eat healthy, as that helps a lot of people. That was it, as soon as she said that I thought to myself why the f did I just waste two hours of my life, giving my life story to a stranger just to be told to eat healthy. As I asked about mediciation, she said it's best to talk with my GP about it. Great.

So as you can see my options are very limited, all I can do is go back to that GP that prescribed me propranolol, however his attitude is nasty and he didn't even let me finish my sentences and gave me propranolol.

I was about to tell him how I feel, I went there, sat down and said, sometimes I can't breathe properly, just to start the conversation and he already typed on his computer n printed out the prescription, I went ahead and said I'm very anxious and hate to go outside the house, as I'm self employed working from home (due to my anxiety) there is hardly any need to anyways. But he just looked de-interested and said I should take these for 2 weeks and come back.

I said my brother takes cipralex and he is happy with it, is there a chance he could give me that instead of the propranolol, at that point I had no idea what propranolol was. All he said then was , "you should not listen to other people" and I said well its my brother and he has exactly the same stuff I do.

So I don't understand why cipralex (or any other meds apart from propranolol) would be a bad idea for me, since I didn't even get a check up (pyshical), how can he know what's good for me or not after not even listing to me and then as I contacted him later that day after researching the medication and saw that people say its just to slow down the heartbeat etc.. but also read that it's not helpfull for thoughts and social anxiety, only if you would have a public speech, so It might take away the symptoms with mild social anxiety. I said I resaerched the medication and that I wasn't sure if thats exactly what I was looking for, since panic attacks only appear once a week maybe, other then that I need stuff to calm down my thoughts, he repsonded just like that, if I'm not happy with it I should look for another GP. I mean come on, he could have responded differently, maybe saying he thinks they will be good for me and if not we try something else, but a nasty uncalled for response like that just pi**ed me off. So in my opinion pretty useless GP. Therefor I rather take my brothers medication, I'm a healthy person (except for imaginary brain tumors, strokes and heart attacks) , I'm 23 yrs old and as they seem to work for my brother they might work for me too. If I don't see any effect I can also just stop taking them, right? If I have no other chance for a good GP or other medication, what else Im supposed to do? Maybe I fly back to Germany to visit my old GP there and get the meds of him directly, other than that I'm just sick of this anxiety, havent done anything about it for the past 12 years, and if I can't get any good help anywhere else, I just have to help myself!

[Piglet]

Hi Crackdown and a big welcome to the site.

What a shame you have a doctor who seems unsympathetic however all is not lost as he has to adhere to the NICE guidlines when treating you on this issue. Obviously he has felt prescribing you a beta blocker was the right thing in his opinion and they do work for many people in calming the flutterings etc of the heart.

However you feel you have not been treated sympathetically and are not happy with the outcome and I tend to agree with you. I would go back and tell him you are not happy and ask to discuss possible alternatives, not just medication but the possibility of cognitive behavourial therapy too. This is your right as an NHS patient. It is not acceptable to be fobbed off nor passed to another doctor - all options should be able to be at least discussed.

If he will not meet you half way then there are avenues you can go down - to do this you will need to know the relevent department to contact (sorry I don't know this but I'm sure someone will post soon who does - if not then start a thread about who you report unsatisfactory treatment to).

Meanwhile hun I honestly would not start the other tablets - whilst they may indeed help you it really is most unwise to self medicate.

Love Piglet

[Alabasterlyn]

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time finding a good Dr and getting the right meds. If I were you I think I would put my name on the waiting list for the other GP's surgery. Okay you won't get onto their books till September, but it's nearly August and if you have the chance to get a more empathic GP then I would think that is a good way to go.

There are unfortately a lot of GP's out there that do no understand anxiety disorders. I don't think when they train to be GP's that they actually spend much time learning about this kind of thing. That's why a GP that acknowledges they don't know enough about anxiety disorders refers patients to a psychiatrist as they deal purely in mental health issues and are much better equipped to evaluate you and prescribe the right medication for you.

I would agree with the others that self medicating is not a good idea though. These meds may work fine with your brother but everyone is different and your reaction to them could be completely different to his. Also it's always much better if you have a good GP or psychiatrist that you can keep in contact with to give you ongoing care.

[Jimbo]

Hi,

I really feel for you, I've been very lucky with the GP's in my area and they are very aware of mental health issues and very understanding. It's frustrating that GP's behave in this way and I hear the same story so many times. Like the others said there are ways you can complain about your treatment, I seem to remember seeing a leaflet about it in my psych's waiting room. I'll try and spot it next time I'm there.

Like the others have said, I would get on the waiting list for the other GP. At least you will get to see him eventually.

Why not give the tablets a go and see if they help, if not, go back, say that they are not helping and you want to try something different. I would also recomend asking / demanding that you are refered to your local mental health services as they will have a better understanding and will be able to offer you the best treatment options.

Medication is not the only option, it can have very nasty side effects and each person usually reacts very differently to them. Taking an anti-depressant is not something to enter into lightly. They are not instant acting and can have very unpleasant side effects at first.

In the mean time have a read through this site there's some very useful information and techniques that can help a lot. There are some online CBT courses you can do that could be very helpful. Try searching through some of the posts and see what you can find.

Jim

[crackdown]

hello everybody,

thanks for the support and kind words. I've managed to get an appointment with a psychiatrist on Friday! I was wondering if anybody could tell me if psychiatrists in the UK are also able to prescribe medication or if all they do is "just" talk to me?? If I go there and tell them my concern about seeing the GP as well as the propranolol, will the psychiatrist be able to prescribe me medication too?

If thats the case, maybe I don't need to go back to the GP but rather get new meds through the psychiatrist. That would be great especially as I imagine a Psychiatrist has more knowledge about anxiety then the GP (at least my GP) and could give me something more suitable for my specific anxiety/phobias...

[Alabasterlyn]

Hi

I was actually referred to one for just that reason as they knew more about medication than my GP.

Hope all goes well for you

Lolly X

Same thing with me, my GP referred me to a psychiatrist and I was able to talk about all the problems I was having and he prescribed a medication that my own GP had never even heard of. You may also be able to get referred for other help like anxiety management courses or CBT through the psychiatrist too. Good Luck

[crackdown]

now I'm confused, it said "In-House Services: Psychotherapy", I remember hearing psychiatrists somewhere in the conversation, but now I read psychotherapy could be done by a mental health worker or trained nurse rathern than a proper psychiatrists? and they would not be able to prescribe drugs then would they? Does psychotherapy normally mean its going to be done by a psychiatrist? Sorry, my english is still a bit weak lol...

[Jimbo]

A psychotherapist is different to a psychiatrist. I'm not sure that a psychotherapist can prescribe meds? (Correct me if I'm wrong)

Where are you seeing this? Is this on a letter or something? It may be that that is just the name of the team that you are seeing as psychotherapy covers a whole range of things. I guess a psychiatrist could offer psychotherapy, if that makes sense? Generally if you are seeing a person with the title 'Dr' they are a psychiatrist.

However, I would go along and see them anyway. Tell them everything about your problems and also how you feel about your GP. Basically what you've said here and they will make an informed choice as to how to go forward. If needed they will get you to see a psychiatrist.

What happened in my case was I was refered to my local mental health team I saw a psychiatrist who writes to my doctor and tells him what to prescribe. I did see an emergency psychiatrist once and he wrote a prescription out for me there and then so they can prescribe directly but they usually prefer that your GP deals with the scripts.

Jim