Doctor wont prescribe me pregabalin for anxiety after a psychiatrist advised him to.

[Scorm98]

So I had an appointment with a psychiatrist who agreed with me that pregabalin would be a good medication to try so he wrote a recommendation to my gp to prescribe it. I speak to my gp and he tells me he has to get approval to prescibe it because pregabalin is not licensed for anxiety in scotland. I say ok and he tells me he will get back to me. Three weeks later after calling every week he finally speaks to me and falt out refuses to prescribe it being very rude in the process he told me it has a high street value as an excuse not to prescribe it, I was shocked he didnt let me say anything then said i will increase your mirtazapine dose (i have been on 3 different anti depressants with no positive effect).

Basically I dont know what to do I feel this medication could really change my life. I just dont know what to do has anyone been through a similar situation?

Ps. My psychologist who I do CBT with doesnt know what to do either, I've hit a brick wall and need to be medicated properly before I can start improving in any way.

[ankietyjoe]

Psychiatrists are able to prescribe medication, that's the whole point of them.

But why target pregabalin specifically, it's not mainly used for anxiety is it? Whose idea was it?

[Scorm98]

Pregabalin has been used more recently for treating anxiety. It even says on nhs website its a good treatment for anxiety if anti depressants haven't worked.

From every one I've spoke to it seems the standard practice is for the psychiatrist to make recommendations to your gp, I dont know why this is, I thought the psychiatrist would be prescribing too.

[lebonvin]

Hey buddy

Can you change doc? What he sai id lies.
I got a Scotty online friend lives near Glasgow she's on 600gm. Said she got off a locum she goes to a health center different doc each time

[MyNameIsTerry]

This is a problem drug in some areas of the UK and sadly Scotland is the big one. Whilst NI has problems with drug abuse with this one Scotland have been applying it to their prescribing blacklists in a far more widespread manner than anywhere else. Just like you we've had others come on here with the same problems.

What you need to do is look at the prescribing regulations. What I have found with some meds is GP's BS their patients about cost or addictiveness. Lets face it, they will happily dish out a far worse drug of abuse in the form of Diazepam which you could easily sell on the street but they don't consider that. Pregabalin has long been hit with scaremongering press articles about it and as another member (hanshan) has always replied to people such as yourself Preg is abused in massive doses and mixed with other substances. Well, they do that with benzos too and benzos have long been on a higher drug schedule because if it's international links to organised crime (hence why we have the UN legislation providing governance over out own).

It's a scapegoat issue. Who cares what studies of prisons have shown? All media about this drug is always focussed on substance misusers...who are known to abuse substances obviously.

It may also be expensive and this gives GP's an ideal "out" to dissuade you from it. Yet come down to England and it is used widespread. The exception for some time has been Buckinghamshire who blacklisted purely because of cost and shifted all NHS patients off it.

Your GP is a bit of an idiot to me here because be has implied you will sell it by saying that. Whilst they expected to control drug prescribing I think many would be offended at that. But it might have just been an easy way to discourage you rather than address the real issues like cost.

Psychiatrists can prescribe based on their licence as a specialist but if you are referred there for a recommendation it is falling back to your GP to implement it. Your GP can make their own decision on that. It's an area where the NHS falls down and what should really happen here is both doctors discussing this rather than making you their gopher to sort it out.

The psychiatrist is more able to prescribe many drugs that GP's are not allowed and so he has already made the decision about the abuse potential. But it's the GP who pays for the prescription and this might be where the problem lies He wants to save cash?

I would suggest contacting the patient assistance service in the NHS who help people understand how they can tackle problematic GP's.

As for Preg itself, it has been licenced to treat GAD for years. It's originally for epilepsy...would this GP be telling them they can't have it due to street value?

Aside from the long thread you've already found there are others about Scotland if you do a search but this one is also an interesting look at the problems with how this med has been misrepresented in the past:

https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showth...ght=Pregabalin

What Public Health England say:

https://assets.publishing.service.go...e_Dec_2014.pdf

Note they say...

Most patients who are given these drugs will use their medicines appropriately without misuse.

Here is on of Scotland's local drug formularies on it:

http://ggcprescribing.org.uk/blog/ga...n-risk-misuse/
http://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/med...1.0_280215.pdf

You can probably find the one covering your area if you do some digging around and then Google for the formulary and Preg.

[Scorm98]

Thanks for the information! Its really frustrating, also my gp and psychiatrist literally work in the same building why cant they just walk 30 seconds and discuss it? I will definitely contact the patient assistance service and contact my psychologist (she's the one who set up my appointment to see a psychiatrist). Thanks for all the links, I will reply to this when I get some response from my gp or psychiatrist.

[aolbfs]

I was on Pregabalin for anxiety some years ago. To be honest, apart from the initial dose, I never felt it to have been of any benefit at all.
I can be fine for years between each protracted episode of anxiety and am in my third as we speak.
I know I recovered completely from episodes one and two, with time and increased distance between me and the stressors which brought on the episodes.
I hate what anxiety does to me and it makes me feel damned awful, but I hang onto my previous recoveries and it helps to realise that time is indeed, when it comes to anxiety, a great healer.
The only thing which will change your life is your changing the way you think about things.
The best you can hope for from medication is a reduction in the severity of symptoms experienced.
Pregabalin is not an anxiety wonder cure.
There are no quick fixes, which I've learned through frightening experience.
I just try to comfort myself with the knowledge it will eventually pass and try to look after myself as best I can until it does.
I tend to recover, almost despite myself, over time. You will too.
Treatment of anxiety is an off-label usage of Pregabalin, i.e. it is not the intended purpose of the drug, which is as an anti-epileptic.
Some doctors will prescribe off-label, others won't.
Maybe change to a GP who will?
Your psychiatrist may also issue a private prescription, but this is very expensive - around £75 per script. I wish you well on your journey to recovery!