Can anyone review this letter of complaint for me?

[Shoei]

It's just very worrying how we are so keen to turn to chemicals to give us the quick fixes to all of these problems we think of as modern. All of which have known side effects.

I would so love to ditch all my meds & be free of the side effects but alas i would have no life if i did.

Re the OP's letter, i wouldnt send that.
If your wanting pain sorting, then get a referal to pain management, i guess your lancaster based. Their pain management team is pretty good. I'm at preston for pain management only cos my neuro is preston based.
I've tried just about all the stuff going, was on oramorph for Optic Neuritus pain, but i had to tip it away as it was becoming addictive. Now on Butran patches, but i digress.

 

[Cuchulain]

Not really, they're GP's.

Yeah, silly GP's, 5 year at medical school then 2 years foundation and then probably more specific specialist training .. what do they know eh? You've got the internet!

 

[paradisiac]

Yeah, silly GP's, 5 year at medical school then 2 years foundation and then probably more specific specialist training .. what do they know eh? You've got the internet!

and a book, don't forget they have a book on drugs too

 

[bazaarboy]

drug seeking behaviour with a lot of psychological overlay on moderate physical symptoms

 

[Dr House]

Yeah, silly GP's, 5 year at medical school then 2 years foundation and then probably more specific specialist training .. what do they know eh? You've got the internet!

yep 5/6 years of medical school
2 years F1/F2
Then 3 (now 4) years VTS training

So we are talking 10 to to 12 years of training before you can call your self a GP.

 

[paradisiac]

yep 5/6 years of medical school
2 years F1/F2
Then 3 (now 4) years VTS training

So we are talking 10 to to 12 years of training before you can call your self a GP.

yes but they have a book, the internet and a physio telling them the GP is wrong.

 

[AndyT]

I'm afraid from my completely non-professional viewpoint I have to agree with the other guys. You sound like you exhibit some definite drug seeking behaviour here and also reassurance seeking through your in-depth internet research.

Acceptance of the condition and the (transient) painful symptoms would probably be more beneficial than looking for stronger and stronger drugs.

The thing with knowing too much about drugs and medical conditions is that you can make the symptoms fit any condition you want to have and you elminate the placebo/psychosomatic effect of drugs. By not trusting medical professionals and by thinking you know best you also end up extinguishing the beneficial 'reassurance effect' that most people get from visiting a health professional.

It could prove to be a slippy slope. It seems you are are displaying some counterproductive behaviours here and only you have the power to change them.

 

[Energize]

You was told to take the correct pain meds for your injury and like i said you wouldn't get much stronger pain meds even as an inpatient.

When I last went to hospital I was given IV morphine for a 4-5 pain score, did you read that? I also was also given 5-10mg oral morphine prn.

At the end of the day I was prescribed multiple weaker pain killers which failed to help, that's why I wanted stronger ones. Perfectly reasonable request and appropriate for severe pain.

But the doctor did tell you what medication you needed, you just happened to disagree with it.

No it didn't work, don't you understand the difference?

I didn't think the NHS would prescribe MAOI's for social anxiety but it looks like they're more effective than SSRI's. I really should go back on medication.

Yes the NHS will prescribe MAOI's for refractory depressive or anxiety disorders, you just have to get past the hysteria surrounding the food and drug interactions that some doctors have, consultants usually have no problem prescribing them.

I'm so glad I'm not ever going to be a GP.

Some points in your previous thread made me smell a rat: you said you had chronic back pain for some time before the accident and are now demanding investigation. This reeks of someone looking for compensation from a car accident. Also your attitude regarding pain killers is terrible. I chose to ignore that first thread.

I had issues with low grade back pain, if there was something underlying that the accident has exacerbated is not unreasonable to expect to be compensated for it?

Moving on to this thread: What do you think the GMC are going to do about this letter? How is it going to improve practice exactly? I think you'd be hard pressed to find any GP that would be comfortable prescribing the strong painkillers that you're quoting. These are usually prescribed at chronic pain clinics by specialists. This is your next step rather than stomping your feet in your GP surgery. If you're not happy with your doctor, change them.

Codeine is an opioid.

The letter isn't going to the GMC. And like I said the GP didn't refer me to a specialist, and yes I am moving surgeries. And yes codeine is an opioid, a weak one available otc.

Xordium thank you for putting some rationality in the thread and going over the clinical guidelines, it seems like people haven't bothered to read what I wrote in the letter. I started taking otc painkillers on day 1 and only after multiple visits (2 which were regular scheduled medical reviews and 1 where I asked for no pain killers) escalating up the pain ladder did I request a stronger opioid because the medication was not working and I couldn't sleep some nights due to pain, and still the doctor did not refer me. Nor contact the physio, I think I was reasonable based on my level of pain and treatment guidelines. It is tiresome to wade through droves of people saying I'm addicted to paracetamol, trying to claim compo from the practice (really?), or suggesting I have been drug seeking to the point of orchestrating a major car accident and spending hundreds on private MRI scans for a few pills that wouldn't touch any addict.

 

[toshj]

With regards to the letter, you stand to gain absolutely sod all out of sending it. If you class an official apology as a win, I'd regard it as a pyrrhic victory as you'll only stand to alienate yourself from the Doctor's you visit.

If you're genuinely unhappy with their service then I'd recommend joining another practice.

With regards to your situation (and feel free to ignore this, as you have taken your fair share of abuse in this thread) I fully understand and sympathise with you.

I went through severe anxiety, stress and hypochondria a few years back. It was genuinely crippling, so much so that I had to quit my job to get my head straight. Unfortunately, the very first piece of advice I was given I completely ignored, however it turned out to be the most fitting and poignant advice... and ultimately if I'd have heeded it I could have been stress and anxiety free a lot sooner.

Upon leaving the job, my then boss told me: "You're going to go through **** trying to get your head straight, but one piece of advice I'd give you is this: believe the Doctors." He'd suffered severely from the same thing a couple of years beforehand, was bed-ridden for a couple of weeks and spent tens of thousands on private medical care trying to figure out what was wrong with him, whilst ignoring the Doctor's advice the whole way through.

Self-diagnosing is a ridiculously dangerous and naive thing to do. As Dr House mentioned above, 10 years of training (both theoretical and practical) completely outweighs a couple of books you've read on the effects of various drugs, and to a great extent they know what they're talking about.

I refused to listen initially, had various completely irrelevant and pointless tests (MRIs, cardiograms, etc.) for minute problems and spent eye-watering amounts of money. I'd strongly advise listening to the GPs, and stop thinking you know better than them outright. You'll never win.

 

[Energize]

I have not self diagnosed any illness, the only illnesses I claim to have and have been officially diagnosed with are whiplash, and anxiety/depression issues. I am having an MRI because it will document any injuries I may have, hopefully rule out any more serious issues like torn ligaments so I can get back to sports, may help guide physio treatment, and is really cool. My complaint is purely surrounding lack of pain relief. I have not been self medicating any imagined illness, nor ever used opioids outside of what I have been given by a doctor for pain.

 

[albert]

Why don't you admit that this us all part of a claim? You've either been refused or your trying to big yourself up so you can try and get more money.

 

[Energize]

You can't claim against a GP surgery for something like this...

 

[toshj]

I have not self diagnosed any illness, the only illnesses I claim to have and have been officially diagnosed with are whiplash, and anxiety/depression issues. I am having an MRI because it will document any injuries I may have, hopefully rule out any more serious issues like torn ligaments so I can get back to sports, may help guide physio treatment, and is really cool. My complaint is purely surrounding lack of pain relief. I have not been self medicating any imagined illness, nor ever used opioids outside of what I have been given by a doctor for pain.

Apologies, I thought I'd read that you'd purchased drugs overseas. What is your physio for just out of interest?

Also, purely out of interest (and certainly not implying a reliance on various drugs) how long have you been taking things for (for either depression, anxiety, pain, etc.)?

 

[Energize]

I hadn't purchased drugs overseas, I've used certain substances sporadically (mostly legal, never highly addictive ones compared to alcohol) to medicate my social phobia much in the way the average person uses alcohol at social gatherings, because the prescribed medications were ineffective and many other drugs used in other countries like the USA that I was willing to try are not licensed here.

Physio is for the whiplash injuries to my upper body, she documented that I have a degree of limited movement, muscle weakness in my back, and pain, said I have possibly torn ligaments (not sure on her ability to diagnose it, but I guess that's what the MRI is for) and she is trying to work to aid the healing of my body with methods of a low enough intensity that I can tolerate at the moment.

For pain I have been taking paracetamol and ibuprofen, I'm not taking anything else, I handed the codeine back to the pharmacy to be disposed of because I felt it was not being effective, and was just making me constipated.

 

[Vanquish-Storm]

Co-codamol is usually sufficient and is often prescribed for back ache.

 

[Xordium]

Co-codamol is usually sufficient and is often prescribed for back ache.

Codeine is rapidly being seen as a poor drug that should be used sparingly and is in some areas being phased out.

 

[koolpc]

Guys, i guess we shouldnt jump on this guys back and insinuate this and that. For all we know he knows his stuff and knows what works and what doesnt.

I guess a referal to a different doc would be best.

As for Antidepressents not working you have to give them a chance. I have been on them for 8 years!!! Tried to get off them once but that didnt work. Doc said i may be on them forever. This i dont mind as i dont want to head back to the really bad depression i had 7-8 years ago.

Energize, i would definitely seek further advice from either the hospital, NHS Direct etc. Tell them your concerns and go from there.

 

[Vanquish-Storm]

Codeine is rapidly being seen as a poor drug that should be used sparingly and is in some areas being phased out.

Not that i do not believe you but do you have any proof on this? As far as i am aware they are still widely used and prescribed. If used as prescribed I do not see the problem.

 

[Energize]

Guys, i guess we shouldnt jump on this guys back and insinuate this and that. For all we know he knows his stuff and knows what works and what doesnt.

I guess a referal to a different doc would be best.

As for Antidepressents not working you have to give them a chance. I have been on them for 8 years!!! Tried to get off them once but that didnt work. Doc said i may be on them forever. This i dont mind as i dont want to head back to the really bad depression i had 7-8 years ago.

Energize, i would definitely seek further advice from either the hospital, NHS Direct etc. Tell them your concerns and go from there.

I certainly know when a painkiller isn't helping my pain I can tell you that much.

I realise that ad's can take a while to reach their full effect, and the car accident trauma will have obscured mental changes brought about by the ad for sure, I just have concerns regarding the cost of the medication and the NHS not being willing to fund it at potentially £600 a month for what seems to be a reasonable dosage in patients such as myself based on the medical literature, the funding issue was touched upon by the GP and it seems that I am going to have quite a few medical costs as of late!

I am hoping that the MRI scan and radiologist will reveal any potential issues regarding any injuries I may have, I was obviously very concerned when told by the physio that I shouldn't ride for 6 months because it could cause permanent injury, while they may not have a medical degree, they are medically qualified to make assessments and employed on the NHS after all regardless if mine is private. If the GP tells me one thing and the physio another who am I to believe when there is a potential health risk to myself by doing strenuous physical activity?

You may want to be careful here being as you have openly said in another thread you were referred to the physio by your solicitor not anyone with medical training. It could be easily argued that further bouts of pain were exacerbated by someone who a NHS employee did not directly refer you to. If you wish to make a complaint that is your right however you need to stick to facts and facts only.

A physio is a physio though right? Same medical training regardless of employer?

 

[Xordium]

Not that i do not believe you but do you have any proof on this? As far as i am aware they are still widely used and prescribed. If used as prescribed I do not see the problem.

Codeine needs to be activated in the liver to its active form. However, we now know a percentage of people are incapable of performing this therefore meaning codeine is ineffective for them. The activation potential matures with age so you have the likes of Cincinnati, Toronto, Melbourne (kids hospitals) and GOSH now removing it from their formularies as it doesn't really work in kids. Likewise the inability is highly prevalent in people of Mediterranean descent. For the average white person you're looking at it being ineffective in around 1 in 10 people - give or take. Now when dealing with pain why take the chance you are dealing with what is quite a frequent occurrence when you have plenty of other options.