Does quitting smoking really warrant a GP appointment?

I quit for about 6 months on the patches, had to start again as I think I went a bit strange, I honestly felt as though I was losing my mind to the point where my GP actually recommended I start smoking again!

I want to stop again but don't know the best way to do it. I've heard about the pills you can take and am thinking of giving them a whirl, dunno though.

Been smoking since I was 11, 20+ years, starting to seriously notice the health issues now, need to stop before things get any worse. Carry on and I think I'll be popping my clogs before I get to 50.
 
i stopped just going to boots chemist and they booked me in no medical just a chat

however the pills are a lot stronger than patches and gp is needed
 
dmpoole said:
One of the wisest posts I've ever seen on these forums.
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As much as I agree some GPs are terrific, all mine says is 'come back in three days if you don't feel any better'. It largely depends on your relationship with your GP I think, mine is an absolute bag of **** and a patronising ******. As a result I rarely go to the doctors when I need to :/
 
fozter said:
As much as I agree some GPs are terrific, all mine says is 'come back in three days if you don't feel any better'. It largely depends on your relationship with your GP I think, mine is an absolute bag of **** and a patronising ******. As a result I rarely go to the doctors when I need to :/
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Do you not stop to think that 'come back in 3 days if you don't feel any better' really is sound advice? Most minor ailments always solve themselves within a few days, and that's why most GPs will tell you to try and sit it out, and if it doesn't get any better, come back.

It's honestly not them being lazy or poor. They are doing their jobs, and they know much better than their patients. I've gone to the GP many many times throughout my life, and nearly every single time they say to wait a few days, I've recovered without the need for further action or prescriptions.
 
KNiVES said:
Do you not stop to think that 'come back in 3 days if you don't feel any better' really is sound advice? Most minor ailments always solve themselves within a few days, and that's why most GPs will tell you to try and sit it out, and if it doesn't get any better, come back.

It's honestly not them being lazy or poor. They are doing their jobs, and they know much better than their patients. I've gone to the GP many many times throughout my life, and nearly every single time they say to wait a few days, I've recovered without the need for further action or prescriptions.
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I agree to an extent, some ailments aren't that bad, but I have been for ongoing physical problems before that they have prior knowledge about, and my mother has a pretty bad disease and they're supposed to up her steroids when she is feeling ill, but once our doctor did not do so and she ended up in hospital being pretty seriously ill. Every job has slackers, I'm not saying all doctors are bad, some are flipping fantastic, but then some just don't seem to have their hearts in it at all.
 
Deadbeat said:
So I've been trying for a while to quit now. Patches & tablets do squat, the inhalers & e-cigarettes are even worse than going cold turkey. I've heard several people mention a prescription quitter, which seems to have some really good results - one of the porters at my hospital used to be a heavy smoker, he quit after 3 days on these pills and hasn't touched another one since, but I generally avoid my GP unless I think it's serious and I can't see quitting as a valid reason to make an appointment, despite the evidence.

Has anyone had experience with these pills, and is visiting my GP a good step?
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Yes

your GP will be falling over himself to invite you, as under the QOF scheme the GP will get paid to help you quit smoking.

Those doctors on 100k a year ? they do it through this scheme. It also covers stuff like manaing high blood pressure for hypertension patients, helping overweight people lose weight, helping asthma patients manage their asthma and attend regular clinics etc...

http://www.qof.ic.nhs.uk/0506/
 
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I'd also add that speak with the receptionist when you are booking your appointment, as most of the time it's a nurse led or pharmacist run clinic for smoking cessation at the majority of GP practices. If you see the GP they will probably just ask you to make an appointment with the nurse thus wasting yours and their time.
 
A2Z said:
Indeed, I don't smoke but dont understand why people who do like to say its too hard to quit or whatever, all you need to do is just stop. And then when you get cravings or whatever, dont be a pussy and just dont do it!
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You don't understand the nature of any addiction. Or any cravings, really. It's not like "I'd rather like a cup of tea". It's more like your body telling you that you are starving to death and you must eat food now. NOW. RIGHT NOW. DO IT. DO IT NOW.

It really isn't trivial.
 
heeeed said:
I'd also add that speak with the receptionist when you are booking your appointment, as most of the time it's a nurse led or pharmacist run clinic for smoking cessation at the majority of GP practices. If you see the GP they will probably just ask you to make an appointment with the nurse thus wasting yours and their time.
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I wasn't aware that nurses were allowed to prescribe psychoactive drugs?
 
It depends on how set up locally, but it's normally done under whats called a PGD (patient group directive) or that the nurse who runs the clinic waves an FP10 in front of the GP to actually prescribe it. If the clinic is run externally you get a letter asking you to prescribe it on the basis that the clinic will take on the monitoring.
 
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