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Informing Pharmacists about LS

Posted , 11 users are following.

suedm
suedm

It occurred to me that many women go to the chemist if they have The Itch believing it to be Thrush and wanting the antifungal solution. When I spoke to  a local pharmacist she had never heard of LS and was horrified when she understood how the misdiagnosis could lead to years of anatomical changes and distress before a proper diagnosis is made and the best treatment given 

In the UK we are advised to go to the chemist for "simple remedies" and not waste the time of the doctors in general practice unless it is a VERY serious condition, so it makes sense to me to inform the pharmacists to understand the condition

2 likes, 16 replies

16 Replies

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  • Morrell1951
    Morrell1951 suedm

    Posted

    Good discussion to post, Sue. I've had two detailed conversations with my pharmacist about LS. I could tell I was opening her eyes.
  • deb09833
    deb09833 suedm

    Posted

    Your right - I have just moved and went to new local compound pharmacy to get Clob made up and she told me i could just buy it over the counter no script needed!  A different product with a similar name. She had also never heard of LS.
  • Guppy007
    Guppy007 suedm

    Posted

    Good idea!

    I think many woman have been self medicating using products for thrush, its a terrible shame, they have no idea!

    • Holiday_girl
      Holiday_girl Guppy007

      Posted

      So agree I spent 12 years buying lots of anti itch creams must have cost me a fortune, gave relief and enabled me to sleep but not the answer to the problem. When collecting my prescription I was chatting to the assistant and she had never heard of the condition either so told her all about it .
  • Bridge_of_Sighs
    Bridge_of_Sighs suedm

    Posted

    Great Idea. I've just e-mailed the Royal College of Pharmacists and copied the text of your post, I hope you don't mind but you put it far better than I could have.

    How about if each of us on here tries to tell two pharmacists and then maybe the word will spread?

    I walked past my local pharmacy today and chickened out, but then again it was a very macho looking man today, and I think most people would rather talk to a woman. They use a lot of locums, I've rarely seen the same person in there twoce, but maybe that's good because they'll spread the word further afield.

  • Chrisy
    Chrisy suedm

    Posted

    What a great idea.  My pharmacist has a yearly chat to all his regular customers to check their prescriptions are current and right for their problems, as he says that some people take the same medicines for years and are not upgraded to better new medicines or even assessed in case the medicine is no longer necessary.  This is totally voluntary which I think is a great idea.  I had a chat with him about Ls a couple of years ago.  He had heard of it but was unaware of the extent of the problem for sufferers.  Lets all do this.  What a great place to put a poster about LS too.  Is anyone out there in the Medical Profession that could maybe see if it is possible to have a poster distributed about this to all health centres, pharmacies, hospitals etc.
  • suedm
    suedm

    Posted

    To raise the subject I asked whether many women asked for something for thrush and was she aware that there was this condition called LS?- in full and I spelt it for her - which mimicked thrush in several ways and that they should be aware that LS  can be missed for years.....etc

    I then suggested the Dr G's lecture ...all medics and pharmacists HAVE to update their knowledge and skills at least yearly and this would be a super topic for them to look at

    Hope that helps a bit

    Good luck I am off to the smoke for the day and may get the chance to talk to someone in the Big City

  • Bridge_of_Sighs
    Bridge_of_Sighs suedm

    Posted

    Well I got a response from the Royal College of Pharmacists

    Thank you for your email and for the information you have provided. We will keep this in mind for any projects related to this subject that the Society may work on in the future.

    A bit disappointing, I don't know what I was expecting but I suppose it won't feel as immediate to them as it does to us. I'll follow your example and talk to pharmacists on the ground now. The first GP I went to was great in that she diagnosed it, but then thought she knew everything and refused to send me to a specialist. I had an argument with her and she overreacted and sent me for a whole battery of unneccesary tests 'because that's what you really want isn't it?', but I did finally get where I needed to be, and found out that she was doing all the wrong things. I've found a lovely GP in the practice now. I saw a different doctor once for something else and there was a young female student in the room so I told her all about LS. She'd never heard about it and was shocked.

    Little opportunities pop up all the time to tell someone, and we should sieze them. I certainly will make sure that I do now. It does take a long while to get over the shock though. I reckon it's taken me over two years since diagnosis to stop crying and feeling sorry for myself to becoming an angry fighter for the cause in general.

    • deb09833
      deb09833 Bridge_of_Sighs

      Posted

      Well said. I have had similar experiences. Your last sentence resonated though. My last check up with gyno was dreadful with me in tears and another tear even though I asked her to be careful. I was so upset and it lasted for some days. I couldn't stop crying. If you knew me you would understand how out of character that is. Anyway....I am now an angry fighter too. Feel free to join discussion on raising awareness BOS. We can channel those feelings for a good cause!
    • Chrisy
      Chrisy deb09833

      Posted

      Hopefully the gyno now will be more careful with LS sufferers and maybe more willing to listen to others.  Glad you are feeling stronger.  I think we all need to get strong to deal with this condition. 
    • suedm
      suedm Bridge_of_Sighs

      Posted

      Well done for writing, the pen is mightier than the sword, so we will plug away. I too have a clever dick GP whose FRIEND was a gynaecologogist so therefor all her FRIEND's knowledge was obviously transferred to her ...by friendship...I suppose, anyway she REFUSED to prescribe the ointment for a year then when I gently said I thought there had been an administrative glitch to the receptionist when asking for a repeat script the said I KNOW EVERYTHING AND YOU KNOW NOTHING GP then spent a Very long time telling me to be quiet not interrupt her and she , or rather her friend knew better than my consultant. My b/p soared and I changed medical practice!....after I got the ointment!
    • Morrell1951
      Morrell1951 suedm

      Posted

      That is such a rotten slog compared with my lovely pharmacist, who just sold me the ointment and typed 'requested by pt' on the label.
  • Bridge_of_Sighs
    Bridge_of_Sighs suedm

    Posted

    Ooooh I'm so angry for you! I had to change doctors too, to get diagnosed. Apparently I'm a hypochondriac, according to the previous one. And then I ended up with Ms Smartypants. Still at least I got diagnosed! And found a nice one in the same practice...
    • suedm
      suedm Bridge_of_Sighs

      Posted

      Hi I have been away from the computer so apols to those awaiting a response from me

      I went to a new GP with a chest infection but he was FAR more interested in the LS...No knickers off tho... I suggested a referral to a vulval consultant - they normally send their LS patients to a dermatologist in Birmingham UK... he wants to look at the Dr G's lecture So this week I will take in the link- with luck it will be on the Practice updating  seesion for next year. I also asked whether they had any LS patients Yes ..So I suggested they ask them if  they would like to form a local support group. He the medic was interested, i have a further appointment in the new year so will persue the suggestion then

      When told of the rapid reduction in the HRT dose while undergoing HUGE stressors in my life he raised his eyes to heaven - so more IS known than admitted ...tis easier to practice ostrich medicine!

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