Today at ARC
Posted , 8 users are following.
Well folks today I took the plunge and went to check out my local ARC.I had a 20 mile drive and was feeling a teeny bit anxious all the way.After a hunt I found the place.A seedy looking place from the outside with rather a discreet back entrance.Well I thought I am here now so go for it girI and self refer.It was a scary moment as I was petrified as to what I was stepping in to .Deep breath and through the door I went ,I was greeted by a lovely lady and after my anxious mumbling she took me to a room where she said the duty officer would see me.It all seemed a bit bizarre from then onwards.He took a few personal details and a brief outline of my past and present drinking history.I told him I was currently taking nalmefene This was met with a blank.look so I repeated myself using the brand name Selincro .Still a blank look and he then announced he had never heard if the medication .I was gobsmacked .He then asked what I expected of the centre. I explained that I was buying nalmefene privately and I ultimately hoped I could get an NHS prescription as there was a shelf life at to how long I could afford to buy them.He then said they didn't prescribe at the centre and he didn't think I would get it on NHS because of the cost ! I told him I knew differently from a reliable source (thanks Joanna C3) and quoted 'the local NHS has deemed that both medications (nalmefene and Naltrexone )can be used for the Sinclair Method and have been rated as amber Amber means they prefer the initial assessment and prescribing to be done by a specialist physician at local ARC services .I mentioned TSM and got another blank look , I described the process as best I could and he wrote it down.I expect he is googling it tonight 😘😅 As my drinking levels before nalmefene were on average 50 units a week he didn't really think that was too drastic compared to some who came thru the door there .I mentioned Naltrexone and he reckoned he had heard of that but said they tend to use Antabuse and Campral The long and short of it is I will be allocated a key worker for an assessment but unclear where it goes from there.I think.o might as well go to.my GP now as it seems if anyone will prescribe it might be him after all
0 likes, 42 replies
PaulJTurner1964 Nat666
Posted
That is a common experience all over the UK, Nat666. Sorry that you are yet another person who has had to go through that.
The saddest thing is that he probably WON'T be Googling TSM tonight because these people have been allowed to continue working with old fashioned, outdated ideas for many years. Some don't even know the basics about detox!! Many are not interested in updating their knowledge.
Antabuse is dangerous and it is possible for a person to die if they drink alcohol with it. Yet still they persist with it, a method that works, supposedly as a deterrant, and has absolutely no effect on the suffering that people go through when trying to remain abstinent while their body demands alcohol. It needs to be banned. Campral works well for around 30% of people.
I wish you good luck in getting what you need and SHOULD be offered.
Nat666 PaulJTurner1964
Posted
Thanks Paul ..it's absolutely maddening isn't it. However after all I have read on here I wasn't at all surprised on the outcome of today
I was prescribed antabuse about 30 yrs ago , it was horrendous and I made myself so I'll by giving into the cravings whilst I was taking it.Such dangerous stuff ! 😑
PaulJTurner1964 Nat666
Posted
'30 years ago says it all doesn't it?
It was first used for alcohol use disorder (which wasn't called that then) in 1948 
vickylou Nat666
Posted
Well done you Mrs! Agree with everything you've said as the same thing happened to me. I wasn't laughing at you, but your description of the seedy place and area, with a discrete access reminded me of some sort of dodgy pole dancing club!! (No RHGB I've not been to one!! haha)
Nat, you've obviously got a talent for creative writing, your post and discription was excellent and sadly indicative of what these 'experts' are like.
Dont be surprised if you get the same response from your allocated key worker. I think RHGB referred to one as being a spotty teenager on a YTS programme lol!! My key worker only knew of Antabuse (described by her as a useful starting point)
it takes some guts and determination to visit these types of places, somgo and treat yourself I was prescribed Antabuse 15 years ago and ended up in hospital
some things have changed for the better, but sadly the key workers definitely need more training in what medications are available,
Nat666 vickylou
Posted
It did look dodgy but curiosity got the better of me after reading all the funny stories here .And yes I did treat myself Vicks , Nalmefene and 2 small glasses of wine ! life doesnt get much better than that 😊I feel like I have a sicky hangover today for my sins , the nalmafene made me feel very odd last night , I thought I'd got through that but seems maybe not .
I do feel for your friend Vickylou , it's not sounding good for her right now is it .You have to think of yourself and family though, awful as it is the old saying 'be cruel to be kind ' although with our own suffering and experiences it's easier said than done x
vickylou PaulJTurner1964
Posted
Hi paul
dont know if you've been following my post AUD?, but I was disgusted that a gp told my friend that tapering was a very common thing and withdrawal was just an excuse used by alcoholics to get more alcohol!! He wouldn't prescribe any benzos for a person with any addiction, and certainly not when a patient has had alcohol in the last 48 hrs. Her husband was asking for a week's prescription and he would hold the tablets and be with her for the whole week
PaulJTurner1964 vickylou
Posted
I DO have some sympathy with GPs whose hands are tied because of no resources to support an alcohol home detox to make it safer but to talk like this GP has, is a dangerous disregard for the well-being of patients and a serious attitude problem.
Nat666 vickylou
Posted
vickylou PaulJTurner1964
Posted
Her husband is making a formal complaint. His main complaint is not the refusal to prescribe diazepam, it's the dr saying that tapering is just an excuse alcoholics use to get more alcohol.
The up shot is that she she ended up in A&E, she discharged herself against medical advice. Checked into a hotel for the night and was found unconscious on the floor outside her room. She's now back unconscious in A&E.
I realise gps are in a difficult position regarding prescribing benzos, but surely they should be able to use their discretion. This woman was hallucinating, hearing and seeing monsters in her bedroom, trying to pull great chunks of her hair out and scratching and tearing her skin. Had she been given medication with her husband in charge of the medication and be with her 24/7, then she might not have ended up in A&E.
His complaint won't make any difference and the same thing will happen time and time again to other people.
I am sure someone going cold turkey from heroin would be given more assistance. We all know why that is, basically to do with finance and crime. Not many AUD sufferers go round burglarising houses, mugging people etc to get money for alcohol.
RHGB vickylou
Posted
I see no excuse whatsoever that a GP cannot prescribe one or two boxes of diazepam to a responsible adult with instructions of dosages to be given to the patient.
The complaint should be made to the responsible GP, that is usually the GP who owns the surgery, because they at the end of the day, are liable for anything that happens in their surgery (it is a legal position).
All emotion has to be taken out of the complaint. It should have a start, a middle and an ending. Why you are complaining (the way they were treated), what you are complaining about (the way no help was given and the consequences of that) and what you expect from your complaint (situation never to happen again and the patient to be given treatment).
It is important that you add the latter, or you will get the 'lessons learnt' reply letter. You must ask for specific actions to be taken that they have to comment on.
If he doesn't get a satisfactory reply, then a follow up letter should be sent, indicating that it is unsatisfactory and that they may want to rethink it, before a complaint is sent to the GMC. As I said, all emotion must be removed (ranting complaints get nowhere) and cold facts amd consequences must be quoted.
vickylou RHGB
Posted
Thanks for all that information, I shall use that in my complaint to Thomson holidays about the disgusting building which was unbelievably called an hotel.
As regards my friends husbands complaint, unfortunately for the dr she saw, and as you rightly point out, the surgery itself, he is a QC in chambers in Manchester. He could if he so wished, hand deliver a copy of his complaint letter to the GMC, who have an office next to his lol!! I believe a lot of the 'Fit to Practice' hearings are held there. Karma maybe?! Personally I don't believe in things like that, I'm far too cynical
JulieAnne101 vickylou
Posted
JA x
vickylou JulieAnne101
Posted
You and me both! I'd also like to see a copy of the letter. Up until the last few days, he had no knowledge of AUD. obviously he knew she drank more than most people, but not to this extent. He thought DTs were like tramps get from drinking meths!
she must have been a functioning alcoholic. Can I ask how you discovered how much your husband drank? There's so many posts that I forget who drinks what. Is it wine he drinks? As an IT consultant, how did he cope workwise. I don't wish to intrude and understand if you don't want to answer
PaulJTurner1964 RHGB
Posted
The reasons GPs rarely prescribe for an alcohol detox is that even if the patient can act responsibly, they may get into difficulty anyway. If a person is alone and has a seizure, or gets DTs and doesn't recognise that this is life-threatening, they could die and the GP would then be asked why they gave medication for a detox at home with no support.
So I don't totally blame GPs but that doesn't alter the fact that some have an appalling attitude towards anybody with an alcohol issue. The real issue is the lack of resources provided to ensure that home detox (which is perfectly safe for many people when done with proper support) is available.
JulieAnne101 vickylou
Posted
Hi vicks. Hubby was a functioning alcoholic for many years before I met him. He used to be a manager for Odd Bins in London. He reckons that's when the alcohol really took hold.
He carried on drinking tapering back etc went back to uni got his degree in computer science got a job at BA moved onto other jobs drinking tapering back
We met-
over time I recognised his drinking patterns from my Dad who was also a heavy drinker-sessions of heavy drinking, drying out, shakes, sweats. That's when I started asking questions doing research diarying events and then understood what it was he was suffering from; the dts.
After he had his first seizure things got quite scary. So many detoxes at home with Chlordiazpoxide (librium) The last one was bad, had to get him to A&E for a top up 😢
I am worried because with this last bout his blood was thin and not clotting as it should. He won't ask for a scan of his liver 😡 I can't make him. He says I worry too much! Well he doesn't the hell remember what he looked and sounded like in the middle of it all. He has AUD yes I fully sympathise, but this head in the sand stuff does drive me nuts.
Ok rant over 😶
We got married in Cyprus in 2014 he had managed to be abstinent from 2012. I had hope...
JulieAnne101 vickylou
Posted
JA
RHGB vickylou
Posted
I can see the letter now.
Dear Idiots,
I stupidly booked a holiday with your company for what is laughlingly described as 5* accommodation, when Prisoner Cell Block H would have been a more accurate description...
Dear Sir or Madam,
After a difficult year, with family health issues, I booked what I felt would be a relaxing holiday with your company, to allow me and my family to have some time to enjoy ourselves after a difficult year.
However, I feel that the brochure description and the actual experience, plus the problems we encountered were polar opposites. Please let me take the time to explain my experience...
One is a funny quip that is the sort of thing I often write on here and the second is kind of how I would word a complaint.
On to your second point. The GMC would probably just send him a standard letter, saying that he has not contacted the surgery and that he must do so. This is only fair, the first point of contact would be the surgery and the GP responsible (not the locum) would have to follow this up.
Being a barrister, her husband will know that due process has to be followed or the complaint will get nowhere.