Re: Hydrocortisone and the NHS, what do you think?

[Guest guest]

Hi

I think the people who are on hydrocortisone and know more about this are not around today. There has been a lot of discussion about this medication in the past, so I hope they pop in to help you.

Personally, I think that if your doctor decided that you "looked Cushings" and has done nothing about it after all the tests you have had done - not even giving you a test to see whether you do have Cushings, and not taking any of your symptoms, signs, NPTech results into account - and then discharging you, as far as I am concerned, this is a reportable matter to the GMC. This doctor is doing you harm, and not taking your health into consideration when she decided that the risk of her being reported to the GMC in prescribing hydrocortisone was of more importance than YOUR health. She IS doing you harm.

I have no idea whether the NHS can be made to carry on prescribing a medication that a patient ordered for themselves, and this would be interesting to find out. However, I am appalled that the NHS should drive a patient to do this - though should I be surprised with the number of our members here who have been driven to ordering thyroid hormone replacement for themselves because they have all the symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism, but the NHS refuses to recognise them because their TSH is within the reference interval.

Hopefully, somebody else will come to this thread and give us some ideas.

Seriously though, we have all been following your illness, I sent your details with symptoms etc. to Dr Hertoghe, Dr Peatfield and Dr Friedman, all of whom agreed you had a serious adrenal problem - but then, they are not NHS and know more about adrenals.

Luv - Sheila

I cannot afford to purchase Cortef online indefinitely as my financialsituation simply won't allow for this. If I were to self medicate for say one or two years, around 20 mghydrocortisone a day, and then found myself UNABLE to come off that(but at the same time UNABLE to afford to continue), would I beputting the NHS in a position where they would have a moral obligationto prescribe?

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[Guest guest]

Hi

I'm in the same poition as you. It took a year and a half of paying

for armour myself before my gp agreed to give me a prescription. I am

now funding my own cortef (30mg a day) and have started to wonder if

I can approach my gp for a prescription. the cortef has finally made

me normal. I'm on 3 grains of armour and may still go up to 4 but

just taking things slowly. But if I do I'm very worried about him

making me fund the armour as well now.

My question is I have been on cortef for 3 months now and how long

should I expect to stay on it for?

>

> Hi Sheila, thanks for that.

>

> I have a question I would like to pose to the group, hence I have

> changed the subject title but kept the same thread.

>

> I cannot afford to purchase Cortef online indefinitely as my

financial

> situation simply won't allow for this.

>

> This is a very unethical question and I expect there are a few

members

> who will think it bad of me to even consider this....

>

> If I were to self medicate for say one or two years, around 20 mg

> hydrocortisone a day, and then found myself UNABLE to come off that

> (but at the same time UNABLE to afford to continue), would I be

> putting the NHS in a position where they would have a moral

obligation

> to prescribe?

>

> I would invite as many opinions as possible on this subject and

> realise some of you will think I'm nuts. I don't think it will be a

> case of " self-induced s " as my 24 hour salivary result show

> that my adrenals are as good as shot anyway. If in taking

> hydrocortisone I am permanently supressing my adrenals, wouldn't the

> NHS be obligated to prescribe should there come a time when I can't

> afford to continue (and that time will come).

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi there. I can't answer your question. However I do wish you the very

best of luck with this. It sounds like you're doing really well on the

cortef and I congratulate you in having the fortitude to go it alone.

I do hope your GP agrees to give you a prescription and look forward

to hearing how things progress. Thanks for your contribution to the

thread.

>

> Hi

>

> I'm in the same poition as you. It took a year and a half of paying

> for armour myself before my gp agreed to give me a prescription. I am

> now funding my own cortef (30mg a day) and have started to wonder if

> I can approach my gp for a prescription. the cortef has finally made

> me normal. I'm on 3 grains of armour and may still go up to 4 but

> just taking things slowly. But if I do I'm very worried about him

> making me fund the armour as well now.

>

> My question is I have been on cortef for 3 months now and how long

> should I expect to stay on it for?