Posted by Meri-Tuuli on April 29, 2006, at 8:14:54
In reply to Re: Is lithium any good?, posted by Caedmon on April 29, 2006, at 7:22:53
> Sort of off-topic but what is it with the UK? It's hard to get MAOIs, it's nearly impossible to get benzos. Can you get stimulants?
The probablity of getting one is virtually zero. One UK poster got one prescribed, but then the pdoc got fired (not because of that but other things) of malpractice.
Yeah it really angers me that we can't get the drugs that we actually might need here in the UK. Heaven knows what you do if you are an adult with ADD/ADHD - the condition doesn't really seem to exist here, it disappears after the age of 16!!
I think the fundamental difference is that the NHS is funded through tax and is free for all, so we don't the drug reps etc pushing drugs on docs to prescribe and we don't have adverts for prescription drugs and we pay $9 for any/all drugs the doc prescribes. Plus docs have strict prescribing guidelines and they can't 'go it alone' because 99% of docs are employed by the NHS. So they have to adhere to the guidelines the government sets which are strict with regard to stims, benzos and maybe MAOIs.
Plus the most fundamental difference is that if you pay for healthcare (like in the US) it is in the docs/healthcare's best interest to have you on as many drugs, tests, things like that as possible to make money out of you, or rather there's no limit. Here its the other way round. Try to spend as little as possible on you whilst keeping you healthy/functional/alive.
I know I grumble about the NHS re: mental healthcare, but on the whole it is a good thing. You can be as rich as you like and you'll still get the same treatment as a pauper. But then, we pay around 35% income tax which I gather is alot more than in the US, but then you have to pay for health insurance....
Anyway, totally OT!!!!
poster:Meri-Tuuli
thread:637942
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060429/msgs/638047.html