A rather unhelpful letter from the head of my PCT

[Guest guest]

Hi there

Many of you will know that I have made many visits to the GP about my

health prior to my admittance to hospital with a nasty turn for which

no diagnosis could be found. Many will also know that my diagnosis of

mental issues in the past have left me the legacy of Psychiatric drugs

which I cannot get off. Also that I have hypertension which I feel is

the result of being treated so long on T4 only meds. I have suffered

numerous traumas in my life which I also feel have depleted my adrenal

glands with stress and that they are further compromised by the

ongoing treatment with T4 only meds. (This is the short version lol)

So for Shiela who is wonderful and taking interest in my quest for

better health, here is the unhelpful letter from the PCT in response

to my letter asking for a pharmacist to analyse the interactions

between the supplements, Armour, and conventional medicines I am still

taking which leaves me in exactly the same place that I was before

writing it.

It seems the man is much more concerned with Armour than he is with

getting me expert help with possible interractions. He states that

nobody could possibly tell what the interractions would be. I am not

sure this is accurate but I will take him at his word, however it

would have been nice for a pharmacist to take a look. He doesn't state

that he has given the list to a pharmacist so I assume that he has not

done so.

Anyway, here is a copy of the body of the letter which suggests I see

my GP at the end, errrrr circles circles

luv Dawn....

Thank you for your letter including the most up to date list of

medication. My understanding of your concerns is that despite your

range of symptoms, you feel that traditional medications prescribed by

your GP have not been helpful, and you are keen for you GP to become

involved in prescribing of Armour thyroxine for your complaint.

Armour thyroxine is a natural preparation derived from porcine thyroid

glands. The PCT has concerns regarding the access of Armour on the HHS

because it remains an unlicensed preparation. The licensing of a

medication occurs when the drug meets the necessary quality control

standards. It as been shown to be effective and safe for that

particular illness or problem. All medications carry with them the

risk of side effects together with the risk of drug interaction. A

drug interaction occurs when the effect of a particular drug is

altered when it is taken with another drug, or with food. AS a

clinician I am concerned therefore by the range of medications that

you are taking. It would be I am afraid impossible for anybody to be

able to predict how the drugs and supplements that you are taking

could interact with each other.

This symptoms of a drug interaction can be very subtle, gradual, and

debilitating, and the only way sometimes of clarifying what symptoms a

particular drug combination is causing is to trying to rationalise the

medication and cut back on the medication and reviewing the effect.

This needs to be done with caution and carefully monitored because the

effects on the control of you blood pressure can be significantly. I

would urge you however to consider carefully the risks associated with

your current range of treatments particularly before you start adding

o the regime with Turmeric capsules and Niacinamide. Polypharmacy has

been clearly associated with health risks.

With regards accessing prescriptions for Armour thyroxine. I would

fully endorse you GP's position in avoiding prescribing an unlicensed

drug. GP's are required to provide a safe and effective service.

Medications prescribed by a healthcare professional have to meet a

certain quality assurance standards, and because Armour thyroxine is

unlicensed it has not been shown to meet the clinical effective

quality control standards. The view of the PCT is that the prescribing

of an unlicensed drug is an unnecessary risk to take. There is as you

know a licensed preparation of thyroxine which is a safe treatment for

patients with clinical hypothyroidism. Unfortunately it is not safe or

appropriate to treat patients with symptoms that are thought to relate

to hypothyroidism in the absence of some measurable change in thyroid

function. They symptoms of hypothyroidism are varied and can be

subtle, but can be caused by many factors; therefore the presence of

symptoms alone is insufficient evidence to base a prescription.

Given the quality control factors the anxiety of clinical

effectiveness and in the context of the range of other medications and

treatments that you take, I am afraid it would seem a reasonable

decision by your GP to avoid prescribing Armour Thyroxine.

It would not be appropriate for me to give further clinical advice or

a second opinion on the range of your symptoms. You would be advised

to follow up symptoms however with your GP, and seek further advice

from him about taking further your health issues.