Unfiltered Story #57159

(About halfway through my studies in Law School i got diagnosed with adult ADD. I had been diagnosed with and treated for ADD befor, but the treatment was stoped when i graduated, as in many cases the symptoms disappear when the patient reaches adulthood. However, not in my case.
The new diagnosis is done by doctors of a psychiatric hospital, who also supervise the initial treatment. Any further treatment, however, has to be supervised by an outside doctor. That job is normally done by a team: a psychiatrist that supervises the dosage and a general practitioner that prescribes the medication as the psychiatrist instructed and does the necessary bloodwork on a regular basis. As in the initial treatment the medication has shown to raise my blood pressure to a level that, while not imediately dangerous, should be avoided, the GP would also have to asses and possibly treat that side effect.
However, it can sometimes take months to get an appointment with an independant psychiatrist. As my dosage had already been determined by the hospital doctors and i had never shown any side effects other than the blood pressure and know the medication, my doctor at the hospital says my treatment can be supervised by a GP alone.
I decide to go to my current GP in my university town, a doctor i went to because he was next-door to where i used to live, even though dealing with him and his office could be a bit cumbersome and a now live on the other side of town. I get an appointment where i present my hosptal paperwork and explain the situation. He takes my blood pressure and does an ECG and returns to me with the results.)

GP: Your blood pressure is high. I cannot prescribe the medication for you.

Me: I know. The medication raises the pressure level. But at the hospital they said i could still get the medication with possible extra treatment.

GP: No. The blood pressure is to high.

Me: Are you sure those measurements from today are even conclusive? As you can obviously see, i have the flu right now.

GP: I cannot prescribe it.

(I finally get him to agree to talk with my hospital doctor. I write her an email with the GPs contact informations and ask her to contact him, which she had previously offered to do. Several days later i contact the GPs office for an update. When i finally get him on the line three days later, this happens:)

Me: Hello, this is [my name]. I am calling to see if you have talked to [hospital doctor].

GP: [silence, then muttering]

Me: I am the adult ADD case with the blood pressure problems that you saw last week. [hospital doctor] was supposed to call you.

GP: Oh, yes, sure. She has not.

(I immediately write to the hospital doctor again, begging her to contact the GP as soon as possible. I get an email the next day:)

Hospital Doctor: Hello [my name]! I am a bit confused. I contacted your GP on [day after i had my appointment] and we talked for almost 30 minutes. I even emailed him the dosage recomendations again and explained that the medication can be taken alongside with medication that loweres the blood pressure. I am not sure what else to do.

(That was when i decided not to return to my old GP. I found a new GP close to where i live now. He took one look at my diagnosis-statement and saw that my pressure level is something that should be treated, but is not a reason to deny me my medication. While he was uncomfortabel with supervising the add-medication due to limited knowledge and zero experience with supervising ADD cases, he got me an apppointment with a psychiatrist in the same building within the week. Now my new GP does my bloodwork and supervises my blood pressure while the psychiatrist supervises my dosage and prescribes my medication.
Dear former GP, small, none-life threatening side effects are not a reason to outright deny medication that a patient needs. Even if it is a physical side effect to a psychologically induced medication. And don’t lie to your patient. It’s unprofessional.)