I complained about my service and now I am being targeted

Mental health
1

Hi, I have been stable for many years now, and I have made a choice to stay on my prescribed methadone until I pass away, however it has been very, very hard to explain why I feel this is my best option to the prescribing GP. I have had to complain as my previous GP used abusive language to my wife, who is also on Methadone, on 3 occasions ( received a letter of apology from him). Myself and my wife were then moved to another clinic as we decided it was not in anyone's interest that we stayed with this doctor, and to be honest my wife did not feel comfortable seeing this GP again as she felt scared. We have been with this clinic for 3 Months now we both have been attending our groups that were set up for us, and we have been continuing to pick our medicine up weekly as we have been doing for 5 years in my case and longer in my wife's case.

today we receive a letter in the post from our services saying that we have both been put on daily pick up from the pharmacy, we do not understand this as we have been picking up weekly for years now with no problems, not even provided 1 positive drugs test in 5 years. We feel as if we are being targeted because my wife made an original complaint, it's not just the changing of our pick up times it's the way we are being dealt with. We both feel trapped and do not know who to go to for help, we have tried using the advocacy services in our home area but that seems to have made life harder for us. I would be very grateful if someone could help us and give us some advice.

we feel that because we are stable and getting on with our lives, and we have made a judgement on our own treatment as adults, and we are able to interact at a certain level , the services we use do not like it, and yes we feel targeted. Please help.

Mark and Helena.

2

Dear Mark and Helena,

Firstly, *hugs* I'm so sorry to hear about your situation, especially as much of the reading on methadone treatment speaks of the detox element (which is deemed to be part of the treatment) being the patients decision, and often not until years into the treatment. From what you've said, you are years into the treatment in that you have been on it for 5 years, but this should not take away from the fact that in the UK it IS the PATIENTS decision.

Can I ask you to clarify that you are, or are not in the UK, and that your new GP sent you to a drug assessment clinician different from any you have been assessed by before, or by an appropriately qualified in house doctor?

It could be a simple case of new doctor/clinician, different rules, in which case you can rule out any discrimination. If this evidence doesn't rule out that feeling, perhaps you and your wife could arrange an appointment with a doctor you feel comfortable with to have a calm chat to ask why the changes have been put in place, and take the opportunity to discuss your feelings about the previous surgery and why you felt you had no option but to change surgery's, and to explain how the changes have made both feel victimised.

I'm in a situation of having to complain about a Dr's surgery, and it would be easy for me to believe, having no one else who is at the same surgery, or the same situation as I to compare notes with, that I am being victimised, but having found a great doctor at the surgery (after having to try out a few) who has supported my written complaint, told me how to escalate it, and confirming that I should follow up with the unsatisfactory response. The main issue with the first doctor I encountered was the inability to be heard, even with answers in response to the doctors own questions, and the fact he has lied to the site manager and the practice manager who have dealt with my complaints, but I am able to get evidence that he has lied.

If you have one of those new fangled phones with a voice recorder, you have every right to record every consultation you have (after all, they have their dictorphones running from the time we are called through).

I know this bit is really difficult when you have any emotional involvement, but it can be really helpful, try to strip everything back to 'facts that would stand up in a court of law', because this way we know that our hearts are not ruling our heads, if that makes sense. I learned it through a wonderful counsellor a number of years ago, and it has stood me in good stead (just watching an episode of Judge Judy affirms this).

I don't know if I can post a link here, but just to make sure you can find this information either Google 'choosing to stay on methadone' and click on the top two links, or go to 'patient dot info forward slash health forward slash methadone-replacement-for-heroin.

All best wishes dear people, and keep taking care of yourselves and each other,

hanb

3

Thank you hanb for your reply and for your sensible and correct answer/s to my questions. I will see if we can get some advice from another gp.

I do not know if I mentioned the reason we moved from our previous prescribes, it was due to my wife being sworn at by the prescribing methadone doctor, he said to my wife quote, " you think you f------ know it all". We have a letter of apology from him about this. The services are different as to say that we are now being overseen by a different counties drug and alcohol team, they are Avon and Wiltshire. We live in Dorset. UK. We now know that the services are next door to each other and the gp who swore at my wife still signs the scripts.

It is strange as we have been with the new services 3 months, I could understand the concept of new gp different rules, but please bear in mind they also have weekly prescribing and we have been with them now for 3 months, so if a change was to happen surely it should have been at the beginning of our transfer, we have been picking up weekly for myself 4 years and my wife longer, we have a great relationship with our pharmacist and like I said beforehand we have maintained our lives in a safe, structured and street drug free life. Keeping to all our appointments.

We know that all of this is to do with my wife making a complaint. It's not just the moving of our pick up times from weekly pick up to daily pick up, I have personally been lied to in relation to where/who I need to send my dvla paperwork, I have to do this yearly to be able to legally drive, as a result I nearly got my license revoked, nobody wants to seem to get involved in helping or supporting us, we are just 2 people who have made a decision to stay on our medicine trying to make our decisions known, and the services we use are not looking this.

I do not know if you know this but can you be forced of your Methadone by a prescriber? I obviously know that if you provide positive drug test and miss appointments you can be struck of, but can the decisions about you wanting to remain on methadone be taking away from you without your say so. We keep getting told that the Governments strategy is for all yo be reduced from there methadone and that there is no longer maintenence scripts.

Do you know of any independent advocates that may be able to assist us in hearing our voices, we feel small compared to the establishments of doctors etc. You have been a great help already hanb and thank you very much, you will know how frustrating it is when you know that I'll practice is being handed down to you. Hope to hear from you soon. Mark & Helena

4

Hi Mark,

​Where iam you wouldnt be put on dailys unless your giving dirty urines or selling it, stable patients who dont work have to drink at the chemist 3x a week and have takeaways for four, you seem to have given a raw deal, its not enough having the stigma attached to being on a programme, the judgement by the so called professionals is the worst, get an advicate, do you have a clinician appointed to u?  i dont mean a g.p

5

Thank you for your reply Bernie. Yes it is difficult time at the moment, we have just been in touch with an advocacy service in London called RELEASE they deal with drugs, law and human rights issues. We will continue to stay positive how ever hard that may be. Unfortunately all the clinicians we know of are our GP and the prescribing GP, both are to close with our complaint to talk to, one of the gps swore 3 times to my wife, hence why this victimisation has come about. I will keep you updated on this. Thank you.

Mark

6

Hi guys,

​I really feel for you both, Its totally out of hand these so called professionals toying with you both, power hungry control freaks, hang in there your both in my thoughts.