Don't want to seem like I'm gunning for MC?

[freaky]

I have been self medicating with MC for years due to sleep problems, but never visited the GP for it as self medication has already been working for me. Due to this, I've never had a formal diagnosis, or tried conventional meds for my issues. (From what I hear, sleep meds can't be prescribed in perpetuity anyway and tend to be super addictive!)

I'm aware that two previous treatments are required and a formal diagnosis, but I don't want it to come off to a clinic that I am gunning straight for MC and only visiting the GP for this reason. I took the first step in visiting the GP and have received a prescription for promethazine (does absolutely nothing in aiding sleep for me), but just wanted to ask whether it may be a problem to have a consultation with a clinic so shortly after beginning to visit the GP/get conventional treatments?

 

[GrownHealth]

I have been self medicating with MC for years due to sleep problems, but never visited the GP for it as self medication has already been working for me. Due to this, I've never had a formal diagnosis, or tried conventional meds for my issues. (From what I hear, sleep meds can't be prescribed in perpetuity anyway and tend to be super addictive!)

I'm aware that two previous treatments are required and a formal diagnosis, but I don't want it to come off to a clinic that I am gunning straight for MC and only visiting the GP for this reason. I took the first step in visiting the GP and have received a prescription for promethazine (does absolutely nothing in aiding sleep for me), but just wanted to ask whether it may be a problem to have a consultation with a clinic so shortly after beginning to visit the GP/get conventional treatments?

Welcome to the forum @freaky and I would say go for it and it's not gaming the system at all it's getting the meds that you know work for you legally and I treated myself for many years and as a result didn't need to visit the doctor too often as I had found a solution as you indeed have and this will count for something with many clinics and I'm pretty sure you will find a clinic to accommodate you so you can legally get what works for you and we have had people get accepted that have not tried one med but you have now so are in an even stronger position .
In your situation I would send of an application to 3 or 4 clinics that you think are within your budget and take it from there as they will guide you with anything else needed or indeed take your application to the next step

 

[Lank72]

No I dont think it will be, MC clinics and doctors are not looking for reasons to catch you out, if you have the conditions in your records and the treatment attempts it shouldn't matter when it happened I don't think

A lot of people can struggle with things their whole life and only get them diagnosed later on

 

[GreenRed]

I was straightforward with all my doctors who were involved in the process: the psychologist, the 2 psychiatrists (first one was against MC so I changed to a more modern one) and the clinician: self medicating for decades, I have tried "official" stuff, they don't help and I hate the side effects, ultimately I need MC to function and to be able to sleep. There's really nothing else to it. If any of the stepping stones are against MC in the approval process, swap them out, you're free to go to someone else at any point.

 

[freaky]

Welcome to the forum @freaky and I would say go for it and it's not gaming the system at all it's getting the meds that you know work for you legally and I treated myself for many years and as a result didn't need to visit the doctor too often as I had found a solution as you indeed have and this will count for something with many clinics and I'm pretty sure you will find a clinic to accommodate you so you can legally get what works for you and we have had people get accepted that have not tried one med but you have now so are in an even stronger position .
In your situation I would send of an application to 3 or 4 clinics that you think are within your budget and take it from there as they will guide you with anything else needed or indeed take your application to the next step

Thanks for the warm welcome! It’s good to hear that other people are/have been in the same position and have been accepted, inspires confidence in me for sure.

I have been eyeing up Alternaleaf mainly due to the super low fees, i’m a bit hesitant to go for a consultation before getting a second GP prescription, as I don’t want to give them any reason to turn me down.

If I was to go for a consultation and get turned down, do they normally give you a reason for this, so that you can work towards requirements?

 

[freaky]

I was straightforward with all my doctors who were involved in the process: the psychologist, the 2 psychiatrists (first one was against MC so I changed to a more modern one) and the clinician: self medicating for decades, I have tried "official" stuff, they don't help and I hate the side effects, ultimately I need MC to function and to be able to sleep. There's really nothing else to it. If any of the stepping stones are against MC in the approval process, swap them out, you're free to go to someone else at any point.

Thanks for the information mate, it’s good to hear that doctors are getting much more progressive these days. Certainly gives me confidence hearing that you weren’t judged for changing doctors when getting the MC that you need!

 

[freaky]

No I dont think it will be, MC clinics and doctors are not looking for reasons to catch you out, if you have the conditions in your records and the treatment attempts it shouldn't matter when it happened I don't think

A lot of people can struggle with things their whole life and only get them diagnosed later on

I didn’t think of it like that, I guess a lot more people are in the same boat than I thought!

 

[GrownHealth]

Thanks for the warm welcome! It’s good to hear that other people are/have been in the same position and have been accepted, inspires confidence in me for sure.

I have been eyeing up Alternaleaf mainly due to the super low fees, i’m a bit hesitant to go for a consultation before getting a second GP prescription, as I don’t want to give them any reason to turn me down.

If I was to go for a consultation and get turned down, do they normally give you a reason for this, so that you can work towards requirements?

I personally think you'll be ok with Alternaleaf with what you have told us as we recently had a member accepted there with no medications on there record iirc and If there was a problem I'm certain they would guide you in what was needed to meet their requirements but It may well not come to that

Other clinics where we have seen people have success in these circumstances are CB1 Medical Medical and Medicann from the top of my head so all would be not lost if you were unhappy with a negative outcome from the first clinic you apply to

 

[Spongecake]

I was accepted by Alternaleaf despite not having very much medical evidence (I avoid my GP like the plague so don't have a lot on my records!) and found they were very willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. Once you get a consultation with a doctor you can explain to them how your condition impacts your life, and they will prescribe for you if they think medical cannabis will help you, even if you don't have all the right paperwork.

I'm sure they will also be helpful in guiding you. If you don't yet fulfil the eligibility they will tell you what you need to do next.

They did tell me that over-the-counter medicines can also be taken into account. So maybe you can find a second medication at the chemist rather than having to go back to your GP for one?

 

[TastyTerpTester]

Thanks for the warm welcome! It’s good to hear that other people are/have been in the same position and have been accepted, inspires confidence in me for sure.

I have been eyeing up Alternaleaf mainly due to the super low fees, i’m a bit hesitant to go for a consultation before getting a second GP prescription, as I don’t want to give them any reason to turn me down.

If I was to go for a consultation and get turned down, do they normally give you a reason for this, so that you can work towards requirements?

I contacted my GP for back pain and was prescribed 2 painkillers within the space of a month. Then applied with Medicann straight after. Had never spoken to my GP for years beforehand.

They really just want you as a customer/patient and as long as you don’t have any red flags you should be good.

As others have mentioned it’s not a hard two medication rule.

I would recommend Medicann since they are completely free apart from the £5 delivery. They are also super flexible and reasonable. You place an order and they ship it the next day.

Just be honest and say you’ve been self medicating. You’ve tried one prescription and it doesn’t work as well. I would also add in that you’ve tried other things to help you sleep that’s not prescription medication and it hasn’t helped either.

In regards to them turning you down, I’m not sure how that would work. If they did, I think you could try another medication from your GP and apply again. I had a similar feeling to you which is why I did end up asking for a second prescription from my GP first. But after hearing some stories I don’t think that was necessary.

Also it’s worth noting, if you contact your GP via a web form, everything you write will be visible on your medical record. Which the clinic will look at in order to determine if you’re eligible. At least it was for me.

To give you an idea I had two 5 minute phone calls in total. So it’s not like they ask you tonnes of questions.

Also Medicann might not be best for people who need to speak to doctors. But since you’ve already been medicating I doubt you’ll want that anyway.

 

[greenthumb]

I'm not really sure if we are supposed to admit this in public, but in my opinion......

As things stand the vast majority of clinics are run as business. Most will have little regard for your actual wellbeing. They will just be happy to have you as a customer. The only reason they show any interest in your medical history is because they are obligated to by law to do so.

I am not saying this as any sort of complaint, just sharing the impression i got whilst going through the same process a few months ago.

Besides, if one clinic knocks you back, ask them why and have the answer ready for the clinic.

Best of luck with it all!

 

[NuggetofGreen]

I'm not really sure if we are supposed to admit this in public, but in my opinion......

As things stand the vast majority of clinics are run as business. Most will have little regard for your actual wellbeing. They will just be happy to have you as a customer. The only reason they show any interest in your medical history is because they are obligated to by law to do so.

I am not saying this as any sort of complaint, just sharing the impression i got whilst going through the same process a few months ago.

Besides, if one clinic knocks you back, ask them why and have the answer ready for the clinic.

Best of luck with it all!

They are absolutely run as businesses but so are any private health clinic that conducts more traditional procedures. Bad and good practice can be found in any business. As patients we need to keep talking about poor clinical experiences and drive better behaviour. At a base level they should all abide by their own professional ethics guidance as doctors, psychiatrists and pharmacists.
The thing going on in London at the moment is picking up on poor practice. The day 2 update picks up on the negative experience of a patient due to shortcomings in clinical practice.

 

[HerbGaming]

in my medical notes states -- drug additction to cannabis
in my first ever psychiatrist appointment before he moved on to my substance abuse he said im sorry if we were in canada we wouldnt be having this conversation
he was a good seed, first professional to see my cannabis use as medicinal and not lable me as a drug dependant addict - this was pre 2018

 

[freaky]

UPDATE:

As of today, I have now received a prescription! Super easy to deal with Medicann, only had to go through one phone call, seems the doctor took a look at the provisional screening call and approved me straight away without the follow up.

Prescription ordered and should have my medicine in a couple of days. Serious relief to now be able to consume legally, without fear of repercussions.

If you are holding back for fear of not being approved, or that you may have to jump through hoops, just go for it!

Thanks to everyone for commenting and supporting.

 

[GrownHealth]

UPDATE:

As of today, I have now received a prescription! Super easy to deal with Medicann, only had to go through one phone call, seems the doctor took a look at the provisional screening call and approved me straight away without the follow up.

Prescription ordered and should have my medicine in a couple of days. Serious relief to now be able to consume legally, without fear of repercussions.

If you are holding back for fear of not being approved, or that you may have to jump through hoops, just go for it!

Thanks to everyone for commenting and supporting.

Brilliant result and the consuming legally is a massive relief in itself so it's just the postie to go now with your meds