22 replies to this topic

[nho1993]

i went to the doctor and i asked for accutane and he sayd NO and put me on doxy which is useless, he sayd for accutane he coldnt give it ot me cause i had to go to hospital or something like that, im thinking of going to another doctor at the end of my doxy course??

[light-moderate]

i went to the doctor and i asked for accutane and he sayd NO and put me on doxy which is useless, he sayd for accutane he coldnt give it ot me cause i had to go to hospital or something like that, im thinking of going to another doctor at the end of my doxy course??

You have to demand he takes you to a dermatologist, i have won an appointment to the derm to sort out my new problem (rosacea), which I then intend to demand roaccutane. You have to be real firm with these people.

[nho1993]

i went to the doctor and i asked for accutane and he sayd NO and put me on doxy which is useless, he sayd for accutane he coldnt give it ot me cause i had to go to hospital or something like that, im thinking of going to another doctor at the end of my doxy course??

You have to demand he takes you to a dermatologist, i have won an appointment to the derm to sort out my new problem (rosacea), which I then intend to demand roaccutane. You have to be real firm with these people.

Yea i was thinking of that but knowing hte NHS theres propably one long waiting list, im just not use to this because i come from south africa and if i was htere i could just go to the doctor and ask him for accutane and he would pu me on it, but i guess there i had medical insurance so i could go to privte doctors which are much better then government

[light-moderate]

i went to the doctor and i asked for accutane and he sayd NO and put me on doxy which is useless, he sayd for accutane he coldnt give it ot me cause i had to go to hospital or something like that, im thinking of going to another doctor at the end of my doxy course??

You have to demand he takes you to a dermatologist, i have won an appointment to the derm to sort out my new problem (rosacea), which I then intend to demand roaccutane. You have to be real firm with these people.

Yea i was thinking of that but knowing hte NHS theres propably one long waiting list, im just not use to this because i come from south africa and if i was htere i could just go to the doctor and ask him for accutane and he would pu me on it, but i guess there i had medical insurance so i could go to privte doctors which are much better then government

Yeah I tried getting the 'tane directly off him but i forgot that we live in the UK and the establishment is not like americas. Taken from wiki

"In the United Kingdom, isotretinoin(accutane) may only be prescribed by, or under the supervision of, a consultant dermatologist. A similar situation exists in most Australian states – in New South Wales, for instance, the prescriber must be a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists (FACD).

[jamesjoyce]

its like the best kept, closely guarded, misrepresented secret in acne. sometimes i think its a conspiracy. it'd be so much cheaper to put people on accutane than years of useless creams, dr appts, scar treatments, pills, therapy, lost work days, etc.

[nho1993]

how long do you have to wait to see a derm and cant you make an appointment directly with the derm and not go through the doctor?

[light-moderate]

I dont know, my mum told me to do it the doctor way, thats the way I did it.

[Treasure]

The reason why you cant get it from ur gp, is cos, unlike in America, for instance, you can get every other medication for acne straight from ur gp. As for accutane, there are so many side affects etc. that gp's are reluctant to let their patients go on it unless the patient has tried other options first.

[Jennywho]

how long do you have to wait to see a derm and cant you make an appointment directly with the derm and not go through the doctor?

I think most derms require a referral from your doctor. I saw my doctor and she advised me to see a derm. I waited two weeks to see her and for the derm, I have to wait like 3 weeks. I'm kinda annoyed, but hey this is Canada..and we all know what the waiting lists are like here

[nho1993]

how long do you have to wait to see a derm and cant you make an appointment directly with the derm and not go through the doctor?

I think most derms require a referral from your doctor. I saw my doctor and she advised me to see a derm. I waited two weeks to see her and for the derm, I have to wait like 3 weeks. I'm kinda annoyed, but hey this is Canada..and we all know what the waiting lists are like here

god its sometimes months here

[ben100604]

You need a referal from your doctor. If you go private then you'll be seen within a couple of weeks, maybe sooner. Unless you have health insurance though, a full course of roaccutane could cost between £800-£1000+. If you go through the NHS you could be seen in between 2 - 16 weeks; when you are seen depends on the waiting lists and how severe your problem is. Acne isn't life threatening or detrimental to health, so you usually have to wait quite a long time.

[light-moderate]

Unless you have health insurance though, a full course of roaccutane could cost between £800-£1000+.

Whoa, I have a hc1 form? will that cover the costs?

[Tom_B]

Whoa, I have a hc1 form? will that cover the costs?

Nope. It's only valid for NHS prescriptions. If you're going private, it's assumed you're rich enough to pay for your own drugs...

[light-moderate]

Whoa, I have a hc1 form? will that cover the costs?

Nope. It's only valid for NHS prescriptions. If you're going private, it's assumed you're rich enough to pay for your own drugs...

Wow, guess Im gonna have to wait then.

[caterpillar]

I am English and when I was living in the UK I always went private and paid my own way to see a derm about my acne. Fortunately, I got a private referral from an Opthalmic(sp?) surgeon to see his brother - a dermatologist because my acne was effecting my eyes?? Bizarre I know but true. I completely bypassed my GP and the NHS because I knew that as they wouldn't consider my condition life threatening I wouldn't be taken seriously. I have seen a derm on and off for acne since I was 19. I am now 32 and although I have always had very good results from antibiotics - I am on them almost permanently - they don't always work. I recently visited a new dermatologist in Paris where I now live and she is going to put me on accutane in the early new year. As I have very persistent mild acne, she recommended a microdose of accutane for a year. She said that there would be no significant side effects as the dosage would be very low. All this treatment will be paid for by me and not my insurance company. I personally think in the UK access to derms etc, is all about money, unless you pay your own way mild/moderate acne isn't thought worth treating.

[Le Chiffre]

I was on accutane back in 1996. It was easy for me I just went to my doctor and said although my skin isn't that bad, it's just because of the Dalacin-T and that's now starting not to work. I explained I'd had acne for years and oral antibiotics didn't work so I asked if he could refer me to a dermatologist for roaccutate. He agreed straight away. The dermatologist was a roaccutane enthusiast, explaining to me and the medical students who were in the room that "it's the only thing that gets to the root of the problem". The other great thing was that it didn't cost a penny. I picked up 3 months supply from the hospital pharmacy for free and that was it.

I think things might have changed in the last ten years because of all the silly media stories about teenagers committing suicide so it may be more difficult now.

[nho1993]

well my wait isnt that bad, from when i booked it was a 6 week wait, now another 4 weeks to go, my appointment is for hte 15th of december, if i get accepted on roaccutane what is the procedure?

[JR86]

I'm not completely sure but i think in the UK RoAccutane (as it is called in the UK) can only be prescribed by a dermatologist. i'm not sure how the system works, if you need a refferal. but if i were you i would try to go to a derm.

[nho1993]

I'm not completely sure but i think in the UK RoAccutane (as it is called in the UK) can only be prescribed by a dermatologist. i'm not sure how the system works, if you need a refferal. but if i were you i would try to go to a derm.

yea, my derm app is on the 15th

[Stephen*]

my doctor refered me to a derm like a month and a half ago and a week ago i got my appntment back got a apptment on the 28th November.

hopefully the derm will sort me out once and for all

but yeah, doctors cant prescribe accutane, as you have to get a hospital prescription, but in the UK is diff cause we dont pay for our stuff, so they are more strick on just putting people on stuff, where as the US have to pay for everthing so doctors dont care as long as they get paid lol