The BBC investigates REMOTE PRESCRIBING Botox ...... my view here:
what does this mean? organising a prescription when the patient is not physically present at a face to face consultation with the doctor - probably the commonest form is the ubiquitous "repeat prescription" from the GP - a national scandal costing the NHS billiions - promoting unecessary medical treatments and sometimes lifelong unecessary drug therapies with all the hazards that entails
is this dangerous/ no not with the correct precautions; questions about allergy; a common sense approach; etc etc - how often does your GP (or often a stand in or new GP) adequatelypore back through your notes to check for any past intteraction or problem - answer hardly ever because they just dont have the time and GP notes are n
what happens in other countries? you can walk into a chemist shop and simply buy medications with or often without an authorisation from a medical doctor - a typical example would be simple antibiotics?? - this is es[ecially so for repeat and commonly prescribed items
why cant we do this in the UK? it is probably safer to discuss with a doctor - but have you tried recently to have a "discusssion" with your GP about the rational for taking all the medications you are on and any possible interactions?? You must be joking !? - also in the UK we have a big brother attitude - doctors like to be in control - they dont like patients doing there own thing - and there is some rationale for this - another reason is economic - there is rationing and rationalisation of NHS drugs because the prescription charge does not cover the true cost
why is BOTOX a restricted prescription item? - because it is a poisonous chemical and should not be injected without due care and consideration - things can go wrong with BOTOX injections - but to be honest, only very very rarely and usually completely reversible and non-serious - the medical establishment probably has a slight downer on cosmetic treatments and there may be something of a witch hunt scenario here
are there other examples of 'cosmetic' drugs being restricted in terms of easy access? yes the commonest in dermatology is Roaccutane a very good and extremely powerful acne treatment - your GP cannot prescribe this - only a hospital specialist and therefore there is restricted access because we are about 130 Consultant Dermatologists short in the UK - Roaccutane was initially (like all new drungs) a research only medication but is now mainstream but has never had the restriction lifted for no really valid reason - GPs commonly prescribe far more dangerous drugs with no restriction - perhaps 'cosmetic' and dermatological problems are a special case in the UK - perhaps we are not allowed to want to look good - a littel like Austin Powers' in the Bond spoof movies ??
John Ashworth
Consultant Dermatologis GMC 2488929
What is Moh's surgery? This is a question that is often asked.
