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Case ref:201803565
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Date:December 2018
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Body:A Medical Practice in the Highland NHS Board area
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Sector:Health
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Outcome:Not upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:clinical treatment / diagnosis
Summary
Mrs C complained about the care which she received from the practice. She said that the practice unreasonably refused to prescribe her pethidine (painkiller) medication and removed it from her list of repeat medications. Mrs C said that she had been on the medication for a number of years and that no alternative painkillers were prescribed and she was at risk of withdrawal symptoms.
We took independent advice from a GP. We found that the clinical records indicated that Mrs C had agreed to stop pethidine, she had also said it was her intention to try ibuprofen (anti-inflammatory pain relief medication) and that she still had a stock of pethidine at home. We found that the GP correctly did not prescribe additional painkilling medication in the meantime and also that Mrs C had not been taking pethidine on a regular basis and as such it was unlikely she would have suffered from withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, we did not uphold Mrs C's complaint.