Can I fight hairloss without a GP?

[Kirby_]

I am about to give up fighting as I am nearly out of finasteride and my NHS GP refuses to supply me with fin prescription or give me the vital blood tests I need to protect my health.

What can I do?

I need firstly an affordable means to get fin LEGITIMATELY and reliably. Secondly I need to know where and how to get the regular blood tests, and in particular what sort of blood test I need.

[Kirby_]

Bump

I NEED the blood tests

[25 going on 65]

WIsh I could be more help but I am nto that familiar with how this all works in the UK.

So your situation is- you can not switch doctors on the NHS, your current doctor will not refer you to another one, you can not afford a private doctor, you CAN afford fin but it wouldn't be safe without blood tests?

If this is all true here are some ideas from the top of my head....

*Borrow money to see a private doctor
*Make up symptoms to get a blood test or referral
*Get fin without blood tests and risk your health (I would do this but most would not)

Also, your doc says you would need blood tests but does not say which tests you need?

[jackk]

Hi Kirby - I can't help with the blood tests, however I'm also in the UK and get my Finasteride from Inhousepharmacy. It's cheap and legit. What do you mean by a 'legtimate' means of getting fin? If you mean you want it through an NHS/private doctor, then I don't understand why. You can get exactly the same product from elsewhere but for far cheaper. Sorry I have no suggestions r.e: the blood tests.

[Kirby_]

Hi Kirby - I can't help with the blood tests, however I'm also in the UK and get my Finasteride from Inhousepharmacy. It's cheap and legit. What do you mean by a 'legtimate' means of getting fin? If you mean you want it through an NHS/private doctor, then I don't understand why. You can get exactly the same product from elsewhere but for far cheaper. Sorry I have no suggestions r.e: the blood tests.

Legit = having your GP recognise that you are taking the medicine, and getting medical supervision if you need it.

The fin cost me £6 from Superdrug for 11 months worth. It was acquired using a prescription from a private dermatologist - but the dermatologist is PRIVATE, I cannot afford an appointment with him, and he EXPLICITLY told me to inform my NHS GP AND to get regular liver function blood tests.

As my NHS GP refuses to acknowledge that I have MPB and won't prescribe any more fin for me, and told me not to take fin as it was dangerous (he also took the dermatologists' diagnosis letter I asked for to give to show my GP). So I cannot get blood tests. I have no idea what to do now to save my hair and the stress is destroying my health.

[akai]

Healthcare in the United States is by no means perfect, but it sounds like socialized healthcare like the NHS sucks big time.

[Kirby_]

I can't get the blood tests without GP agreement and have no idea what to do.

[gc83uk]

Kirby, can you not change your G.P?

[Kirby_]

Kirby, can you not change your G.P?

You can't chose your GP on the NHS - you can change to another GP surgery/clinic then get reassigned another GP without choice. What happens if I get another GP who refuses fin/knows nothing about hair loss? What happens if (far worse) I get a woman GP? There's only a limited amount of GP surgeries in my area and I can't try them all. Also I'm disabled and I'm very concerned about ending up with a new GP who disregards my disability and refuses me continuing access to the services I have to use .

I know I can get fin illegitimately off the Internet or whatever, but that's a risk as there are no blood tests then, and I won't know how it's interacting with my body and the other medicines... There's literally no way my current GP will give me fin, he seems clueless about the basics of hairloss treatment.

[Kayman]

How many times you going to post the same question? Change your GP, See your private derm, go to boots and get on the hair retention prog or order your fin online, those are your options, just like they were last time, and the time before that, and the time before that. If you want blood work you'll have to change your GP.

[Kirby_]

How many times you going to post the same question? Change your GP, See your private derm, go to boots and get on the hair retention prog or order your fin online, those are your options, just like they were last time, and the time before that, and the time before that. If you want blood work you'll have to change your GP.

1.) I've always said, what do I do if I end up with ANOTHER GP who refuses to give me fin? If the NHS worked like, phone up another GP and ask directly, pick and choose based on your own preferences, I'd be OK. It's the intrinsically 'command and control' nature of the NHS which is letting me down here...
2.) I can't afford to see him at the moment. Private consultants are expensive. He can't provide the blood tests either (he said quite explicitly, get them from your NHS GP, have you liver looked after). I'd go back after a year IF I can afford the fees, he was brilliant, but that won't solve all my problems.
3.) Did the Boots programme, gave up as it was too expensive in the end.
4.) Is it legal to buy fin online?

[Kirby_]

Kayman, I hope the above post you don't take the wrong way, I'm not trying to dismiss you or anything, I'm just one of those people who likes to calculate everything before they act, particularly if there's health consequences attached.

Where/how do you get your own fin, if you take it, BTW? I hope you're doing OK battling hairloss whatever you're doing at the moment.

[cs2257]

WIsh I could be more help but I am nto that familiar with how this all works in the UK.

So your situation is- you can not switch doctors on the NHS, your current doctor will not refer you to another one, you can not afford a private doctor, you CAN afford fin but it wouldn't be safe without blood tests?

If this is all true here are some ideas from the top of my head....

*Borrow money to see a private doctor
*Make up symptoms to get a blood test or referral
*Get fin without blood tests and risk your health (I would do this but most would not)

Also, your doc says you would need blood tests but does not say which tests you need?

What bloodwork needs to be done?
My doctor didnt test for anything and I have an Rx for propecia. I havent started using it yet though and would like to get some lab tests done. What should I ask to have checked?

[jackk]

Kirby, I don't understand your problem. With the GP surgery where I am, I can select to see any of their doctors - I don't only have to see my 'registered GP'. I believe this is the same for surgeries across the UK. Just try all of the different doctors until you find one who's sympathetic to your problems.

Also, I don't understand why you feel a female doctor can't help you. A sympathetic female doctor is FAR superior to an apathetic male one!!

I've also already told you the cheapest place to get Finasteride to the UK. And no, it's NOT illegal.

One last thing - any Americans who believe their privatised healthcare system is better than the NHS are f**king morons.

[Dan26]

What bloodwork needs to be done?
My doctor didnt test for anything and I have an Rx for propecia. I havent started using it yet though and would like to get some lab tests done. What should I ask to have checked?

Ask for baseline blood and hormone tests, semen analysis if possible too..Need stuff like Testosterone, free/bioavailable testosterone, DHT if possilbe etc