Specialist help for insomnia

Lawson58

Registered User
Aug 1, 2014
4,333
0
Victoria, Australia
The GP had not said that only that it needs specialist initiation. Health supplement stores don't stock it either...Holland and Barrat advised me it's a script supplement so their not allowed to stock it...I found this strange if it's a natural supplement why cant they. I'm off to the pharmacist today to get dad started on it...pharmacist said they will help with dosing and assisting me
We can buy melatonin over the counter here but it is a much lower dose than by prescription.

Could your GP refer you to a geriatrician or gerontologist, different name but they deal with illnesses of the aged. My GP referred my husband to a geriatrician who then referred my husband to the memory clinic and reviews him every six months. Someone like that may be of some assistance. You don't really need a psychiatrist to prescribe a sleep medication.

I can understand that a doctor may be reluctant to prescribe sleeping medication for a person with dementia.
There are other medications other than Zoplicone that could be worth a try.
 

MimiLexis

Registered User
Mar 31, 2019
25
0
We can buy melatonin over the counter here but it is a much lower dose than by prescription.

Could your GP refer you to a geriatrician or gerontologist, different name but they deal with illnesses of the aged. My GP referred my husband to a geriatrician who then referred my husband to the memory clinic and reviews him every six months. Someone like that may be of some assistance. You don't really need a psychiatrist to prescribe a sleep medication.

I can understand that a doctor may be reluctant to prescribe sleeping medication for a person with dementia.
There are other medications other than Zoplicone that could be worth a try.

I only said psychiatrist for those who mentioned a psych....I have not asked for one at all. I have left a message with GP secretary for them to refer to a Geriatrician so I am awaiting to see if he does this. Memory team will not see dad again....they diagnosed him in 2016 and their work is now done, they told me this yesterday.

I have just gone to register us at another GP, I am done trying to work with current GP who does not understand and will not refer as asked, the memory team told me to tell GP to refer to relevant specialist.

Cannot purchase Melatonin at pharmacy, pharmacist advised what they sell online is not licenced and that's the difference to getting it on script as well as it being more potent. Pharmacist advised I should get another GP and I told him I was going to register at another today. He doesn't see why GP cannot refer to specialist to scribe for dad instead of pussy footing around. Glad I spoke with him in depth and he knows us well as we get all our meds at his pharmacy.
 
Last edited:

Rosettastone57

Registered User
Oct 27, 2016
1,839
0
I only said psychiatrist for those who mentioned a psych....I have not asked for one at all. I have left a message with GP secretary for them to refer to a Geriatrician so I am awaiting to see if he does this. Memory team will not see dad again....they diagnosed him in 2016 and their work is now done, they told me this yesterday.

I have just gone to register us at another GP, I am done trying to work with current GP who does not understand and will not refer as asked, the memory team told me to tell GP to refer to relevant specialist.

Cannot purchase Melatonin at pharmacy, pharmacist advised what they sell online is not licenced and that's the difference to getting it on script as well as it being more potent. Pharmacist advised I should get another GP and I told him I was going to register at another today. He doesn't see why GP cannot refer to specialist to scribe for dad instead of pussy footing around. Glad I spoke with him in depth and he knows us well as we get all our meds at his pharmacy.
In our area the GP can refer patients via the integrated care pathway to a multi agency panel to improve overall care within a community setting. My mother-in-law had mixed dementia and complex needs, lived on her own and had previous history of mental health conditions. When she became ill last summer, her GP referred her which resulted initially with a home visit from the community matron. After an assessment, he referred her to the multi agency team who held a case conference on her. This was her GP, geriatrican, mental health team,and Age UK. Family members were not privy to the conference, but as I had POA for health, I was told that appointments were made for further investigations with geriatrics. As it happened, nothing came of it, because mother-in-law went into hospital shortly after and then into care. This sounds like the kind of care plan which may assist you. This is the system that NHS are starting to roll out.
 

MimiLexis

Registered User
Mar 31, 2019
25
0
In our area the GP can refer patients via the integrated care pathway to a multi agency panel to improve overall care within a community setting. My mother-in-law had mixed dementia and complex needs, lived on her own and had previous history of mental health conditions. When she became ill last summer, her GP referred her which resulted initially with a home visit from the community matron. After an assessment, he referred her to the multi agency team who held a case conference on her. This was her GP, geriatrican, mental health team,and Age UK. Family members were not privy to the conference, but as I had POA for health, I was told that appointments were made for further investigations with geriatrics. As it happened, nothing came of it, because mother-in-law went into hospital shortly after and then into care. This sounds like the kind of care plan which may assist you. This is the system that NHS are starting to roll out.

Sounds good! Let's hope I can get somewhere....I will be back on with the battle next week after the bank holiday, thank you!
 

la lucia

Registered User
Jul 3, 2011
592
0
I only said psychiatrist for those who mentioned a psych....I have not asked for one at all. I have left a message with GP secretary for them to refer to a Geriatrician so I am awaiting to see if he does this. Memory team will not see dad again....they diagnosed him in 2016 and their work is now done, they told me this yesterday.

I have just gone to register us at another GP, I am done trying to work with current GP who does not understand and will not refer as asked, the memory team told me to tell GP to refer to relevant specialist.

Cannot purchase Melatonin at pharmacy, pharmacist advised what they sell online is not licenced and that's the difference to getting it on script as well as it being more potent. Pharmacist advised I should get another GP and I told him I was going to register at another today. He doesn't see why GP cannot refer to specialist to scribe for dad instead of pussy footing around. Glad I spoke with him in depth and he knows us well as we get all our meds at his pharmacy.
There's been thousands of threads on this subject - the advanced search function is very useful.

The doctor/GP or whatever should point you at the Community Mental Health Team and in a lot of areas you don't need a referal and can just call them yourselves. Google is your friend. They are the people to deal with these kinds of problems.

BUT these issues are NOT 'sleep problems' they are agitation problems and are very common problems for people with dementia. Trying to treat them as sleep problems will not solve anything.

It may take a few appointments and you do have to take a trial and error route but the CMHT in your area should help. They are the experts. And they range from registered nurse to consultant levels so can escalate if necessary.
 

MimiLexis

Registered User
Mar 31, 2019
25
0
There's been thousands of threads on this subject - the advanced search function is very useful.

The doctor/GP or whatever should point you at the Community Mental Health Team and in a lot of areas you don't need a referal and can just call them yourselves. Google is your friend. They are the people to deal with these kinds of problems.

BUT these issues are NOT 'sleep problems' they are agitation problems and are very common problems for people with dementia. Trying to treat them as sleep problems will not solve anything.

It may take a few appointments and you do have to take a trial and error route but the CMHT in your area should help. They are the experts. And they range from registered nurse to consultant levels so can escalate if necessary.

Our community mental health team is within the same department and building as the Memory Team and GP referred dad to them on 10th May this year. The memory team replied back to GP by letter and myself via phone call that they do not do anymore once they diagnose patients with Dementia. They advised GP needs to refer to a medical specialist for anything patient requires. I have been around the houses with this but postcode lottery is real and the reality is that our local CMHT/Memory Team DO NOT do follow up appointments or see patients again once they diagnose, everything is passed back to GP to refer to relevant specialist as and when issues arise. Since dads diagnosis in 2016 dad has not had a meds review nor had a review about his Alzheimer's, no one is interested.

I have had a breakdown many years ago and had the input of the CMHT which were fab for me, they had so much help for me and I couldn't knock them. To be in this situation now and not be getting help for my dad and it being left in the hands of our GP whom has no insight into Alzheimers and refuses to refer to relevant specialist is truly heartbreaking.

To know I'm not the only carer in the UK to experience this is shocking, I was speaking with another carer yesterday and the memory team have not had anything to do with her mum for 8 years...discharged immediately on day of diagnosis, at least we got approx 2 months from them until dads meds were deemed fine and that was it, back in GPs care.

I also spoke with another carer whom has nothing but praise for their local memory team, GP can refer to them and they get the care they need.
If we all had the same level of care in every local authority it would be a wonderful thing but the reality is that we do not. It was the same thing when I was trying to get help for my youngest son 17 years ago who is on the autistic spectrum. Some local authorities are fantastic and some are not, that's the reality of the country we live in.

I am doing all I can and I will not stop because if I don't fight for my daddy no one else will! Yes Google is fab it's just my local authority that is not, I can't control the level of care our authority has to offer. Our Age UK is poor too and they offer nothing but to help fill in disability forms and benefit forms, they don't even help with filling in POA forms as I contacted them for assistance with our POA form...I was in shock when they told me their particular office does not do anything more than help with filling in them specific forms. I said how Age UK does XYZ and I have heard this from speaking with other carers, nope not our Age UK! It really is a sad state of affairs and in the meantime our elderly and disabled are left to rot
 
Last edited:

Louise7

Volunteer Host
Mar 25, 2016
4,694
0
You stated in an earlier post that the GP had written to the memory team, and you say above that he received a response from the memory team, who are in the same building as CHMT. They perform different functions so could the GP not send a letter/ referral specifically to the CHMT?
 

Palerider

Registered User
Aug 9, 2015
4,160
0
56
North West
I'm scratching my head here and confused. Mum's Memory Clinic come under the local CMHT and I can call them if there are problems. Even mums social worker can speak to them and get a review if needed. I had assumed this was the same for you MimiLexis, I'm sorry its not and sorry for making that assumption. Clearly as with other things there are differences across the regions in how services are delivered. I have found GP's vary, mum's own GP is great, but others not so forthcoming in referring if there are problems afoot. On some occasions I've had to persevere and see another GP to get some things sorted. There is also the mentality that I have come across in one GP boldly stating 'there's nothing more that can be done', when I was simply asking if we could check whether mum had a UTI as she had become quite confused. Of course that doesn't make GP's bad people, they just see things in a different way sometimes.
 

MimiLexis

Registered User
Mar 31, 2019
25
0
You stated in an earlier post that the GP had written to the memory team, and you say above that he received a response from the memory team, who are in the same building as CHMT. They perform different functions so could the GP not send a letter/ referral specifically to the CHMT?


I asked the memory team whom can my GP refer dad to as the GP does not know where to go from here, they said they don't know but their work is done and they will not see dad again. I asked should he be referred to a neurologist or someone else? My words were please help me as myself and GP does not know what to do. I asked them to help direct me to the right people to help my dad and they said they could not advise and it's our GP who needs to look into this. This is the people whom diagnose Alzheimers yet they have no idea where my dad can get help, they work next to the CMHT (CMHT is on first floor and Memory Team on the ground floor) surely they would direct my dad CMHT rather than tell me the GP our needs to refer to a medical specialist they see fit when I clearly stated to them GP has no idea what to do and GP asked me to ask them for guidance.

I am going to aim at referral for Geriatrician whom I never knew existed until this week...thank the lord for online support because without it too many people would just crumble! A geriatrician has the power to direct dad to exactly where he needs to go and they have knowledge with Alzheimers along with many other disease the elderly may suffer with. I know exactly where their offices are which is very near to our home but I cannot self refer dad, only his GP can do this.

I have contacted Adult Social Care and awaiting call back from someone, I was advised this on Friday and it's now a bank holiday on Monday so all being well I get a call on Tuesday. Admiral nurses have called me and I am awaiting a call back with an appointment for them to come out to see me, I have been waiting several weeks if nothing next week by Thursday I will call them back....I was advised they are short staffed and services are stretched.
 
Last edited:

MimiLexis

Registered User
Mar 31, 2019
25
0
I'm scratching my head here and confused. Mum's Memory Clinic come under the local CMHT and I can call them if there are problems. Even mums social worker can speak to them and get a review if needed. I had assumed this was the same for you MimiLexis, I'm sorry its not and sorry for making that assumption. Clearly as with other things there are differences across the regions in how services are delivered. I have found GP's vary, mum's own GP is great, but others not so forthcoming in referring if there are problems afoot. On some occasions I've had to persevere and see another GP to get some things sorted. There is also the mentality that I have come across in one GP boldly stating 'there's nothing more that can be done', when I was simply asking if we could check whether mum had a UTI as she had become quite confused. Of course that doesn't make GP's bad people, they just see things in a different way sometimes.

Yes they are side by side here too but they don't seen to think our elderly with Alzheimers are to be directed to them. I have asked the memory team direct for serious urgent help and they cannot direct or guide myself or our GP!!

It's a disgusting situation when your on the phone crying for help because the GP does not know what to do and the people who diagnosed my dad cannot help whatsoever. From what I gather the CMHT are seriously stretched and the elderly with Alzheimers or Dementia are put on meds if patients/family choose to and discharged back to the care of the GP, as there is nothing more that can be done.

When your old no one cares in our local aurhority, dads elderly cousin has lost a leg and is going to lose his other leg very soon due to negligence and not monitoring him appropriately...it's all very scary indeed. I have attended appointments with him to try get the help needed but they have no quality of care for our elderly. Yet it could be a totally different story in another authority only 20 miles away...so very wrong!
 

Palerider

Registered User
Aug 9, 2015
4,160
0
56
North West
Yes it can be very frustrating when we need help or just simply someone to review the situation and see if they can make any changes that would help. I think my eyes have been opened since I started this journey in many ways. My expectations and experiences have been different to yours, but I can understand the anxiety and despair you might be feeling right now. But sounds as if you have a plan..
 

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
138,150
Messages
1,993,473
Members
89,812
Latest member
Peej