AP or MP in the UK

[Rose66]

Hello everyone, I have been following the bulletin boards for the last month or so since my diagnosis (aggressiveinflammatory arthritis, probably psoratic but not sure), and have found great comfort in all your voices – not to mention invaluable information! I plan to start AP in about 2 weeks having found a dr here in Sydney, Australia who is willing to prescribe.

However, I expect to be returning to the UK or Ireland within a next year or so and am worried about finding a doctor there who would be willing to continue the therapy.  I've had no luck tracking down anything so far … does anyone know about how to access AP in the UK?

Best wishes to you all

Roisin  

 

[Maz]

Hi Roisin,

If you drop a line to Diane at apdoctors@roadback.org, she will give you the info to contact Dr H in Guildford, Surrey. I believe he's the only RBF AP doc currently listed in UK, so hopefully he will be easy for you to access. Otherwise, you may have to twist the arm of a sympathetic GP. 😉 The AP doc list is quite dependent on the feedback of patients, so while the RBF passes along doc names, it's best to check with a doc in advance of making an appt to ensure that they adhere to the type of antibiotic protocol you wish to pursue.

Hope this helps…

Peace, Maz

[Rose66]

Thanks so much for your kind reply Maz.  I certainly will chase up this doctor – but find it incredible that there appears to be only one in the whole UK!!  Does anyone have any idea why this is the case?  It seems extraordinary when AP clearly benefits many sufferers. 

Best wishes,

Roisin

[Cheryl F]

Roisin

If you are also interested in potentially looking into the MP, you should request their listing of docs too. Maybe they have some that we don't have.

If you learn of any new docs, please let us know.

I wish you luck in beginning your road back to health.

Cheryl F.

[lynnie_sydney]

Roisin – I think there may be a couple more though have not been captured on the list. Pretty sure I remember someone saying something about someone in Scotland at one time. However, think those docs fly under the radar as is the case with many AP docs. Some of them are not rheumatologists and they tend to 'get heat' from the establishment when taking a higher profile. My new AP doc in Oz definitely chooses to fly under the radar for those very reasons. And there are not many well versed AP docs here in Oz actually. Additionally (and this is a personal perspective from someone who is originally from England), I believe it is more in the nature of Brits to abide by accepted rules, not challenge orthodoxy and to be exceptionally wary of anything outside this.  You may end up finding a supportive GP there. Lynnie 

Be well! Lynnie

Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)

[Rose66]

Hi Lynnie

So nice to know you are here in Sydney as well, I've seen your posts and you always have such valuable things to say.

I know what you mean about GPs in the UK.  We lived there for 5 years until quite recently and I can't imagine that mentioning such a thing as AP (not that it was relevant at that time) would have got a very good reception.  For that reason alone I'm quite apprehensive about moving.  We will be based in Ireland where I'm from – absolutely no chance there!  Oh well, if anybody out there has any leads I'd be most grateful.  I just can't believe that this therapy is scarcely discussed at all in UK/Europe.

Best wishes to all,

Roisin

[lynnie_sydney]

Roisin – thank you for your very kind words. Let me know if I can help while you're here in Sydney. And, I'll certainly keep you posted if I hear of anything from the UK side of things. Don't despair, you never know until you start looking you know. Actually a friend of mine has a concert pianist friend based in Greece who developed severe RA (a disater for him). I wrote her details of AP and I'm sure she said he was going to do it. I'll check in with her about this to see where/what he might have found. You may find one of the younger, more holistic GPs somewhat open to the therapy, particularly if you give him/her relevant info on paper – and perhaps an intro, history and results from whomever you're seeing in Sydney. Or maybe make contact with the Dr in Surrey and ask if he knows someone in Ireland…….just a few thought starters for you.

Be well! Lynnie

Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)

[Maz]

Hi Roisin,

Just to add some words of encouragement to Lynnie's wise words…you may also find a local UK doctor more willing to prescribe antibiotics if it's a treatment you're already taking that was prescribed by another doctor and doing well on. I sometimes think doctors are unwilling to be the “first” to prescribe, as they must feel the weight of responsibility is solely on their shoulders when it's something “new” to them. 😉 Worth trying a local GP, anyway, as there's nothing to lose with the free healthcare over there, and you might even make a believer out of him/her! Wouldn't that be great? I'll put that one out there for you. 😀

Wishing you all the best and keep the faith!

Peace, Maz

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