Anybody order meds online ?

[nervousmummytobe]

Hi everyone
Haven't been around for a while.
My doctor is being pretty weird and making me do igenex tests every single 2 months and doesn't prescribe any meds unless I do ... Thing is if I still have symptoms he should still treat so he's just being a money maker I think for now ? Nobody else in the uk treats lyme at all but I'm considering ordering some antibiotics online as he isn't helping anymore

Does anybody do this and do you have any reliable safe and real legit online no prescription pharmacies that ship to the uk?

Thank you

[JackieCalifornia]

actually, that should say... "the CDC *and* the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] ... "

[JackieCalifornia]

Yeah, one of the other things the US has *not* exported is the heavy hand of the Centers for Disease Control, which while protecting us in some ways, also makes a muddle of ... say, treatment for Lyme.  ;)

The problem with buying over the counter (or under the table) meds abroad is that it's hard to know what's counterfeit.  I suspect that if you live in a place, you figure out pretty fast who sells the real stuff and who doesn't.  

[kathloj]

Huh, interesting. I did know the ability to order online existed, but have to agree that it sounds risky. Thanks for that info!

[JackieCalifornia]

I don't know about the UK, but in quite a few countries, it is (or at least used to be, and I doubt this has changed) possible to buy straight from a pharmacy or a vendor, without a doctor's prescription and with little or no oversight from government agencies.  Whether these meds are counterfeit or useless or not, and whether they are contaminated in some fashion, is always the risk.

[kathloj]

How does one order antibiotics on-line without a prescription? I've never heard of this before. Thanks.

[nervousmummytobe]

Thank you

[Ricobord]

Sorry about your frustration.  Testing every two months doesn't mean all that much and sounds like a waste of money to me.  I'm also wondering if the doctor is very nervous and wants test results to back up his decision to treat you, even if those test results aren't definitive either way.

Someone whose Lyme is resolved could still show Lyme antibodies for another year and a half.  Also, someone whose Lyme is nearly gone might have low level antibodies that don't show up on a test, but that doesn't mean the infection is gone.

I've asked about follow up testing and my doctor and his PA have discouraged me, telling me it isn't useful until I'm all done with treatment and we want to check antibody levels a month or two later.

I don't know of any pharmacies that ship to the U.K., but you could try the Europe-based online forums to see if anyone there has a suggestion.  I have a U.K. friend who wanted to get a medication from the U.S. that's not available in the U.K. and they had to get approval first, which took months. There may be import issues for even a basic antibiotic.

[JackieCalifornia]

It sounds like your physician is trying hard, but I too do not understand why retesting every 2 months is needed.  (Tho I am NOT a doctor, I have lots of opinions!)  I agree with mojogal.

The doc may be nervous at prescribing antibiotics for an extended period of time, and is concerned the medical authorities may give him trouble.  Lyme does need longer treatment than most bacterial infections, because of Lyme's longer reproduction cycle (and the bacteria are most susceptible to antibiotics when the cell wall is disrupted when the bacteria are reproducing).  In addition, your physician should have tested and be treating you for any co-infections, the separate infections the 'Lyme' ticks often carry as well, based on your symptoms.  These co-infections often need entirely different medication than Lyme does, but perhaps your MD didn't detect any likely co-infections.

I would suspect that the doc is nervous, tho it could be a ploy to keep the cash coming in through your frequent visits, as you suggest -- but caution and ignorance are also candidates for the reasons for his behavior.  Can you find another MD for a second opinion and to discuss a different treatment plan?

I just searched on google for

           --   lyme disease UK  --

and found quite a number of possibilties for second opinions/a new MD.

As to ordering your own antibiotics online, without an MD's input, I would *not* do so, because there are too many complexities for anyone other than an experienced Lyme specialist to structure an effective treatment plan.  I can certainly understand your wish to  get your MD moving, but doing it yourself is not something I would recommend or do myself.

Keep us posted, okay?  Take care!  And do not give up:

To quote Mr Churchill:  “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”  -- and that applies to dealing with Lyme as well.  Hurrah!  

[mojogal]

It seems that IgeneX tests every couple of months is a bit much and even with that test the co-infections don't always show up. Mine came back positive for Bart's but negative for Babesia even though my symptoms were very obvious. My LLMD treated based on the symptoms.  Sorry, I never ordered abx online.