Dermatologists

LegacyUser

Do you have to be referred to a dermatologist by your doctor or can you just ring up and get an appointment ? If so, can yea give me some recommendations of a good one to go to ? Am hoping he will prescribe me Roaccutane.

Obviously would rather not have to go to the doctor purely to get a referal as it costs money but I will if I have to.

Cheers!

MLE

You do need a referral from your GP.

LegacyUser

MLE wrote: »

You do need a referral from your GP.

And will he pick the dermatologist or can I ?

eclipsechaser

Dr Brian Kirby is a consultant dermatologist in Tallaght Hospital. He set me right after several GP misdiagnoses. You do need a referral and will have to wait quite a while - usually in the order of many months - for an appointment unless you go private (and even then it may take a while!). Private will be expensive enough. Multiply your GP fee by 2 or 3. Health insurance may cover some of it though.

Can you see a College GP for free?

DoctorDoctor wrote: »

Do you have to be referred to a dermatologist by your doctor or can you just ring up and get an appointment ? If so, can yea give me some recommendations of a good one to go to ? Am hoping he will prescribe me Roaccutane.

Obviously would rather not have to go to the doctor purely to get a referal as it costs money but I will if I have to.

Cheers!

Dave!

Brian Kirby aint in Tallaght anymore mate! He's moved on to greener pastures in St Vincent's, after a spell at Hume Street! I've followed him through all 3

He's pretty good, a nice bloke too. I've been seeing him (as my derm!) for over 2 years.

Any questions about Roaccutane, fire away...

kizzyr

sugarman wrote: »

Was lucky enough to have him for my 2 years in Tallaght and finished my treatment same time as himself left..

Pretty much as what dave said, great bloke and was very good..

My sister has been goin Tallaght just sincer kirby left and its really been disgracefull.. Nearly 2 years on and they havent appointed a perminant dermatologist and everyother temp has been terrible.. Our gp was more help than em.. One of em put it down to us havn a parrot as a family pet as a cause of acne? Like wtf?

Anyway to the point as stated you will need a referal..

And any questions about roaccutane, fire away also.. Pm if you dont wanna post sure!

Maureen Connolly has recently been appointed as the replacement Consultant Dermatologist in Tallaght. The hospital find it very difficult to keep such consultants though because they won't appoint a locum for annual leave, or give funding for a clinic nurse, secretary etc.
From my own personal experience I can recommend Frank Powell. I saw him at the Mater Private but do know that he has a public clinic in the Mater Misericordiae if you aren't covered for a private visit.

LegacyUser

sugarman wrote: »

Was lucky enough to have him for my 2 years in Tallaght and finished my treatment same time as himself left..

Pretty much as what dave said, great bloke and was very good..

My sister has been goin Tallaght just sincer kirby left and its really been disgracefull.. Nearly 2 years on and they havent appointed a perminant dermatologist and everyother temp has been terrible.. Our gp was more help than em.. One of em put it down to us havn a parrot as a family pet as a cause of acne? Like wtf?

Anyway to the point as stated you will need a referal..

And any questions about roaccutane, fire away also.. Pm if you dont wanna post sure!

So will the doctor refer me to a specific clinic or will he give me an open referral and allow me to pick private or public ? If so, that Kirby guy sounds good. I would ideally like to find someone who will proscribe me roaccutane. I know some dermos are known to not liking the drug.

Compared to some people, my acne is not that bad. Problem is, its constant. And its quite severe on my back.I always have some spots on my face and it gets me down. Topical creams do help in making them go away but do nothing in regards to stopping them coming back. Ive been on two courses of minocin and it didnt work.

Im 23 now so want to try go on roaccutane and get rid of it for good. I wouldn't class myself as depressed but it does knock my confidence right down and I spend a lot of time 'down in the dumps'. Whats the best approach to take with the dermatologist to get him to prescribe it to me ?

Also, how many blood tests do you need to have while on roaccutane ?

kizzyr

DoctorDoctor wrote: »

So will the doctor refer me to a specific clinic or will he give me an open referral and allow me to pick private or public ? If so, that Kirby guy sounds good. I would ideally like to find someone who will proscribe me roaccutane. I know some dermos are known to not liking the drug.

Compared to some people, my acne is not that bad. Problem is, its constant. And its quite severe on my back.I always have some spots on my face and it gets me down. Topical creams do help in making them go away but do nothing in regards to stopping them coming back. Ive been on two courses of minocin and it didnt work.

Im 23 now so want to try go on roaccutane and get rid of it for good. I wouldn't class myself as depressed but it does knock my confidence right down and I spend a lot of time 'down in the dumps'. Whats the best approach to take with the dermatologist to get him to prescribe it to me ?

Also, how many blood tests do you need to have while on roaccutane ?

I'm afraid there are a lot of your questions up there that I can't answer but I can tell you that you can tell your GP which consultant you'd like a referral for. This is no reflection on the abilities of Maureen Connolly but the wait list for her is huge so you'd be better off opting for Dr. Kirby or Dr. Powell, both of whom have a public and private practice. If you're covered for private then see them that way as you'll get your appointment much faster than going through the public system. You'll also be guaranteed to be seen by the consultant themselves each time at a private clinic and not be kept waiting for hours on end.

I had an Op on a mole with Dr. Kirby, he was very professional and had everything sorted in no time at all.

Sleepy

OP, why so keen on Roaccutane?

Going to a dermatologist sounds like a good idea if your acne really bothers you but try not to self-prescribe so quickly, the form of acne you're suffering from may not be best treated by Roaccutane. Personally I had a horrible time of it with the drug.

LegacyUser

Thanks for all the replies. Two more questions. If I went public, can yea give me a rough idea of how long the wait is ? For private, roughly how much is each session ?

Sleepy wrote: »

OP, why so keen on Roaccutane?

Going to a dermatologist sounds like a good idea if your acne really bothers you but try not to self-prescribe so quickly, the form of acne you're suffering from may not be best treated by Roaccutane. Personally I had a horrible time of it with the drug.

Well, If there was another way Id do it. Ive done a lot of research and the only thing that seems to work in any sort of high numbers is roaccutane. I know everyone says that diet etc has nothing to do with it but Ive tried cutting things out of my diet. I drink tonnes of water and fruit.

I wash my face twice a day and have tried to benzalin peroxcide routine and as I said, Ive also been on two courses of minocin. I just want to get it over with and stop worrying about it.

Dave!

Indeed. If your acne isn't severe (eg. cystic), it's unlikely that any derm would put you on Roaccutane right away. Is it painful? You should really read into it to get an idea of all the side-effects that come with Roaccutane. eg. swollen glands, dry, painful eyes, REALLY DRY lips - constantly, extreme fatigue (can affect work, study), sore joints and muscles (makes exercise and sport a SOB), photosensitivity (do NOT, I repeat, do NOT fall asleep in the sun for an hour and a half.... worst 3 days of my life).

It's strong stuff! But it is the business.

Just get a referral from your GP and see what the derm says. I dunno if you can choose your derm, I presume it's no big deal to ask for a particular one... If you can, Brian Kirby is in St Vincents and he's very good.

The Gambler 101

Has any one ever tried Dr Tony Egan in Drogheda, Ive an appointment with him in a few weeks, just wondering what peoples views are on him?

Last year I seen Dr. PJ Wall in Blackrock Clinic, and I was nt very happy with his conclusion!

kizzyr

DoctorDoctor wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. Two more questions. If I went public, can yea give me a rough idea of how long the wait is ? For private, roughly how much is each session ?



Well, If there was another way Id do it. Ive done a lot of research and the only thing that seems to work in any sort of high numbers is roaccutane. I know everyone says that diet etc has nothing to do with it but Ive tried cutting things out of my diet. I drink tonnes of water and fruit.

I wash my face twice a day and have tried to benzalin peroxcide routine and as I said, Ive also been on two courses of minocin. I just want to get it over with and stop worrying about it.

The wait time depends on the consultant and the hospital you see them in. If you have cover why on earth would you go public anyway When I saw Frank Powell in the Mater Private is was about 8 years ago and so pre Euro cost me £100 for the first visit and £ 80 for each subsequent visit. Again the price varies from consultant to consultant. Louise Barnes is another dermatologist I've heard good things about and I know her private clinic is in the Charlemont and AFAIK her public clinic is in St. James's.

LegacyUser

DaveMcG wrote: »

Indeed. If your acne isn't severe (eg. cystic), it's unlikely that any derm would put you on Roaccutane right away. Is it painful? You should really read into it to get an idea of all the side-effects that come with Roaccutane. eg. swollen glands, dry, painful eyes, REALLY DRY lips - constantly, extreme fatigue (can affect work, study), sore joints and muscles (makes exercise and sport a SOB), photosensitivity (do NOT, I repeat, do NOT fall asleep in the sun for an hour and a half.... worst 3 days of my life).

It's strong stuff! But it is the business.

Just get a referral from your GP and see what the derm says. I dunno if you can choose your derm, I presume it's no big deal to ask for a particular one... If you can, Brian Kirby is in St Vincents and he's very good.

Its a combination of spots(zits, pimples, whatever you want to call them) which are not painful & large lumps that start under the skin and then take about two weeks to go away. These are very painful and I presume they are cystic ?

I'm well aware of the side effects but I think its well worth it if it works in the long term. The only one that would worry me is the depression and links with suicide. I don't think Ive ever heard anyone say it made them depressed though so maybe its all rumours.

Sleepy

That's what I'm referring to when I say I'd a horrible experience with it DoctorDoctor - giving a 16 year old something that has a possible side-effect of depression is malpractice imho. Luckily for the doctor in question I'm not the litigious type.

Dave!

DoctorDoctor wrote: »

Its a combination of spots(zits, pimples, whatever you want to call them) which are not painful & large lumps that start under the skin and then take about two weeks to go away. These are very painful and I presume they are cystic ?

I'm well aware of the side effects but I think its well worth it if it works in the long term. The only one that would worry me is the depression and links with suicide. I don't think Ive ever heard anyone say it made them depressed though so maybe its all rumours.

Yeah sounds like you'd be eligible.

The depression thing concerns alot of people, but TBH I wouldn't let that put you off the drug.

No causal relationship has been found between Roaccutane and depression, although a relationship has been noted. It's also likely that it's the acne that's causing depression. Patients eligible for treatment with Roaccutane will have more severe acne, so obviously are more likely to suffer depression. A quick glance at wikipedia suggests that research supports that theory somewhat.

However, with that said I did notice it affecting me mentally. My memory seemed to go to the sh*ts while on it, and I'd often become confused or do silly things like put sugar in the fridge and milk in the press. It concerned me at the time, but the side-effects are mostly temporary and they stop once you stop taking the drug. Having said that, if it can affect your brain in one way, it's not unreasonable to think that it could affect you in another way and cause depression. I guess we'll just have to wait for the research to provide more evidence.

But either way, even if it does lead to depression in some patients, that doesn't mean as soon as you swallow a pill you'll start reaching for a blade! The vast vast vast majority of patients do NOT kill themselves! As long as you realise that it's only the tablets causing the change in your mental state, and that it's temporary, and keep some perspective, it's perfectly manageable. If you have any concerns about it, just say it to your derm and they'll take you off it and monitor you. It's taken quite seriously, so if you're concerned, just say so.

I was quite depressed for alot of my treatment, but then I was also quite depressed for the 2 or so years before my treatment, when my acne was terrible and I didn't have the benefit of strong medication to drastically improve my condition!

Re: blood tests,
you have them fairly regularly. I think at least every second visit, I got a blood test. I hated needles before-hand, and the first 2 times, but now I've lost 'the fear' So to take advantage of that, I've started donating blood regularly! It's not a big deal. Can't remember what it's to test, I think it's liver function.

LegacyUser

DaveMcG wrote: »

Re: blood tests,
you have them fairly regularly. I think at least every second visit, I got a blood test. I hated needles before-hand, and the first 2 times, but now I've lost 'the fear' So to take advantage of that, I've started donating blood regularly! It's not a big deal. Can't remember what it's to test, I think it's liver function.

Yeah, to be honest I'm not an angsty teenager. I'm in my 20s, well aware of the possible side effects and am not susceptible to depression so I'm not too worried. How often do you have to visit the dermo ? That will work out being expensive...

My only worry now is if he will prescribe it to be at all. My acne is not severe at all in comparison to some cases I have seen. Would be seriously disappointed if he didn't.

LegacyUser

DaveMcG wrote: »

........... However, with that said I did notice it affecting me mentally. My memory seemed to go to the sh*ts while on it, and I'd often become confused or do silly things like put sugar in the fridge and milk in the press. It concerned me at the time, but the side-effects are mostly temporary and they stop once you stop taking the drug. Having said that, if it can affect your brain in one way, it's not unreasonable to think that it could affect you in another way and cause depression. I guess we'll just have to wait for the research to provide more evidence.
................

I am just after coming off a 6 month course off the stuff and i had the very same things happen to me as you describe above. I never connected the two before but now it makes sense. I'd often end up in the kitchen with a blank stare on my face because i would'nt have a clue what i came in there for, then after a minute or two it would come back to me

The treatment worked great for me, the only real side affect that annoyed me was the dry lips.
Best of Luck OP.

LegacyUser

TheStigma wrote: »

I am just after coming off a 6 month course off the stuff and i had the very same things happen to me as you describe above. I never connected the two before but now it makes sense. I'd often end up in the kitchen with a blank stare on my face because i would'nt have a clue what i came in there for, then after a minute or two it would come back to me

The treatment worked great for me, the only real side affect that annoyed me was the dry lips.
Best of Luck OP.

could you possible give me some information on the cost of the sessions with the dermo & how many there were over the six months ? If you went public, what was the waiting time ?

Thanks.