Medically unexplained symptoms: continuing challenges for primary care

Laura Mair

doi:10.3399/bjgp17X690785

I wish doctors would finally start to take patients seriously.¹ Please doctors, listen to what the patient is telling you!

I’ve been on an odyssey, trying to get recognition for my symptoms. I have had all kinds of diagnoses: migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, a functional movement disorder, conversion disorder, etc. The only tests done were an MRI and a standard blood test.

No doctor I spoke to was interested in my explanation for the symptoms: all of the issues started with an adverse reaction to a commonly prescribed medicine. All of the symptoms are clearly stated in the patient information leaflet. There are thousands of other people with the same problem on internet forums and on Facebook. But the medical community prefers to label us as ‘crazy’ or ‘hypochondriac’ instead of addressing the actual problem: unsafe medicines on the market.

REFERENCE

1.↵
1. Chew-Graham CA,
2. Heyland S,
3. Kingstone T,
4. et al.
(2017) Br J Gen Pract, Medically unexplained symptoms: continuing challenges for primary care. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp17X689473.