Prescriptions

Press, 8 December 1987, Page 16

Prescriptions

Sir, —It was interesting to note that the question was asked by a

judge and answered by a policeman: if it was general procedure (presumably the accepted or usual thing) for doctors (presumably all doctors) to prescribe drugs if they were not satisfied that the patient had epilepsy (court report, December 3). The usual practice, of course, is that approximately 99.95 per cent of all drugs prescribed are for patients who do not have epilepsy and anti-epileptic medication is prescribed only for those patients who have epilepsy. Faced with the prospect of an epileptic patient convulsing through failure to secure a prescription for medication, and any litigation that may arise therefrom, the tendency is for the patient to be given the benefit of the doubt I would be content if it were possible, to have genuine and quasi-genuine epileptics separated into two queues by any accredited member of the judiciary or constabulary.—Yours, etc E. T. RAUMATI. December 4, 1987.