Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust Pharmacy
Pharmacy, Hellesdon Hospital, Norwich
NR6 5BE
http://www.nwmhft.nhs.uk/Pharmacy/

Pharmacy Director
Prof. Stephen Bazire
01603421317
steve.bazire@nwmhp.nhs.uk

If the medicine is not working, how long will it be before a change is considered?

Before going onto another medicine, it is worth trying to get the best out of the first one. There is a risk that switching medicines too quickly means you don’t get the best out of one medicine. Then perhaps you start to search for the “magic bullet”, expecting the drugs to work quicker and having less patience. There are of course no “magic bullets”.

Most symptoms have started to happen over a few weeks, months or years, not a few days, so it is perhaps unfair to expect them to go over a few days. The symptoms are more likely to go gradually over weeks or months. If side effects are the main problem with a medicine, try to cope with these by e.g. changing times, splitting the dose, manage side effects etc.

The best thing to do is set out your aims of success of any treatment in advance and be realistic. If you decide to stop, then that’s your decision, but make sure you consider the chances of becoming unwell again (and consequences of that to yourself and the people close to you).

Main pharmacy contact points

Main Trust switchboard in Norwich, tel: 01603-421421
Dispensary and all enquiries, tel: 01603-421212, fax: 01603-421365
Pharmacy office tel: 01603-421319
Medicines Information tel: 01603-421212
Unthank Road pharmacy tel: 01603-750031
Deputy Director and Clinical Pharmacy Manager John Hunter, tel: 01603-421364

Opening hours:
Main pharmacy open Monday to Friday: 8.30-16.30 (open at 9.15 on Wednesdays for staff meeting)
Unthank Road pharmacy tel: 01603-671917 open 9.15-12.00 Monday to Friday, also Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons for dose assessments.

Service objectives:
The pharmacy service to Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust has five main aims:

  1. Efficient drug distribution and purchasing
  2. Provision of accurate and independent education and information about medicine therapy to service users and carers
  3. Information and education for Trust and other professionals, and voluntary helpers
  4. Clinical activities to help ensure the optimum use of drug therapies
  5. Medicine management to ensure the most cost-effective use is made of resources