pip assesment report,.

hi was wondering if anyone could advise me on when going to appeal for pip.. is it advisable to make notes of things that were written in assesment as for example ,,, for quite a few daily activities the assesor reported that the medication history shows her to be taking a low level of pain relief and a lower level of antidepressant medication ,and also that there is no current mental health inviolvment ... i dont believe it should make a difference to what strength painkillers you take ,, i suffer oestio athritus and cannot take naproxen due to other medical reason so the only other alternative the doctor will give me is co codomol. 30/500 mg,,, i take 8-10 throughout the day and it doesnt help with pain but they wont give you anything strongr ime already dependant on them and was taking fa more than the prescribed amount you should take ,, and also the 2 antidepressants i take which is venlofaxine 150mg in the morning slow release,and mirtrazapine 15mg in the night to help me sleep not that they work,,. surely what amount of medication you take and strength shouldnt justify the amount of pain you must be in or the severity of your mental health ,everyone reacts differently to certain medication ,, this is the 6th antidepressant i have tried and ime to scared to keep trying different ones as through the weaning off one and taking another i get very depressed and suisidal,,ive been on the waiting list for 9 nths to be referd to psycotherapy had a assesment with them and now on waiting list,. have had mental health refer me to them ,but doesnt mean cause ime not having any involvment at present doesnt mean ime not in need of it ,,, just feel the assesor has basicaly said there nothing wrong with me as my medication isnt apaprantly strong enough ,. not sure if i should mention this in with my appeal ,or is that just a case for making a complaint to the capita .. any advise would be appreaciated , sorry if ive babbled on too much ,just find it so frustrating,.!!

Hello Alison

You don't say whether or not you have applied for Mandatory Reconsideration? I think you've implied that you have a copy of the assessor's report, which is how you know about the references to your levels of pain relief etc. but you can't request an appeal unless you have had mandatory reconsideration.

If you have had your MR, and your award hasn't changed, then you have a month to put in your request for appeal.

If you go here

How to submit an appeal

you will get the information you need to put together your appeal.

If you need to access your medical records, to provide supportive evidence for your appeal, go here

Requesting Your Medical Records

You should make a note of all the discrepancies between how the assessor has described your needs and how ill you actually feel you are; Make a note of the side effects you have experienced with your previous medications, and explain how this has made you frightened of trying out different ones.

You must also make mention of the fact that you have been referred to mental health agencies in the past and are presently waiting an appointment with psychotherapy after being assessed by them.

The guides will help you put your form together and help you present your information in the best possible way. Hopefully other member will be able to offer advice and support if they have been through the same system.

Good luck with your Appeal.

thankyou for your reply ,, yes ive already submitted a MR about 3 weeks ago ,i know it can take some time to have a decision but imr trying to prepare myself ready for a appeal as i doubt very much it will change ,, when applying for pip origanly i didnt have supporting evidence at the time to send with the form ,as i had sent origanal copies from mental health and psycotherapy to eas MR , and didnt recieve them bk ,i since have been able to get copies of the letters i recieved and forwarded them with my MR for pip,,. just needed to know realy wether mentioning this in my submissions maybe would help about the constant statement made in the assesors report stating ime not on strong painkillers and antidepressants,, she was a registerd nurse and dont think her opinion on what medication she thinks i should or shouldnt be taking as in strength ,,also she put down i have aids in my bathroom and toilet as they are seperate and on my sink ,which i dont and she never even asked me if i did in assesment ,seems they put down what they want, everything i wrote in my claim form how disability affects me and what i told her on assesment she has ignored and made her own assumtions, told her i can walk between 50 mtrs but no more than 100metres without having to stop n rest ,,and even after that it exshauts me for rest of day and ime in excrutiating pain . but apparantly i managed to do the lift your arm stand on one foot etc ..... which i did but lost balance and nearly fell , ,seems these assesor by reading other forums on here ust basicaly make there own opinion regardless,.

Hi alison. I know how you feel as I was given points on physical because I am on ''moderate'' pain relief. I was not given points because I am on ''first line treatment'' and am not under a mental health team. Well I am middle dose Prozac and have been under mental health teams in the past. The problem they do not understand that there is not enough help under the NHS to have continued support so I am just under my doctor. Apparently that is not enough.

thankyou gordon,,.
yes i think i will write a short statement about the assesors comments on my medication because i do. believe regardless of what strength medication ime on doesnt determine how my ability to be able to do certain descriptors should realy matter ,,, its actualy the fact ime unable to do things reliably on most days due to mental health plus fatique and pain,, and if honest ive had higher doses of antidepressants and they made me worse ,this is the only one in 4 yrs that i feel helps a little bit better than any other ive taken in past,, and ime afraid to go on a higher dose as past experience doing so made me even worse ,,and with the medication plus the 30/500 mg ii take make me very tired ,.forgetfull,.,confused ..and with lack of no sleep ime actually thinking ide make a great part as an extra in the walking dead series,. ..