I spread out the crumpled note the patient had given me while he spoke: he had been to the pain clinic "for his back," and they had recommended this to help his pain. If he took the note to his (implied) trusty GP, he or she would sort it out for him; and if the treatment was unsuccessful, the pain clinic suggested, he could be referred to a neurosurgeon for assessment. Mercifully, the trade name was scrawled in block capitals. The British National Formulary revealed it to be a methadone transdermal patch.
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