Cheap Presciptions and Medications Discussion Area

[MSE Martin]

The following discussion relates to this article - click here. (http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1088972323,15183,) !To ask a question or discuss it, please click reply

(though do remember this is a moneysaving not a medical site - so that's the theme)

As far as I am aware us students do have to pay. It is only if you are 16,17,18 and in education that you don't have to pay.

There is another form you can fill in and they might give you some help with medical charges but i applied and they didn't give me anything..

Lidl sell Ibrupropfen 200mg x16 @35pence (2 packs per customer)and paracetamol @16 pence per pack.

Epileptics now qualify for a disabled Bus pass, see the Epilepsy Action web site or contact your public transport company.

As posted, students (fulltiime), less than 19 years are exempt from prescription charges. In Wales, the over 60's are also exempt. NHS tax Credit (formerly Working Family Tax Credit), Job Seekers Allowance and Income Support don't pay either. For people on other benefits, you're likely to have to apply to see if you can get help with the cost

As an NHS dentist, the best piece of advice i could give for anyone who has to pay, is firstly ask your doctor, dentist, whoever, is the prescription *really* necessary (antibiotics for viral infections etc!), secondly, is it possible to buy the medicine over the counter. A bottle of Corsodyl costs around £3 to buy over the counter compared to the £6.40 prescription charge. Alternatively you could ask for a Private prescription, which could (not always!) work out cheaper for common prescription-only drugs, eg Penicillin

Good Luck!

It is worth noting that some medicines which are available without a prescription are not able to be sold for some conditions which a doctor may prescribe it for. An example of this is hydrocortisone cream 1% which is used as an example in the article. It would essentially be illegal to sell this product for a condition which is not listed in the license for the product available for sale.

Pharmacists are required to refer customers in this situation to the doctor for a prescription.

As a pharmacist I would reinforce the point of using OTC medicines carefully and with proper advice. They are not as safe as some people think (otherwise they wouldn't be effective!).

However, there are lots of savings to be made, however, as the article discusses. Heres a quickie, but obviously depends where you live!

In Wales prescription charges are only £6.00. As it currently stands, this applies to all prescriptions dispensed in Welsh pharmacies, although this is likely to change. The prescription charge is going to drop in Oct to £5 (then probably by £1 per six months although this is conjecture). They will be free in 2007 if the manifesto pledge of the government is fulfilled.

Also, all under 25s in Wales are entitled to free prescriptions.

Regards,

Gimmo

As a pharmacist I could expand on this article greatly, but heres a quickie!

In Wales prescription charges are only £6.00. As it currently stands, this applies to all prescriptions dispensed in Welsh pharmacies, although this is likely to change. The prewscription charge is going to drop in Oct to £5 (then probably by £1 per six months although this is conjecture). They will be free in 2007 if the manifesto pledge og the government is fulfilled

;) Next time you are overseas check out medication prices in the local pharmacies and you could get a nice surprise! Stock up for your return!!

For example, in Kiev, Ukraine 200mg Ibuprofen can be bought in a 50 tablet blister pack for around 70p (and they work fine!!) - also many prescription-only meds can be bought over the counter provided you know what to ask for.

[gel_boy]

Overseas pharmacies can save huge amounts of money. I have just returned from Turkey where I stocked up with cheap (legal) drugs.

The prices below are typical

Canesten cream 20g - 60p
Canestan pessary - £1.20
Loperamide (generic version of Arrete) 20 tablets - 40p
Viagra - £25

Please note you can also haggle in Turkish pharmacies!!

[homealone]

i am going to turkey in 3 weeks and was previously warned medication was expensive there. however, would love to stock up on what i can while there, any other tips???

Malarone is horrendously expensive, so it's worth shopping around. I found what I think is the cheapest in the uk at the moment - £2.20 per tablet from www.stratford-pharmacy.co.uk - they also sell stuff like piriton/clarityn and lots of other otc medications at really good prices. They also sell generics and will even offer these instead of the branded product if its cheaper. Great service too! ;D

[vanoonoo]

as mentioned above loperamide is the generic name for things like arret and imodium (sp?)

even purchasing it here in the uk is cheaper than buying the branded medication but you must ask for the generic name and not mention a brand!

about one third of the price imodium vs loperamide hydrochloride when i checked and compared today in my local pharmacy

[duncansby]

Hi - in Scotland most pharmacies sell the "season tickets" so they can be bought the day they are needed. This is especially handy for 4 monthly certificates, as you can allow them to lapse, then buy them again when needed. Students should ask for an HC1 (an application for an HC2) which for the majority will allow them free prescriptions for the student year. An EC57 woudl allow then to claim a refund once the HC2 arrives.

[Sarahsaver]

I have recently been to Bulgaria and I got a course of Amoxicyllin over the counter for 5.5 leva which is less than 2 quid.

[elona]

I know this will only help a few people but if you are hypothyroid then all your prescriptions - even for other drugs- are free.