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Prescription items that are cheaper over the counter
Comments
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Sometimes I think it can be a bit misleading to say you can pay for the medication and it might be cheaper than the prescription charge. I was told by a pharmacist that if the medication was only available on prescription, you had to pay the prescription charge and couldn't just pay the cost of the medication. You could only pay for the medication to get it cheaper if it was available OTC.
And then doctors I've seen don't prescribe a medication if it was available OTC cheaper, unless the patient was entitled to free prescriptions so then wouldn't have to pay for it. They'd just tell you to go and buy X.0 -
My doctor will also warn me if something would be cheaper OTC.
I have two sets of eye drops that I have to get 4-weekly. These are both cheaper OTC than they are on prescription.
However I have a pre-paid certificate (where you pay for your prescription monthly) which is just over £10 per month for unlimited prescriptions and that is the cheapest option for me.0 -
I'm not really adding anything to the hunt, but I've always wondered what the difference is between super strength ibuprofen, and just taking 4+ of the normal 28p ones is?
There is no difference, but the 'normal' cheap ones are usually 200mg, and the 'super strength' are 400mg. The maximum dose you can have is 400mg three times a day (with food), so make sure you do the maths with whatever strength you buy.
There are very few drugs in the world (can't even think of any offhand) where taking more smaller ones doesn't equate to taking a larger one, and you couldn't buy any of them OTC anyway.0 -
my doctor always tells me if its cheaper to buy stuff OTC rather than a perscription
Be careful trusting some GPs with their estimation of price though, sometimes they look at the basic price in the BNF (what we have to buy the drug in at to the pharmacy if we're lucky that a wholesaler will only charge us that little) and then we have to factor in our other costs, so we can't sell you stuff as cheaply as the GPs think sometimes.
Don't forget to ask though if you pay for your scripts, good pharmacists (or counter staff) will always tell you if it's any cheaper to buy if you can.0 -
Many years ago I was prescribed a kind of travel sickness pill to help relieve dizziness/migraines and it was only when I changed doctors some years later that he checked and advised that I could buy them over the counter in Boots for a fraction of the price. Despite what people have said above, none of the pharmacists ever advised me of this in all the times I got them via prescription.0
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MSE_Joanne wrote: »We've had reports from readers that some common prescription medications can actually be bought for a lower price over the counter. We want to tap Moneysavers' collective knowledge and find out what items they've been given a prescription for that turned out to be cheaper without one?
If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply!
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I would go even further and say you can get certain items online for a fraction of the price that you'd pay in a pharmacy!0 -
I would go even further and say you can get certain items online for a fraction of the price that you'd pay in a pharmacy!
I would never do this as I'm too frightened to buy any medicines online even for my pets! as I've heard they don't always contain what they are meant to and can be dangerous.
I trust British pharmacies and vets far more!0 -
happyinflorida wrote: »I would never do this as I'm too frightened to buy any medicines online even for my pets! as I've heard they don't always contain what they are meant to and can be dangerous.
I trust British pharmacies and vets far more!
If you go through a reputable retailer, like amazon UK, you should be ok. But you're right I wouldn't just google and buy something randomly.0 -
I'm not really adding anything to the hunt, but I've always wondered what the difference is between super strength ibuprofen, and just taking 4+ of the normal 28p ones is?
I would steer clear from taking 4 at once, I used to take 4 for my severe headaches and then ended up with an inflamed stomach.The Red Baroness0 -
Many years ago I was prescribed a kind of travel sickness pill to help relieve dizziness/migraines and it was only when I changed doctors some years later that he checked and advised that I could buy them over the counter in Boots for a fraction of the price. Despite what people have said above, none of the pharmacists ever advised me of this in all the times I got them via prescription.
Keep on being diagnosed with tension headaches, but having 3 days of severe headaches and nausea and an aversion to smells, losing appetite and shivering fits sounds more like a migrane to me. I am definately will source then. Had to pay £8.05 for sickness tablets and £8.05 for another prescription.:(The Red Baroness0
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