Prescription drugs, how to get please

shopaholicjules

Hi
I have just ordered the cat some Frontline from one of the online shops as after reading the threads found it was cheaper to do it this way.
My cat needs medication every day, had a tumour and over active thyroid, very over, given one tablet a day, still as high, then put on two tablets and then had an under active one. She is now on 1 1/2 tablets and we are seeing how this goes.
I can't remember the name of them and know they are presciption drugs but is there a way of getting them over the internet.
Is it as simple as getting the presciption from the vets and then in some way, the online service knows this, soz don't want to sound thick.

If anyone can help
Thanks

lowis

yes, your vet needs to issue a prescription to you, then i think you will need to fax or email a scan to the relevant online retailer before they send you the drugs. it's very easy apparently.

MrsTinks

Be aware that you still need to take the cat to the vet for check ups to ensure the dosage doesn't need to be altered and I think some vets charge to issue prescriptions - don't quote me on that though

janeys

Hi,

You need to get a prescription from your vet, they may charge for this as the Law on free presciptions ends in October. Once you have your prescription go to the first sticky on this thread and visit a number of the sites to compare prices, pay attention to the postage and dosage as you have to work out which one is cheapest.

When you have chosen a site we phoned them and they said that they would not dispense any medication until we posted the prescription to them. Once they received it they posted the meds out. Our prescription had four issues on it so we could phone up 3 more times and get the meds sent out.

When checking for prices shop around as we use 3 different sites for 4 items. We have had no problems with the sites we use and they are much cheaper than our vet. hth janeys

spookylukey

Your vet can issue the prescription when he sees your cat, you then have to post it (they won't accept copies/scans or emails) to the online pet pharmacy. They dispatch your order once the prescription has been received, if you ask for a repeat prescription they will hold it on file so you just order as normal for as many times as the repeat allows, they will then remind you on your last use that the prescription has now expired.

I used to get my cat's thyroid meds - felimazole - from www.vetuk.co.uk and it was half the price that my vet charged so even if they had charged for the prescription I would still have made a substantial saving. You could even ask the vet if they'd be able to price match the online pharmacies, some vets might do this rather than lose the custom.

monch

It's definitely frowned upon for a UK-based online pharmacy to accept a faxed/emailed prescription with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (government body overseeing vet meds in the UK). I had this looked at in detail by Pets First Pharmacy and they ascertained that you would need to physically post the prescription out to them in order for it to be fulfilled. Hope this helps.

vicx

When a pet is on medication for life, does the vet only prescribe 1 month on repeat for 3 months, or would it be 3 month worth or tablets?

How often would the vet charge for a presciption? monthly, or every 3 month?

One of my dogs is on 3 different tablets and the other is on 4 lots of tablets. They are both on the medication for life but as the vet wants to see the dogs every 4 weeks (to get the dosage right) I havent been able to get a prescription as he is only prescribing one month at a time and it would work out more expensive by paying for prescriptions every month.

paddypaws101

There have been several posts regarding these sort of situations recently.
It may be worth having a frank discussion regarding costs with your vet and seeing if they can offer some kind of discount on the drugs to make all this affordable.
If is is only dosage rather than actual drugs that is to be changed each month then a sympathetic vet MAY be able to supply a longer repeat presciption ( 6 months? ) However, some practices charge extra for each drug listed on the presciption which I think is rather OTT, so it may not actually work out cheaper.

vicx

Thanks. I asked my vet about the prescription charge yesterday. He charges £6 per item which is a bit over the top when theres 4 on one precription and 3 on the other. I said are the prescriptions for 3 month and he said yes. I thought they were only allowed to write them for 3 month, not 6? I'm just unsure how often he would charge for a prescription, every month or every 3 month. I will have to ask him when I next go in 2 weeks.