prescriptions for babies.

Nicki

As loperamide is an over the counter medication, if this is what the pharmacist gives you when you hand over your script, presumably he would give you the exact same pills without a script too? I have ulcerative colitis so often need it too. Have never had a problem getting the generic at a pharmacist. It might not be on the shelf, but if you ask for it, they usually have it.

GlasweJen

Ours is beside the gaviscon advance so I imagine it would be beside the OTC stomach stuff elsewhere, the packaging is usually very bland for generics. Always handy to know you can get it OTC if you're caught short.

GlasweJen

Your doctor does get any eMAS stuff taken out of their practice budget for medicines but that doesn't restrict where you go for MAS, you pick a pharmacy and stick to it though so make sure it's available to you and not miles away.

coolcait

GlasweJen wrote: »

I buy several expensive brands because they are certified nut free. Eating something with nuts in it can kill me and yet I don't get the proper nut free things on prescriptions - nor do I expect to!

I've quoted this post as a 'peg' to reply to the various issues/complaints which have come out of the reference to people getting gluten free food on prescription.

I have a close friend who gets food items on prescription, for medical reasons. If those food items do not turn up in the pharmacy, then her other options are very limited.

I have seen her close to tears at times, because her prescription is not in. She's a tough cookie too. Me, I'd have been breaking my heart under the same circumstances. In public too.

It's clear, though, that the pharmacy staff (and the receptionists at the doctors when she's trying to get a repeat prescription) simply don't understand the impact it has on her life when the prescribed foods don't turn up.

Up until now, I've put that down to the fact that they don't know enough about the condition to appreciate the implications of not having that prescription. No malice involved. Just ignorance - in the sense of 'not knowing' rather than 'being rude'.

I now have this horrible image of the receptionists and pharmacy staff having conversations along the lines of 'How much bread can a person eat in a month?!!'. 'Well, I've got such and such an allergy, and/or potentially life-threatening condition, and I don't get anything on prescription and wouldn't want to either'. Completely failing to understand what their patient/customer is actually going through. And being ignorant in the 'being rude' sense of the word.

I have a family member who has a severe nut allergy, has been in anaphylactic shock and hospitalised, has to carry a (paid for) epipen and back-up at all times, and reads ingredients labels religiously (as we all do when she's going to be eating something we've prepared).

When it comes to meals cooked from scratch, that family member can eat exactly the same things that the rest of us do (we gave up satay etc when her allergy was diagnosed). Processed foods, ready meals, biscuits, chocolates are a much more difficult area. Luckily, we don't use much of the first two. The latter two (especially chocolate :eek:) are much more difficult to deal with. But they're not staple foods.

When it comes to meals cooked from scratch, my friend is still very limited in the 'staple foods' ingredients she can actually use. It goes without saying that processed foods and ready meals are pretty much off-limits as are biscuits and chocolates.

So, the food she gets on prescription is not just down to a whim, or a fad, or a means to get skinny, or a perk that she gets and the rest of us don't. It's an important part of her diet.

It would be nice to think that the 'professionals' who play a part in helping her get that prescription were aware of that fact. It would be nice to think that they respected it, and appreciated the difficulties she faces.

It's horrible to be thinking that maybe all those times the prescription didn't turn up were not really down to 'supply issues' etc after all - but were because someone in the supply chain was saying "How much bread can one person eat in a month?!!! That's not a priority!!" Or similar.

As an aside - if people with nut allergies believe they should have prescriptions for nut free basic ingredients and basic foods, then I'd be willing to support that move. I'm not entirely clear on what kind of foods you're talking about, however, given that my family's own little 'nut queen' is able to eat a wide variety of home-cooked meals. And breads, pastas and other carbohydrates.

Ooh. Raw nerve!!

Indie_Kid

GlasweJen wrote: »

Ours is beside the gaviscon advance so I imagine it would be beside the OTC stomach stuff elsewhere, the packaging is usually very bland for generics. Always handy to know you can get it OTC if you're caught short.

I know they have immodium; but that's about it. Have never really checked.

Last week, they had no Peptac (similar to Gaviscon) - if I had to pay (I didn't have any money on me either; just my exemption card) I would've probably got some otc.

GlasweJen

At work everything is ordered automatically when the script is scanned into the computer and with juvela products it usually is issues with supply (or my favourite, sending in out of date items).

Nuts are in everything, I certainly couldn't buy a loaf of bread off the shelf even from the "free from" aisle because it's usually made in the same factory as other loaves which have nuts and seeds so there's a contamination risk (and before I get jumped on again I'm allergic to most nuts and lots of seeds and not just peanuts).
I have to buy certified nut free flour (never found a loaf yet ), breakfast cereal, biscuits (not essential but since coeliacs can get them on Rx I'm adding them to my list). I've not had pastry since forever because we just can't source everything that's nut free to make them. I can't eat most ready meals or any of the decent bars of chocolate, the only cakes I can have are the bakin' boys ones. I'm basically on a flour free diet so any sauces that call for flour are out, anything with "breadcrumb" coating is out as is anything that has come into contact with sesame seeds or hazelnuts even briefly (those are my 2 worst ones). I can't even use most drops in my ears because they have arachis oil in them which is derived from peanuts.

Clearly your relatives nut allergy is one of the more restricted ones, there are some of us who can't go near most nuts or seeds without landing in hospital (and we can't all use epipens either!).

Humphrey10

coolcait wrote: »

I have seen her close to tears at times, because her prescription is not in. She's a tough cookie too. Me, I'd have been breaking my heart under the same circumstances. In public too.

(...snip...)

When it comes to meals cooked from scratch, my friend is still very limited in the 'staple foods' ingredients she can actually use. It goes without saying that processed foods and ready meals are pretty much off-limits as are biscuits and chocolates.

So, the food she gets on prescription is not just down to a whim, or a fad, or a means to get skinny, or a perk that she gets and the rest of us don't. It's an important part of her diet.

Assuming it's gluten free bread and flour that you are talking about, I really can't see how the lack of that would drive anyone to tears, or why it needs to be an important part of her diet. What's wrong with rice or potatoes, if it's carbohydrates she wants?

Also, why would someone need to eat ready meals and sweets? Lots of people don't, for healthy eating, for health reasons, to save money. It's not strange or unusual not to eat such things.

I'm not trying to be nasty, I'm trying to understand what health condition could require someone to make bread and flour an important part of their diet?

Humphrey10

GlasweJen wrote: »

biscuits (not essential but since coeliacs can get them on Rx I'm adding them to my list).

The National HEALTH Service gives people free biscuits?? Seriously? Why does anyone ever need biscuits, in fact why would biscuits ever be of a benefit to someones health?

This is the same NHS that refuses to treat blindness in one eye if you can see OK out the other, and that refuses people with type 2 diabetes the means to control their diabetes (test strips), and that refuses people drugs that could extend their life by months? That NHS? They spend money on biscuits instead?

coolcait

GlasweJen wrote: »

At work everything is ordered automatically when the script is scanned into the computer and with juvela products it usually is issues with supply (or my favourite, sending in out of date items).

Nuts are in everything, I certainly couldn't buy a loaf of bread off the shelf even from the "free from" aisle because it's usually made in the same factory as other loaves which have nuts and seeds so there's a contamination risk (and before I get jumped on again I'm allergic to most nuts and lots of seeds and not just peanuts).
I have to buy certified nut free flour (never found a loaf yet ), breakfast cereal, biscuits (not essential but since coeliacs can get them on Rx I'm adding them to my list). I've not had pastry since forever because we just can't source everything that's nut free to make them. I can't eat most ready meals or any of the decent bars of chocolate, the only cakes I can have are the bakin' boys ones. I'm basically on a flour free diet so any sauces that call for flour are out, anything with "breadcrumb" coating is out as is anything that has come into contact with sesame seeds or hazelnuts even briefly (those are my 2 worst ones). I can't even use most drops in my ears because they have arachis oil in them which is derived from peanuts.

Clearly your relatives nut allergy is one of the more restricted ones, there are some of us who can't go near most nuts or seeds without landing in hospital (and we can't all use epipens either!).

Nuts are not in everything.

There is, however, a risk that nut contamination may affect many things, given that many food products are manufactured in factories which also prepare products which contain nuts.

It may be that the 'may contain traces of nuts' warnings are just there to cover the manufacturers' backsides. Perhaps that means that we need to deal with the compensation culture.

It may be that sterilisation procedures in factories are so lax that nut contamination is a real risk. Perhaps that means that we need to address the lax sterilisation procedures.

Whilst I shall be sure to tell my relative (and the paramedics and the hospital and the doctor) that - anaphylactic shock episode(s) notwithstanding - clearly her nut allergy is on of the more restrictive ones, the fact remains that her diet, and yours as you describe it, is far less restrictive than my friend's diet.

Nevertheless, if you, or my relative, or anyone else who suffers from a nut allergy, felt that they should have the same entitlement to prescription foods as coeliacs or those who - like my friend - have other conditions, then I would completely support you in any attempt to have the rules changed to include you condition.

coolcait

Humphrey10 wrote: »

Assuming it's gluten free bread and flour that you are talking about, It's not I really can't see how the lack of that would drive anyone to tears, or why it needs to be an important part of her diet. What's wrong with rice or potatoes, if it's carbohydrates she wants? She can't have those

Also, why would someone need to eat ready meals and sweets? Lots of people don't, for healthy eating, for health reasons, to save money. It's not strange or unusual not to eat such things. My point exactly. I'm talking about conditions which mean that people can't eat foods which are considered 'staples'.

I'm not trying to be nasty, I'm trying to understand what health condition could require someone to make bread and flour an important part of their diet?

Equally, without wanting to be nasty, your last paragraph sums up the attitude which my friend faces every day. It's understandable from 'the man in the street'. I personally find it appalling and unacceptable when it's coming from health professionals - in the widest definition of the phrase.