Prescription qiestion

rotoguys

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Why do you think you know better than the GP?

I don't??????

I never said I did. I just don't follow his advice sometimes, like many others!!

From Savvy-Sue for example:

Over the years I've happily had several 'confrontations' with GPs, from my right to have home births, through my right not to take mind-altering drugs, to my right not to take drugs to control my BP.

My mother has declined Warfarin in similar 'confrontations', and the cardiac consultant she saw recently didn't bat an eyelid about this.

Not everybody follows to the letter what a GP says to do. Otherwise no one would smoke, everyone would drink alcohol in moderation, everyone would eat a balanced diet, everyone would exercise regularly - need I go on?

rotoguys

VfM4meplse wrote: »

It's the patient's absolute right to exert their choice and not take medication if they wish not to.

It is however a shocking abuse of a publicly funded service that patients knowingly order drugs that they have no intention of taking once dispensed. Don't patients have a responsibility to be honest, rather than knowingly waste money that could be spent on other areas of healthcare. The cost of 12 months of rosuvastin alone is between £234 - £386 pa, depending on the dose. rotoguys, would you be keen on wasting that amount of money if it was your own? Is that what the cost of "not upsetting your doctors" is worth to you? They're big boys, they can handle your bombshell. The cost given is just scratching on the surface, it's estimated that over 20% of the £13 billion pounds a year spent by the NHS on drugs is not taken as intended.

There's wastage everywhere in the health service. My point is, if you are aware of it how in all conscience can you not act with integrity? NOT ticking the boxes by the drugs you don't take requires less effort than ticking all of them, don't you think?

Yes and Clopidogrel is in the region of about £500 a year! Yes I know the sums.

Hey don't hold just me out to be the one that is causing the waste within the NHS. There are other posters on here that have experience of the same thing happening.

Would I pay for the drugs if they weren't free? Yes I would. I have done in the past when I had other drugs that I didn't like the side effects they gave me and taste of them.
Creon for example. I was prescribed the loose powder that tasted like sick but you are supposed to sprinkle it on the food you eat. It was disgusting. That worked out to be in the region of £80 at cost to the NHS for a months supply which I had on prescription monthly.
I was prescribed that for 8 years until I found that you could get it in capsule form. I then asked the Consultant to change the prescription.
Whatever. I have given you what I do and why.
As for having a conscience about the wastage, no not really, there are bigger fish in the NHS that need sorting out first before having a go a little old Joe.

And not applying for the drugs from the GP - don't you think that that sort of action would jeopardise the patient/doctor relationship?

What is more important to me is having a GP that I know, the extended family know and have known for 23 years.

seven-day-weekend

rotoguys wrote: »

Yes and Clopidogrel is in the region of about £500 a year! Yes I know the sums.

Hey don't hold just me out to be the one that is causing the waste within the NHS. There are other posters on here that have experience of the same thing happening.

Would I pay for the drugs if they weren't free? Yes I would. I have done in the past when I had other drugs that I didn't like the side effects they gave me and taste of them.
Creon for example. I was prescribed the loose powder that tasted like sick but you are supposed to sprinkle it on the food you eat. It was disgusting. That worked out to be in the region of £80 at cost to the NHS for a months supply which I had on prescription monthly.
I was prescribed that for 8 years until I found that you could get it in capsule form. I then asked the Consultant to change the prescription.
Whatever. I have given you what I do and why.
As for having a conscience about the wastage, no not really, there are bigger fish in the NHS that need sorting out first before having a go a little old Joe.

And not applying for the drugs from the GP - don't you think that that sort of action would jeopardise the patient/doctor relationship?

What is more important to me is having a GP that I know, the extended family know and have known for 23 years.

But why, if you don't take their advice? I honestly don't understand

And why ask for the drugs igf you are not going to take them? Do you buy groceries and then throw them in the bin?

Torry_Quine

While obviously a doctor will only prescribe something they think is of benefit it is entirely up to the patient if they follow the advice. However you shouldn't get a prescription filled if you have no intention of taking the drug. A doctor can only go on what the patient tells them so you should always say if you haven't taken the drugs or had to stop them for some reason.

VfM4meplse

rotoguys wrote: »

Yes and Clopidogrel is in the region of about £500 a year! Yes I know the sums.

Actually you're wrong, it's less than £30 pa but most people only need to take it for a year so the chances are you don't actually need it anymore anyway .

But it saddens me that you are so proud of wasting so much money. It makes me wonder what pleasure you can possibly get from this site.

VfM4meplse

rotoguys wrote: »

And not applying for the drugs from the GP - don't you think that that sort of action would jeopardise the patient/doctor relationship?

I don't agree, GPs would far rather not waste their drug budget than waste it, and you'll find concern about this is going to increase as we approach April 2013.

The reason you were prescribed clopidogrel and rosuvastatin was to prevent a heart attack or stroke. People die of both, neither are particularly nice to experience if you do survive (as many do), and the costs to the NHS of treating both - particularly the long-term costs of stroke - are huge. Yet you wear your willfull self-neglect and abuse of the NHS like a badge of honour.

zaksmum

gazpacho_uk wrote: »

Thank for tha KX. Cant see if i qualify for free scrips, probably wont knowing my luck and the exemption card is out. Idealy pre payment would work out cheaper, but i cant afrod that at this time.

OP, I can't imagine how you can say you can't afford a prepayment certificate for your prescriptions if you're still making that £200 a month overpayment on your mortgage!

If you have chronic pain as you say...you'd do ANYTHING to find a way to alleviate it!

rotoguys

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

But why, if you don't take their advice? I honestly don't understand

And why ask for the drugs igf you are not going to take them? Do you buy groceries and then throw them in the bin?

Because I don't like the side effects.

I have never asked for them. I was TOLD to take the drugs.

rotoguys

Torry_Quine wrote: »

While obviously a doctor will only prescribe something they think is of benefit it is entirely up to the patient if they follow the advice. However you shouldn't get a prescription filled if you have no intention of taking the drug. A doctor can only go on what the patient tells them so you should always say if you haven't taken the drugs or had to stop them for some reason.

So using your argument - tell the doctor. Of course you are right, but if the doctor gets to a point where the patient refuses to take drugs that he prescribes and is not willing to co-operate, what do you think the doctor will say, do and think?

rotoguys

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Actually you're wrong, it's less than £30 pa but most people only need to take it for a year so the chances are you don't actually need it anymore anyway .

But it saddens me that you are so proud of wasting so much money. It makes me wonder what pleasure you can possibly get from this site.

My searches say approx £500. You may be right but the cost, no matter what it is, is really of no concern to me.

As for taking it for a year - rubbish!! It's for life!! And that comes right from the horses mouth - the GP! Do you actually know what that drug is for and why it is prescribed?

I don't consider what I waste, I am only interested in me and my family like the vast majority in this country.