Prescription qiestion

rotoguys

bungle4by4 wrote: »

i wonder how many expensive, but life extending cancer drugs like herceptin would be available if people didn't waste money pointlessly, and in some cases, quite proudly..

i know herceptin is a debate in itself, but its the principle im thinking of

Surprisingly I agree with you.

But then why not look at the overall waste within the NHS?

I am but a little fishy in a great big lake of waste.

If you can come up with a viable proposition to reduce or eliminate ALL of that waste, then I am 100% behind you!

Why? Because one of my conditions is very likely to develop into terminal cancer (75% chance) and at the moment there is NO treatment. New drugs are being developed but the cost will mean that they will not be available to the NHS as given the rareness of the disease and the potential effectiveness of the drugs, the money would be better spent elsewhere.

QuackQuackOops

rotoguys wrote: »

Of course I know the risks. My other conditions pose an even more serious risk.

So you religously take every pill & potion that the GP prescribes?

I am only interested in what I can cope with. I can't cope with some of my medication so I don't take it - simple.

It isnt a case of taking every pill that is prescribed.
Its a case of carrying on having them prescribed when you have no intention of taking them.
The budget at your surgery is taken up by prescribing you some drugs. If you didnt have them prescribed, the money would be available for other things.

As it stands, you are stealing.

Prinzessilein

I can't understand why someone would have drugs prescribed and then not use them - and then go and get a repeat prescription!
(And yes, I've read rotoguy's posts and still find it hard to understand why)

I have drugs prescribed. I take them when i need them. When I see my GP he checks to see if I need more - this way he can see how often I'm having problems and how severe. If I wasn't taking them, just hoarding or destroying them, he would be working with incorrect information.

My GP then checks any side effects I'm having. I need to be honest - it could be that what I see as a side-effect is actually a new symptom to my condition...it could be that that it is a genuine side-effect and can be countered...it could be that the GP can alter the drug and give me something more compatible.

Finally, if I need a prescription for something else, the GP may have to base the drugs he gives me on what I am already taking. Some drugs counter-indicate with the drugs I take. Let's say I need an antibiotic. The GP decides what he would want to prescribe and it costs £x ...but when he looks at my records he sees that due to the drugs I normally take, he can't prescribe this particular antibiotic and needs to prescribe a different one which costs more. ...if I wasn't actually taking the drugs he could have given me the cheaper antibiotics...so I am costing the GP/NHS even more money!

I am disabled. I will be on drugs for the rest of my life (barring some miracle cure). I get my regular GP visits, my prescriptions and any hospital treatment for free....(although I did pay into the system throughout the years when I was able to work)...for the good of my health, for the sake of the NHS, and out of common courtesy to my doctor I feel I have a duty to keep him informed as to whether I am actually taking the drugs he prescribes.

rotoguys

QuackQuackOops wrote: »

It isnt a case of taking every pill that is prescribed.
Its a case of carrying on having them prescribed when you have no intention of taking them.
The budget at your surgery is taken up by prescribing you some drugs. If you didnt have them prescribed, the money would be available for other things.

As it stands, you are stealing.

Yes I do agree with you. But let me pose a question of you:

If I do as you suggest and tell the GP that I am not and will not take the two items what do you think his reaction will be?

He has already insisted that I do take them. One is to help blood flow/stop clotting thereby hoping to reduce the risk of a heart attack, stroke or Pulmonary Embolism and the other is to reduce/control my Cholestrol levels.

Do you think he will just say OK, thanks for letting me know - the extra money could be used elsewhere?

I don't think so, he is more likely to refuse to continue to treat me. That will leave me having to find a new GP - miles out of the village.

Savvy_Sue

Do you just hope that some blood test doesn't show up that you are NOT in fact taking the drugs, despite getting the prescription made up regularly?

rotoguys

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Do you just hope that some blood test doesn't show up that you are NOT in fact taking the drugs, despite getting the prescription made up regularly?

I have no idea at all. I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I have only been prescribed these from last October. Before that I was on Warfarin and Enoxaparin after leaving hospital in August.

I hated both of those because I had to go to the clinic every week for my INR figure. And the other because it was a self administered injection and what with the Insulin, the size of the needle (20mm) I was fed up with 4 injections a day into my stomach.

If the GP does ask, I will tell him that I just cannot get to grips with it and take it from there. But hope that it doesn't get picked up.

Savvy_Sue

newsgirl wrote: »

I've just come out of hospital after a mastectomy and was sent on my way with a variety of tablets.

When I looked at the vast package I could see I had been given medicines I get routinely from my doctor every two months and I don't need them to deal with my cancer and didn't need them anyway as I have ample supplies at home. I'd been given these pills simply because on admission they had asked me what medications I was taking.

I pointed out to the staff nurse on discharge that I didn't need this vast number of medications and wouldn't be using them and asked if they could be returned to the pharmacy. She said not because once they had been dispensed they couldn't be used again.

How much money could be saved by speaking to the patient before discharge to find out exactly what they need? As a result, the only tablets I didn't have at home were 500mg of paracetamol which I could have bought myself over the counter.

But at least you will have the sense to say to your GP "I don't need any more x, y and z at this stage because they gave me lots more when I left hospital" and only get more when you do actually need them! Rather than getting your prescriptions from your GP at your usual frequency and then setting fire to them. Best wishes for recovery btw

Koicarp

rotoguys wrote: »

Do you think he will just say OK, thanks for letting me know - the extra money could be used elsewhere?

I don't think so, he is more likely to refuse to continue to treat me. That will leave me having to find a new GP - miles out of the village.

He can't refuse to treat you for having an opinion- even if he thinks you are wrong and damaging your body. The only way he can boot you out is if you threaten him or his staff. Stop making excuses.

rotoguys

Koicarp wrote: »

He can't refuse to treat you for having an opinion- even if he thinks you are wrong and damaging your body. The only way he can boot you out is if you threaten him or his staff. Stop making excuses.

Not entirely true is it?

If the patient/doctor relationship breaks down then the patient would be advised to seek another GP practice.

I have friends that did not co-operate with this same GP in one way or another. Refusing tests, cancelling appointments, failing to attend hospital etc. The GP basically told them AND the rest of the family to do one!

Edinburghlass_2

rotoguys wrote: »

Not entirely true is it?

If the patient/doctor relationship breaks down then the patient would be advised to seek another GP practice.

I have friends that did not co-operate with this same GP in one way or another. Refusing tests, cancelling appointments, failing to attend hospital etc. The GP basically told them AND the rest of the family to do one!

I would hope that is exactly what he tells you to do for wasting GPs time and money