Cheapest Prescriptions and Medications Discussion

Ted_Hutchinson

It's not only the conditions which may exempt one from prescriptions charges which confuses doctors, the letter here BMJ LETTER which shows that some GP's are also confused about what medicinal supplements they may prescribe.

If you want to check if the supplements you are currently buying are Valid as Prescribable Product then you can use the search facility at Medicine Guides

Clearly there would have to be a medical diagnosis to support the use of the particular medicine/supplement in order to justify the prescription but certainly if you are over 60 or qualify for free prescriptions on other grounds it would be worth asking.

jaymac_2

I;ve recently increased the dose of my medication; my Gp told me to take 2 tablets -200mgs - one day and 1 tablet the next etc. I found remembering which day I was on was a pain so I asked for some 100mgs and some 50 mgs tablets. He said this would usually result in two charges even though it was the same product...but as it's thyroxine it's free for me anyway. Something for people to watch out for with other things though.

digital

jaymac wrote:

...I asked for some 100mgs and some 50 mgs tablets. He said this would usually result in two charges even though it was the same product...

From my experience you are only charged twice if the two items are on physically separate prescriptions. If they are both on the same piece of paper then it's just the one charge.

max2002ad

I work for one of the multiple pharmacys and a lot of people get it confused and i have the lovely job of telling people they have to pay more charges or get a refund.
The situation is this
If the two items are on the same prescription and are the same form ie tablets and are the same drug you only pay one charge.
If the prescription is for one lot of tablets and one lot of capsules but the same drug it is two charges.
In the case of HRT if the pack contains two tablets and they contain different ingredients they are also two charges.
The main piece of advice i can give is if you are not sure ask, but beaware that the counter staff might not always know the answer and you would need to ask the Pharmacist or Dispenser who will know.

Hope this helps clear it up!!!

jaymac_2

max2002ad wrote:

In the case of HRT if the pack contains two tablets and they contain different ingredients they are also two charges.

Hope this helps clear it up!!!

I always thought that was unfair - contraceptives are free but HRT isn't...and you get to pay twice!

max2002ad

Unfortunately the NHS is not always fair.
Howevr not all the HRT medications are two charges so it depends on the one you are on.

dave.h_7

Some medications cost less than £6.50 to the nhs for example some common antibiotics and diuretics. The NHS therefore makes money out people paying the prescription charge for these. Some kind GP's may give you a private prescription for these so that you pay the cost of the drug plus the pharmacist's charge to dispense - beacuse they will not be able to claim this from the NHS normally. One could argue strictly this is against the GP rules, but I can't really see them taking anyone to court for saving their patients money. It might be worth a carefully worded question if your GP seems in a good mood...........

digital

max2002ad wrote:

If the two items are on the same prescription and are the same form ie tablets and are the same drug you only pay one charge.

My pharmacist charged twice when two items were spread across two physical pieces of paper. She said that if the prescription had been written with items in a different order so that the two for the same drug were on the same piece of paper then only one charge would have been made...

max2002ad

I am affraid that is true,
Because prescriptions get seperated from each other a prescription is just one form. The best thing for anybody to do is if they notice the mistake get the doctor to change it.
It goes with everything, check the prescription before you leave the surgery!!

vegetable

toozie wrote:

Actually, had another thought. If you live in England, but on the Welsh/English boarder. You could probably cross into Wales to pay for a perscription you've picked up from your surgery in England?

Actually, if anyone under 25 is living on the English/Welsh border they can hop over to Wales and get their prescriptions completely free of charge.