Cheapest Prescriptions and Medications Discussion

Toothsmith

angelatgraceland wrote:

I pay about £7 for a dental checkup and had a standard amalgum filling on a back tooth last month for just over £12.

Come next April, a check up is going to cost about £15 and a filling of any size will be £41.

This is the wonderful new NHS dental service.

That's if you find an NHS dentist to do it. Currently the profession is livid about these changes, and it's looking like there will be a mass resignation of dentists from the NHS In April next year.

I am currently informing patients that I won't even be able to see children on the NHS after that time.

It will probably all be hitting the news in the next 3 or 4 weeks.

Bendybops19

Hi everyone!

I think this post is at home on the Health Board...hope so!

I currently have 3 prescriptions, all of which i take daily. I think i will probably be taking all 3 for life :rolleyes:

My query is, as i am having to buy 3 new prescriptions most months, can i get one of those annual certificates? Would it be cheaper for me? And how do i go about it?

Its just that i really cant afford my medication, so much so, that a few months ago i didnt have enough money for them (was at my overdraft limit) and had to go a week without one of my prescriptions which really didnt do me much good (tablets for panic attacks).

Is there anything i can claim to help me? I am on a very low wage and really cant cope with taking on another job just for these kind of things!!

Ted_Hutchinson

First check the flow chart At the Prescription Pricing Authority to see if you are entitled to claim free prescriptions. [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Medical Exemption Certificates[/font]
Then check ENTITLEDTO to see if you are entitled to [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Tax Credits[/font].
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Low Income Scheme
[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Pre-Payment Certificates[/font]

Savvy_Sue

I'm so glad Ted replied, because I started one at lunchtime and then stupidly closed the window without submitting it ... :doh:

If you have to go for the prepayment certificate, some people find it works out better if they get one for 4 months. Towards the end of that period, get new prescriptions, and then take a prescription 'holiday'. When you need more prescriptions, apply for a new certificate. Because you can backdate the certificate, you don't have to panic if you need more drugs during that 'holiday', just ask for an FP57 receipt when you pick up the prescriptions, then take it to any chemist once your certificate has arrived and get a refund.

Also it's worth asking your GP to prescribe larger quantities of drugs if he's willing to do so. I've just picked up 3 months worth of something I don't intend to take that long - if I'd read the prescription I'd have gone back to the GP and asked for less!

Nile

Savvy_Sue wrote:

Also it's worth asking your GP to prescribe larger quantities of drugs if he's willing to do so. I've just picked up 3 months worth of something I don't intend to take that long - if I'd read the prescription I'd have gone back to the GP and asked for less!

This is a good suggestion by Savvy_Sue.

I was ill recently and my gp increased the quantity of tablets on the prescription(beyond what I needed) so that I could use them in later months if the problem flares up again. It's definitely worth asking, if you don't ask you don't get.;)

natalie1980_2

I was looking at the pre payment website, but Ive noticed that I cant use it becasue I live in Scotland, does anyone knwo where you can get them in Scotland ????????????

Bendybops19

Is there a limit of how many prescriptions you can get when you get a 4 month prepayment certificate? Or a limit on how many per month?

I will def try and get more next time a see my doc, its silly that i have to keep paying for more every month!

Thanks for the replies guys!

Toothsmith

Savvy_Sue wrote:

Also it's worth asking your GP to prescribe larger quantities of drugs if he's willing to do so. I've just picked up 3 months worth of something I don't intend to take that long - if I'd read the prescription I'd have gone back to the GP and asked for less!

Don't get too cross with a doctor if he won't do this though. I believe that their prescribing profiles are looked at very closely, particularly if a PCT is a bit strapped for cash. There are quite tight regulations about quantities of drugs that are reasonable to prescribe, and, not surprisingly, saving the patient a bob or two is not high on the priority list.

Something I've done more and more over the last few years is to issue private prescriptions. For things like antibiotics, or other common tablets a private prescription is much cheaper than an NHS one.

Doctors are forbidden, by their terms of service from issuing private prescriptions to NHS patients.

Ted_Hutchinson

Another dodge which may be possible depending on the type of tablet you are taking is to ask for a higher strength than you actually need and then cut each tablet in half. (Zipvit do pill cutters which do this neatly)

Obviously this depends on the strengths your tablets can be sold in and if the form of the tablet is such that it divides evenly so that you can be sure you are getting an effective dose.

I started doing this once when I had forgotten to renew a prescription and needed to stretch my existing tablets to cover the period before my new prescription would be available. I found that half a tablet was ideal but that continuing with that particular strength but continuing to divide the tablets every other day, meant I only needed one prescription every other month.

Bendybops19

Ted - i did that for a while when i changed to a lower dose, i cut my previous tablets in half so i didnt waste them, maybe i could do that (doc might think i'm a nutter for asking though hehe!). Didnt think to do it to save money though, thanks!

Toothsmith - thanks for letting me know that, i'll give it a go, but if she says no then its not the end of the world.

Natalie - i cant answer that for you, ring up a pharmacy or your GP and they should be able to help you. There must be something that is the same in scotland.