Prescription: have I been ripped off and can I do anything about it?

misscomickat

My doctor prescribed me some cream for my skin yesterday. I went to the chemist and paid £6.85 or however much it is now.

When I got home, I noticed that on the box, there was a price tag of £3.20! Am I able to take this back to the chemist and get a refund? I'm so angry! I can't afford to pay double the price.

lindens

Always ask if the prescription can be bought over the counter as some can. Some chemists will tell you this off their own back, but I believe they are breaking the law if they do so (i remember a court case last year where a chemist was taken to court for doing this). I don't think you can do anything now.

myrnahaz

At least you now know that you don't need to go back to the doctor if you need more cream - just get it from the chemist. In future, if you get a prescription for something, just ask the chemist for a bottle/tube/jar of x medicine and see what they say - you may be lucky and get it cheaper than £6.85 OR if they say it's only available on prescription, hand yours over OR if they say 'that'll be £26.50' hand over the script and save £££s.

Optimist

Swings and roundabouts you could have got a prescription where the pills/ointments cost a lot more than the prescription cost, would you then offer to pay the difference ?

misscomickat

Optimist wrote: »

Swings and roundabouts you could have got a prescription where the pills/ointments cost a lot more than the prescription cost, would you then offer to pay the difference ?

That's irrelavent..I haven't had a prescription item for years. I am going to try to take it back after work.

sharronloves2spend

I work in a pharmacy and we always tell a patient if its cheaper to buy . Was it a chain of pharmacys or an indepaendant? I would go straight back with it and ask for the difference!!! The £6.85 you paid goes to the NHS and the pharmacy will only be paid for the item price (wich is less than the £3 price tag) you have nothing to loose by going back and neither has the pharmacy!!

dmg24

sharronloves2spend wrote: »

you have nothing to loose by going back and neither has the pharmacy!!

This is not the case if the pharmacist has already sent the script to the PPA.

soolin

A pharmacist is unlikely to take a product back once it has left the shop, they have no way of knowing whether it has been switched for something else and would not risk putting it back on their shelf.

By all means though complain that it would have been useful to have been warned this item was cheaper 'off' prescription.

Badger_Lady

You'd pay the same for a prescribed packet of ibuprofen that you can buy for 27p in Tescos. My GP normally tells me what drugs I need, and then only writes me a prescription if he thinks it'll be cheaper.

The people above know more about complaining etc - I'd just take it as learning and try to pay shop price next time.

Except, living in Wales, I get it all free!

rosieben

In the past I had a brilliant doctor who would say 'go to the chemist and ask for ..... over the counter because its much cheaper.

My current doctor prescribed me a daily aspirin 75mg. The first time I got them on prescription I paid £6.85 for 30!! I talked to my local pharmacy and she sells 100 for £1.50 - slight difference there. I know I can buy 28 300mg for about 14p in a supermarket and may resort to this at some point.

Pharmaceutical companies are ripping us off left, right and centre, and even if you dont pay for your prescriptions they are still ripping us all off indirectly by overcharging the NHS!

Edited to say, I get my prescriptions free now but still buy my aspirin as I get so angry that fat cats are getting even fatter through diddling our health service.

sharronloves2spend

dmg24 wrote: »

This is not the case if the pharmacist has already sent the script to the PPA.

Scripts get sent on the 1st of each month to the ppa for payment, although i don't know if that varies from each pct. sharron