OA at 34...Encouraged to apply for PIP

swingaloo

TELLIT01 wrote: »

I don't pay for prescriptions so it saves me a considerable amount of money by having them on prescription.

Thats my point exactly. I dont pay either but would never get them on prescription. Considering the maximum dose of both is 8 per 24 hours even on the full dose it would cost in the region of 2-3 pounds a week.

It costs the NHS in the region of 3.50 for each prescription they issue for paracetamol. Last year they spent 80 million prescribing just paracetamol.

Thats crazy when there are cancer drugs the the NHS say are to expensive to give people.

Any doctor willing to give it on prescription is a disgrace.

marliepanda

My friend was diagnosed with Arthritis at 10 and has lived with it all her adult life. She has multiple knee replacements (one went wrong) and both hips. Her medication has also turned her blind in one eye and limited vision in the other.

She only JUST qualified for PIP.

rockingbilly

swingaloo wrote: »

.

Any doctor willing to give it on prescription is a disgrace.

That just about sums up our GP - utterly useless and a disgrace to his profession.

My wife has Arthritis in about every joint she has. The GP prescribes Paracetamol, Tramadol and Oramorph. She goes through 100 Paracetamol every 12 days or so along with the Tramadol.
All he is doing is putting her to sleep most of the day. He hasn't offered any medication to treat the problem.

thorsoak

TELLIT01 wrote: »

I don't pay for prescriptions so it saves me a considerable amount of money by having them on prescription.

16 paracetamol cost 19p in Asda, 16 Ibuprofen cost 25p. The cost of your prescription to the NHS is £3.74. I'm a pensioner, and I pay for my prescription = would it really break your budget to pay for yours too?

It would save the NHS so much more.

Glen_Clark

swingaloo wrote: »

It costs the NHS in the region of 3.50 for each prescription they issue for paracetamol. Last year they spent 80 million prescribing just paracetamol.
.

Well then thats the fault of the NHS for paying more than they need to.
Its not the fault of the Doctor or Patient.

thorsoak

rockingbilly wrote: »

That just about sums up our GP - utterly useless and a disgrace to his profession.

My wife has Arthritis in about every joint she has. The GP prescribes Paracetamol, Tramadol and Oramorph. She goes through 100 Paracetamol every 12 days or so along with the Tramadol.
All he is doing is putting her to sleep most of the day. He hasn't offered any medication to treat the problem.

If she is taking 100 paracetamol in 12 days, arthritis will not be her only problem. Read up on the paracetamol and the liver. Does her doctor insist on blood tests regularly?

swingaloo

Glen_Clark wrote: »

Well then thats the fault of the NHS for paying more than they need to.
Its not the fault of the Doctor or Patient.

Sorry but thats not true. Doctors are aware of the cost when they write the prescription. I, as a patient know that some things are cheaper over the counter than on prescription and back in days when I had to pay we were encouraged to ask the chemist first if the item was cheaper to buy than to hand over the prescription.

No one gets to the age of 60 plus without knowing the cost of paracetamol so to take it from the NHS knowing the state they are in is nothing more than greed. The money would be far better spent on more doctors, nurses and hospital beds to reduce waiting times for patients who have conditions requiring more help than paracetamol.

If a patient was having to pay for their prescriptions and they were prescribed paracetamol do you really think they would hand over £8.40. for a box.

Bogalot

Glen_Clark wrote: »

Well then thats the fault of the NHS for paying more than they need to.
Its not the fault of the Doctor or Patient.

We all know the strain the NHS is under, and we all have a responsibility not to abuse it.

TELLIT01

Paracetamol I do pay for myself, but the GP gives me 3 months supply of Ibuprofen at a time to it's good value at £3.50 to the NHS.

w06

The NHS rules state that if a drug is prescribable and the GP recommends it, then they have to prescribe it, or at least offer to, so it is not the GP's fault and they're doing nothing wrong in that respect. The problem lies with patients expecting simple cheap over the counter treatments to be prescribed, the only reason to really is if more than it's feasible to buy over the counter with the 32 tablet rules - but you can still buy bigger packets from the chemist.