Medicine cost - side effects

Elinore

Hi all!


I needed to pay £54 for a anti malarial medication.


After three days (and in country) I had to stop taking the tablets because I was having severe side effects.


Can I claim the cost back because they were not fit for the purpose? I appreciate they inherently would have done the job for which they were intended - but I was so violently ill on them that they wouldn't have stayed down anyway!


I asked the dispensing pharmacist and she said no, however when I asked why not just kept repeating no rather than advising why a refund would not be considered (if it cant, that's fine but a clear confirmation of why would have been beneficial)


currently in our household £54 pounds wasted is a lot of money - so if anyone has a clue that would be great.

powerful_Rogue

I wouldn't have thought so, especially as you can't return medication.

I'm presumiung this wasn't a NHS prescription, but something you purchased over the counter?

I would say they are fit for purpose. A bit like buying a sofa, but then realising once its arrived that its too big to get through the door.

Elinore

I thought that might be the case.


Shame though, I had to buy an alternate that was just as expensive so technically I had to pay twice - which is the bit that rankled.


Oh well, thank you for your reply though


(yes, over the counter at a supermarket pharmacy)

agrinnall

Was your reaction a listed side effect in the documentation?

Nick_C

I don't think any drugs come with a guarantee of effectiveness.

With a private prescription you are not being subsidised by the taxpayer for the cost of medication. You are paying the market rate for the drug you have bought.

If you need malaria prophylaxis for an exotic holiday then its quite right that you should be paying for it yourself.

If this is a business trip, you should ask your employer to cover the costs.

soolin

Side effects on malaria treatments are well publicised, it is not uncommon to have such bad side effects that the medicine needs to be stopped. As above I don't see anyway that this could mean you were due a refund.

pmduk

The first person to accurately predict side-effects of a medication on a particular individual will probably get a Nobel prize. If the OP's body can't tolerate something that, say, most other people can, who should bear the loss? There's no fault in play.