Prescription refund on unused medication

PinkCashmere

I just filled a prescription but now may not need it due to the dosage being reduced (what I already had would be enough). Would I be able to get a refund? I don't really want money back, just like a voucher or something for the next lot of a different medication I'm on but don't know if this is possible?


Once I was given a hospital prescription for hypromellose eye drops - £8.80 not knowing any better they were £2 in regular chemists! Just out of curiosity in that instance would I have been able to request a refund?



Thanks in advance for any help.

pmduk

No, you're unable to return prescription items as once dispensed they cannot be used for anybody else. In regards to your other item, the amount charged is a levy, (think tax), charged by the Government towards the cost of the NHS and bears no relevance to the cost of the medication.

(BTW my last bottle of hypromellose eye drops was a generic brand in Home Bargains for 85p, so shop around!)

PinkCashmere

Thanks that makes sense, didn't think of that. It has been years since I needed prescriptions and now I have so many!



Will be checking my local Home Bargains tomorrow!!!

MovingForwards

You have a couple of options for future reference.

Ask the chemist if it is cheaper to buy the same or equivalent to what is prescribed.

Pre pay prescriptions so you pay for X months in advance regardless of how many scripts you have, or spread it by direct debit for the year through pre pay if you are on regular meds. Think it worked out 3 scripts per month and you save overall for that 12 month period.

Google will give you the link and I think chemists may have a leaflet.

teddysmum

PinkCashmere wrote: »

Thanks that makes sense, didn't think of that. It has been years since I needed prescriptions and now I have so many!

Will be checking my local Home Bargains tomorrow!!!

For 2 years I bought them in packs of10 for my dog. They were from a real pharmacy (found a photo of shop via Google) and never cost over £10 including postage. The vet charged £8 and Boots over £5 for a big name brand ,the former being amazed at how cheaply they could be bought.

stargirl90

The place you had your eye drops dispensed from should have told you that they were cheaper to buy, that's pretty poor form on their part.

In most cases it actually also benefits the pharmacy to point this out to customers, as they only receive a flat fee for dispensing an NHS prescription (I think it's around 50p per item? Correct me if I'm wrong) compared to a 40-50% profit margin (or more) when they sell the product OTC. So e.g. in the case of the eye drops they lost a potential £1+ sales profit for the sake of a 50p(?) flat fee.

Also just to mention, you can't return medication for any sort of exchange/refund once dispensed, as once it leaves the pharmacy it cannot be reused due to the risk of the medicines being tampered with, stored incorrectly (e.g. Fridge items not kept refrigerated) and/or probably other reasons too.

pmduk

stargirl90 wrote: »

In most cases it actually also benefits the pharmacy to point this out to customers, as they only receive a flat fee for dispensing an NHS prescription (I think it's around 50p per item? Correct me if I'm wrong) compared to a 40-50% profit margin (or more) when they sell the product OTC. So e.g. in the case of the eye drops they lost a potential £1+ sales profit for the sake of a 50p(?) flat fee.

IIRC the last time the fee was discussed on here the pharmacist receives a £90 fee for handling the prescription before the per item fee. It may explain their desperation for patients with repeat items. This was 2-3 years back.

trailingspouse

BUT, if you have a stash of unused meds, please take them back to the pharmacy for correct disposal. You don't get any money back, but it avoids the dangers inherent in having random medicines around the place.

coaster96uk

I have just been discharged from hospital today the doctor asked if I had any allergies. I told him I was lactose intolerant which he wrote clearly on my prescription. However after parting with nearly £20. I come home to find both drugs contain the offending ingredient! 

Where do I stand on this in terms of getting my money back?...  (I will not use them & they’ll end up in the bin!)

silvercar

coaster96uk said:

I have just been discharged from hospital today the doctor asked if I had any allergies. I told him I was lactose intolerant which he wrote clearly on my prescription. However after parting with nearly £20. I come home to find both drugs contain the offending ingredient! 

Where do I stand on this in terms of getting my money back?...  (I will not use them & they’ll end up in the bin!)

I’m also lactose intolerance. It’s an intolerance not an allergy. The amount of lactose in tablets is small and shouldn’t cause anyone intolerant problems.

DPR87

coaster96uk said:

I have just been discharged from hospital today the doctor asked if I had any allergies. I told him I was lactose intolerant which he wrote clearly on my prescription. However after parting with nearly £20. I come home to find both drugs contain the offending ingredient! 

Where do I stand on this in terms of getting my money back?...  (I will not use them & they’ll end up in the bin!)

Unlikely you will get your money back. Depending on the medication, there isn't always a lactose free option. Even those containing lactose, it is often very small amounts which may not cause an issue. Speak to the pharmacy to see if they can source you a lactose free preparation.