Official MoneySavingExpert.com Prescriptions Discussion Thread

malc_b

Thanks moneysaving pharmacist. Interesting. So all I need to do is to find a penicillin capsule available in uk. According to this http://www.antimicrobe.org/drugpopup/Penicillin%20-%20Brand%20names.htm there is V-CIL-K 250mg capsules Eli Lilly, UK. And a few otheres which are obviously capsules. I don't know what (FM) means or (DI) which seems another common ending.

mjgreen60

malc_b wrote: »

My daughter is now on penicillin for life. According to http://http://www.le-west.co.uk/le-w-user/default.asp?category=le-w-runs&service=ec-frame&opt=srhbox the cost is 1.90 x 2, yet when she leaves education it will cost her 7.10 or whatever the charge is then. Unfortunately I would have to be a ship to buy it from le-west. Also, the choice of penicillin is 1! Pencillin tablets which taste foul. OK, you can put up with that when you are ill, but twice a day for life is a bit harsh. Why are penicillin capsules available, on NHS that is, privately they are.

And why is it that medicines are only 1 month when the birth pill is 3 months? :mad:

Hi malc_b

Are you certain that your daughter will not be exempt from paying NHS prescription charges? Sounds like she has something fairly serious (?? had her spleen removed??).

It may certainly be something to consider when she is no longer in full time education.

If not, do you have any friends who are doctors? Any doctor who has been qualified for more than a year can write a private prescription, which as has been discussed earlier works out cheaper and they should be able to write it for longer than just a month.

Really sorry to hear your daughter has landed up like this - hope she is OK.

Matt

malc_b

Matt, thanks. She is getting better and having seen some of the cases in hospital we count ourselves lucky really. I have looked into exemption and the list of illness is quite small and rather odd in fact. Interestingly the Dept of health website say here:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4892136
That "Repeat prescriptions are generally given for periods of between one and three months, sometimes longer." so I don't think my doctor has this right and it is something I will raise when I have collected more facts. At moment she gets all prescriptions free but it is still a waste of our time getting repeats every 28 days (not mention NHS time too).

p1an0player

malc_b wrote: »

That "Repeat prescriptions are generally given for periods of between one and three months, sometimes longer." so I don't think my doctor has this right and it is something I will raise when I have collected more facts. At moment she gets all prescriptions free but it is still a waste of our time getting repeats every 28 days (not mention NHS time too).

The Dept of Health may say 1 to 3 months but the PCT probably says 28 days. My surgery won't give more than 28 days. This isn't acceptable to me and I'm surprised that more people are not objecting to it.

You might want to read http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1327531

PeterPerfect

As someone who is on long-term (life) medication, I can understand the frustration of having repeat prescriptions. One of the reasons now is the ability to track and review if a medication is necessary or needs to be changed, to stop wastage and curb possible abuse.
I am surprised about the comment about any doctor able to write a prescription, especially if that doctor does not have your detailed medical records.

malc_b

I had replies from my PCT and from the Dept of Heath. Apparently the suggestion is that prescription not be that long if there is a chance of the prescription changing and hence wastage (i.e. side effects). But, other than that the length of any prescription is entirely up to the doctor.

My letter from Dawn Primarolo MP says

"While it may now be common practice for prescriptions to be issued for one month or 28 days at a time, there has been no Government directive to specify the length of time for which prescriptions should be issued. Responsibility for prescribing, including the issue of repeat prescriptions rests with the doctor who has clinical resposibility for that particular aspect of a patients care"

The reply from PCT was similar in that they claim it is all down to the doctor. We'll see where this gets us come renewal time.

tobiascurious

Hi,

I want to make a formal request to get my repeats increased above 28 days at a time. (Informal requests to the reception have been declined).

Who should I write to? The Practice Manager, the Head GP, the GP who has met me the most, or my official Registered GP? (all four of those are different people)

Thank you!

savetilibleed

tobiascurious wrote: »

Hi,

I want to make a formal request to get my repeats increased above 28 days at a time. (Informal requests to the reception have been declined).

Who should I write to? The Practice Manager, the Head GP, the GP who has met me the most, or my official Registered GP? (all four of those are different people)

Thank you!

My 'scripts got changed to 2 month supply per item some 2 years ago. I didn't ask for it but it is more convenient. Except that as meds or doses change slightly the items on my script get "out of phase", so I still end up requesting items about 3 times in a 2 month period.

As to your request, I'd ask your usual GP - the one who you prefer to see.

malc_b

I'd start with the soft approach. Talk to your doctor and ask for the period to be extend and if he says he can't then point him to the dept health site at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4892136 . Just under the heading "Prescription frequency, patient safety and convenience" it says about how repeat can be up to 3 months or more. It then says this is up to the doctor who should balance your convenience against wastage so IMO it would reasonable to prescribe 1 month to start with and then increase the period when it is clear there is no need for a drug change.

If the soft approach fails then I would approach the PCT and ask where the 28 day rule comes from. In my area there is something called patient advice line service (PALS). I found then to be quite helpful. They pointed me towards the link above and eventually came with the fact that the 28 day "rule" is not a rule, and would I like them to speak to the practice manager to clarify them on this?

And you could also write to your MP like I did asking why is there this rule of only 28 days prescribing. Then you too should eventually get a letter from the health minister saying there is no rule. Hard to argue with that.

But, I'd go soft to start with. It's probably a genuine mistake.

Shelleybelly

I wasted a year paying for prescriptions after I was diagnosed with an under active thyroid as no-one told me I was entitled to a medical exemption.

So do check if you have a long standing illness.