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Buying Insulin Online?

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H

Holyfire82

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi

Although this website does seem to check out in terms of its other operations, reviews etc. Is this legal?

www.pharmacyplanet.com

Humulin

Humulin S contains human insulin as the active ingredient, which is used to treat diabetes. You have diabetes if your pancreas does not make enough insulin to control your blood glucose level (blood sugar). Humulin S is used for long-term glucose control. Humulin S is a fast-acting insulin...
www.pharmacyplanet.com www.pharmacyplanet.com

I always assumed you couldn't purchase insulin without a prescription - is this legal?
 
I think the "Start Consultation" button instead of "BUY NOW" on that link means that you will be getting (and no doubt, paying for) a medical consultation in order buy the insulin and get it dispensed. I imagine where it says "from £50" means that the insulin is probably £50 but there will be a consultation fee and likely prescription fee on top. I cannot imagine why anyone would avail themselves of such a service in the UK unless they did not qualify for NHS treatment.

Just been back to that site and made a selection of the insulins supposedly available and every one comes up as "item not found" when you click on it, so I am guessing you have to click the "Start Consultation" to get anywhere close to ordering any.
 
Legal or not , scam or not I would stay well clear
 
I went through and chose my prescribed insulin, the consultation asked me general questions about if I am aware of dangers etc. what dose I take now when my last review was, general stuff - I gave honest answers.

it took me through with the £50 cost and another £4.00 for delivery to the payment section - although I agree with your thoughts and responses as well - still unsure as to how this works.
 
I think the consultation is what makes it 'legal' as it's effectively just a medication delivery service after a remote consultation via a pharmacy as opposed to buying meds online if that makes sense?

In my personal opinion, I feel there should be some connection with your GP and a little more investigation before releasing medication so I would stick to the better known routes/ companies if it were me.
 
Wow! I steered clear of clicking the "Get Consultation" button. I am always wary of incurring any hidden costs.

I can't believe they can do that just via simple online questions. Insulin is a potentially lethal drug!!.... although I suppose some over the counter drugs can be too, but even so, that is pretty shocking. I know I tried to get HRT patches online when there was a shortage and that seemed to incur a consultation fee and prescription fee as well as the cost of the medication itself.
 
doing a quick search online it seems the humulin insulin listed as £50 on that site is an 'inflated' cost so I am assuming the 'consultation' cost is added into that as well.
 
I got a response back from their customer service team when I asked them the same question I have on the forum, this was their response:

"I can start by saying that Pharmacy Planet’s process is dependent on our on-board prescriber who reviews the consultation questionnaire and decides whether or not you are eligible for the medication that you are requesting. Usually, if there is something that the prescriber is uncertain about, they will usually uptake this with you and contact you personally to try and resolve these issues so your order can be approved and moved forward."
 
Just my 2 cents quit a lot of countries don’t have anything like the nhs and you have to buy insulin, I lived in the UAE for 10 years and I paid for mine at the pharmacy with no prescription, also lived in Spain and it’s normal there to buy your own with no prescription, funny part in Spain you needed a prescription for the needles lol
 
Paulbreen said:
Just my 2 cents quit a lot of countries don’t have anything like the nhs and you have to buy insulin, I lived in the UAE for 10 years and I paid for mine at the pharmacy with no prescription, also lived in Spain and it’s normal there to buy your own with no prescription, funny part in Spain you needed a prescription for the needles lol
Click to expand...
really thats crazy!
 
Well think about it a bit more, Paul. Supposing you are intending to use the insulin you purchase, to try and kill a collection of little old ladies - cos you are Harold Shipman re-incarnated. How the heck could you possibly do that without access to needles - it isn't even any use to you or I who use insulin legally 24/7/65 without the wherewithal to infuse it into ourselves! So it probably isn't actually as daft as it initially appears to be.
 
I can see the logic Jenny lol, the murder weapon was the 0.6mm microfine M’lud
 
I would also say that non diabetics wouldn’t know how dangerous insulin is, well apart from medical people
 
I too have spent lots of time in countries where it is possible to walk in off the street and buy all sorts,including insulin. For the avoidance of doubt that didn't interest me.

Body builders have been known to abuse insulin, in order to achieve the results they are looking for - sometimes alongside anabolic steroids. Some of them have a very deep and clear understanding on how to utilise these things to their desired outcomes. That that's activity can be a killer is a risk often denied by the abuser.

In UK Liothyronine is a consultant only prescription drug, although in some circumstances the GP will proved the prescriptions (on their budget), based on Consultant guidance.

It is possible to buy Liothyronine over the counter in several countries, including some close to home. Brexit has put an extra layer of complication for those utilising that situation.

In U.K. Liothyronine as a prescription drug works out at +/-£9 per tablet. For those using it on a private prescription, it is see easy to see the attraction of paying c£75 per 100 Liothyronine.

I am fortunate to have an NHS prescription for this medication, else my bill would be £22.50 per DAY.

Of course sourcing medications off-grid is fraught with risk, but we mustn't ever lose sight of how fortunate we are the have the NHS, although medical rationing is alive and kicking amongst us all, no matter how abhorrent we find the concept.
 
I have been watching this thread with my moderators hat on - this sort of topic has great potential to be taken in directions not compatible with forum rules - so I thought i would pop in to say thank you to the contributors for discussing the subject with a lot of common sense.

My only contribution is that I did quickly look up the organisation behind the link in the original post just in case it was a known scam, but found that it would appear to be an established Middle Eastern company. The comments about different countries having different supply regimes are therefore entirely appropriate as is the consensus that only in very unusual circumstance should anybody in the UK have any need to procure insulin through this route.
 
Liothyronine as a prescription drug works out at +/-£9 per tablet. For those using it on a private prescription, it is see easy to see the attraction of paying c£75 per 100 Liothyronine.

@AndBreathe sorry didn’t know how to quote just a part of a message. I just wanted to say that I did bring the cost of this drug up at a Patients Panel meeting as I have been on it for years and when I saw an article abut the cost I was horrified. I was assured by the two GPs present that it was now being made by several companies at nothing like that shocking cost. So be reassured that you aren't being as much if a drag in the NHS as you might have feared.
 
trophywench said:
Well think about it a bit more, Paul. Supposing you are intending to use the insulin you purchase, to try and kill a collection of little old ladies - cos you are Harold Shipman re-incarnated. How the heck could you possibly do that without access to needles - it isn't even any use to you or I who use insulin legally 24/7/65 without the wherewithal to infuse it into ourselves! So it probably isn't actually as daft as it initially appears to be.
Click to expand...
Wasn’t there the case about 3 years ago of a nurse in a hospital who was infusing insulin in to patient’s drips and killing them off?
 
Pattidevans said:
Wasn’t there the case about 3 years ago of a nurse in a hospital who was infusing insulin in to patient’s drips and killing them off?
Click to expand...

Sadly more than one case @Pattidevans One in particular whose name I won’t mention was particularly vile in who she targeted.

(not that all such murders aren’t vile, of course)
 
OK, but there again normal people eg you or I don't exactly have access to fiddling with other folks' drips, even if eg visiting a patient in the next bed, even though we are legally in possession of eg a Novorapid Flexpen and some pen needles, at the time. Even though I was told many years ago of the conclusion drawn by a random group of nurses socially discussing 'possibly the best place to jab someone with something to avoid detection for as long as possible, supposing you ever felt you needed to do so' - that is absolutely not info I will ever knowingly impart to anyone else !

Considering my personal mantra has always been and still is to avoid risk - whyever would I risk murder? (Even though I could possibly find it tempting at times eg having to suffer a fool - which I can't always, full stop.)
 
Pattidevans said:
Liothyronine as a prescription drug works out at +/-£9 per tablet. For those using it on a private prescription, it is see easy to see the attraction of paying c£75 per 100 Liothyronine.

@AndBreathe sorry didn’t know how to quote just a part of a message. I just wanted to say that I did bring the cost of this drug up at a Patients Panel meeting as I have been on it for years and when I saw an article abut the cost I was horrified. I was assured by the two GPs present that it was now being made by several companies at nothing like that shocking cost. So be reassured that you aren't being as much if a drag in the NHS as you might have feared.
Click to expand...

Thank you Patti - I hadn't rechecked before posting that cost. That came from Lloyds Pharmacy as a quotation for a private prescription.

It's still a huge difference between T4 and T3, which isn't quite how it is overseas. Whoever negotiated the UK's prices should be shot. I was, however comforted recently by the recent competition watchdog's fining of a couple of manufacturers of steroids £260m over inflated and manipulated pricing strategies. Hopefully T3 will be under scrutiny at some stage.
 
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