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NOT ALL PRESCRIPTIONS ARE FREE

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mark king

mark king

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
.... or more correctly I've had some medication on prescription [5 years+] and when trying to re-order it I find that it has been removed and I have to purchase it myself. When I questioned this I was told the Doctor had cancelled it without discussion with me. I have gone POP!!! and am waiting for a call back to discuss further.
I can not see any national moves to allow this selective Free Prescription or who decides so has anybody on here had any similar experiences?
The medication in question is a nail Anti-fungal treatment called Amorolfine Lacquer. I was told at the onset that I would not be able to clear and rid myself of this but that I would have to treat it for life to keep on top of it.
I have been given Tablets and had a Dermatologist review it but all with the same answer of just keep treating it.
The treatment does reduce the effect but does not completely cure it, about 85% good.

It's not the cost of the item more It just got stopped and that I have to treat it for life when I expected to receive a renewable prescription on application.
Is this going to be happening in your area soon.

best
 
I don't know whether this available to buy over the counter, but many things available to buy were withdrawn, from been able to be prescribed on prescription a few years ago.
 
Firstly ask yourself, when was the last time you ordered the medication...

As if you haven't ordered a repeat prescription for a particular medication, the computer system flags it, then somebody looks and either flag it to say if ordered it will need to be reauthorised by the doctor or it will be deleted.

It you haven't ordered the medication for quite a while, it may be that its deemed a visit to speak to the doctor to get the prescription as and when needed
 
I see it as no prescriptions are free.
I may not have to pay at the point of collection but I pay through my taxes.
If something is cheaper over the counter than the cost to the NHS, I am very happy for my taxes to be spent elsewhere.

OK, i am in the privileged position that I can afford to pay for these things (such as hypo treatment) myself but thinking of all of it (insulin, test strips, Libre, ...) as having a cost rather than free makes me conscious of ensuring I don't waste anything unnecessarily because "it's free".

I am not suggesting anyone else on this forum wastes NHS money but, for me, it is things like taking the effort of calling Abbott to replace a faulty Libre sensor or not completely filling my pump cartridges with insulin that will not be used or utilising the extra 8 hours that my pump has between changes when possible.
 
Yes thanks all for your comments.
Now that I have taken a chill pill, one of my own I found some more details out.
As Grovesy says a few years back 2018 to be exact the NHS took the decision that anything that could be bought they wouldn't prescribe for eg coughs, sore throats, upset tum, aches, pains etc. They did but a rider on this that if the problem required constant treatment [long term] or it wasn't a mild form it would still be prescribed.
So personally for me as it is still a continuing long term problem I should be able to request it.
As I said above it's not the cost of this item but more they might apply this principle to Free Style Libre sensors which can also, and I did, buy over the counter.

Best
 
Quite a lot of things have dropped off my repeat prescriptions from time to time e.g. Cavilon spray, and insulin cartridges for pens(only kept in case my pump malfunction) as I so rarely order them. They are usually reinstated without question when I ask for them. Did someone actually tell you to purchase the item yourself?
 
Yes @Pattidevans as I said in my opening post "When I questioned this I was told the Doctor had cancelled it".
You are correct in saying normally things do drop of but a quick phone call sorts it all out but not this time as I am expected to buy it.
In my previous post I refer to a list of sicknesses that medication is available to treat over the counter and as such one will have to pay.
This list is due to be reviewed 23rd July 2021, it my get more inclusive oh glum.
 
My surgery regularly remove things from my prescription, including insulin 🙄 They seem to like to ‘tidy things up’ with no regard to what people actually need.
 
I wish the Gp would tidy up my repeat prescription. Several times I have asked or emailed them to remove items that I no longer need , what happens is ,they not only stay on my prescription but a few days later the pharmacy delivers them to me , so I refuse to accept them.

My gp practice has stopped prescribing some medications etc that can be bought over the counter but only if it is for a short term problem for long term problems they are still prescribed .
 
mark king said:
Yes @Pattidevans as I said in my opening post "When I questioned this I was told the Doctor had cancelled it".
You are correct in saying normally things do drop of but a quick phone call sorts it all out but not this time as I am expected to buy it.
In my previous post I refer to a list of sicknesses that medication is available to treat over the counter and as such one will have to pay.
This list is due to be reviewed 23rd July 2021, it my get more inclusive oh glum.
Click to expand...
Apologies Mark, I should have seen that. As a matter or interest how much does the medication cost over the counter?
 
Hello @Pattidevans Cost is not my main concern but it is priced at between £15 to £30 for a small bottle and kit. The majority are pricing at the lower end of that range.
I was out today having my last bit of treatment after my 2 cataract removal procedures and when I got back home I had a message from my Doctors.
They are offering me a "Structured Medication Review with the Practice Pharmacist" which will take 30 mins or more. Apparently the NHS are starting to offer these now I suspect in an attempt to claw back unnecessary medication issues but also to make sure people are on the correct and latest medications.
I'm looking forward to this and having a chance to set my medicine list correctly as I have things I don't order but are still on my available list while something I do use occasionally they have removed.
We'll see.

Best
 
Best of luck with the structured medicine review with a pharmacist.
Dad had one in 2019 . I was with him. What a waste of time.

Not related to that review but dad’s Salbutamol suddenly disappeared from his repeat prescription, it took me several attempts to get it back. Dad has COPD .
 
@mark king I am on our practice PPG and I only asked about cost because we had a discussion some while ago where we were told that some medicines are just too uneconomical to prescribe. One being Paracetamol which can be bought over the counter for as little as 16p whereas the dispensing cost alone far exceeds that. There were several other items on the list, but I cannot recall what they all were. Clearly a £15 item doesn't fall into that category.
 
Pattidevans said:
@mark king I am on our practice PPG and I only asked about cost because we had a discussion some while ago where we were told that some medicines are just too uneconomical to prescribe. One being Paracetamol which can be bought over the counter for as little as 16p whereas the dispensing cost alone far exceeds that. There were several other items on the list, but I cannot recall what they all were. Clearly a £15 item doesn't fall into that category.
Click to expand...
I seem to remember years ago my daughter (pharmacy technician) that for some meds on prescription that people paid for, the prescription charge they had to pay was more than the pharmacy got from the government so they just threw them away and didn't claim.
 
When I was having a fungal nail looked at I asked about the standard paint-on treatments which I had been using to control it for a couple of years, and was told that the evidence for them wasn’t very good.

I was prescribed tablets, but there was a bit of resistance as they apparently are pretty strong stuff for what is considered a minor cosmetic condition. You are only supposed to have a short course of doses. At the end of which mine was so nearly (but not quite) gone I was able to persuade them to extend it for a short period. By which time the infection cleared and hasn’t returned since.
 
Hello Mike that very much describes my experience in both the paint on and tablets. I never manage to get it to clear up completely and need to re-apply the paint again to knock it back. I had understood that that is what I would have to do, I'm looking forward to discussing my meds and my need for them.
I would just like not to have to constantly require the nail paint.

Best.
 
My podiatrist recommended Emtrix for my toenail infection. (Around £20 from Amazon - other suppliers are available). It promises visible results within a week, which isn't exactly the case!, but one tube's worth did clear the infection completety within 6 months and 3 years on I've had no recurrence.
 
Mmmm - but your feet don't get the same treatment/exposure as hands, do they - things like eg washing them, using them to do anything, even their exposure to fresh air!
 
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