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Prescription quantities/length

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coldclarity

coldclarity

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I need to go to see my doctor (as soon as I can get in - humph) to get my prescription changed and arrange a sharps bucket. When my prescription was written it was in a bit of a mad panic, so no one really did the sums. There's enough test strips and lancets for less than two weeks, plenty of insulin (for now) and about three weeks worth of needles. I need to sit down and work out what I need to ask for, and not forget to ask for a spare pen.

To me, enough to last a month between having to faff with a repeat and a trip to the chemist seems reasonable, but how long does your prescription last?

Also, it feels very odd to waltz into my GP and make demands. I'm used to meekly stating my symptoms and waiting for him to fix me 😉

This was partly prompted by the news story about short-term prescriptions on the Beeb - here.
 
I have a funny prescription too. My insulin lasts about a month - although the humalog lasts longer than the lantus - but the strips only last two weeks. Sometimes I drastically cut down my testing just to make them last longer since I don't always have time to faff around racing back from work and going between the doctor and chemist. I wish they could get their act together. If the GP did not have to be involved it would make my life much easier. I used to be able to just order from the chemist without involving the GP at all.

Coldclarity I know what you mean, I get shy in front of doctors too, even though I know it is my diabetes and I know more about it than they do. I have been brought up to respect authority and not question, so I will just agree to whatever at the clinic, and then think about it when I get home, and say 'hang on, that doesn't make sense...'. It is really annoying.
 
Out of curiosity - how many needles do you use?! I only change mine with each vial of insulin - about every two weeks...lantus even less...
Lancets - the last needle I changed after 3 years - and the new one is no sharper!! LOL!!! I have never had any infections of problems with this use and I inject through clothing! And I really couldn't be bothered with all that faffing of changing a needle every time! That and I don't like the effect on the enviroment. Minimal though it may seem - we all add up!
Definitely get a spare pen - ! I have had to resort to spare pens when I have left mine somewhere (only twice in 15 years!). Please, please what I do is my personal choice and works for me - no lectures about needles and changing them please!
 
I'm very fortunate that my GP issues 20 x 3ml cartridges of each type of insulin (which lasts about 6 months), 200 blood glucose strips (which lasts 2 - 3 months) and a box of needles and lancets whenever I ask, which isn't very often, as I chose to reuse them lots of times each. I can't be bothered to have sharps bin, as I use a B-D Safe Clip to remove sharp part of needles, resheath lancets and place the remains in a container with a childproof lid eg medicine pot (donated by friends / family) or a toilet cleaner bottle, then seal with gaffer tape and dispose of in general waste. Personally, I'd prefer to encounter such a container than a used disposable nappy! I'm also proud to say that I have never had to throw away any items due to being past their use by date, due to careful monitoring of supplies - that is what GPs, PCTs are trying to avoid by issueing smaller amounts.
To make life even easier, GP issues a repeat prescription form with each presciption, which I keep until I need some things, then tick what I need, drop through surgery letter box (usually when they're closed) with a stamped addressed envelope, so I get it back a couple of days later. I don't use the chemist repeat prescription scheme, as the only time I did, a few years back, someone in the chemist ticked the "free presciptions due to Income Support", which wasn't true, so the Fraud Dept wrote to me - they were happy once I'd sent a photocopy of my Medical Expemption Card.
I think there's a particularly good case for issuing decent amounts of insulin, due to logistics of collecting from chemist - it has to go straight into a fridge, so can't be kept in a bag at work, for example.
Anyway, hope you work things out - everyone's quantities and logistics of visiting GP, chemist etc are different.
I'm puzzled by the BBC report, as people with thyroid conditions don't pay for prescriptions, either.

Just a further point on the environmental issues of diabetes supplies, waste disposal etc - I have suggested that it could be the basis of a MSc Environmental Technology thesis, but it all depends on a student being interested in the topic.
 
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I get 200 needles, 200 test strips, 5x novorapid and 5x lantus on my prescription. I use a new needle every time, which means they last 50 days. I use about 6 test strips a day, so they last about 30 days. I use the novorapid at about twice the rate of the lantus - about 1 cartridge a week, so that's 5 weeks. I fill a sharps bin every 6 months.

So, I end up getting different things at different times. I'm sure there's something I learned in school that would let me work out the optimal numbers to get over a given time period, where everything would coincide nicely, but that was over 30 years ago and I've forgotten!🙂

I also get various medications and they run out at different times too, so it's all a bit of a pain!😱
 
Test strips 200 PRN (as many as I want and when) thyroxin 3 mths at a time.
Insulin 4 vials when I want them. Steroids 3 mths worth at a time.
I'm lucky enough to have a computer link for prescriptions so just order on line.
 
We do pretty much what Northerner and type1_Sue do -- after a long time chasing about with puny prescription amounts. We more or less demanded more at once, it was ridiculous. Now we haven't been the chemist's in oh, three weeks or more! Hurray.
 
i'm getting 28 days worth of gabapentin at a time, it is a newish prescription so thats probably why,
test strips are 200 at a time when i order then- which lasts just over a month usually.
insulin novorapid and lantus- both 5 cartridges which lasts me around 5 months
needles- box of 100, order probably 1 every 2-3 months (don't change every single time)
ketone strips - 8 in a box I've ordered them once in 6 months (only used 2 strips so far).

I don't really have any complaints, I order stuff when I need it and the Dr's is about 3 mins walk away and the chemist about 5 mins, so not a big issue for me.
 
I do remember being quite shocked when collecting my first prescription after diagnosis. I was on more medication then, 11 drugs, plus all the diabetes paraphenalia - needles, lancets, spare pens, bd clip, glucogel etc. - literally a carrier bag full after a liefetime of getting maybe a packet of paracetamol a year!😱
 
Yes, I remember too. Like being buried in an avalanche. And try as you might, you're face to face with being 'medicalised' -- I felt like my son had suddenly become 'ill', whereas until that moment, when they were dumped out onto the countertop, I'd thought, well, we'll blend it all into our lives....

Of course we are now, more or less, but that's a different story...
 
It really helps to hear what other real human beings do - thanks. I'm going to sit down and write a 'shopping list' this evening.

Northerner said:
I do remember being quite shocked when collecting my first prescription after diagnosis. I was on more medication then, 11 drugs, plus all the diabetes paraphenalia - needles, lancets, spare pens, bd clip, glucogel etc. - literally a carrier bag full after a liefetime of getting maybe a packet of paracetamol a year!😱
Click to expand...
Me too - though mine came over two days of visits to the diabetes clinic then the nurse and two hospital pharmacies. It looks much less now I know what it all is, but it was rather overwhelming! I also got a really conspicuous carrier bag to put it all in - I felt a bit stupid the bus...
 
Hi Nicky,

Gabapentin has been around for neuropathy for at least three years, ask for more.

This was a discussion we had on here a while back when I asked who else used repeat dispensing prescriptions, where 6 months are issued by your doc and you collect them as and when, or all in one go from the chemist.

As such tablets are on monthly, insulins on six weekly and 'hardware' on something else, so it all ties in. No calls to GPs, just as well as I can't use the phone, just go to the chemist and collect on or after the 13th of the month AND everything is always there first visit!!

Regarding taking lists into the docs and even writing answers downm go for it, all the ones I've spoken to about it are all in favour, saves time as you know what you need/want and you just work through the list, no more repeat visits because you forgot!
 
Gabapentin is an established drug treatment for neuropathy, but it is always introduced in small amounts (length of time) initially, as it doesn't suit everyone. Once someone is happy with the treatment, then more can be issued at one time. In other words, gabapentin is new to Sofaraway, not to treating neuropathy. It can take a while to establish what is the ideal dose for each individual.
 
This is probably the area of my diabetes I'd most like to change (apart from not having diabetes of course!). I was originally prescribed 50 testing strips but at 4x a day (minimum) that is 12 days worth. And since I need to give my pharmacy 3-4 days notice I'm in there just under every 10 days or so to get a repeat prescription on the testing strips. So I now ask for 100 a time which should mean I can go 3 weeks on 100 strips. But then the drums for the finger pricker and the insulin itself are on different time scales so pretty much I'm in there every 2 weeks asking for something else on prescription. It is nice when everything seems to run out at the same time and I can ask for everything. 🙂
 
Type1_Sue said:
I'm lucky enough to have a computer link for prescriptions so just order on line.
Click to expand...

Hi Sue, this sounds interesting....can you tell me more about it? I have dreadful troubles getting my prescription in and collected during the GP open hours, and whats worse, Im sooo staggered with things running out at different times Im in there every week and I think the pharmacist thinks I fancy him because Im in there EVERY week:confused: eeeek!
 
I always have to get a prescription for test strips every two weeks and sometimes when i tick the box they end up giving me the freestyle lancets instead. thats happened three times now! lol and im getting very annoyed, theres me moanin again lol

anyway i get two boxes of test strips. some days i go through more than others. I am going to request more strips onto my prescription.
do u think the doctor would object to it???
 
litto-miss-loz said:
anyway i get two boxes of test strips. some days i go through more than others. I am going to request more strips onto my prescription.
do u think the doctor would object to it???
Click to expand...
Not really. It would mean you'd be going back and forth less often. 🙂
 
litto-miss-loz said:
I always have to get a prescription for test strips every two weeks and sometimes when i tick the box they end up giving me the freestyle lancets instead. thats happened three times now! lol and im getting very annoyed, theres me moanin again lol

anyway i get two boxes of test strips. some days i go through more than others. I am going to request more strips onto my prescription.
do u think the doctor would object to it???
Click to expand...

My GP used to give me just 100 strips. I explained that I had to test 4-6 times a day, and why I was testing (pre-meal, pre- and post-exercise) and she was happy to prescribe 200 at a time. Go for it!🙂
 
With the exception of one drug, I have a 56 day script.
Phone the repeat phone line and collect from local pharmacy 24/48 hours later.
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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