Repeat Prescriptions

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MarcLister said:
We are? Because of the huge number of things we need on a regular basis?
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ha ha exactly!!! the pharmacists must rub their hands with glee when a diabetic walks through the door with a prescription in hand... we're basically as good as money in the bank 🙂
 
insulinaddict09 said:
ha ha exactly!!! the pharmacists must rub their hands with glee when a diabetic walks through the door with a prescription in hand... we're basically as good as money in the bank 🙂
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I was working it out yesterday - 5 x lantus = ?40, 5 x novorapid = ?25, 4 x 50 test strips = ?60, 200 needles = ?30, plus maybe another ?30-?50 for the other pills I get, grand total : ?180-?200! Mind you, there are some drugs that cost in the ?1000's. Don't know, of course, what the pharmacy's profit margin is on this stuff, not how exactly it is paid for. For example, Boots might sell test strips for ?25 as non-prescription items, but the NHS only pays ?15, so do Boots just cut their profit margin for prescription items?
 
Northerner said:
I was working it out yesterday - 5 x lantus = ?40, 5 x novorapid = ?25, 4 x 50 test strips = ?60, 200 needles = ?30, plus maybe another ?30-?50 for the other pills I get, grand total : ?180-?200! Mind you, there are some drugs that cost in the ?1000's. Don't know, of course, what the pharmacy's profit margin is on this stuff, not how exactly it is paid for. For example, Boots might sell test strips for ?25 as non-prescription items, but the NHS only pays ?15, so do Boots just cut their profit margin for prescription items?
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yes good point northener, hadn't really thought about it like that...:confused:
 
I have my last prescription sheet and have to tick each item I require, which I then take to the chemist and they take it to the doctor and pick up the new prescription and then it is ready when I go to collect it a week later. Unfortunately, nobody seems to read which items I tick and I invariably get the same things every month. Of course I may not need everything on the prescription every month. It does irritate me that they get it wrong. When I mentioned it to the pharmacist she asked if I really needed the items on the prescription? I was just lost for words and telephoned the surgery in front of her and asked them to have a prescription ready for the missing items, which they did but it meant me travelling to the doctors and then back to the chemist. Just very frustrating that nobody is actually reading my instructions.
 
I can say with honesty that I have never had a problem requesting a repeat prescription from my doctor (what's the betting that changes now I said this?)

I have a word document on my pc which I have all my items on - when I print it out I just hide the text on the items I don't need, seems to have worked so far. Previously I just used to do a letter requesting what I wanted and that worked fine.

This time around I used the form from my last prescription and that worked for me - however, I do have a good pharmacist who normally notices if my prescription is wrong and will take it up with the surgery for me.
 
Northerner said:
I've just picked up my repeat prescription. I had written a request for an Autopen 24 as I need a backup for the 1-21 unit pen for my lantus. I have 2 2-42 unit pens but now need to be able to make single unit adjustments - I'm currently on 11 lantus.

Sooooo, I wrote down very explicitly that I needed a 1-21 unit pen - even included the product code - and what do I get? You guessed it, a 2-42 unit pen...grrrr!!!! It's not urgent, but now it means trailing back to the surgery/pharmacy next week. It was impossible to misinterpret what I had requested, so I'm totally unimpressed😡
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Just went back to pick up the pen - checked the prescription and this time they'd got it right. Went to the pharmacy, waited for about 20 minutes and then got told they didn't have that pen in stock and could I come back tomorrow! Grrr!! I'd deliberately given them an extra day as they said it would be in on Tuesday - they knew they needed one when they gave me the wrong one last week! So, three trips to pick up my repeats this time around and I thought I'd got it all worked out to reduce the number of trips I'd need!😡😡
 
Northerner said:
Just went back to pick up the pen - checked the prescription and this time they'd got it right. Went to the pharmacy, waited for about 20 minutes and then got told they didn't have that pen in stock and could I come back tomorrow! Grrr!! I'd deliberately given them an extra day as they said it would be in on Tuesday - they knew they needed one when they gave me the wrong one last week! So, three trips to pick up my repeats this time around and I thought I'd got it all worked out to reduce the number of trips I'd need!😡😡
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Sounds like you've walked into an episode of Fawlty Towers. Very tragic. :(
 
I had the same problem at first when my surgery started on-line ordering. After the 3rd time being given test strips instead of lancets I changed the wording on my order to lancets. My lancets and test strips had very similar names, maybe that was to confusing.
 
Northerner said:
Just went back to pick up the pen - checked the prescription and this time they'd got it right. Went to the pharmacy, waited for about 20 minutes and then got told they didn't have that pen in stock and could I come back tomorrow! Grrr!! I'd deliberately given them an extra day as they said it would be in on Tuesday - they knew they needed one when they gave me the wrong one last week! So, three trips to pick up my repeats this time around and I thought I'd got it all worked out to reduce the number of trips I'd need!😡
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It gets worse! Today I went to pick up the pen - yes, it was in - but it's the WRONG PEN again!😡 I'd originally asked for an Autopen 24, 1-21 units, gave exact product code and explained that I needed it so I could dose in single increments. So, first time they gave me a 2-42 unit pen. This time it was a 1-21 unit pen, but an Autopen Classic, not an Autopen 24. I'm guessing the Classic is for Levemir, anyway it's not for Lantus (they obviously didn't check what I neded it for either, as I had ordered some lantus on the original script). So, now I have to go back next Tuesday, when no doubt I'll get an Autopen Classic 2-42 and that will complete the set...

Good job it wasn't urgent or I'd be dead by now (I'm exaggerating!). I dare say it would work with lantus cartridges, and I do have my 2-42 pens, but that's not the point. What annoys me is the lack of care in reading the requirements - what if I'd been given the wrong drugs and hadn't noticed? I know they have thousands of these things to fill out all the time, but I'd expect a bit more care.

Rant over! (for now...!) Thanks for letting me vent!😱
 
Northener I had a similar problem getting a half unit pen for my novorapid. I wanted the novopen demi, as thats what I had been using. Took them a week to tell me that they couldn't get it, so went to another pharmacy who tried to get it then informed me that it was out of stock at the manufacturer. So I went back to the GP to prescribe me the novopen junior, they refused saying it wasn't an equivalent pen (it is), then the original pharmacy said actually they could get it. I ended up ringing my DSN and she sent me out one the next day. So next time I will just go straight to the DSN and not bother getting a prescription for it
 
To me personally we aint asking alot really a simple thing turned into such a nightmare for all of us :(
 
That's what I should have done in the first place Nikki, I think - at least they know what they're for! Timewise it would have been quicker - even though the hospital is 40 mins away and the GPs 5 minutes! I just thought, since I was getting all my other stuff, and if I wrote it down really carefully...😱😉
 
One final episode in the saga of my quest for a 1-21 unit Autopen 24! I went back to the surgery to see if they had got my revised prescription - no, they couldn't find it! The receptionist suggested I go next door to the pharmacy to see if it had been taken across. Nope, not there either! So, back to the surgery, this time the receptionist had shape-shifted into another of her kind.

I told her the pharmacy didn't have it, and could she check again? No, not there, so she asked me what it was for. I explained about the problems and specified exactly what I needed. She printed out a new prescription (which I checked thoroughly!), and said I could just go next door and tell the pharmacy to issue it and bring it back later for signing by a doctor. Went back to pharmacy again, expecting they wouldn't have it in stock - but they did! Checked (with some disbelief!) before leaving that it was correct!

Hurrah! And thanks to the nice receptionist who finally gave me what I had asked for in the first place!🙂
 
Good for you Northener, finally a result!!

Pity you had to go through just an ordeal

Hazel
 
Just to join in with this one, I've been having my own special party trying to get hold of things on prescription. I'm still waiting for my exemption card, so I'm having to pay for it all at the moment (grumble grumble), but so far I've had the following:

Been given the wrong test strips, despite saying on the phone to my doctors' that I could tell by the name they said that they were the wrong ones.

Rang them back to say that these weren't right, and since I only had 10 strips left, I was getting a bit antsy about it. They said they'd get the doctor to ring me back. When he did, he said I needed to go to the pharmacist and get them to tell THEM the name of the strips, since they weren't on the system.

Go to the pharmacist, they tell me the name of them. Ring the surgery back, in the meantime, they've lost the prescription for my needles *facepalm*....I go and pick it up and they've eventually found the right things, after numerous phone calls and trips.

Deary me...🙄
 
Goodness Becky! Don't they realise that all this stress is no good for our levels!😱

I'm surprised that the pharmacy bothered to ask for your exemption card - anyone prescribed insulin is clearly diabetic, and therefore exempt! I've never been asked to show my card, even when I didn't have one - you should point this out to them next time if you still haven't got your card by then. Hopefully, you should be able to claim the money back.
 
I get quite a few things on prescription now and I always write the PIP (Pharmacists Interface Product) code next to what I need. If I need a PIP code I phone the pharmacy and they tell me it.

The doctor only has to type in a 7 or 8 digits into the computer and up it comes on their screen.

It hasn't failed me in the last 15 years.
 
I send in repeats via e-mail to my surgery. when I first re-ordered strips the pharmacy said they probably hadn't come through because I'd only just ordered some and they porobably thought I didn't need another lot, then asked me how often I test. i told them I need to test before each meal and at other times, then thought, its not their business to know - they should just dispense! Having said that - it was a locum pharmacist and I noticed he got some looks from the other staff there, who are usually great. I guess the advantage of havng a village pharmacy where they ge to know you (they certainly do now!) There have been a few mistakes, but the people at the pharmacy have been helpful, and after a week's delay with some strips, phoned someone (I think the manufacturer) and told them she wanted then delivered by courier! An order for needles didn't come in on time once and they gave me a box of shorter ones.

I use loads of stuff, but until I was 52, was on no regular medication at all! It's the pharmacuetical companies that are holding us all (including the govt. to ransom)
 
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