Note on my prescription!

[alanjudy]

When I went to pick up my prescription of colomycin, water and symbicort there was a highlighted note that had been printed on it - expensive drugs check payment and does patient need it? Is this the beginning of us being rationed? Has anyone else had anything like that. All my medication is prescribed by my consultant. I suppose if they stop my media due to cost I can retire on the grounds of ill health and cost the country even more.

[valm]

It gets worse - shocking what next Val

[elian]

I've never heard of this before :S

This is disgraceful ! and pretty scary for patients I should imagine !

[kate13]

Hi, i worked has a pharmacy Dispenser & for a GP for many years . I haven't heard anything like this before. However the surgery wont be able to stop your medication without full agreement from your consultant. Especially If you are finding the medication is helping to treat your condition. It may cost them even more in the long run if they made any alteration that doesn't suit you.Try not to worry to much. maybe you should mention this to the GP surgery

about your concerns and the anguish it caused you.perhaps they can rethink the way they approach things in future. Because i am wondering if this is really acceptable from a GP Practice. After all aren't they supposed to be there to help and reassure people.

[San15]

i havent had this on my prescription, but my gp told me that symbicort was expensive and not to waste it.

[alanjudy]

I know that both Symbicort and colomycin are expensive. I also know that it won't be my very supportive GP but the PCT because they don't like my consultant. They thought when he moved hospitals they would lose all his patients but we just moved with him. He is one of the consultants who cares about you and does everything possible to ensure you have the best quality of life.

[kate13]

Yes, there are quite a few expensive inhalers around . The GP can save themselves money if they prescribe a generic version providing there is one and/ or the Pharmacy can provide a parallel Import of the brand. Many people have loads of items on scripts some have over 20 items and more.so you will probably find some patients have hundreds of pounds worth of medicine in a month and some even thousands. please keep in mind that many drugs are very expensive and some are pennies in comparison eg. lots of generic drugs.

The surgeries may tell you not waste medication because they will have to provide you with another prescription.

Kate

[Marian-Anne]

I have recently been on Colmycin, but it did not agree with me, I was told by the nurse at the chest clinic that it was a very expensive drug and I was being tested to see if I could tolerate it,. I have to say I am not aware of being pressurised by anyone on the cost front, but am aware that the surgery waiting room has all types of notices around relating to cost and drugs. I have to say o am cost their NHS a fortune when I add all of of mine up!! but I have worked since I was 18 and trained to be a nurse so think I have paid my due's. The rouble is there are always the scroungers, one in our local area has drugs every month, he does not take them but it allows him to claim benefits and not work!! another issue, but were do we draw the line on us really sick people and the cost of looking after us or the scroungers!!

[Hidden]

That is awful - I know that the symbicort is over £55 each inhaler - we once forgot it (can you believe it) and had to call to a pharmacy to get a replacement and he told us the cost. Because we were able to get our surgery to fax a prescription we were OK but the cost is horrendous. I would only hope that because they are prescribed by the consultant it was a note by an administrator and you will hear nothing more! TAD xx

[Hidden]

All the cheating of the few real 'scroungers adds up to far far far less than the taxes 'legally' avoided by the drug companies (eg GSK paid 0.5% tax and cost the treasury millions according to Panorama programme. It was assessed that Benefit cheats cost about a tenth of the cost of illegal tax evasion - mostly be people who could afford to pay tax...

Please ...let's not fall for the lies and propoganda that divides us from one group or another in society.

[Hidden]

I've just picked up my prescription including symbicort and there is nothing extra printed on the repeat. Could it be a local PCT issue? Mine is West Hertfordshire.

[buny993]

hi this is acase of pharmacy or your gp would have told if you didnt need or could be your practise manager if it works for you demand you keep it

[Hidden]

Hi, I've never heard of medication being stopped because its too expensive but I think it is common practice to try and reduce cost by maybe using a generic drug, which will always be cheaper. I do think they are right to try and reduce the cost of medications, as long as its not detrimental to the patients health, as this could maybe result in more money being available for other specialities, cancer drugs maybe?

[knitty]

My surgery is the opposite.

I was telling my GP that I had been buying cheap Paracetamol in addition to using prescribed painkillers. He straightaway said, "Oh, I will save you the bother & give you a prescription for some".

I refused them & said I was quite happy to buy cheap brand ones, 2 boxes of 16 whenever I could get them.

[kate13]

We all know people arent supposed to waste medication, but unfortuantley they do.

Its known as stock piling .where by patients order medication but do not take or use

correctly then they can acumulate a stock of medication. People can also be careless and lose or misplace medicines or to the extent of over using it.This frequently happens.

Sometimes the GP practice will monitor this, then suggest a medication review with the Patient to see if they are taking or using correctly. This is very common and seen usually as procedure to enusure patients are taking the correct doasge prescribed.

[davmil in reply to kate13]

Kate 13

As we All know it is nearlley impossible to Stockpile , inhalaters , the only Wy that it can be done is to order TWO at the same time through your Gp, one as back up . If You can Stockpile Your inhalres then you dont use them????

As To Monitoring this MOST Gp practises Do and You cant get repeat meds , untill the last one has run out?? but if you go over your limit for inhaletors They will Question usage at Your next visit. in case something is wrong.

[sassy59]

Not heard of this but will look out for it on Pete's prescription as he has so many drugs I am sure some must be expensive! You just couldn't make it up could you?!

[tyran57]

not heard of this either before i moved house and had to change doctors i could only have one ventolin inhaler at a time but my new doctor said no you need two one to keep at home and one to keep in your bag so its always with you and she also said do you need ibruprofen (taken for arthritis- cant take anything stronger) i told her no i buy them they are only 28p a packet id rather have the more expensive drugs on prescription she thanked me !! perhaps thats camerons next idea - if its expensive you have to pay for it !!

[alanjudy]

I think it's North HERTS PCT. I had to have a medicines check because the PCT had been onto the pharmacist as I inhale 2.4 mg Steroid a day apparently the max allowable without interrogation is 1.8! I tried all doses and 2.4 is the lowest that had an effect. I have oestopaenia which is the stage before osteoporosis so steroids are not ideal for me.

Judith

[Hidden]

Wow ive never heard of that before. I reckon the price shown in error and you were not meant to see it! I didnt know symbicort cost 55.00 - im shocked. Im just glad that I live in Britiain where its on the NHS and not USA where you have to pay the full cost yourself. There would be a lot less of us taking it then thats for sure.

[CocaCola]

ive not had experience of them trying to stop meds because of cost although have had drs try to stop meds without speaking to me as a result of me being on to to higher dose of steroids for their liking but this soon changed and was back on my repeat when they realised the difference it makes

[Hidden]

Hi

In the Britiish National Formulary it states that symbicourt 100 = £33.00, 200=£38.00 and the 400=£38.00.

Symbicourt is a compound inhaler which contains budesonide (corticosteroid) and formoterol (long acting beta agonist) - I don't think there is an alternative inhaler that has the same combination of drugs.

Mark

[alanjudy in reply to Hidden]

Mark

I think it is also the colomycin. Apparently my pct don't like it being prescribed for anything other than CF. I shall mention it to my GP next week when I see him.

Judith

[alanjudy]

Have discovered how the note has come about. It is for Colomycin and is put on by the pharmacy to ensure they will get paid for it.