I used to get three X ventolin on each prescription when I was younger and then it was reduced to 1 with no reasoning given to me
At £8.40 per prescription once per month for a blue and a brown inhaler the cost of being asthmatic is quite a lot...I've had £30+ prescriptions in the past when I've needed oral steroids and new inhalers following a bout of illness
I'm aware of the NHS levy cards but my doctors do not let you stock up on inhalers so it's almost not worth doing
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StephenB1982
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I always get 2 of each inhaler. Used to be in 4. Before we had free prescriptions in Wales I did have a pre paid prescription which worked out well. I explained to the Doc that I kept an inhaler in work, in my car and in my hand bag as well as on the bedside table so needed a stock to ensure I had an inhaler on hand. Also, as my job I clicked travelling, sometimes abroad at short notice I needed some extra to take with me. After 9/11 it felt safer travelling with one type of each inhaler in their boxes so could be seen that they were prescription medicines.
Sian
Xoxoxo
Hi I am interested in what others have to say about this. I also used to get at least 2 inhalers at a time, but it has been singles for a long time, presumably due to costs? I am currently recovering from a bad attack 5 weeks ago and so far my prescrition bill (inhalers and tablets) for this bout has exceeded £120 and still rising. Surely there must be a cheaper way to stay well???
For donkey's years I always got 2 per prescription. I was swapped a few years ago from Becloforte (I forget the new name it has) to Seretide & they gave me one, ostensibly to see how I got on with it, but always kept me on one. Subsequently the consultant has swapped me to Symbcort & likewise just one.
However my reliver (ventolin) has been unchanged forever & I still get 2 at a time.
I don't mind too much as I have to renew my itraconazole monthly, & I have a pre-payment certificate but sometimes I do lose track a bit of where I am with things. Thinking about it it is quite muddled:
Preventer = 1 per month
Reliever = 2 per precription
Itraconazole = 1 month supply (to be fair I don't know where I'd put 2 months with the size of the boxes!)
Blood Pressure tablet = 2 months supply.
Montelukast = 1 month supply.
I don't know what I'd do if I was prone to being a bit absent minded or forgetful
I've recently just got the levy card only a 3 month one which was about £29. It's really worth doing if you have more than one item every month. I've recently had to have oral steroids as well as my usual medication which totalled to 4 items this month so already saved a bit of money!.
I buy a yearly prepaid prescription. Works out at about 11 pounds per month. I find this a much cheaper way as all prescription charges are covered. Can be done on a monthly direct debit .
I'm '17 and in full-time education' so I still get free and my pharmacy is really quite flexible so if I just need 1 of each item, that's fine, but if I need to refill, say, my ice hockey kit bag inhalers and my home inhalers and my spare relievers, then that's fine too. I've got Atrovent and Ventolin for relievers (and prophylaxis when I'm yellow-zoning), Fostair for preventative (not for long, though) and Montelukast tabs for preventative for asthma. Then I've got Pizotifen and Naratriptan for migraines, Benadryl Relief and Prednisolone for allergy rescue meds, and Dermol (soon to be Aveeno) for skin, so I'll most definitely be getting a pre-payment certificate once I am no longer entitled to free Rxs!
I get 2 inhalers per prescription and (recently) 2 nasal sprays per prescription, but this was decided after discussions with the surgery which has its own pharmacy on site, the nearest chemist being six miles away. For a while it did go down to one. I seem to recall being told that it was to ensure that people didn't end up with more medication than was needed, particularly if medication got switched; once it has been prescribed and handed over it can't be returned, even if it is unused and the seals are unbroken. I argued that given that the dose I take fluctuates according to time of year and other triggers, it is very easy to get caught out if I can only get one at a time. Then of course there is the problem of what happens if there is a problem with supply (which has occurred in the past) particularly if this should happen in winter and the conditions are bad.
With reliever inhalers such as Ventolin, the aim of asthma control is to reduce the amount of reliever you use... If you are getting through at least one ventolin a month, then your treatment needs to be reassessed.
I realise for some people, such as myself, who have severe asthma, (I use nebs every day) that control with preventers is not always possible.
This should flag up at your GPs if you are using more and perhaps see the GP / Asthma nurse / speak to your asthma consultant if more are needed or a preventer can be stepped up or have add ons....
I realise we aren't all the same with asthma. Some people are OK on preventers and only need the ventolin occasionally... this is what GPs and the health service wants... BUT.... for some of us on max doses of preventers and extras, this isn't possible.
There are 200 doses in each ventolin and I was told to use it twice in the morning and twice at night - that's 120 of the doses used before I take part in any activity or require it because I'm tight chested
I go to the gym 4 times per week and play football once per week and I always take my inhaler before any form of exercise
I easily go through an inhaler per month just by getting on with my day to day stuff, usage goes through the roof when I'm ill or at the start of winter
One of my inhaler went out of date in September asked for a replacement and got 2. I was surprised but then realized that I got two inhalers and small spacers so they just went on what I have. (you have to buy those but I manage to get my on prescription). As I have a prepayment card for another long term condition so I decided to make the most of it. The doctors let me have two inhalers as I am brownie leader and I was going on camp so I could have one with me and one in the first aid box and I'm the first aider! I keep one in my rucksack which I used every day and one in my handbag makes life much simpler.
I am lucky I have a thyroid condition so I don't pay as i was told it was life threatening so isn't asthma I just don't understand the mentality of people who make these decisions
I’ve always only had 1 inhaler per prescription up until recently when they changed me over to fostair. The nurse put 2 on the prescription and nobody has changed it so I still get 2 though I wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually goes back down to 1.
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