Preservative free dexamethasone discountined?

[GirlWithTheBow]

The consultant has requested my gp to provide me a repeat prescription for preservative free dexamethasone but my gp surgery is constantly denying my repeat prescription because they say it’s no longer available. I’m running low and it’s Easter so what should I do. Last time the hospital rewrote to the gp and gave me a prescription but I loathe to go back to the glaucoma secretary for the third time to ask for advice

If it’s been discontinued then how come I can get hold of the medication from the hospital’s prescription?

[muddledme]

Hello GirlWithTheBow,

I agree it is always a worry when the pharmacy cannot get your eye drops.

Perhaps they mean thatTHEY are out of stock. Over the years similar things happened to me so I had a list of other pharmacies and would ring around. I often found the Asda pharmacy very helpful as they have a different supplier.

Your GP should give you the prescription so you can take it to another pharmacy yourself. Some of the pharmacists are very helpful and may suggest somewhere else to try....if all this fails then do get back to opthalmology at the hospital before the long weekend.

Good luck !

[GirlWithTheBow in reply to muddledme]

Hi, my pharmacy has plenty of stock. It's my GP surgery that keeps saying it's no longer made so they won't give me a prescription. Without a prescription my pharmacy can't give me my eye drops

Will my GP surgery be liable if my trabeculotomy scars over and I need more surgery and yet more dexamethasone preservative free eye drops which they won't prescribe.

I feel like my chronic illness is becoming a joke and it's so frustrating and mentally exhausting

[muddledme in reply to GirlWithTheBow]

Sorry I misunderstood....if it was me then I should definitly let your consultant's secretary know what is happening, as you say ,if they have it in stock then they would want to know patients were having so much trouble obtaining it.

best wishes

[Bellamolly60 in reply to GirlWithTheBow]

sometimes it’s the particular make

I have the same problem eye 👁️ hospital

Provide one the doctor want because it’s

More expensive than the one he prescribes

[GirlWithTheBow in reply to Bellamolly60]

They can prescribe the medication without the brand name and at the end of the day it depends which brand the pharmacy stocks. I don’t understand how the funding works within the clinical commission group

[Bellamolly60 in reply to GirlWithTheBow]

correct when mentioned it to Pharmacy

Said it’s the cost they go for the cheaper

One ⚽️🇺🇦

[GirlWithTheBow]

the glaucoma secretary says it’s a cost issue hence why Gp is reluctant to provide an alternative brand. I mean back in January they prescribed it to me with no problem and didn’t say it was discontinued so why all of a sudden they’re saying that. I found older posts on the forum where others had similar experiences

[Trish_GlaucomaUK Partner]

Hello,

I'm glad you have spoken to the secretary again to get this problem rectified for you.

Your GP should write out the prescription issued by your consultant. To tell you it has been discontinued is not acceptable.

There is not a shortage in the UK.

[GirlWithTheBow in reply to Trish_GlaucomaUK]

i contacted the glaucoma secretary on previous occasions. I left the secretary a message again this time round. Hoping they will be able to sort it out with my gp surgery

[AlfredV]

This doesn't solve your immediate problem, but a consultant showed me how to reuse the single-use dexafree vials. He showed how you snapped the head off, put a drop in, then the head could be forced back on upside down. This was useful when I was applying the drops 16 times per day. However, he did warn against reusing the vials after 24 hours as the risk of contamination/infection increased.

[GirlWithTheBow in reply to AlfredV]

thank you for the tip. I have done that last time. Just checked my app and gp surgery has written me a prescription for the so called discontinued dexafree! Just waiting for clinician to sign off and off it goes to pharmacy

[Cockerspadge]

I’ve been using this for years, gp told me to reseal the vials despite consultant saying they are single use. Seems to me the gp makes up their own rules.

[GirlWithTheBow in reply to Cockerspadge]

better to be safe than sorry. I would only reuse the single use vials in desperate situations

[Beecalmed]

I hope this is being sorted for you! Similar has happened to me in past and I suspect cost is the driving factor. Hugely stressful and upsetting! It sometimes feels like the hospital and GP are bouncing us around to try avoid costs but at the expense of our stress levels. 😕

[GirlWithTheBow in reply to Beecalmed]

I agree with you about the stress it has caused. The gp surgery has issued my prescription but didn’t give me enough for 3x day for 2 weeks. I rang and referred them again to the hospital letter for my dosage. For whatever reason they have (or probably a mistake) they then prescribed me for all the other eye medications on the letter, even though I have just got a repeat prescription for the others. What a waste of money. I told my pharmacy to only pack the dexa free not the other eye drops which I don’t need yet

[Beecalmed in reply to GirlWithTheBow]

Oooh! It’s all coming back now. Do check the single phials storage instructions! I’ve had some freeze in the fridge! 😲 They reacted differently to being chilled than a bottle if drops.

[GirlWithTheBow in reply to Beecalmed]

i suspect i might not even get round to using some of the non needed medication if my bleb needling takes place soon. In hindsight maybe i should take it in case my procedure is not happening as soon as i want