Getting Covid antivirals

[Choccy8]

Hi, has anyone tried to get hold of antiviral treatment lately after a positive test? I tested positive on Wednesday and rang 111, but have been passed from pillar to post, with no call yet from the actual antiviral team. I had Covid 18 months ago and the process seemed a lot more streamlined then, with the medication being delivered to my home within a couple of days. I just rang the GP, to be told they're full up and are sending everyone to 111 anyway! 🤷

[DorsetLady]

This issue comes up many times on the PMRGCAuk forum -it depends what medication you are on m, what dose and for how long you’ve been on it.

It was more streamlined in the past when less people had been fully vaccinated.. and now the NHS doesn’t have the resources to maintain that level of care indefinitely.

The green book gives more info -

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See table 3 for immunosuppressed patients -page 24

[Choccy8 in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks, DorsetLady. I am eligible for the antivirals as I take Mycophenolate. Having spoken again to 111, it's now seeming like the problem is that I live in Wales but have a GP in England! Hopefully I'll get something sorted today...

[DorsetLady in reply to Choccy8]

Hope so… so much for cross-border cooperation! Sounds good on paper, not so good in the real world..

[C-aches in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you so much for this information, clearly put and easy to find. I contacted my GP when I tested positive, and feeling really poorly. He told me he would have to contact the hospital for information, and I waited 5 days for a negative response! Glad to say I recovered anyway. Green Book, page 24, long term treatment with immunosupressive medication for SLE. Bingo. Thanks again

[DorsetLady in reply to C-aches]

Glad it helped..

[Bobbydoodle]

I’m only on hydroxychloroquine and warfarin but my GP gave me a prescription for antivirals when I had vivid in July BUT not one pharmacy had any stock my family went everywhere and so in the end I didn’t take them as I would have been out of the window anyway so would have been pointless. I was ok though luckily.

Good luck I hope you get sorted.

[Choccy8 in reply to Bobbydoodle]

Oh, that's not good. Glad you came through OK. I've been quite lucky in the end, managed to get my prescription filled from a pharmacy about 15 miles away! (I live in a rural area) Already feeling a lot better after only two doses. Thanks for your reply.

[amyamyamy1]

I rang 111 and someone from the anti viral team called me back the following morning then a doctor from the team called me an hour or so afterwards . They sent me anti viral drugs by courier at about 8.45pm that evening as I could not get to the hospital to collect them.

[Choccy8 in reply to amyamyamy1]

Wow! That sounds great, and like it should be. My experience in March 23 was more along those lines. This time, every phone call was referring me on to someone else who might take 24 to 48 hours to ring back! I felt like I was in a loop. Part of the trouble, as I mentioned in reply to DorsetLady, seemed to be that I live in Wales but have a GP in England. Things only got moving when I rang 111 but selected the England option. Even then, I had to do a lot of the legwork, and the GPs didn't seem familiar with the procedure. At one point, they gave me the phone number for the hospital antiviral service, but when I rang I was told the GP had to ring, not me. Sorted now, thank goodness, from a pharmacy 15 miles away, as local one didn't have stock.

[Chicky12]

Hi, I had covid in July, my husband brought it back from a conference in Bristol. I rang 111, got an appointment with an out of hours GP at my local hospital then was referred by him to the central medicines unit in a Huddersfield. They phoned the next day, I went through a lot of questions then a clinician rang me, prescribed antivirals through an email and I went to the local pharmacy to collect them. They were like horse pills, quite large. I felt better after exactly 5 days. No ill affects after.

[Shobbs]

Hi, I had Covid in September. I rang 111 immediately after the positive test. There were MANY phone calls, a couple in the middle of the night and through the following day. I Received the anti-virals within 24 hours, delivered by taxi from the hospital. I can't say it wasn't long-winded but it felt like there was a process to be followed and you've just got to keep going till the end! I was pretty ill despite the anti-virals so I dread to think how ill I'd have been without them. Pretty much better now although the additional level of Covid brain on top of Lupus brain is quite something to behold...I put two bras on the other day!!