Rationalise Medication

[DonutEater]

Hi has anyone had a message for a review in order to rationalise your medication?

I’m quite scared about it I’ve spent years getting my medication just right and I don’t want it messing around with.

Thank you.

[Hidden]

Don't panic is my first comment! Have you actually been asked by your doctor to cut down on your medication? Which is what I assume you mean by rationalise? What medication is it? Ask your GP if your particular medication is having trouble being restocked by the pharmacy. All these rumours about drugs being in short supply can be answered by either your pharmacist or GP. I haven't had any problems getting any of mine and I'm on Oxycodone, Nefopam, Losartan, Lansoprozole, Cetirizine, and Amlopidine.

[cyberbarn]

There are two parts to this. First of all, there are a lot of people, especially elderly people, who have prescriptions for multiple medicines, often prescribed by many different people, none of whom talk to each other. This is called poly pharmacy and can be quite dangerous. When they started looking into this they found some people were taking the same drug twice, once as prescribed by a consultant, and once by the GP. They also found that people might be taking one drug for a condition, then another for the side effects, and then another for the side effects of the side effects, when if the original drug was changed or at a different dose they might not have any side effects at all. When they realised the problem they started bringing in pharmacists into clinical practice to help review people's drugs.

Secondly though, there is the money. The NHS has a national formulary for drugs, and each Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has one too. This states what can and can't be prescribed under the NHS. So periodically when the formulary changes, patients will have their prescriptions changed. This can be another reason for calling in patients to discuss their drugs.

This can sometimes end up really helping a patient, as newer drugs become available, or newer treatments. It can also protect the patient by having a GP or other prescriber say yep, this person is using these drugs appropriately, they can carry on. It might seem a waste of money for those of us that take responsibility for our conditions to have to go through this, but it is surprising how many people just keep getting their prescriptions renewed every month but never used the drugs.

In our own case, it has been to our advantage when the CCG said that anyone prescribed supplement drinks had to be seen by a dietician to make sure they really needed them. So now every 6 months I get a 10 minute phone call with a dietician about my son's selective eating disorder. Not only does she write a letter to the GP to ask them to keep prescribing the 'medicinal custard' as my son calls them, we also keep track of his weight and troubleshoot any problems with his diet together. So it has worked much better than just being left alone, I feel I have someone on my side.

We have been called up for a melatonin review now though. The NHS has decided not to support the prescribing of long term melatonin for under 55s without annual reviews so we will need to go in and argue our case. I am sure it will work out okay, as it will for you!

[DonutEater in reply to cyberbarn]

I’ve got myself really in a downer thinking about it they’ve stopped my morphine medication so I’ve got to see them to see how it’s going to affect me I hope you can get your medication as well good luck with the annual review.

[deejames]

These reviews are necessary to ensure that people are getting the right medicine at the orrect dose. All of which is important for health and financially as there are millions spent on unnecessary medications.

Don't worry but go along to the review and discuss it .

Dee

[DonutEater]

I’m really worried about it now as they’ve stopped my morphine medication 😢