Prescription

[Av42]

Just a quick question , when I last picked up my prescription from the pharmacy, the pharmacist asked me if I took them to my doctors to get injection which I do , he then said you do realise these come in boxes of 5 so why don’t you ask doctor if can get all 5 at once so it isn’t costing you £9 a time . I wondered if anyone else has been given their prescription for 5 as a bit scared to ask in case decide to stop them altogether. I’m lucky to do very well on 12 weekly and as I get them at surgery I would be sticking to that . Don’t know what to do for the best really as obviously save a lot of money but wouldn’t want to say anything and jeopardise my health. Apologies , not such a quick question after all!!🤪

[helvella]

Have you considered a Prepayment Certificate? You do not need a lot of prescriptions for them to work out less expensive - one a month is enough:

nhsbsa.nhs.uk/help-nhs-pres...

[Av42 in reply to helvella]

The only prescription I have is for b12 . I had dismissed asking completely but I happened to be discussing it with a colleague at work and she doesn’t pay at all and lives in the same town but different surgery and as she’s not on anything else either it made me think I’m getting ripped off !! Just a bit !

[fbirder in reply to Av42]

Could be age? Us old codgers (over 60) don't pay.

[Janma123 in reply to Av42]

Could be because it is an ‘essential, for life medication’ - my daughter didn’t have to pay for thyroxine when first prescribed as it was classed as essential. We are now in Scotland now where no one pays.

My husband was prescribed 10 ampules initially - six loading and the other four were kept at the surgery for future use.

[fbirder]

Yes, mine is dispensed 5 at a time, for home injection.

[Av42 in reply to fbirder]

I may ask the question although after reading a lot of the posts on here I know the saying “there’s no harm in asking” all too rarely applies !

[JanD236]

My gp gives me a prescription for 5 at a time.

[Av42]

Ok thanks , definitely worth me asking the question then .

[Gambit62 Administrator]

i don't get given a prescription - they are dispensed by the surgery and I don't pay - not that I would pay anyway as I have an exemption now due to hypothyroidism.

Personally I think that its a bit off if you are being asked to collect a prescription and pay for a vital medication that you then have to take to the surgery for administration. I'd be inclined to write to the practice and say you are aware of other surgeries (and I think it would be the majority) where B12 prescriptions aren't handed to the patient but the B12 is administered at the surgery free of charge and wonder why this isn't the case at your surgery.

[deniseinmilden]

And as you are OK on 3 monthly there's always the possibility that if, and only if, they mess you around, you could change to another practice and get them 3 monthly there.

Or you could buy exactly the same ones online and take them with you instead - you'd get 10 for a similar price as 1 prescription then!

[pollianna]

How sweet of the pharmacist. I used to get a load of Lupus drugs monthly and the pharmacist was taking over £60 a month from me for years and never once mentioned a pre payment.

[helvella in reply to pollianna]

One of the reasons I mentioned it was to try to make the option more widely known.

[lfc4eva]

My GP has always prescribed a box of 5.

[Vicky2822]

If they inject you at the surgery you should not be paying for the prescription, the gp should supply them.

[Kaffiolio in reply to Vicky2822]

They used to supply for free - my surgery says they can no longer store it so I have to get the box of 5 on prescription then remember to bring them when I have the injection. I thought it might be a way of making us pay as its so common now.

[Sherlockthepup]

Your doctor probably doesn't even realise what is happening，I severely doubt they give it a thought. My prescription is for a box of 5 your pharmacist is right to tell you to ask.

Good luck ☺

[Kaffiolio]

Hi, my surgery prescribes a box of 5 each time. Just check the use by date as if you get them every 3 months they need to last a year. Hope this helps!

[topazrat]

I was prescribed a box of 5 when I first went on to jabs, which I took to the surgery and gave to Nursey. I've had many more than 5 jabs, so I'm not sure where the extra ones are coming from, not that I'm complaining.

[Hidden]

My daughter has been self injecting for many years now and she gets a pack of 5 at a time as do I once a year. She did get a script for a single ampoule once from the surgery idiot and we complained when it was altered. What they said was the doctors are asked to issue a single ampoules script by the the nurse who does the injection to keep their records correct.

I buy them from Germany by the 100 as I need them much more frequently and the surgery will not support that. But I still get 5 a year.

As you are needing these injections just to keep you alive it is a little irksome that we do not get free medication as type 1 diabetics do. So getting a box of 5 a year is hardly a great expense. A pack of 10 from Germany are just 6 Euro.

[Av42]

Thanks to everyone for replying from these posts it definitely seems like I’ve been ripped off !

[LWhelan]

I get my prescription for five then leave them with the nurse at my GP practice - she has a cupboard full of everyone’s prescription b12😀👍