Hi again everyone,
I would like to thank everyone for their advice and concerns regarding my dilemma. I keep reading about 'named prescription'. I thought all prescriptions had names on them? What does that mean exactly? It seems someone can purchase meds abroad, say Germany if they have one.
It means that a doctor agrees to prescribe a non licensed medication on a named patient basis. This means the doctor takes personal liability for anything that goes wrong and that their professional liability insurance through a gp practice, or an acute hospital trust would not be valid. His/her professional insurance via the gmc may apply but would have to be argued in court. Therefore many medics are unwilling to prescribe ndt (natural desiccated thyroid) and liothyronine as they are not familiar with these drugs and not willing to put their registration at risk.
Liothyronine is a Licensed medication in the UK.
The term is usually meant for prescriptions which are for products not in the range regularly prescribed. The full term, "named-patient basis", implies that medicine XXX can be prescribed because someone, somewhere authorised (or at least, recorded) this unusual prescribing.
In current day use, it very often simply means a medicine without a licence covering prescription in the UK. This could be for an active ingredient not available in the UK, a make or dosage not available in the UK, or whatever. The official "specials" importer might require a letter from the prescriber before they will supply.
Yes - except in very unusual circumstances - all UK prescriptions have names on them.
You can use a standard NHS prescription to obtain prescription-only medicines from Germany or, at least in theory, any other EU country. (Similarly, any private prescription but it has to have been written according to the pan-EU rules.) However, unlike some cross-border regulations, it depends on the individual pharmacy being will to handle it. It is not mandatory for every pharmacy to handle any prescription from any other EU healthcare system.
And you have to pay the pharmacy's bill - the fact the NHS would pay in the UK is irrelevant. 
Named Patient Basis
Named patient basis for NDT
Euthyral prescription ... dose
Levothyroxine and iron prescription
T3 prescription from GP
