Special prescription for Liothyronine?

[Ed2000]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced and conquered this problem. I have Morningside 20 mcg Liothyronine as a named medicine on my prescription. After supplying this for nearly two years via online prescription ordering, my pharmacy is now asking me to get a green script marked by the GP as an unlicenced special to take to them. As I understand it, it' so that they are sufficiently reimbursed; however it's not only inconvenient but constantly alerts the GP to a drug they often want to stop! Has anyone encountered this?

[Star13]

I’m wondering if your Pharmacist has got mixed up with other non- licensed Lio meds like Thybon Henning! Morningside is as far as I can see licensed and therefore you do not need what he is asking for. Here is the link you can show him although if he knows what he’s doing he should not need it!

medicines.org.uk/emc/produc...

[Ed2000 in reply to Star13]

Thank you for that - I understand that the pharmacist requesting an unlicensed special was wrong as Morningside is licensed.

[TiggerMe Ambassador]

It does seem to be that pharmacies are tightening up on incorrectly written scripts (not surprisingly as they are going out of business due to not being reimbursed correctly) but my Surgery absolutely refuses to specify named Vencamil or branded Roma capsules other than in brackets as an after thought.. they also used to refuse to dispense inline with their own prescription!!

I did find an independent pharmacy that were great for over a year even with a poorly written script

With Roma it is ok as they are the only capsules available and once Vencamil was named I thought my issues were over but the independent pharmacy then insisted the script should be written correctly 🙄

I went back to my Surgery and asked how this was supposed to work if they won't issue correctly worded scripts (the pharmacy rule is the name/ brand should appear in the first line of the script which is almost impossible as there isn't room if you start with Liothyronine 5microgram capsules....) in the end they agreed that they would dispense, which doesn't stop them giving me the wrong stuff but at least they are only around the corner 🙄

So after all that I really don't know how you are supposed to get a specific brand every time 😳

[helvella]

I do not like what you have just posted.

1) Morningside liothyronine is a licensed medicine in the UK.

2) The Patient Information Leaflet is on the MHRA website here: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

3) Getting a licensed medicine prescribed as an unlicensed special comes across as potentially fraudulent activity.

4) I understand that the pharmacy might not be getting fully reimbursed but that is not your fault, nor your responsibility to resolve.

Under other circumstances, I'd be saying you should contact your ICB and getting them involved. But I understand why you would be reluctant to do that. I don't know what to say but mis-classifying in order to extract more payment, however justified from the pharmacy point of view, is not something I would want to get involved with.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Morningside 20mcg seems currently very difficult or impossible for many pharmacies to obtain

Yet morningside company denies there’s any supply issues

[Star13]

If it's purely a monetary issue the pharmacist can just refuse to dispense as happened to me recently. It was then up to the GP to find someone who would as it was the GP Pharmacist that was being stubborn about what they were prescribing.

[arTistapple]

I don’t like the sound of all this jigery pokery at all. It could just be total incompetence or something else entirely.

This whole thyroid game is becoming more and more untenable. From the outset it’s a very poor journey. No diagnosis. Late diagnosis. Ineffective medications. The list goes on and on. Now there are more and more stories, about no security of our medications.