GP....Medication.....what do you do about this......

sedge said:
I've just realised what the 'you can get a repeat scrip for 12 months' means. You can indeed for some drugs - most of mine are for 6 though.

When I look at a copy of my repeat scrip, it has the total number of repeats I am allowed to order, before I have to have a review. The scrips may only have been reviewed yesterday and have all 6 left but all the tablets only last 28 days, and I can only get 3 scrips for one month's supply of them upfront, as I said previously.

These have to be ordered separately at our surgery cos the poor dears can't cope with anyone going on holiday for that long and I've now given up trying to argue about it cos there's only so much time I'm willing to spend banging my head on a brick wall !

(And then the pharmacist goes on leave in the middle of this and the locum decides it's a mistake cos it's exactly the same as the one the puter shows was done yesterday ......)
Click to expand...
If you were the GP and had medical litigation the way it is these days why would you stick your neck out and give someone a years worth of medication they could misuse or find a side effect with in 10 months time when a 6 month review was considered the norm!
 
The Wino said:
The bigger problem of course is what happens if your previously well controlled illness goes out of kilter but if you wait it might get worse!!!
Click to expand...
In my case after speaking to the company who deliver my injections, thankfully they may be ok which is good because if I had a big relapse it could be a complete disaster as I have MS.
 
denisejoe said:
Are you planning on full timing in the UK or abroad? If in the UK then you can just register as a temporary patient wherever you happen to need more medication.

However if going abroad it will be more difficult. We are going away for about 4 months but our GP will only give us 3 months worth of medication and we didn't have enough time to build up extra supplies. We're hoping we'll be able to buy anything we run out of while we're away.

However, with injections I would think it would be more difficult. I think your first port of call should be your current GP.

Denise
Click to expand...
We are not planning on leaving the UK at all, so that is one issue we don't have to face.
From what I have found out so far my injections will be the easiest bit, thank heavens.
Thank you for the advise, much appreciated.
 
Trying to think round this - some ideas which will take some forward planning at the re-order time

1) do the company who deliver your injections deliver nationally?
If so, arrange for the injection delivery to the campsite you will be staying on

2) can you order your other drugs online with your current surgery?
Perhaps a friend/family member could collect and courier/post them to a collection point (post office, campsite)

Apologies if these are totally out of the question ideas, I don't know whether this is feasible for your type of drugs or whether the post office offers such a service. Does mean at certain times you would have to be in a certain place.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
houdini said:
Trying to think round this - some ideas which will take some forward planning at the re-order time

1) do the company who deliver your injections deliver nationally?
If so, arrange for the injection delivery to the campsite you will be staying on

2) can you order your other drugs online with your current surgery?
Perhaps a friend/family member could collect and courier/post them to a collection point (post office, campsite)

Apologies if these are totally out of the question ideas, I don't know whether this is feasible for your type of drugs or whether the post office offers such a service. Does mean at certain times you would have to be in a certain place.
Click to expand...

In answer to No1) Yes the company do deliver nationally.
and No2) Something we need to look into.....this is the biggest grey area.
 
sedge said:
Since trolling is a banning offence on the forum I moderate, if you feel that anyone including me is trolling you then you should report the posts to Admin, for the appropriate action to be taken for this forum.
Click to expand...
I've clearly missed something?

Hope you get your meds sorted okay
 
The Wino said:
If you were the GP and had medical litigation the way it is these days why would you stick your neck out and give someone a years worth of medication they could misuse or find a side effect with in 10 months time when a 6 month review was considered the norm!
Click to expand...
I would never expect a GP to do such a thing, but being the best help they can be so that two old farts like us can enjoy ourselves would be nice. :winky:

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
I think a lot of them would be dead keen to do evertking they can to help 2 old farts but legally they just have to watch their backs all the time. The ambulance chasers make it a sad world for the rest of us
 
As @sedge says most tablets are supplied in 28 which doctors consider a months supply so with a 3 months supply you could be 8 tablets short
 
If you are not moving out of the country , wouldn't it be easy to go back every couple of months.
 
I'm lucky with that - I am on 4 different tablets, an inhaler, some pessaries, test strips and insulin and all having been prescribed at different times, the repeats are only renewed 'as and when' - so I never have the same number of repeats left on everything! - so I can order stuff - apparently haphazardly, but it isn't LOL - before we go on hols and stockpile a bit - because nothing is a 'controlled' drug it's OK. I don't want a stockpile, I disapprove of stockpiling but if you can't beat em .... LOL After we get back, I just don't order any more of whatever I have enough of until it's needed. As far as insulin is concerned and all the hardware for it, we are always advised to take twice as much as we think we'll need on holiday with us. Fine - are you going to pay for the tow bar and trailer then? LOL But again - in an emergency - it's actually unheard of for a doctor not to prescribe insulin when it's needed (providing you can show evidence that you need it hence we are advised to get a letter from hosp or GP to say we do, to take on holiday with us) and my brand and type is available most places in the world. In 'civilised' countries - the medical profession are well aware that diabetes doesn't come on its own so the majority of my other drugs wouldn't be a problem to get prescribed (and some of them are 'over the counter' ones abroad anyway)

I imagine Mrs AK would need to do that (get the medical letter) in order to get her drug prescribed elsewhere in view of it being a 'controlled' drug?

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
sedge said:
I'm lucky with that - I am on 4 different tablets, an inhaler, some pessaries, test strips and insulin and all having been prescribed at different times, the repeats are only renewed 'as and when' - so I never have the same number of repeats left on everything! - so I can order stuff - apparently haphazardly, but it isn't LOL - before we go on hols and stockpile a bit - because nothing is a 'controlled' drug it's OK. I don't want a stockpile, I disapprove of stockpiling but if you can't beat em .... LOL After we get back, I just don't order any more of whatever I have enough of until it's needed. As far as insulin is concerned and all the hardware for it, we are always advised to take twice as much as we think we'll need on holiday with us. Fine - are you going to pay for the tow bar and trailer then? LOL But again - in an emergency - it's actually unheard of for a doctor not to prescribe insulin when it's needed (providing you can show evidence that you need it hence we are advised to get a letter from hosp or GP to say we do, to take on holiday with us) and my brand and type is available most places in the world. In 'civilised' countries - the medical profession are well aware that diabetes doesn't come on its own so the majority of my other drugs wouldn't be a problem to get prescribed (and some of them are 'over the counter' ones abroad anyway)

I imagine Mrs AK would need to do that (get the medical letter) in order to get her drug prescribed elsewhere in view of it being a 'controlled' drug?
Click to expand...
Alternative...my wife for example can present my Nhs pp card and collect my meds, someone could do that for you mrsambulance kid and forward them on?
 
sedge said:
I imagine Mrs AK would need to do that (get the medical letter) in order to get her drug prescribed elsewhere in view of it being a 'controlled' drug?
Click to expand...

We have one each that are controlled drugs, the rest isn't & that includes my injections. I hope we can sort something out, whatever happens I will keep everyone posted.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DBK
It would probably best to get someone to get your prescription for you and then send it to you "guaranteed delivery" to the campsite or someone who will take it in for you. Maybe even to a parcel shop where you can collect it?

With the 3 month ruling (as in you have to be in the catchment area of your GP) I think you may have to go home for a few days every three months. Obviously I don't know your personal circumstances but if you are full timing you might want to register with a GP near the accommodation address you are using for insurance, tax and so on. If this is a family member a trip to visit there every three months might be a good idea - if only to make sure you keep on top of the legal stuff.
 
I am presuming your drugs as being delivered are the expensive "biologic" variety which have strict funding and commissioning rules around them. Scotland via the Scottish Medicines Consortium may commission i.e. pay for the drugs under different circumstances to NHS England and NHS Wales. Therefore as a first move please ensure your medication is commissioned in England, e.g NICE approved otherwise no Gp is going to fit the bill, temporary patient or not. This is another reason they are only 28 day are present a huge wastage to the NHS if not used. They cannot be returned and used for another patient

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Mrsambulancekidd said:
That bit won't be a problem as it is a DMD for MS. x
Click to expand...

But is that prescription written by your GP or your consultant MS specialist? Can gps prescribe DMTs?
I'm unsure how being out of area for a period of time would affect your MS support from the hospital? How often do you need check ups?
Where would you go if you had a relapse and needed steroids etc? I'm not trying to be negative but I'm struggling to see how you will travel and manage a not insignificant health issue.
 
Mousy said:
But is that prescription written by your GP or your consultant MS specialist? Can gps prescribe DMTs?
I'm unsure how being out of area for a period of time would affect your MS support from the hospital? How often do you need check ups?
Where would you go if you had a relapse and needed steroids etc? I'm not trying to be negative but I'm struggling to see how you will travel and manage a not insignificant health issue.
Click to expand...
You sound like someone who knows the score, I assume you also have MS.
This is something I need to talk to my MS nurse about.
Thank you for your reply, your not being negative at all, just realistic.
 
Yes Ive been blessed too:confused:
I take Tecfidera (Dimethyl fumarate) it's one of the new very effective oral dmd. 3 monthly blood tests at the hospital ms team clinic plus yearly MRIs. I know that prescription is only given by the Consultant, hence my question about your injections (capaxone, rebif?)
I doubt we would ever be away for more than 3 months at a time so I could fit it around my treatment and my gp is fine to give me 3 months of my other drugs. At the moment I have weekly physio and hyperbaric oxygen therapy as well but with Martin still working trips longer than a fortnight are all we can manage anyway.

Where I think you may come unstuck isn't with the travel you want to do, it's the lack of a permanent address. Talk to your nurse by all means but casually ;) as in "what if?" not "we are going to" in case they can withdraw care/funding. and ask loads of advice on fun, full timing frequently comes up.

I do wish you well, MS shouldn't mean we have to give up on our dreams we just have to find a different way of achieving them(y)
 
Mousy said:
I do wish you well, MS shouldn't mean we have to give up on our dreams we just have to find a different way of achieving them(y)
Click to expand...
Yes I would always ask in a 'We have been thinking about.....'
I am on Copaxone, DX'd in 2006 in Wales as it happens, where in Wales are you?
I have only ever had one MRI, that was how I was DX'd, I hardly ever see my consultant or MS nurse.....daft really when you consider that Scotland has such a large concentration of people with MS.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
My nearest hospital is Morrison Swansea, I see Dr Owen Pearson.
I've found Barts blog and Shift MS invaluable sources of info and learnt to be proactive in asking for good care and support. I've heard that Scottish MS treatment is patchy and yes that makes no sence to me when there are more patients with it there!
 
Mousy said:
My nearest hospital is Morrison Swansea, I see Dr Owen Pearson.
I've found Barts blog and Shift MS invaluable sources of info and learnt to be proactive in asking for good care and support. I've heard that Scottish MS treatment is patchy and yes that makes no sence to me when there are more patients with it there!
Click to expand...
Did you have to jump through hoops to get your DX the way some have to?
I had two separate numb areas, saw the GP up in Scotland who mentioned MS, then saw the neuro in Morriston.........he was so rude to me, treated me as if I was some kind of time waster, he sent me for an MRI just to eliminate MS.
Now when I came back to see him a man who looked identical but had a charming personality collected me from the waiting room, sat me down, then he told that I did have MS.......he ate his words, hence the charm.:oops2:
I didn't need any further tests, that was it.
He commented that I seemed to take the news pretty well, I said that it was always a 50/50 chance and shrugged my shoulders.
However when I got into my car I absolutely folded & sobbed my heart out.:crying1:
I failed to get Robert on the phone, but I did get my best friend, bless her she was working but still pulled her police car over because she could hear I was upset. I did manage to get Robert in the end, it was a bomb shell for him even though he had suspected I had it before I saw the GP.
So if any of you lovely people out there have read this and find you have MORE THAN ONE numb area, please go and get checked out.
 
Trouble in Scotland is - as I understand it from the Diabetes community - the specialists for anything are restricted to the main large hospitals and they are usually excellent - but the 'catchment' areas for those are so wide - most people only get whatever the 'standard' intervals of treatment are for that speciality and without multiplying their capacity that's that.

However we - with mega assistance from our charities - have been campaigning a lot in Parliament and broadly for improvements in recent years where my little problem is concerned and it's largely been successful. In fact Scotland have something that the rest of the UK doesn't have - and we'd love to! - called 'My diabetes My way' - cos it's brilliant.
 
needing medication and traveling long time is a problem, I have to take meds and what I did was get a letter from my GP saying what meds I need to take, I had to pay in a few countries, with you needing chilled injections take every precaution you can always get them where ever you are, in the U.K its not a big problem as you can go to a GP for a scrip showing that letter as proof of need , if going into Europe I am not sure of the situation other then be sure to get a GP letter with the name of the medication you need, very difficult situation for you
 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top