Prescription supply for long-term overseas trips

[sciac2001]

Hi,

We have planned a 6 month overseas trip in the mh.

My wife is on prescription thyroid tablets which she needs to take daily. She has asked her Doctor for a prescription covering our time away and although he has previously done so, on this occasion the prescription given is only for the standard 2 months.
This may simply be a misreading of my wife’s request but it may not.

I fully understand that doctors are keen to avoid wasteful prescriptions that are then not used and also the medical implications of prescribing such quantities, but my wife is an ex-nurse with years of proven reliability to not abuse the system.

Can we insist that under their Duty of Care obligation to their patients that they prescribe accordingly?

How do other long-termers with similar medication requirements deal with this?

(Getting family members to do the honours is not an option for us at the moment and this post is only to gauge thoughts on Doctors’ obligations and/or actual funster experience.)

Many thanks

 

[Lenny HB]

I think 3 months is the maximum they can issue but it is down to the doctor.
What a lot of us do is order a prescription every 6 weeks (any sooner it gets rejected) that way you can build up a stock.

Also if you are out of the country for more than 90 days you are struct of the surgery register if they find out, another reason they won't issue for more than 3 months.

 

[Badknee]

We regularly get the max three months which is fine for now with the 90 day rule but in the past we’ve had family pick them up and post them out to us. If we plan it right we can normally get our script a bit early through the summer and stockpile them.

 

[gus-lopez]

Can we insist that under their Duty of Care obligation to their patients that they prescribe accordingly?

)0 days & you are supposed to remove yourself from the doctors list. It is maximum they can supply.

If Eutirox they are available over the counter here about 1,50€ for 100 tablets.

 

[sciac2001]

Unfortunately our surgery has rejected a repeat every 6 weeks and as or family posting them over to us, the pharmacy will only allow collection of the prescription no more than 5 days before due date. By the time it is collected, posted and received it might bewell after her tablets have run out and I shall have a very ill wife on my hands.

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[sciac2001]

)0 days & you are supposed to remove yourself from the doctors list. It is maximum they can supply.

If Eutirox they are available over the counter here about 1,50€ for 100 tablets.

Its for Levothyroxine. Apparently cheap as chips...

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

We usually order our prescriptions a week to 10 days earlier,each time and build up a stock ,so when we are away we can ask for 3 months worth and have at least 1 months worth in reserve it longer,but you have to plan ahead.
Depending on where you are going if you show your prescription you can buy them over the counter and sometimes a lot cheaper than the UK.

 

[Nanniemate]

If you use a regular local pharmacist they may have solution . The thyroxine tablets are sold on the black market as diet pills , pharmacist told me when I was whinging about the 2 month rule .
Ps they don't work as diet pills

 

[gus-lopez]

Its for Levothyroxine. Apparently cheap as chips...

= Euthyrox = Eutirox , in spain

 

[Just smiffy]

I have bought many medications abroad many times over the counter at pharmacies generally for a few €’s a packet with no problems at all, just show them the old box or your prescription…

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[Speve]

Just take a script with you then when in Spain you can go to a pharmacy and buy them it’s not expensive and easy to do

 

[Badknee]

I have bought many medications abroad many times over the counter at pharmacies generally for a few €’s a packet with no problems at all, just show them the old box or your prescription…

My metformin/sitagliptin tablets cost us 70€ for 28 tablets a couple of years ago when I didn’t bring enough, the rest of my tablets were very cheap. Metformin on its own was pennies.

 

[Just smiffy]

My metformin/sitagliptin tablets cost us 70€ for 28 tablets a couple of years ago when I didn’t bring enough, the rest of my tablets were very cheap. Metformin on its own was pennies.

And you say I’m special…..

 

[Badknee]

And you say I’m special…..

Errrrrrrrrr, I think your special in the meaning of your a one off, thank god for that
One of you is more than enough

 

[sciac2001]

Just take a script with you then when in Spain you can go to a pharmacy and buy them it’s not expensive and easy to do

Thanks,
Do you mean the actual prescription?
If so, unfortunately we will not be in a position to collect it from the doctor to present it.

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[Minxy]

Unfortunately our surgery has rejected a repeat every 6 weeks and as or family posting them over to us, the pharmacy will only allow collection of the prescription no more than 5 days before due date. By the time it is collected, posted and received it might bewell after her tablets have run out and I shall have a very ill wife on my hands.

First thing I would do is change your pharmacy as they have no right to prevent you from collecting a legitimately issues prescription, be it 1, 5, 10 or 20 days before the due date (which I assume is the date you're wife needs them).

If you're usually issued with 2 month's you can't normally ask for a repeat for 7 weeks (49 days) since the last one was issued, I have some meds and just order them on-line every 49 days so can build up a stock of them for when we go abroad thus no problems with running out. I also have some meds that I can only get in 28 day chunks but they can be ordered every 21 days which is what I do.

As I have to buy a Prescription Prepayment Certificate I manage the prescription requests carefully so that I can get a full year's worth out of just two 3-month PPCs instead of three which most people think they will need (still cheaper than a full year one though) but you must remember that you have to collect the prescription within 28 days of the issue date otherwise they will be cancelled. The way I work it is that if I order both of mine on 1st and they are issued on 2nd I purchase a 3-month PPC on 29th & collect the prescriptions that day (the last day I'm able to); by ordering in either 3 or 7 week intervals the date of the last (6th) prescription request ((3rd for 2 month supplied ones) falls around a week or so within the expiry of the PPC (on 28th 3 months hence) so I just have to collect them before it expires.

Fortunately the next one I get will be the last as once I'm 60 I should be able to get free prescriptions at last unless the current mob in govt decide to stop them!

 

[slowcoach65]

From the BMA: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/gp-practices/prescribing/prescribing-in-general-practice

Doctors should provide prescriptions for intervals that they feel are clinically appropriate. This should take into account:

• possible reactions
• the stability of the treatment
• patient compliance
• necessary monitoring.

Sometimes a doctor may give six or even twelve months supply on one prescription as this is cost-effective and convenient for patients.

 

[s20hymer]

Hoping you are aware that most prescription tablets etc are boxed up in packets of 28, we had to explain to our doctor we needed more than a "3 months" prescription, their 3 months is 6 days short of 90 days... as there are only 28 days in their month

 

[Just smiffy]

Thanks,
Do you mean the actual prescription?
If so, unfortunately we will not be in a position to collect it from the doctor to present it.

For me I just had to show the old box, but I had my repeat history on my phone app just in case..

 

[Minxy]

Another thing to consider is how many you can take abroad with you as some countries may have restrictions and you don't want to be accused of being a drug runner! One of mine is on the restricted list so I ensure I take all the boxes, even opened ones, with me and only put one week's worth in my tablet dispenser so the rest are in the original packaging.

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[15isto2]

Since you have told your GP practice that you are going abroad for over 3 months they are only required to provide you with enough mediation to get you to your destination and to allow you time to arrange a supply locally, they should also remove you from their list. A 2 month script more than covers any "duty of care" argument, if anything they are being quite generous.

 

[carolyn]

Legally GPs can prescribe a maximum of 3 months supply on the NHS and in the past some have been prepared to prescribe a further 3 months on a private prescription. I did it many times. As more and more younger GPs appear and people become more ltiginous I think it will become harder to find GPs willing to do that as they are ultimately responsible for anything they prescribe and EU docs do love to criticise U.K. docs when we end up in their hospitals. I expect we do the same!

Obviously lots of drugs need blood tests for monitoring so that may be easy in some countries but not in others.

Lots of us do a bit of stockpiling and order a week early for a while which is fine for lots of things that perhaps only need annual checks.

This business about removing you from their list is a load of nonsense, no one does it so don’t worry about it.

 

[Speve]

Thanks,
Do you mean the actual prescription?
If so, unfortunately we will not be in a position to collect it from the doctor to present it.

I’m not sure that you even need it but any scrip just to give details of what you require we usually just take our last current script

 

[Nanniemate]

Legally GPs can prescribe a maximum of 3 months supply on the NHS and in the past some have been prepared to prescribe a further 3 months on a private prescription. I did it many times. As more and more younger GPs appear and people become more ltiginous I think it will become harder to find GPs willing to do that as they are ultimately responsible for anything they prescribe and EU docs do love to criticise U.K. docs when we end up in their hospitals. I expect we do the same!

Obviously lots of drugs need blood tests for monitoring so that may be easy in some countries but not in others.

Lots of us do a bit of stockpiling and order a week early for a while which is fine for lots of things that perhaps only need annual checks.

This business about removing you from their list is a load of nonsense, no one does it so don’t worry about it.

Thank you I got thrown off my old doctors list as I moved put of hhe area. He kept me on for 11 years but could not do a call out. Fine by me he would prescribe 6 months in 2 monthly batches .I would had script to pharmacist and she would manage it telling me when the next one was the last. Quick pop up to docs blood test and reissued. This doc only give 2 month on 1 script lucky if I get yearly blood test .let alone flu jabs .got last one blood and jabs together at my request that must be nearly a year ago.

 

[carolyn]

Thank you I got thrown off my old doctors list as I moved put of hhe area. He kept me on for 11 years but could not do a call out. Fine by me he would prescribe 6 months in 2 monthly batches .I would had script to pharmacist and she would manage it telling me when the next one was the last. Quick pop up to docs blood test and reissued. This doc only give 2 month on 1 script lucky if I get yearly blood test .let alone flu jabs .got last one blood and jabs together at my request that must be nearly a year ago.

I meant removing people from their list if they went on holiday abroad for more than 3 months. I wasn’t talking about change of area within the U.K. sorry if I misled you.

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[Reallyretired]

There should be no problem getting your thyroxine from a pharmacy. I have never had a problem getting any medicine, usually at a good price.
French pharmacists are not allowed to prescribe but can supply anything as long as you can tell them exactly what you need. A previous box suitably labelled will be sufficient.
If your French isn't good, then good luck in finding one who speaks English though.

 

[Minxy]

Fortunately the next one I get will be the last as once I'm 60 I should be able to get free prescriptions at last unless the current mob in govt decide to stop them!

Spoke too soon ... just seen this ... I'll if it comes in before my 60th birthday!!!!

Outrage after free prescriptions for over 60s might be axed over state pension change

Over 60s could soon lose their entitlement to receive free prescriptions on the National Health Service (NHS) amid plans to alter the current care system.

uk.news.yahoo.com

 

[sciac2001]

There should be no problem getting your thyroxine from a pharmacy. I have never had a problem getting any medicine, usually at a good price.
French pharmacists are not allowed to prescribe but can supply anything as long as you can tell them exactly what you need. A previous box suitably labelled will be sufficient.
If your French isn't good, then good luck in finding one who speaks English though.

Thanks.

Any experience of this in Spain too svp?

 

[The Wino]

Spoke too soon ... just seen this ... I'll if it comes in before my 60th birthday!!!!

Outrage after free prescriptions for over 60s might be axed over state pension change

Over 60s could soon lose their entitlement to receive free prescriptions on the National Health Service (NHS) amid plans to alter the current care system.

uk.news.yahoo.com

Same happened with free bus passes unless you live in London

 

[The Wino]

Can't the gp remove you from their list if you're away too long.

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