The cost of Prescriptions

Your always welcome! ?

Those who are really hard up don't have to pay anyway the are exempt. If people did not get things like asprin which are really cheap in the shops. The NHS would save a fortune. I know people who stock up on all kinds prior to going on holiday.

if the doctor didn't think they needed these things they wouldn't prescribe them Marieeliz I had a real argument with a GP in June over her giving me strong painkillers for a herniated disc,she thought I could do without them until the MRI results this was in spite of me telling her I couldn't sleep for the pain and had 4 grandchildren and a part time job...her answer was to stop working and get someone else to look after the kids!!!I did get them eventually and have eked them out to last 2 months instead of one .Its not as simple as just asking for pills ...asking doesn't always get .

I think it is a bit unfair that a prescription may only covera month's worth of medication that has to be taken long term. For example, a work colleague was prescribed tamoxifen after surgery for breast cancer, it has to be taken for a minimum of 5 years. Initially her prescriptions were for 3 months supply, then it was changed to only a month at a time. This effectively triples the cost and the administration irrespective of whether you as the patient have to pay for the prescription or not. Can't understand the philosophy of actions like this.

I think this may have something to do with the GP practice, and how much they can prescribe at a time.

Or maybe the fact that the GP gets paid each time a prescription is produced ?

We are lucky to have free prescriptions in Scotland but struggle to see a GP in the first place. My brother was just home from Oz. They can see a GP when they like but pay to see them, then pay for each individual drug, even with health insurance. Thank God for the NHS!

I have Three prescriptive meds monthly
I do feel a bit peeved that my Scottish cousin who is in a well paid job receives free prescriptions.
I gave up my job to become a carer for my father and probably saved the State quite a bit of money over the 12 years.
It would be helpful if the government recognised this an awarded carers free prescriptions

I don't know if its worth mentioning that I do receive a free eye test as my father had glaucoma.

I haven't had a prescription for years but DH has always had to take lots of medication for his various conditions. When DD2 left full time education some 20 years ago we lost our benefits (might have been income support, can't remember). DH hadn't been able to work for some time, I worked part time and benefits made a difference because of concessions and free prescriptions. My modest salary put us very slightly above the income for benefits and so we were very much worse off and the cost of prescriptions was crippling. We never had enough spare cash to buy a pre-payment certificate.

I agree - I am also on levothyroxine for underactive thryoid and cant understand why it not only this drug that I shouldn't have to pay for. Yet my daughter has an overactive throyoid and still pays for her prescriptions.

Just make sure the direct debit for PPC has gone through each year; a friend of mine thought she would automatically have it paid and it wasn't. She ended up with a huge bill for the medication she'd had. Don't know the ins and outs of what had gone wrong, though.May have been something she'd done wrong.

GPs don't benefit from writing prescriptions ( unless they have their own dispensary). I think the only fair thing to do with prescriptions is to make them free for everyone - just like a visit to the GP or anything else. (

I too am so glad I live in Scotland. I counted 13 different medications on my repeat prescription list and I take all of them for various conditions.
Heaven know how much it would cost if I had to pay. Thank goodness for our NHS.

I've had free prescriptions for years cos of underactive thyroid. Ironically our DD2/us had to pay for her prescriptions for her rheumatoid arthritis. As we live not too far from Wales we had a lorry driver friend and a friend who has a holiday home in Wales collect her prescriptions for us until she was 25 as they were free. It's a crazy system that's for sure. She's nearly 40 now and still paying. It would have cost a fortune in support benefits if she hadn't been able to have these drugs and be able to work.

I remember a patient of mine when I was working as a GP who was supposed to be on statins for his raised cholesterol. He often didn't collect it to save money. He died in his 50s from a heart attack. He hadn't told his insurance company he had a raised cholesterol, in fact he denied it. The insurance company didn't pay up. Very sad case. Left a wife and two young sons

Don't want to appear too "English" - I've nothing against other countries within our "Kingdom" - and I do have parents and a sister in Wales. I have 7 different items on my monthly repeat prescription - and I have to pay a prescription charge for each item. I am under 60, had to give up full time work due to health problems but am not entitled to benefit because I get a small pension of £2k per year and my husband also has a small occupational pension. I am now working 4 hours a week as a cleaner which helps towards my prescription charges but doesn't leave anything towards general living costs. We are not yet entitled to a state pension. My sister in Wales, who is working and 6 years younger than me gets her prescriptions free. Scotland, Wales and England come under the same tax and NI conditions do why do we not all see the same benefits? Don't want a political debate here but sometimes do wonder whether to "emigrate" to the West of Chester or to North of Hadrians Wall!!

the Scottish NHS has ALWAYS been a different body from the English one,right from its inception . Therefore its run differently with different priorities. For instance A and E targets are the best in the UK with over 95% of patients being seen ,treated and either sent home or to a ward within 4 hours.These figures have been the best in the UK for over 26 MONTHS We ARE a different country you know NOT a region.We have a different system of education and law too.Hopefully we will get back control of ALL our taxation.We manage to do a reasonably good job on what we have but could do much better with full control of our finances .

If you have more than six conditions, you get free scrips, as my ex does. Will outlive me probably.
Took child recently for a private blood scan, £200 for just a couple of tests because GP was being hopeless.
Treasure our NHS.

People on a low income but not on a pass porting benefit can apply for free prescriptions using the HC1 form which is a means tested way of assessing eligibility the form can be got from your GP or pharmacy also anyone entitled to the higher amounts of child tax credit get free prescriptions and some people e.g. Type 1 Diabetics can get medical exemption certificates for free prescriptions

Oh it's shocking my h and I don't pay any more but think it's disgraceful that people have to pay that amount when you have to take a lot of medication.

Just wondering if you have thought of any swings and roundabouts yet paddyann

My daughter suffers from Hidradenitis Suppurativa and other conditions none of which entitle her to free prescriptions. She avoids the doctors because they write prescriptions for multiple items which "might work" but never do.

My daughter has sever problems with adult ADHD and, like you Amelia, she doesn't get free prescriptions and is forever being put on a different drug/drug combination which doesn't work for more than a week or two.

gillybob - just a couple of things that you have and we don't.
Free schools
HS 2

well for decades a young friend of ours had to travel to the south of England for her liver condition as there wasn't anywhere in Scotland that dealt with her problem...sadly after 3 transplants she died aged just 36 last month.A member of staff has had to take HIS daughter to GOSH for her treatment ,using his private insurance as Scotland doesn't have the facilities for that either.There are loads of things we dont get or have that England does...or did .Like I said we just prioritise things differently Gillybob