I really can’t believe it.....

Fennel

I've been taking Aspirin as a blood thinner, on prescription, for years. Following heart attack. Stopped on and off because of huge bruise marks but started again recently after the blood clot scare connected to the astra vaccine.
Never had warnings from doctors except when I had a hernia op. when they changed me to a different one.
Local Tesco's price used to be 75p, Don't know now.

£1.50 now!!!

I've been taking Aspirin as a blood thinner, on prescription, for years. Following heart attack. Stopped on and off because of huge bruise marks but started again recently after the blood clot scare connected to the astra vaccine.
Never had warnings from doctors except when I had a hernia op. when they changed me to a different one.
Local Tesco's price used to be 75p, Don't know now.

Many medications may be more expensive now if they,or their ingredients, come from Europe,

Marydoll

Shinamae you have been very gracious! I bet you are sorry you posted! ?

On the contrary Mary Doll, I’m very glad I did!!...?

Gosh I’m grumpy today!

Marydoll

I have been prescribed 8 paracetamol per day on top of a Fentanyl patch.
I feel so guilty at the cost of my other meds, one costs £900 per month, that I tend to buy it over the counter, unless it's difficult to source. What is important to note, is, my liver and kidney function is monitored regularly by my GP.

The NHS buy paracetamol at a very cheap rate and get paid for every prescription they dispense so you shouldn’t feel guilty about having them if you need them. The people who should feel guilty are the ones that continue to have things on prescription and then just stash them away in cupboards. Or tell their doctors that they are taking prescribed medication (thereby having it on their medical records even though they’re not taking it) when they aren’t.

Be grateful you're in UK at least for medications - even over the counter ones! Ireland has much higher cost even for basic ones like aspirin. I was prescribed the "heart" aspirin and the cost is €7.49 for 28 - someone is making a huge profit. We have to pay the first €114 per month per family for prescribed medications, ourselves, unless you have a low income. And I have to pay the GP practice €20 for a repeat prescription after 6 months.

We have Boots here, but they are not allowed sell their own label antacids, paracetamol or aspirin because they haven't been approved by Irish medicines board, so we're stuck with the more expensive brands. When we were allowed to travel, we always stocked up on basics meds when away!

well done, OP.
so Tesco has actually done you some good !
they probably saw you buying them frequently and worried whether you really should...

Marydoll

I have been prescribed 8 paracetamol per day on top of a Fentanyl patch.
I feel so guilty at the cost of my other meds, one costs £900 per month, that I tend to buy it over the counter, unless it's difficult to source. What is important to note, is, my liver and kidney function is monitored regularly by my GP.

Firstly you shouldn’t feel guilty at all - anyone not costing the NHS any money in medication is damn lucky not to need it. But you’re right, you are being monitored because of your other health issues.

Someone told me the other day that A&E are still advising the taking of an aspirin if someone has had a stroke. I’m sure that, in Scandinavian countries people used to always carry an aspirin with them in case of a stroke. Having said that I’m very wary of anything like that these days and, as has been mentioned it’s best that we don’t take anything that might interfere with any emergency treatment we might need. A doctor I worked for many years ago told me that a small dose of aspirin a day protected against bowel cancer...but that was a long time ago and it was just an off the cuff remark when I said there was a history of bowel cancer in my husbands family.

I have been prescribed 8 paracetamol per day on top of a Fentanyl patch.
I feel so guilty at the cost of my other meds, one costs £900 per month, that I tend to buy it over the counter, unless it's difficult to source. What is important to note, is, my liver and kidney function is monitored regularly by my GP.

It’s surprising really that they’re still so widely available, given all the information on here.

Witzend

When I had shingles, my GP told me to take certain strong painkillers but didn’t give me a prescription - she said they were available over the pharmacy counter - not off the shelf.

Maybe this is what happened in the OP’s case.
I read somewhere that every NHS prescription costs about £7 in admin, over and above the cost of the product, and for that reason I believe there’s a tendency to stop issuing actual prescriptions for drugs which are extremely cheap, or reasonably cheap, to buy without one.

I can see the cost issue but as posted on here, aspirin use has to be monitored by a clinician. It can’t just be about saving money. I don’t think there’s a safe reliable solution really other than regular use being prescribed.

Shinamae you have been very gracious! I bet you are sorry you posted! ?

Okay I’ve heard enough, I have just put them in the bin!!... you ladies might have save me from something awful happening so thank you....?

When I had shingles, my GP told me to take certain strong painkillers but didn’t give me a prescription - she said they were available over the pharmacy counter - not off the shelf.

Maybe this is what happened in the OP’s case.
I read somewhere that every NHS prescription costs about £7 in admin, over and above the cost of the product, and for that reason I believe there’s a tendency to stop issuing actual prescriptions for drugs which are extremely cheap, or reasonably cheap, to buy without one.

I had my second heart attack in Jan, had to take aspirin in addition to my usual thinners for three months only. Stopped last week, oh what a difference already. When I said I didn't really want to take it again after the problems it had caused previously, consultant said it was only a short term measure.

Shinamae last year when I had a bad, persistent cough (pre-Covid so it couldn't possibly be that ) I bought some Bronchostop lozenges in Home Bargains for 99p.
When I wanted another packet but was nowhere near a Home Bargains I found them in Boots - £5 for the same size packet.

It pays to shop around if you can.

I was advised by a nurse friend to take a daily aspirin, gastric protected, when I smoked. I ended up with a gastric bleed, not serious, but tachycardia and passed out as I was anaemic. A course of iron tablets sorted it and the bleed sealed. Obviously I stopped taking it.

I saw a consultant neurologist last June who prescribed Asprin as precaution ( family history) and he told me that the effects are only beneficial for approximately 6 months and it’s not a long term medication. I no longer take it .

And believe me I do appreciate your advice .............thank you...??

Doubling the price is very naughty, as is switching from glass to plastic in this day and age. But at least our non-prescription painkillers are affordable. We’d to buy some in Italy once and they cost around 30p each! That was an expensive headache.

Well said Marydoll and Suzie. I think in the past we thought we could all take low dose aspirin to ward off strokes and heart attacks, but it’s not like that. Only take it if specifically prescribed for you by your GP or consultant.

I was charged £3.60 for two packets of Paracetamol by my local chemist at the beginning of Lockdown, 24.3,2020,None available in the supermarkets.
I have kept the packet and the receipt, I was so shocked.

That's was my concern too suzie. If you are unexpectedly taken to hospital, you may be unable to say what you are taking. Also, it is usually advisable to take medication to protect your stomach. A poster recently told how she nearly died from a stomach bleed, caused by aspirin. Her post was prompted by a poster who decided to self medicate with aspirin, just in case.

However, we can only offer advice, only posters know their own medical history and it is their right to do what they think is best for themselves.