Unused prescription medication

My surgery certainly doesn’t over prescribe.
I have to take thyroxine. I only get one month at a time.

My DH is sorting out his medication as I type. It's been changed so much I now have a large bin bag to return to the chemist. But few of the boxes are actually unopened.

It's far better to return them to the chemist to be disposed of sensibly rather than flush them down the loo or sink and cause problems when the chemicals reach the rivers.

(Although I have no idea how the pharmacy disposes of them!)

Over the last few months I have had hospital giving me drugs and then writing to my GP telling them to prescribe the same medication.

I am dealing with it by not ordering surplus drugs the following month., but one drug I only needed to take for a month, but ended up with 2 months supply.

DH has had a lot of changes to his meds recently and I had to return a big bag to the pharmacy. One lot was a mistake by the hospital when he was discharged. It seems such a waste that unopened boxes have to be destroyed.

It's impossible to over order at my surgery. They are very strict about ordering.
Last month, despite ordering within the prescribed time frame, I was asked why I needed paracetamol, earlier than I would normally do.
It was to check if my pain levels were high, which they were.
Also many of my drugs are reviewd by the GP on a regular basis., so that I can't stockpile.

Our pharmacies asked that obsolete the medication is removed from the packaging to preserve anonymity.

I take 7 medications. I only order what I need each month and if I order too early my surgery is on the case immediately. It’s disgraceful that people hoard drugs as the OP describes. It could be prevented, as my GP’s system - a bit like the Spanish Inquisition - proves. Another example of waste in the NHS.

My late mother was on a whole variety of meds and each one had a different renewal date. I asked in vain for them to be aligned, saving us all time and effort, but no. 8 different meds, all on separate four week renewals. This was before the surgery had online ordering so I spent a huge amount of time dropping off renewal requests then hanging around in the pharmacy waiting to collect things. So wasteful of time and effort.
Thank goodness my surgery is more realistic. I get a repeat of my meds every 2 months. If I accumulate an excess (though I admit to liking to keep a week in hand) I just order fewer tablets the next time round. It is fuss free and efficient, and reviewed annually by a practice nurse and the pharmacist.

Sadly this is very common. People accept the prescription and get it dispensed and put it in cupboard, often for years. OH found that fairly regularly in his job.

It is a massive waste- and of course when returned, even if un-opened, can't be used if psbd.

Germanshepherdsmum

I take 7 medications. I only order what I need each month and if I order too early my surgery is on the case immediately. It’s disgraceful that people hoard drugs as the OP describes. It could be prevented, as my GP’s system - a bit like the Spanish Inquisition - proves. Another example of waste in the NHS.

That is not the fault of the NHS!

Primrose53 I’m amazed that the stoma nurse was unaware of charities who will be happy to take donations of unused stoma equipment. Some, (Jacobs Well) would even collect them.
They are sent to poorer countries who have to pay for them. It’s a shame that we can’t reuse unopened medication.

I've seen stoma supplies, PEG feed giving sets, and specialist dressings being sold on EBay.

I suppose at least they're being used and not binned but would much rather they were given to charities.

Caramme, I am on twenty medications (not an exaggeration), impossible to sync, no matter how hard the pharmacist tries.
Some are on an acute list or are CDs and can only be dispensed after regular blood tests.
There is no way I can stockpile. It is compounded by packs of different sizes: 28 or 30 pills in a pack and injections being delivered, eight at a time, or more recentgly in batches of two or four, due to shortages.
It's blooming hard work, keeping up with it all.

Primrose, you state that often GPs prescribe drugs, patients decide they don’t want to take them, but instead of owning up to the GP they keep ordering them.
Do you have a medical background? Or is your statement purely anecdotal?

It is the fault of the NHS fleurpepper if medication and medical supplies are being dispensed unchecked. My surgery knows what I need each month and that’s what I’m given. If I put in a request early I am questioned. There’s no way my surgery would permit me to build up excess supplies and that’s exactly how it should be.

It's also the fault of those, who waste the time of the GP and pharmacist in the first place.

Germanshepherdsmum

It is the fault of the NHS fleurpepper if medication and medical supplies are being dispensed unchecked. My surgery knows what I need each month and that’s what I’m given. If I put in a request early I am questioned. There’s no way my surgery would permit me to build up excess supplies and that’s exactly how it should be.

GP asks patient 'do you take your meds' reply 'yes Doctor, of course'

how can the GP, or the parmacist, know if patient actually does take meds?

So not excess supplies, meds just not taken.

When we went into my mother's home after her death we discovered enough boxes of drugs to fill a small pharmacy. My father would also just throw his bluster pack in the bin when it arrived. The refuse men bought this to our attention. Neither had dementia and we just assumed they were talking their medication.

For anyone to think that drugs are religiously taken as and when they're supposed to doesn't know many old people!

I have an annual blood test to check medication levels, blood pressure tests to check efficacy of BP tablets and annual asthma review which would show if I wasn’t taking that medication. It’s up to GPs to follow up on these things.

So you think GPs should go and check cupboards in bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, garage- on regular basis. Yes they do tests, and when surprised with the results will ask 'are you sure you are taking your meds?' 'oh yes, doctor, of course I do' ...GP has NO right whatsover to insist on checking cupboards in patient's home.

and years later, as Louella12 says ...

Marydoll

*Caramme*, I am on twenty medications (not an exaggeration), impossible to sync, no matter how hard the pharmacist tries.
Some are on an acute list or are CDs and can only be dispensed after regular blood tests.
There is no way I can stockpile. It is compounded by packs of different sizes: 28 or 30 pills in a pack and injections being delivered, eight at a time, or more recentgly in batches of two or four, due to shortages.
It's blooming hard work, keeping up with it all.

Primrose, you state that often GPs prescribe drugs, patients decide they don’t want to take them, but instead of owning up to the GP they keep ordering them.
Do you have a medical background? Or is your statement purely anecdotal?

Marydoll: I wasn’t implying criticism of anyone else or suggesting you ‘do it my way’. Nowhere did I suggest stockpiling, so not sure why you are criticising me for that. I was simply pointing out how helpful my GP surgery is compared to the way my mother’s surgery operated.
I can see that your situation is different to mine, and clearly difficult to manage, which I sympathise with, but does that mean I cannot comment on my own experience, which is all I have done?

Don’t be silly fp. You know exactly what I’m talking about. I believe your husband is/was a GP?

After several years of use, I very suddenly became allergic to my stoma supplies. I always have kept a month in hand. Then a few years later, my normal supplies were not available due to the factory being demolished in a dreadful storm. I was put on a different flange and bag, and these turned out to be far better for me. Each time I was left with several boxes of unused equipment.

It is very difficult to find the charities that will take these, and then to get these supplies to them. They are bulky and not suitable for postage.

I assume all these unused medicines are from people who don’t have to pay for them?

I’m not sure how much a prescription is now as I’m a pensioner, but must be nearly £10 each?

I would imagine those who are paying for them are not so wasteful.

Just because they’re free for so many contributes to the waste.

Shouldn’t, but I bet it does.