Unused prescription medication

Tenko

My mother is guilty of not taking meds prescribed for her . They’re antihistamine type drugs which she says aren’t working . I’ve told her GP but he still keeps prescribing them.
Her adcal is piling up as she hates taking them . It drives me nuts as it’s so wasteful

Put them in a bag and take them to surgey and ask for them to be given to GP with name of patient- or ask to see GP.

Foxygloves

Fleurpepper

Germanshepherdsmum

Regular reviews will be proof of whether or not medication is being taken fp. Does your GP husband not agree? In all the years I have taken medication - practically my entire life - I have been monitored and would never have got away with not taking my medication or stockpiling. It’s called a duty of care on the part of the dispensing doctor.

Yes- but if the patient tells the GP that they are taking their meds- even if results don't seem to indicate that the do- do you think the GP has the right to go and investigate patient's house or send police to do so?

Did anybody suggest they should?

Yes, in a way. As they said GP is responsible for the waste. If patient says they are taking their medicines, the doctor can gently try and discuss if results weem to indicate their are not. But if the patient is adamant that they are taking them- what is the GP to do?

Multiple drugs and boxes of phials of injectable morphine were being delivered up to half an hour before DH died. My friend said the same phials were counted out meticulously when her Mum was ill and actually collected when no longer needed. However, that was pre-Covid and no-one would take mine away, even the Pharmacy said to hang onto them. Six months later I managed to drop off a massive bag of unused meds, most of which were unopened. Such a waste.

My mother is guilty of not taking meds prescribed for her . They’re antihistamine type drugs which she says aren’t working . I’ve told her GP but he still keeps prescribing them.
Her adcal is piling up as she hates taking them . It drives me nuts as it’s so wasteful

Fleurpepper

Germanshepherdsmum

Regular reviews will be proof of whether or not medication is being taken fp. Does your GP husband not agree? In all the years I have taken medication - practically my entire life - I have been monitored and would never have got away with not taking my medication or stockpiling. It’s called a duty of care on the part of the dispensing doctor.

Yes- but if the patient tells the GP that they are taking their meds- even if results don't seem to indicate that the do- do you think the GP has the right to go and investigate patient's house or send police to do so?

Did anybody suggest they should?

Germanshepherdsmum

Regular reviews will be proof of whether or not medication is being taken fp. Does your GP husband not agree? In all the years I have taken medication - practically my entire life - I have been monitored and would never have got away with not taking my medication or stockpiling. It’s called a duty of care on the part of the dispensing doctor.

Yes- but if the patient tells the GP that they are taking their meds- even if results don't seem to indicate that the do- do you think the GP has the right to go and investigate patient's house or send police to do so?

If regular, repeat medication isn't being taken, it would surely, eventually impact on a patients health.

I was talking to my dentist about it today. One of my reguar RA drugs has been suspended, for medical reasons and it has seriously impacted on my health.
Repeats are for diagnosed conditions, so failing to take them must have consequences.

Regular reviews will be proof of whether or not medication is being taken fp. Does your GP husband not agree? In all the years I have taken medication - practically my entire life - I have been monitored and would never have got away with not taking my medication or stockpiling. It’s called a duty of care on the part of the dispensing doctor.

The pill under the bed cooker is a major incident for me, because the amount I use of some of them is monitored.
That's the way it should be.
People who intentionally waste medicine are IMO defrauding the NHS.
However, I have no idea what the solution is.

Another side of the coin is that medication is prescribed only to find that it is unsuitable for the patient.
This has happened to me on a fair number of occasions, and although not my fault, I get annoyed that what remains must be disposed of.

Germanshepherdsmum

I’m sure you’re right. Easy come, easy go. I’m painfully aware of how much my medication costs and waste nothing. A pill dropped under the bed is located and used. I hate waste - all the more so when it involves public money. I have no doubt that many couldn’t care less - hence what the OP witnessed.

I totally agree. But as described above, it is quite common to get prescriptions 'served', take the drugs and not take them. Especially in the elderly. And they will swear bling they are taking them.

Caramme

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?

Oh dear! I think you may have got the wrong end of the stick! I empathised with your frustration.

I’m sure you’re right. Easy come, easy go. I’m painfully aware of how much my medication costs and waste nothing. A pill dropped under the bed is located and used. I hate waste - all the more so when it involves public money. I have no doubt that many couldn’t care less - hence what the OP witnessed.

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.

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.

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

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?

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 ...

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.

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!

So not excess supplies, meds just not taken.

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?

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

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.

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?

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.