Unused prescription medication

Nor can they go and inspect the patient's home and open all cupboards

Nobody is suggesting this.

Oh the catastrophising

I order my own meds on line at my own surgery and it flows perfectly .

But trying to get on the app/online with my dad's is like MI5.

I have even been in the surgery to ask/explain. The answer I got was "oh because your dad is capable he can order his own on line"! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I order my dads meds (12 items)

I tick off what he needs normally about 8 of them.

Does the person who orders the repeat look at it? "no"!

They just put the whole lot through as thy cannot be bothered to look through it, easier to just click "repeat, repeat ,repeat" every month.

So thought right! will go into the docs and order over the counter (you can only do this after 1.00pm

Did they get it right this time? Noooooooo.

Hence my dad has his own little shop of Laxido,paracetomol,gtn spray,and several other medications. I have now given up and just accept what arrives.

M0nica

All this talk about 'old people', as if they were a human sub-species. We are talking about ourselves.

I do not think not taking drugs is a particularly age related problem. I have come across young and middle aged people who collect medication but do not take it, even though it seriously endangers their health.

Personally, I used the term “oldER people” because from my observations it is mainly them who are poorly and need medication and often have a big stash of unused medication.

Meds reviews are always done on a regular basis for myself and DH. A lab report would highlight if certain meds are not being taken. Should we request any meds too soon, we are told, request denied and have to wait until our GP sanctions the request.

Ooer - one of my medications is Class A. The possibilities are endless - but it would quickly be apparent in my state of health if I stopped taking and started dealing.

Seriously, everyone on regular medication should have a review with the GP at least once a year. This has always been my experience. And it should be apparent at a review if the patient hasn’t been taking their medication. One of the tests at my review is a blood test to check levels of medication. I know that won’t be everyone’s experience but GP have the means to know if patients are taking the medication they keep dishing out - and I don’t mean calling the police or rifling through their cupboards (ridiculous suggestions).

FP, I am prescribed a Class A drug and I can assure you that they are rigorously controlled. Before you can even be prescribed them, there are processes to be followed and criteria to be fulfilled.
I have personal experience, do you?
There is so much second hand, anecdotal evidence here, but no hard evidence from clinicians.
Of course there will be people, who store medicine, that's human nature, it doesn't mean everyone does it.
Anyone, who does is extremely foolish, as it will impact on their health.

Of course on rare occasions, ClassA drugs may be sold, but I can assure you, that if I miss even one dose, my pain levels soar, the withdrawal symptoms are extremely unpleasant and I feel very unwell. I suspect very few people would put themselves through that.
Secondly, the amounts prescribed are rigorously controlled and monitored, including an inquisition at the pharmacy,when it is collected.

It looks like that you are now clutching at straws to support your argument, If I remember correctly, the original discussion talked about all prescription medicine and it was you who initially brought up the police being involved.
Class A drugs were not mentioned, until you mentioned them..

I am becoming quite irritated by posters starting threads about prescription medications, when they have only anecdotal evidence. Just because someone you know had for example a reaction to say statins, it doesn't mean everyone will.
I had a severe allergic reaction to a drug called Lefludimide and ended up in coronary care, seriously ill.
I didn't start a thread, saying it is dangerous and people should avoid it! That would be totally irresponsible.

If posters fail to provide medical or statistical evidence, then I am not interested.

Foxygloves

^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^

You seem to be the first person to raise this hare of “sending the police round”
If you don’t have a genuine argument don’t go inventing one and then attributing it to others!
Twisting peoples words then arguing against them is not only disingenuous but totally misleading.

Foxyglove, I have not been twisting your words at all. If some of you insist that the GP should do something about it, if they suspect, due to test results or other reason, that the patient is not taking meds- they can ask, and ask again- but beyond that, they can't do anything. They can't insist that the patient is not telling the truth, if they assure her/him that they are taking them. Nor can they go and inspect the patient's home and open all cupboards.

So, and I don't know about any doctor who has done this- unless the drugs are ClassA perhaps, like morphine or some pain killers, that could be sold on to black market - would be to ask Social Services + Police.

GPs won't do that (unless ClassA- suspicion of drug dealing), will they? My point entirely.

My GP only prescribes a month at a time and you can only order 10 days before you run out. I like to keep a weeks tablets in supply as when I have a pain flare need to take extra of my painkillers. But if I need to order my pain relief earlier I have never had any trouble getting because my GP knows about the flares .

All this talk about 'old people', as if they were a human sub-species. We are talking about ourselves.

I do not think not taking drugs is a particularly age related problem. I have come across young and middle aged people who collect medication but do not take it, even though it seriously endangers their health.

“Ridiculous “ doesn’t come close

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

You seem to be the first person to raise this hare of “sending the police round”
If you don’t have a genuine argument don’t go inventing one and then attributing it to others!
Twisting peoples words then arguing against them is not only disingenuous but totally misleading.

nandad

I was prescribed HRT patches, when I got home and read the leaflet inside the pack I realised that I didn’t want to use them. I tried to return them to our GP dispensary the following day but they refused to take them back. I can understand that medication could have been stored incorrectly, but overnight?

You cannot return drugs for reuse once you have left the building actually. My friend has just retired as a dispenser and we discussed this and she said it’s because you could have left them in direct sunlight or damp conditions or failed to refrigerate them if that was the instruction.

Louella12

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!

Quite! My husband has spent over 30 years in the homes of older people. Some people actually delight in showing him their stashes of medication. He has even been offered medication on occasions!! Geriatric drug dealers 🤣

I worked with older people for many years and, as others have said, they tell the GP they take the medication but they don’t and the GP keeps prescribing it.

Fleurpepper

Marydoll

Fleurpepper

Not at all flippant. If the patient is adamant and swears they are taking the medicines, the GP would not have any way whatsoever to either say the patient is lying, or investigate themselves. So what else could s/he do?

I meant the part about calling the police, fp!

If it was my forthright GP, or any other GP in the practice, they would not let it go, I can assure you.

I recall being challenged asked by my endocrinologist if I was actually taking my Vit D supplements, as my levels weren't registering at all. It turned out, I couldn't retain it. I was referred to a bone mineral specialist to investigate the reason. Because someone persisted in checking it out..

A GP can ask, and ask some more- but no more than that. Can you imagine the ACs, or Press, being told about GP calling a patient a liar, and asking to search their house or flat? Just not possible.

So if you insist that should be done- than it would have to be by Police.

fp, You are twisting what I said. I did not at any point say that the police should be involved, nor did I say that a GP nor clinician should/would call a patient a liar. Please give clinicians some credit.
I'm sure your GP husband would confirm this.

It's all getting a bit ridiculous now.

YorkLady

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.

Often bags are made to measure and cut to size like Mum’s were so bags are of no use to other people. If your stoma is, say, shaped like an oval and it was given to a person with a round stoma then imagine the mess that would cause!

We used all Mum’s blue disposal bags for doggie poo bags and the adhesive sprays will no doubt come in handy but the actual colostomy bags are of no use to anybody as the Stoma Nurse told me. We only had maybe a month’s supply but as I said some people have thousands of £ worth.

I have annual blood tests and other reviews, without which I couldn’t get repeat prescriptions. What does your GP husband say about that fp?

Marydoll

Fleurpepper

Not at all flippant. If the patient is adamant and swears they are taking the medicines, the GP would not have any way whatsoever to either say the patient is lying, or investigate themselves. So what else could s/he do?

I meant the part about calling the police, fp!

If it was my forthright GP, or any other GP in the practice, they would not let it go, I can assure you.

I recall being challenged asked by my endocrinologist if I was actually taking my Vit D supplements, as my levels weren't registering at all. It turned out, I couldn't retain it. I was referred to a bone mineral specialist to investigate the reason. Because someone persisted in checking it out..

A GP can ask, and ask some more- but no more than that. Can you imagine the ACs, or Press, being told about GP calling a patient a liar, and asking to search their house or flat? Just not possible.

So if you insist that should be done- than it would have to be by Police.

I was prescribed HRT patches, when I got home and read the leaflet inside the pack I realised that I didn’t want to use them. I tried to return them to our GP dispensary the following day but they refused to take them back. I can understand that medication could have been stored incorrectly, but overnight?

I’ve often wondered if the price of the meds could be added to the label? I think some people don’t have a clue as to the cost of their meds and that the prescription price they pay (I know it’s free for many) actually covers it.

Agreed, it’s an appalling waste of money. A friend of ours used to have masses of different prescription drugs stockpiled in his bathroom - I once counted over 60 items, of maybe 6 different preparations. He evidently kept taking repeat prescriptions that he simply didn’t need.

After he died a huge amount of stuff had to be binned.
He was actually very well off but notoriously mean with money, so I’m sure that if he’d had to pay even £2 or £3 per item he’d never have taken things he didn’t need.

I once read that just the admin for each prescription - besides the cost of the drug - costs the NHS at least £7.
I do think that better off pensioners should have to pay something for their prescriptions - I say this as an oldie myself. They do in plenty of other countries, inc. according to a Swedish friend in Sweden - popularly supposed to be a socialist Utopia.

Fleurpepper

Not at all flippant. If the patient is adamant and swears they are taking the medicines, the GP would not have any way whatsoever to either say the patient is lying, or investigate themselves. So what else could s/he do?

I meant the part about calling the police, fp!

If it was my forthright GP, or any other GP in the practice, they would not let it go, I can assure you.

I recall being challenged asked by my endocrinologist if I was actually taking my Vit D supplements, as my levels weren't registering at all. It turned out, I couldn't retain it. I was referred to a bone mineral specialist to investigate the reason. Because someone persisted in checking it out..

many patients can hardly get any medical attention at all, let alone monitoring.
a neighbour with chronic complex conditions was promised a bone scan, needed for condition and medication taken, last oct by rheumatologist.
never heard anything since.
GP have not responded until i managed to get one to admit that she didn't know if GP or hosp were to request it.
this happens with everything; delay and buck passing.
blood test should have been done 2 months ago. we are told they are coming.
eventually a receptionist said the patient only had to pick up the form and go to the hosp.
for a bed-bound patient.
i can't imagine how people who cannot advocate for themselves, or have someone to do so, cope.

Not at all flippant. If the patient is adamant and swears they are taking the medicines, the GP would not have any way whatsoever to either say the patient is lying, or investigate themselves. So what else could s/he do?

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?

Any GP worth their salt would realise something doesn't add up and pursue the matter, if results indicate that the patient is not responding to treatment.

I assume you were being flippant about calling the police fp.