Has anyone else had this happen?

Am wondering how people request their meds 2 weeks before they run out. Are some of you getting more than one months meds? We can only ever order meds for a month at a time, though would be more sensible to order at least 2 months supply.

Mine and MrRosie's prescriptions are for two months at a time. My sister-in-law has strong painkillers and that element of her prescription can only be done for one month.

sharonarnott

Quizzer

Assuming this is in the UK.
If you re-order prescriptions on the NHS app is goes direct to your GP, who can then send the request direct to your chosen pharmacy.
You are able to order the meds 7 days before the next prescription is due. Works very well in our area.

Not all meds work in this way. Controlled drugs like Tramadol are an example

I am on 2 controlled drugs and can order mine as soon as the circle on the website prescription can be ticked which is up to 10days before I run out, I have never had a problem. Problems can occur if the pharmacy do not carry the stock obviously, but ours is excellent and that very rarely happens. They are limited for space as most of them are and can only hold so much.

mrswoo

I always use the NHS app the request is sent directly to my GP and are ready for collection in roughly 2 days.
If you go into the NHS app it will show what meds are ready to order - I then check in a couple of days to see if they are ready for collection. It is very straightforward and I've often requested my meds well before they run out.

Same. And very efficient it is, too.

There’s no NHS app in Scotland, unfortunately. It sounds useful, for. What GNers say.

Repeats are two-monthly here but the pharmacy app we have to use is so confusing. It sends endless messages which disappear when I try to read them. This month, it’s now telling me to reorder the medications I just received yesterday but says I can’t reorder the ones I’m about to run out of until the end of November! 🤯🤯🤯

Read the leaflet with your medication. If it advises you ''NOT TO STOP TAKING THE MEDICINE WITHOUT CONSULTING YOUR DOCTOR'' Tell your surgery what is happening, because it is a serious thing.

It is one thing for you to miss a pill, but something entirely different if your chemist is delaying sending your medication and causing you to miss doses.

FlexibleFriend

I've had loads of problems, I'm on controlled drugs and if I order them early they sit on them as long as possible. Several times I have ordered them in good time and I get to the last day of tablets and still haven't received them, I get my Son or Daughter in law to phone them and give them a rocket up their ar** as if I do it I get accused of being unreasonable etc etc. I've spoken to the practice manager who assures me it wouldn't happen again but it does. It happened this week, yet again my very strong painkillers hadn't been issued and I'd taken all the ones I had after multiple phone calls and promises my Dil ended up at the pharmacy in the evening collecting my meds so that I could take them at 9.30 that evening. They don't seem to comprehend that issuing the prescription late causes knock on problems as the pharmacy doesn't hold stock or very little stock of controlled drugs.

You have my sympathy. I have had a battle with my chemist for a long time. I have 17 items on my repeat, so it might be a bit complicated. I can wait for some things, but not for the meds that keep me alive, and have had to beg for the painkillers sometimes.

The leaflet warns me not to stop taking the medicine without consulting the GP, so when I have run out and still none delivered, I have rung the surgery and it usually produces results. It is one thing when you don't take them, but a completely different scenario when a chemist, who should know better causes you to miss doses.

I don't blame the chemist, they have been very helpful, the problem lies with the GP surgery who should know better. The chemist always tell me they are still waiting for the prescription and they have x amount in stock and once they receive the prescription they will order in the rest. Why do the GP surgery sit on the repeat request until the very last minute, causing the problem with obtaining the drugs I need. Do they think I take these meds for fun? I'd understand an occasional blip but it seems to happen routinely. This month I was down to my last dose and had to ring the surgery multiple times until the prescription was finally sent to the chemist at 6.30 in the evening. Luckily my chemist which I knew had stock of a few days tablets is open till 9 in the evening but I really don't need this aggravation month after month. My Dil ended up at the chemist that evening to collect the 6 pills they had in stock which will last for 3 days and then has to go back and get the rest hoping the chemists delivery arrives on time. Luckily it did but they still couldn't fulfill the whole prescription so has to go back again for the rest. The surgery just doesn't comprehend the problems they cause. All they see is they issued the prescription at the last minute but it was issued so what's the problem. I'd change surgeries but my GP is so lovely, just a shame he's so popular and it's so difficult to get to see him. When I do get a telephone appointment with him, no matter what time the app says the appointment is for I know he'll ring me as close to 9am as possible and is always so helpful.

I used to be able to order meds for 2 months at a time, then our surgery changed it to only one month at a time. Last year I went to visit my DD for 3 weeks around Christmas necessitating 2 months of meds the last time I ordered as I was going to be away when the next order was due. They allowed me to order the 2 month supply when I explained. I'm not on anything controlled so I guess that is why.

Earlier this year I was staying with my DS and family when I injured my leg and was unable to walk, so had to stay longer than planned. I had not taken enough of some of my meds to last the extra days but I rang 111 and they organised a prescription for a couple of my meds to go to a local pharmacy. I now have quite a few of these left each month when about to run out of others but they still supply the full prescription every month.

At one time some of my meds came in packs of 30 while others came in 28's. The chemist used to give me the packs of 30 with 2 removed, then every now and again I'd get a packet with lots of little oddments in to make the 28 days worth. It was really difficult to get the pills out of the blister packs if it was only 2 together so I spaoke to my doctor about it and he changed the regular prescription to multiples of 30 so I no longer have to deal with packets with lots of small bits in.. After a while I have enough left of that drug that when I order the next prescription I can leave that one off so I'm not stockpiling.

They said that moving to only giving out one month at a time was to prevent wastage as some patients were stockpiling. At that time I had to take a physical paper repeat prescription into the doctor's every month which was particularly inconvenient before I retired, but with ordering online, that is less of a problem now. Getting a smartphone made life easier on that front as I could order on 'patient access' or the NHS app. The surgery have never accepted requests by phone or email so I had to use a paper repeat prescription before I could use an app!

My surgery have always been understanding about these sorts of thing but I think the problem must be if you are on something controlled.

I use the NHS app and have never had a problem I tick the box of the tablet needed It is so simple it takes about one minute and within a couple of days my supply of the tablet is ready at pharmacy of my choice (one nearest by)
I ve never had a problem

Why don’t you all use the NHS app instead of these outsourced companies ?

BlueBelle

I use the NHS app and have never had a problem I tick the box of the tablet needed It is so simple it takes about one minute and within a couple of days my supply of the tablet is ready at pharmacy of my choice (one nearest by)
I ve never had a problem

Why don’t you all use the NHS app instead of these outsourced companies ?

But presumably this still needs to be signed off by the GP. My problem isn’t with he chemist. We have a good chemist. My problem is with the GP surgery inasmuch as the person who manages prescriptions sits on my prescriptions and doesn’t send them to be signed off until I have nearly run out. It happens all the time. Have complained before but am going to do it in writing to the manager of the practice because it dies say on some of my tablets that I shouldn’t take a break from taking them.

Why don’t you all use the NHS app instead of these outsourced companies ?

Because we don’t have an app in Scotland! I wish we did.

Delays in prescriptions coming from the surgery can be down to money. The longer the delay in issuing it, the longer it is until they have to pay for it.

Sorry Sue I didn’t know that
It’s so easy to use and never gives me a problem but you can only get your tablets a week before you run out which is understandable
Obviously I m lucky in as much as I ve so far never had a problem with the surgery or the app (mind you I m only on a couple of low level meds ) fingers crossed for you all who are having problems

Ah well, I’ve changed pharmacy today. We’ll see what happens next!

Our surgery will do repeat meds just a month at a time but you can order the next lot as long as it’s a week after you collect the first ones.

I order my meds, including controlled one, two weeks before and it is usually signed off the same day. I then get a text from our local independent chemist a few days later to say they are ready for collection. they also put them in bottles for me as I have great difficulty using the pop out things.