In thinking £70 for a prescription is a joke!

[buggyRunner]

Dp has private health care as part of his job package. He is seeing a doctor (mh problems) on this and is on anti depressants (v low dose).

He gets charged differently in each different pharmacy- tesco quoted £70 for his prescription which he decined shopped about and got from boots in the end for £26.

How come you have to pay so much? Were British and England based btw.

Perhaps it depends on whether he was quoted for a manufacturer's packet or a BP packet. BP packets are always cheaper than a manufacturer's packets.

Drugs are expensive and the NHS subsidises them all. We pay a set fee in England of £7something regardless of if that drug costs £200 a tablet or 20p a tablet. Although the latter, the pharmacist/doctor would usually tell you to buy off the shelf rather than through prescription.

I've used private a few times for the consult then what they recommended I do (and my GP had no issues with) was returning to the GP surgery with my prescription and they put it onto a NHS one for me. Then I just got the drugs at NHS prices.

private script is always ££££ can he not get a prescription from GP?

When DS first prescribed epipens via a private pead. I ended up paying £48 for them, whereas when got prescription from GP, they were free

When paying for a private script you pay for the cost of the actual drug prescribed. It is not unheard of for them to cost hundreds.

The difference between the 2 pharmacies I can't explain for certain but I do know that some chains have discounts in place for some items that are commonly prescribed on private scripts.

Presumably his private healthcare doesn't cover prescription costs? If not, then he has to pay the price of the drugs and these will be different depending on brand and shop, like any other item. If he has a compliant GP, he or she might be willing to convert the private prescription to an NHS one so he can pay the set NHS prescription fee. Otherwise, he will just need to shop around for the best deal.

I had a course of antibiotics last year that cost $249 for generic. If you go private tou will have to pay whatever the pharmaceutical companies charge. Some of the medicines aren't available on the nhs because these high prices are what they have to pay even though prescription cost is only £7.

A friend paid £8 for a pack of paracetamol recently because it was a private prescription.

you pay your money you take your choice.

You shouldn't have taken up the private healthcare.

some health care plans will refund some of cost of prescription. but he can always go to gp and ask for nhs prescription . no one is forcing him to buy a private prescription

valiumredhead, why did your friend not just buy some for 20p rather than using the presciption?

My DD's have had private presciptions in the past and I have asked the gp to write them and NHS one. Some refuse to do this.

Yep, drugs = money. For example, one of the HIV drugs is over £200 for 60 tablets - add in a private consultation at about £150 for half an hour, you're talking mega bucks health care. On the NHS though, zero.

DS has a chronic illness for which he takes 1 tablet a day (prescribed free with fantastic treatment/care on the NHS). Otherwise it would cost us £40k per year.

Medicines are expensive. My bipolar meds cost the NHS £400 per month which I'm guessing is subsidised. I'd hate to have to pay the real cost.

Can he not get the prescriPtion from his GP? That way it would be cheaper.

A friend paid £8 for a pack of paracetamol recently because it was a private prescription.

Valium why on earth did your friend not just buy a pack for pennies in a supermarket or at a push they are about 70p in my local pharmacy?

Best thing to do if meds are regularly prescribed is to get a Prescription Pay Card. You pay an annual fee and then all prescribed meds are free. Ask your pharmacist or nhs website.
Best thing I ever did

Forgot to say it has to be a GP prescription to qualify!

Thanks I'll call the gp tomorrow.

Private medicine is a business, the NHS isn't and prescriptions are subsidised.

The problem with a private prescription is that while you pay cost price for the drugs (which can actually be cheap if the drug is not still in patent or whatever the drug equivalent is) BUT individual pharmacists charge a handling cost for doing the private prescription. There are no regulations about handling charges so it could be a couple of quid or much, much more. The GP is definitely a better idea if it works!

newgirl I love the idea of a Prescription Pay card! Does it work for all medications on private scripts?

Oh newgirl sorry I saw your other post.. That's a shame. OP I forgot to say, if the GP can't give you an NHS script and it's a regular med, there are online pharmacy companies that are cheaper too and deliver.

Just goes to show, doesn't it, how much the NHS does for us all - in spite of what the Daily Mail would have us believe.

We pay £7 per prescription, no matter how many items are on it, which could actually run into £100s. I got a private script for Amoxycillin a few months ago......£25! I was really shocked.

Could your hubby not see an NHS GP for things like this?

Yeah we have Nhs gp- just private for specialist stuff- thank god! I'll get him to give them a bell.

Couldn't agree more Crockoduck, the NHS is very good value really. Don't think we'll really know how good it is until the current government have dismantled it bit by bit and sold it off to private healthcare companies :(

I'm on medication that costs over £1000 per month. I don't think I'll be going private any time soon.

He could have got ADs from his GP, couldn't he?

When I lived in Ireland, I had to pay ?50 to see the GP AND fork out for prescriptions - not cheap!

However, I was recently appalled when I went to get a prescription for HRT and I was given 3 months worth of the same tablets (containing progesterone and Oestrogen) and the pharmacy charged me double because there was progesterone AND Oestrogen in the medicine - WTF? this has never happened before.