To think over ordering prescription medicines is sensible?

[Edenviolet]

I always order more than we need/order more frequently than necessary.

The medication will all be used and it is handy to have extra supplies if needed.
The pharmacist was questioning me today as to why we are going through so many items/medications and seemed to think we should only order what we need when we need it?
I prefer to have a 'stock' of dcs medications etc and think I'm sensible in doing so

AIBU?

I have just googled DS preventer inhaler out of interest and according to the BNF it is £60 an inhaler! I dread to think how much his monthly drugs bill is.

Flipping heck! I had no idea they were so expensive.

I have a twisty sucky one. It always rattles so it runs out without me noticing the red dot working its way round

As a Doctor, you would not be questioning the Pharmacist if you have ever seen child overdosed on insulin. S/he is doing their job and I applaud that she is aware that you are ordering over the norm.

As a fellow Type 1, you must speak to your doctor about the stockpiling, two weeks is Ok anymore you are in danger of wastage and the NHS just cannot support it

There are strides made all the time with type 1 research - to say she is going to take insulin for the rest of her life is just wrong.

Lastly as a parent - speak to your doctor about your own stress levels and concerns, stress can effect Type 1s and your daughter may pick up on your concerns

yanbu
I use to just order what my child needed, until some of their meds couldn't be got for ages. so now I always make sure I have a stock pile.

Well hopefully progress will be made but there won't be a cure in the next three months so I don't think my stock is excessive neither will any of it cost the nhs more than necessary as it won't be wasted.
As for an overdose that could happen from just a few too many units too much so is completely irrelevant whether I have one vial or three months worth

Yup, some of the newer combi preventers are upwards of thirty quid each.

Eg Seretide 125 is £35

Symbicort is £33

Fostair is £29

To balance that ventolin is only a couple of quid so I have no problem with my patients having a few kicking about the place, it's useful to have them around and spares in school etc.

What pisses me off is patients who have no concept of responsibility for themselves and their medication. "Oh I lost it, just give me another one". "Oh my mate's ran out so I lent him mine, just give me another one". "Oh I can't find it, just give me another one".

My tablets cost about £140 a month to the NHS which is probably why they want to review me to see if they can reduce my dose and thus the expenditure.

Nothing shocks me anymore about what can be bought on eBay. I might actually go and see if my medication can be....

just googled mine - £11.50

I used to like a ventolin in every ah and beside my bag. It was a wise nurse who explained that really it shouldn't be necessary. I now never carry one with me but I am lucky to have very mild asthma

Op - in your context I think you are Doing nothing wrong. I wonder if the sheer scale of stock pile is simply what caused the issue?

An ex Practice Manager yes these reviews are because GP's and Pharmacists get paid for them. Even though they can be inappropriate and a waste of time. With my old GP I just use to say yes, yes everything fine to get out of the Surgery and stop her trying to fiddle with the prescription and try and QOF me for eg persuade me to have smears etc.

Due to the GP contract I went for 6 years with issues with my repeat prescription that I did not tell my GP about as it would have been too much hassle, too stressful and I would end having been over investigated.

My new GP is colleague who respects the fact I despise the GP Contract with an absolute passion. He uses less is more approach with me. If I say no to something it is respected no badgering or stupid NHS counselling "are you sure you understand the implication" type nonsense. Needless to say I trust him and after 6 years I now have my prescription sorted out and I am million times better.

I am afraid NHS procedures, protocols and the GP contract do not suit every patient and can lead to some very bad care. However NHS tends to go down the line of one size fits all and it does not fit every patient. GP's also badger patients inappropriately when there is money to be made. I am very cynical and take no prisoners. It is down my way or not at all.

I have been told by a GP Practice that did not want me as a patient that I am far too knowledgeable and it scared them. I took that as a huge compliment :)

OP i am with you on this.Type 1 diabetic for 38 years on an insulin pump for 12. I have had occasions where my type of insulin was in short supply, needed higher dose than normal and even had my repeat perscriptions stopped until i had a review and yet every time i tried to make an appointment for this there were none free! You are the expert and never let ANYONE tell you otherwise. You have your daughters best interests at heart and i have seen too many fuck ups over the years with my diabetes and so called experts that i no longer just accept what i an told by any health care professional without asking lots of questions.

a few hundred quid's worth of life-saving drugs in the bathroom cabinet Slightly off topic, but please do NOT store medications in the bathroom cabinet - extreme and frequent changes in temperature and humidity can effect the safety and efficacy of many medications. Similar can be said of some kitchens. The storage instructions will be on the SPC paper in the medication packaging and should be adhered to.

3 months though,do you really not see that as ott

No, not at all ott. It is all that's keeping dd alive so when I look in the fridge or cupboard I just feel relief that I have what I need for any eventuality

What's the point in posting if you're not even willing to hear why many people think YABU?

we live in a 24hr society,you live in London not the back of beyond,and you think 3months is ok

one month ok three yabu

What's the point in posting if you're not even willing to hear why many people think YABU?

Exactly.

YANBU. If you have a long term health condition the constant need to order meds every two minutes just adds to the stress and hassle. Sometimes it's not convenient to dash out to the surgery and pharmacy and have to get there at certain times that are inconvenient if you work full time. Many meds have no real abuse potential and patients often have much more of an understanding of how their condition manifests in them than a GP you see for 10 mins every six months.

As an eg, my DH is asthmatic, and has been for nearly fifty years. He is never realistically going to grow out of it, ventolin has no abuse potential and he has a much better understanding than the GP of when he is experiencing an exacerbation. Yet he is allowed just two Ventolin at a time. It's a real pain in the arse and frankly infantilises him.

Op
I am another overorderer,and for the same reasons .
My ds has type 1 diabetes (and autism)
I like to have extra supplies of everything ,his ketone test strips come in tubs of 5 strips , when he is ill ,we can go through 5 strips in an afternoon !
We can then have a situation where I can't get to the gp ( unable to leave ds) to get more strips ,having a stockpile gives me peace of mind .
i think unless people have first hand knowledge of life with a child with diabetes ( and other complications ) then they cannot possibly understand the need for a large buffer of meds .
One prescription for test strips ,which is supposed to be for two months ,can be gone in a day .
If I can build up a three month supply ( approx 20 strips ) and more .i will .

I just find it hard to believe that it's a problem considering the medication will actually be used?

Oh and completely agree about the infuriating reviews. Fair enough if appointments can be had, but if you have a three week wait it's a problem. We even had one GP refuse a script request for Ventolin, a LIFE SAVING DRUG, because the review was three days away. Boy did that GP get a rocket off me about medical ethics. Perhaps she thought the risk of him suffering a fatal asthma attack without a reliever was less of a problem than strictly adhering to the review requirements

Absolutely hedgehog80
My ds is very unlikely to never need his meds .and I think two month repeats are far to frequent anyway .
If the gp were able to prescribe 6 -12 months at a time ,I would be much more relaxed.

I usually make sure we have a week's buffer for DS1, because sometimes weeks like this week happen and an item gets missed off the repeat, meaning having to wait another day for it - and it's not a medication we can get at our local chemist easily, so DH has to go out of his way to get it dispensed. The place he goes to, now, usually has stock, but if it doesn't, that's often another day to wait.

A weeks stock is a good idea

Can you actually not see why, in some situations, stockpiling drugs is a big issue? Really?! She has a duty to check everything is ok. Your daughter is a child. It's not offensive, it's good practice.