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Original poster

Advice re prescription

200 replies

poemontheocean · 20/02/2016 10:52

In here for traffic (sorry.)

I had a prescription for pain relief faxed through to a pharmacy 2 days ago and I've realised I'm not going to have enough to last after tomorrow.

Due in work first thing Monday - won't have a chance to see the doctor.

What do you think the best thing to do is? Should I call OOH today or tomorrow?

Appreciate advice :) thanks.

OP posts:
Alexa444 · 20/02/2016 14:12

I think all you can do now op is to self medicate with NSAIDS until you can get there. Codiene is addictive and they wont give it a second time without actually seeing you. I'm surprised it helps at all actually as there are no muscle relaxants in it. Try goinf to a chemist and asking for ibuprofen and codeine. Should be pretty effective for you until you can get to gp but be aware they won't keep you on your current meds long term anyhow. Codeine is not a long term drug. I stayed on it for 3 months before having to wean off.

Original poster
poemontheocean · 20/02/2016 14:16

No Auntie, the opposite.

If you feel my two minute phone call on Thursday night then picking up the prescription myself later that night and paying £8.50 for it is really misusing the NHS, I'm not.

Some of you are really being rather unpleasant, you know.

OP posts:
FiveGoMadInDorset · 20/02/2016 14:20

Have you checked with your doctor that you are allowed to drive while taking these painkillers? The law changed last August and codeine based prescriptions are on the list

Original poster
poemontheocean · 20/02/2016 14:22

I haven't seen my doctor and I can't drive because the pain is such that I cannot: if I try to put my foot down for clutch and/brakes it sends a shooting pain up my back and I can't change gears either. :)

Hopefully it will get better soon. I think it may be a little bit better now.

OP posts:
TheRealBarenziah · 20/02/2016 14:23

By your account, you should have one dose's worth (2 tablets) to take on Monday morning. So you can take them on Monday morning, then ring your own GP surgery and have a telephone consultation with a GP on Monday morning. If they have EPS they should be able to send a script to a chemist near your workplace - if not they may fax the script.

I suspect the thread is going round in circles because you've not explained why you want to use the OOH GP service rather than do that.

LIZS · 20/02/2016 14:24

That's a good point. Gp told me I could take codeine but not drive. Is there a private gp practice on your route to work?

Original poster
poemontheocean · 20/02/2016 14:25

Because I didn't realise I could: others have given the impression I would need to see my GP in person which wouldn't be possible to do on Monday.

OP posts:
Original poster
poemontheocean · 20/02/2016 14:25

I'm not sure people are reading what I am writing :)

OP posts:
pudcat · 20/02/2016 14:27

How will you get to work? Surely an extra day off will be worth it to help your health

Original poster
poemontheocean · 20/02/2016 14:29

Pud either a combination of train and taxi or taxi.

I'd love a few days off but realistically I need the money!

OP posts:
PurpleHairAndPearls · 20/02/2016 14:32

Op you just need to see your GP. You fell well enough to work, and a low dosage pain killer (alternatives available OTC) is making your pain manageable, you have enough until Monday and a pharmacist can supply you a very similar OTC for subsequent days if you can't get to the GP.

The only reason you want to use OOH is because you don't want to take time off work to see your GP. Surely the answer is just to ring your GP on Monday and make an appointment, whether you choose to prioritise and take the first appointment they have, or wait if you can manage the pain?

OOH doesn't, and shouldn't need to come into it.

millymae · 20/02/2016 14:36

You have my sympathy OP but surely if you have been in severe pain since Thursday and haven't yet been examined by a doctor, then you should be, and sooner rather than later. You may well be suffering from something that will go of its own accord in the next 48 hours or so and requires nothing more than you have already had, but equally you may need some more appropriate medication and/or treatment than you have already been prescribed 'blind' by someone over the phone.

As your GP surgery is closed now ring the number. If it's anything like my surgery there will be a message telling you what to do if you need to see a doctor before the surgery opens again, and do exactly as you are told to do. If you are in as much pain as you say you are, then you will certainly not wasting anyone's time. I may be naïve but I don't think you can expect a doctor to prescribe you anything other than a medication similar to what you can buy over the counter without actually examining you and taking a full history.

Apologies in advance if you think I am being unsympathetic to your situation but I genuinely think that you need to make the same sort of effort (you are obviously prepared to make to get yourself into work on Monday) to go to out of hours and see a doctor now. I can sort of see where you are coming from in hoping that you can get a repeat prescription over the phone but in the long-term you may end up causing yourself more harm than good.

pudcat · 20/02/2016 14:36

But if you don't get your back sorted you might end up with several days with no money

Original poster
poemontheocean · 20/02/2016 14:42

I would have been happy to see my GP, but this was discouraged (nicely) by both the walk in centre and the receptionist on OOH for the simple reason that there's nothing they can do other than prescribe pain relief.

It is not me refusing to see a doctor but this is just what I've been told - that there is no point because they can't do anything.

It really isn't me saying 'I won't see a doctor' - I hoped the pain relief on Thursday would work and in the meantime my back would clear up: it hasn't (yet - it may still do so) so I was wondering what was best to do for Monday.

I appreciate the advice, but I am just doing as I've been told and I didn't anticipate that my back would still be so painful - if I did I would have asked OOH on Thursday what I should do? Because I so rarely see the doctor I'm NOT really au fait with such matters and I'm trying to trouble as few people as possible - happy to accept a faxed prescription which I got and paid for myself - yet some of these posts seem to almost imply I'm murdering the NHS with my own bare hands Sad

OP posts:
SmokingGun · 20/02/2016 14:45

Fivegomad You don't happen to have a link to that info do you?? Google isn't helping and I'm on 8 X 30/500 per day and Dr hasn't said anything Shock

WoodleyPixie · 20/02/2016 14:45

Not that I would advise anyone to do this, but before I got my regular prescription and diagnosis, I brought co codamol (8/500) boots own brand and nurofen plus which is 12/200 alternated them 2 hourly and it helped.
The gp said it had been quite a sensible thing to do and not overdosing.

For 24 hours until you can get a gp appointment that will work. You will have to see a gp though for a proper prescription. You might have a trapper nerve or slipped disc which would require more than pain relief so perhaps make plans to book some holiday if you really can't take time off sick.

LIZS · 20/02/2016 14:46

That advice is nonsense. My recent gp appointment would given different pain relief options, X-rays to rule out slipped disk etc and am awaiting physio (10 week wait). It took over 3 weeks of cautiously carrying on, limiting driving where possible, to feel comfortable again but not yet pain free and still being careful.

AuntieMaggie · 20/02/2016 14:46

poemontheocean its not just a two minute phone call though is it? It's the time taken to deal with your original call, talk to the doctor, to call you back, write up a prescription, fax it to the pharmacy, for the pharmacy to process... and everyone involved to do whatever administration they need to. Not being unpleasant just pointing out that you could've saved the nhs time and money by buying something over the counter and talking to the pharmacist. As someone has already pointed out, OOH is for emergencies not people who are too busy to see their gp. And I say that as someone with chronic pain who goes through paracetamol like they're sweets.

Original poster
poemontheocean · 20/02/2016 14:48

But I had already bought things over the counter Maggie and they had not worked.

I really was/am in a great deal of pain and discomfort and I don't feel under those circumstances it was unreasonable to contact OOH and nor did they give the impression my phone call was a hindrance or a nuisance.

OP posts:
Original poster
poemontheocean · 20/02/2016 14:49

Furthermore I had tried to see my own GP and been advised not to bother!

I was also advised not to bother going in to see the OOH GP!

I will repeat I don't think I did anything wrong - I really didn't.

OP posts:
AuntieMaggie · 20/02/2016 14:50

Why have you only just said you were discouraged from seeing your gp?

WoodleyPixie · 20/02/2016 14:52

Call the ooh. Let them know the situation and let
Them advise. Either they can refuse you any further treatment or they can help. They might prescribe naproxen over the phone which you can take with the codeine.

I have arthritis in my back and take naproxen and 30/500 co-codamol. I didn't think the naproxen was helping until I ran out and had to wait 48hrs for new prescription.

Original poster
poemontheocean · 20/02/2016 14:55

I didn't - I explained this further up the thread.

I went to the walk in centre who advised me not to see my GP but to keep moving and buy something OTC. I took this advice but the pain got worse and by Thursday evening was very bad indeed and that was when I eventually rang OOH.

OOH were very nice and were prepared to let me come in and I reiterated what they said at the walk in and then they offered for me to speak to the GP working there who was also very nice and offered to fax a prescription over.

Even if I did do something majorly wrong (and j don't think that I did) I can't go back in time now can I? :)

OP posts:
AuntieMaggie · 20/02/2016 14:58

SmokingGun There's new advice on the leaflets about driving if the codeine affects you and this link explains it a bit more

SmokingGun · 20/02/2016 15:18

Thanks Auntie, didn't think of looking on Gov website Blush

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