To find this stockpiling of medications really annoying?

[MindSweeper]

'This medicine was returned by a patient today. Once medicine has left a pharmacy it cannot be reused for safety reasons. All of the inhalers are full. The purple ones alone (all 42 of them) are worth £60 each. That is £2520 worth of medicines that the NHS could be using for something useful'

Medication wastage currently costs the NHS £300,000,000 per year.

It's shocking how much we have to waste in hospitals too, I see how much is destroyed and it makes me think how much good that could do for people in countries who don't have access to meds.

What solutions can you think of?

People are shifting the blame on pharmacists and doctors, but a lot of the time this stockpiling is people just not telling their doctors they're not taking medications, and still ticking the box to receive the med.

""This has happened at 3 different hospitals, so I guess it is a universal policy.""

Yes it is and I've had the embassment of them insisting that Co-codamol is on the discharge Meds, because they've got to discharge you with what you'll need until you're next seen, they won't take your word for it.

The same was happening with my Mum (who had Cancer, as well as other conditions).

Our GP is constantly reminding us how much our prescriptions are as a family each month. I think they tell everyone who has multiple items. I can see why but it actually offends me as what are we meant to do when we need the items ? Yes we 'cost' the nhs thousands of pounds each month-what exactly can I do about that though?

A pharmacy gets reimbursed for the drugs it dispenses by the NHS and in addition is paid around 90 pence for each item that it dispenses (free or £8.40 charge), therefore it is in the interests of the pharmacy to dispense as many prescriptions as it can.

""No, I mean charge people the real cost. So my inhalers cost around €70 a month in real money. Or at least print the cost on the boxes""

I've worked in various health care positions and done Voluntary work. I could see many people coming off their Meds, especially for things like Depression/Anxiety, because of the misplaced guilt.

Many elderly people already feel like a drain on society.

I am not 'blaming' patients

I have said several times overprescribing/stockpiling/medicine wast is a complex and multifactorial problem and there is not one solution for it.

Devising a system that ensures a. safe and b. individually suitable prescribing while there is an underresourced, understaffed, under supported system in place aka NHS, is hard if not impossible.
It takes time, training and, most importantly, PEOPLE to improve on this.

There are of course plonkers and those who take the piss (it's funny how rarely people lose their blood pressure meds on the bus - it's always their painkillers/controlled drugs...), but most medicine waste has more complicated reasons.

Many elderly people already feel like a drain on society.

That is one of the issues - making the cost of meds more visible will put the wrong people off, those who don't want to be a bother or a 'drain on society' or whatever.
Those who take the piss, don't care anyway...

On balance, I am still in favour of making the cost of meds more visible.
Maybe a display in the chemist's window, like an exhibition

Pacific - that must be a huge problem for pharmacists actually - drug seeking behaviour

Judging from this thread there's also a huge disparity in rules and policies, which I expect is making the issue work.

I've never ever been to a Pharmacy that has forced me to get all the things on my script. I've always been able to chose what I want. I've also had pharmacists recommend me getting things over the counter instead of on the script because it worked out cheaper for me.

The fact there are pharmacies forcing this is shocking and I suggest people speak to the actual pharmacist and clarify whether this is a policy and why since it encourages waste.

Hospitals are getting slightly better now with the fact we can use patients own meds that they've brought in from home and we can use those as part of the discharge meds, topping up where needed.

My mum takes all her meds with her when whenever she is hospitalised
They are NEVER used

Local hospital probably needs to start doing what we do, having POD policies etc.

This is not a judgement, bty, so please don't bite my head off. I was wondering how patients can be certain meds are properly disposed off and not used illegally? Does the pharmacist get ride of them her/his self or does someone witness, when drugs are handed over? I'm curious as I still have to take a huge amount of different pain relief to the chemist that belonged to my husband and it got me thinking about wether it could be stolen. Bty I have no reason to suspect my pharmacist of doing any such thing.

Rid not ride.

poverty not sure about in the community but in our hospital drugs are taken away by a contractor for disposal, and any controlled drugs like some strong painkillers have to be destroyed with a police officer or police liaison nurse there. All witnessed.

The NHS pays for the pharmacy to dispose of returned medicines, they go in a special bin called a DOOP bin, which cost about £60 per bin. Our pharmacy has 12 bins that are collected every 13 weeks.
Most drugs can go in this bin except controlled drugs which have to be denatured in a special jelly.
Controlled drugs are witnessed and recorded but everything else gets chucked in the doop by the pharmacy staff.
In 20 years I've never seen a pharmacy reuse returned meds, it's so not worth the risk.

In the community patient returned controlled drugs can be destroyed by the pharmacy but out of date stock has to be destroyed by the Police drug inspector, the gphc inspector or our pharmacy area manager can do it.

I took my medication into hospital with me. I never got back what was left over. I have no idea what happened to it. But I was too ill to complain.

I bet people who pay for their prescriptions don't stockpile like this.

Thank you mind and madam, that's very good to know. 90% of the meds are extremely sting controlled drugs. I've been putting off taking them, but will do it this weekend. It's so upsetting that they couldn't even be donated to the hospice. I can understand the fear they might be tampered with, but it's sad that, even the sealed boxes have to be destroyed when charity run hospices and care homes are struggling. Hopefully there will be a way, in the future, that drugs can be returned for further use.

My DM died earlier this year, and I could not believe how much medication she had stockpiled. Not deliberately, she just kept collecting the monthly prescriptions and it all built up (about 4 carrier bags full). I recently ransacked my fathers stores and took all the expired stuff to the pharmacy. I told the pharmacist that for one of his drugs he had enough to last over 4 years and for another about 2 and a half, and not to dispense any more until I said he had run out. Several others will last him over a year. The monthly prescriptions just keep on coming. Such a waste of money.

poisoned, please speed to your DF's doctor as well to make sure that prescription don't get generated.

I can understand the fear they might be tampered with, but it's sad that, even the sealed boxes have to be destroyed when charity run hospices and care homes are struggling
Surely they must be a way of making it clear that boxes have been opened and tampered with like there is with food packaging nowadays???

-it all gets used we just have a 3-6 month supply
I do not understand why you feel you need to do this though as eventually at some point a 3-6 month supply will be wasted.

Drugs can't be reused when returned because of the risk of tampering, but also because they don't know how they've been stored, and incorrect storage affects efficacy.

As for hospitals prescribing for inpatients, I've always had to take my own drugs in, and when I was admitted as an emergency and didn't have them with me I had to go without.

When I used the pharmacy to order my prescriptions I had to phone them every month and tell them what I wanted, as the CCG wouldn't let them automatically reorder. This should be standard.

Also, I don't pay for my prescriptions and I don't stockpile. I don't understand why anyone would. My OAP parents are the same.

I've opened patients own drugs, in date etc that have been all crumbly and weird. So it's no wonder that we can't reuse drugs because there would be no way of checking for things like this whilst they're still in the blister packet.

persiancatlady it all gets used and will continue to do so as the conditions are lifelong ones.
We have a 3-6 month supply for many reasons-to be organised, to have supplies at school, home and relatives, changes in doses and also my anxiety that these medications are all that keep dcs alive so I want a supply 'just in case'
It's all labelled and rotated and no waste occurs