to think we shouldn't have to pay for Asthma Inhaler Prescriptions?

[MaddyHatter]

Just that really.

If people with Epilepsy and Diabetes and even people with Thyroid issues and those taking the Pill don't have to pay, why do Asthma sufferers have to fork out £16 or more every couple of months for medication that can and does save our lives?

I think it contributes to the rather lackadaisical attitude towards Asthma, and just how serious a condition it is.

On the plus side my little vial that I inject once a week is some insane price like £1000 for 4 vials. And I pay less than £9 for 12 vials of it - I'm grateful for the NHS

When the NHS was set up, medications that were known at the time to be needed for lifelong conditions (e.g. for epilepsy and thyroid conditions) were set to be free of charge. Others had to be paid for.

Since those days, many more medications have been discovered for both lifelong conditions, like asthma, and for major conditions, like cancer, transplantation, etc but they have not been added as free because the cost would bankrupt the NHS and no government has ever wanted to repeal the initially free stuff to equalise the system as they don't want the adverse publicity so this inequitable position remains

I think things should be fair and equal but the NHS simply cannot afford to give all medicines free no matter how much they are needed and free medicine does tend to lead to people not using self care, doing stuff to help themselves, etc so I think everything should be paid for, regardless of condition

The categories are bizarre because they are a holdover from a bunch of patchy and isolated decisions made ages ago. They aren't going to add any more exemptions because it's too expensive, but they aren't going to remove any (or at least not so far I think it's entirely possible that this is one of the things that will be hit by 'austerity' in the near future) because of the PR backlash. It's not just asthma Parkinson's medication, for example, also isn't covered. Annual pre-payment generally works out cheaper for anyone with a serious chronic condition.

...which is roughly what Piscivorus typed faster than me...

Yeah well I am glad I get free prescriptions, even thougfh I am not entitled to it on the basis of income. My chronic ill health costs me money all the time, especially through lost wages from being off ill a fair bit, I don''t get paid sick pay.

Cancer drugs are free.

"even people with thyroid issues".

Even? Are thyroid "issues" trivial? By issues I assume you mean chronic condition?

As it happens, I agree with you, I believe inhalers should be covered, however you don't do your cause any favours by belittling others.

Only free since recently brasty. That is the one new addition; cancer has been added yet Parkinsons, MS, MND and so many other major illnesses still pay.

I think the prepayment certificate is the answer for regular medications (I have one myself) and, as I said earlier, I think they should remove the exemptions

"free medicine does tend to lead to people not using self care"

Really? Please tell me how I can care for myself better so I do not have to use all the free medicine I take daily. I would gladly give up free prescriptions not to be reliant on medicine every day for the rest of my life, with the prospect of further auto-immune conditions following on.

I know cancer has only recently been added.
And thyroid issues can be very serious. I am aware some people can have thyroid issues that are more mild, just as some can have mild asthma. But I agree, don't trivialise something you obviously don't understand.

And America has expensive health care. And yet more people not doing self care such as keeping their weight down. That is because the reasons people do not look after themselves are far more complex than free healthcare.

I've always found it strange which medications are deemed to be serious enough to warrant being free, and which aren't. There doesn't seem to be any logic.

Honestly, where would we stop though? You say £16 (+potentially) but based on that, every couple of months, it's 20p a day. And people on low incomes already get free prescriptions. That is incrediblly good value. Nhs care may be free at the point of service but prescriptions are not. Chemists need to be paid for everything that is dispensed from them. I could be wrong but not far out, it was £8 off last time I worked there (2013) and £9+ for a simple blue inhaler.

There is no logic to the press releases about obesity while prescribing drugs that cause weight gain either.

I'm on symbicort inhalers and my gp said they're about £40 each so with prescriptions charge I feel I get my money's worth as I get 3 at a time! I don't think the NHS can afford to fund every drug or condition & there is always going to one group missing out.

I think asthma is not taken seriously by the media, you only have to look at films and asthmatics are often the butt of a joke. And this in turn affects what people think of the condition. It is serious not just in children but adults too, it kills and it's terrifying not being able to breathe. 🙁

Asthma can and does kill. But it can also be mild. Which is why I think more people don't take it seriously.

I had this very conversation yesterday, a friend of mine now gets free medication due to pituitary problems/chronic condition.
My brother died of an asthma attack, no one saw it coming in that we thought his asthma was managed, never did we dream that he would die from it...I am super paranoid it could happen to me one day, and take preventers (brown) and relievers (blue).
I pay on a pre-payment certificate. If I couldn't afford it, I would have to go without food rather than without medication, it is that serious and I would not last long at all.
I am convinced it is not free because of the vast numbers of people that suffer from chronic asthma. I do think it should be, or a way they could test 'severity', or the level of need.

kerry ive seen a decent portrayl of an asmatic in a film and that was Annabella Sciorra in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle.

Anne I'm sorry, I don't mean that to offend people who cannot self-care for their conditions but there are people who could and don't. I, personally, know T2 diabetics who continue to eat badly while collecting free medications from the NHS every month for their condition. The BBC programme about The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs showed a patient who had been on high dose painkillers for years but had never exercised as recommended for their condition.

I am absolutely in favour of modern healthcare but believe that the patient has a responsibility to help themselves if they are accepting medication funded by the NHS and I do wonder if our current system allows some people to expect the NHS to wave a magic wand rather than ensuring they do the things they can do for themselves.

Of course that is not applicable to people with conditions that need medication rather than self care. For example there is no treatment for T1 diabetes other than insulin, as far as I am aware, but T2 diabetes can be heavily influenced by diet and lifestyle as well as by medication yet the NHS spends a fortune on medication for this with no expectation that the patient will make any attempt to follow any part of that diet and lifestyle advice.

Yabu to say...even thyroid.... as if thyroid is trivial when in reality people can and do die from thyroid issues.

That aside I agree.

And in these types of threads, thyroid issues are usually brought up and someone says they are trivial. There is a lot of ignorance about thyroid problems. Although I suspect the medication is actually very cheap and of little cost to the NHS.

The trouble with asthma inhalers is that they do seems to be given out very freely these days. I have been on inhalers since childhood and do need them but I know lots of people who carry a ventolin inhaler around with them "just in case". My sister was given one because she was a bit wheezy after a lingering cold. My friend was given one because of hayfever. There is a child in my son's class who has one but doesn't need to use a preventer just has the blue one in case he gets puffed out in PE. When did this start?

I do know the there are many good reasons why genuine diagnoses of asthma have gone up.

In terms of self care, we know that people who have a worse time in our society, are less likely to exercise self care. Of course there are exceptions, but if you are poor, have poor mental health, or an extremely traumatic life, then you are far less likely to self care.
That is because so many people in these situations are just in survival mode. If you are struggling to get through every day because of mental health problems, taking care of yourself is not going to be high on your priority list.
This is something that those who talk about free drugs never understand.
Also if you can afford to pay for extra care such as attending physio every week, that is far easier than having 1 NHS session and being disciplined enough to do at home yourself regularly.

But yes, ranking chronic illnesses is very difficult. You could argue that some asthma sufferers are never truly free from discomfort even with their medication whereas thyroid levels can and should be well controlled once you are on the pills.

I take thyroxine daily and my previous symptoms have vanished. I take asthma inhalers and still feel breathless in certain situations. There is no way to "fix" asthma whereas thyroxine ought to "fix" your thyroid levels if you are on the right dose.