To think it should not be this difficult to get a repeat for the pill

[chasingrainbows27]

Moved to a new city. Had a weeks worth of contraceptive pill left. Usually the prescription is automatically sent to Boots so I thought no problem, I will be going back to old city so will pick them up.

Waited but they didn't arrive. I work 9-5 and am out of the house 8-6.30 commuting. So registering with a GP is difficult. My closest with late opening hours has appointments late but the reception closes at 6pm.

Once registered there is a 3 day 'admin' wait then a two week wait for an appointment to get the pill.

So I called old dr. They can't do a repeat without me ordering at the counter.

I'm now completely out of the pill.

Tried to go to sexual health clinic. I'm in a huge city yet all those with outside of working hour clinics are booked for 2 weeks.

Went to closest nhs walk in centre. Am currently in a three hour queue with no guarantee they will prescribe them apparently.

At this point I feel like it would be easier to get pregnant and have a baby!

AIBU to think it shouldn't be this difficult to get hold of the pill?

That's a pain! Our local sexual health clinic is only open 3 half days a week, it's sit and wait but different hours each time.
Have you any friends you can ask that are on the same pill? Must be the same medication and dose but might tide you over?
Once your sorted this time get yourself on patient access if your surgery does it, you can order Medstead and make appointments online, much easier when you're working 🙂

Medstead? Medications!

Can't you order online from Lloyd's

yabu
you could have sorted this earlier

Order online from a uk chemist.

I think YABU. Moving to a new city presumably didn't come out of the blue. You could easily have got your prescription earlier so you had them, or made arrangements with new surgery sooner.

Online chemist the way forward. Sure you have to pay but it's worth it IMO as you can select the one you want. It's really quick too. I'm not on the pill anymore but this was way easier than having to go through my GP every time.

You can buy online from an online chemist. It's not cheap. But maybe you have no choice I have done this before. I think you can do it online for boots too.

www.boots.com/one-off-prescriptions

I order mine via private prescription from Lloyds Pharmacy for exactly this reason.

Can buy 3 or 6 months upfront and free to click & collect. Most Lloyds pharmacies have better opening hours than GP surgeries too!

You could go to any pharmacist and explain. They can give you sufficient to tide you over. Boots certainly quite helpful.
In truth you should have planned better though.

I think this one is on you, you really should have planned better. This isn't a case of a doctor refusing to prescribe the pill or being overly difficult.

Yabu, you know your working hours, you knew you were moving, you should have got it sorted before hand and not left it til the last minute

YANBU I find it really difficult because my GP insisits on having a 3 month check up appointment but you can't see a GP for this appointment you have to see a nurse. Nurses only offer appointments in the middle of the day on weekdays only so as I work full time I can't make these and they refuse to give me a GP appointment on one of their evening/weekend slots.
It means I have to take a half day off work every 3 months.

They should make it easier to get the pill considering the number of unplanned pregnancies/children in foster care/general over-population!!

I get a hard time every time I see or speak to the nurse practitioner rather than a doctor. Endless suggestions about have I considered an implant, or the mini-pill... Last time she actually counted up how long it had been since my last repeat and said I shouldn't need more yet. So I told her I had run a couple of packets together (which is true- I always take three in a row and then break). And she had never heard of this concept before, and had to go and check with the pharmacist. And then suggested an implant again, and demanded to know why I wouldn't consider one. And then made me speak to the pharmacist, who had no problem at all. If I get the doctor, they check my blood pressure and write the prescription, and I'm in and out in five minutes. I don't see why there's so much drama about something I've taken without any problems for 15 years, on and off. Ridiculous.

As I said, usually the repeat goes automatically to Boots so I don't need to think about it!

Admittedly I had a lot going on with moving but I just cannot believe how difficult it has been. I do think it's crazy my own doctor can't process a repeat unless I go to the counter.

I ended up waiting 3 hours at the walk in centre to get a prescription.

You should have ordered sooner. You could just reorder and use condoms in the interim?

Just buy online from lloyds super drug etc £25 3 months

I feel your pain OP! I had to register at a new GP because my old one shut down. I had to go in in person to register, go in again for an initial appointment/check up to complete the registration, but they couldn't possibly give me a repeat prescription at that appointment so I had to go to a third appointment to actually get the prescription! Then I took my 6 month prescription to the in-house pharmacy and they only had three months in stock so I had to back a fourth time to get the remaining pills!

Four trips to the GP to get some pills that I have been on for 13 years!

I'd like to say this is unusual but it isn't - I often have a complete farce trying to get hold of the pill. I even complained to the nurse once that I was fed up of having to get down on my knees and beg just to get a repeat prescription - I agree getting pregnant is bloody easier!

Darcey that's exactly it - need to register to get the prescription but need to register in person, then go for a check up then make an appointment to get the repeat!

All at a GP that opens late on night per week - but the reception still closes at 6pm.

Oh and I know I can buy online but £25 for 3 months seems pretty expensive...

I've just found my Lloyds receipt and I paid £18 for six months! I guess maybe it depends on what type you get?

It's all relative- it's 6-8 a packet depending on where/how you buy-that's cheaper than a regular prescription, doctors time and potentially your time going backwards and forwards etc
I strongly suspect that contraceptives will be next on list of cuts given in some areas specialist baby formula has been stopped

I'm on the pill and because trying to get an appointment at the doctors with a bloody nurse is such a nightmare especially when this nursr also thinks you should have the implant which I don't want so stop asking every 3 months you bloody PITA I just go to the sexual health clinic and wait around I can get a 6 month supply for nothing and no mider about the -fucking stupid- implant.

Oh and I know I can buy online but £25 for 3 months seems pretty expensive...

Unless I was broke, I'd rather do that than wait for three hours in a walk-in centre!!