Would it be wrong of me to do this?

[Happyland8]

So I've had to buy an annual prescription. £104 for the year. I have a chronic condition which unfortunately doesn't fall in the category which gives me free prescriptions so this will be cheaper for me than paying the £8.80 charge per item.

The problem is, I'm now going to be loathed to pay for many of the things I have previously bought over the counter. For example (apologies in advance for the overshare), I seem to get recurrent bouts of thrush, the GP is aware. Rather than waste the GP's time, I normally buy some canesten over the counter which is in the region of a tenner. I'm going to be loathed to pay that now when I'm already paying the annual prescription charge. I feel like I'd rather get a GP appointment and get a prescription and then I won't have to pay the extra £10. Would this be wrong of me? I don't want to be a time waster with the GP but I'm paying a fee to have unlimited prescriptions at no extra charge so I'd like to optimise that since DH & I are on a small budget.

Please don't flame me. I don't want to be a drain on the NHS resources. If our finances weren't tight I wouldn't even consider this and it's not as though I'm getting my prescriptions free, I'm paying a monthly fee for them.

Thanks.

due to the immune system and other meds some people have to take this can cause in some terrible lack of health to those parts and thrush can then be a horrific side effect of this. so no if its something you having to suffer due to ill health and bacteria from other illness or lack of immune system,vit defficiancy which can be common in some illness then your well within your rights to get that needed medication.
you can buy many things otc that you can also get on prescription.its there for people either way.

What bloody ridiculous posts - thrush is an infection, of course you can go to your GP and get it on prescription if you can’t afford to buy it over the counter. £10 a throw is a lot.

This is what I pay my taxes for.

Repeating what has been said many times, you should not be treating thrush monthly or even twice monthly.

Look into probiotics, fermented food, cutting out sugar, possibly cutting out grains / dairy / yeast.

The moment the NHS isn't free at the point of use, and we start barring sections of the population from it (like the elderly, immigrants etc) then it's game over it doesn't really exist anymore.

We need a vital national conversation about it if we want it to survive. We will be heading to a point that you could tax the wealthy up to the hilt and you still wouldn't be able to pay for all the social care.

Say what what you wish about the boomer generation they are handing over a worse economy than they recieved to the GenX like me, but they managed to navigate a world without requiring my generation to go off and die en masse in a war so y'know count your blessings and all that!

The job for my generation and those that come after is to improve on what we've been given. We need to take a little more collective responsibility for our own health, try to minimise costs where we can.

To the OP: I trust you to make your own judgement on your situation if you can't afford something then get it free, if you can afford it it would be great if you did pay! Also maybe someday money won't be so tight and you could throw a bit of money at your local NHS trust via a charity. In any case the priority is your health. That is the most important thing, so get well soon! :)

You have been going to wrong pharmacy if you only just found out about annual prescription payment. When I worked pharmacy as soon as we saw someone with meds for chronic condition or more than 2 items we informed them straight away.

I don't live in England but do they still do minor ailments scheme at pharmacys. Where u can get thrush cream etx on prescription through the pharmacy

I don't know if it's been said but the practice nurse at my surgery is able to perscribe medicine, especially for something like reoccurring problems?

My other thought that is you have recurrent thrush then perhaps if you speak to gp receptionist and ask doctor to do a prescription instead of using an appoinment

My DH has a major operation and was on several painkillers post-op, including paracetamol. So yes, he did get the paracetamol on prescription, 100 tablets at a time.

He was on the max dose, 8 tablets a day. Pharmacies only let you have a few a day, so I'd would have been at the pharmacy every other day...in addition to working full time/shifts/on-call/worrying about him/,doing everything at home cos he could do much for weeks.

So yes, not having to think about going to a pharmacy to get his paracetamol every other day was a godsend, as I had enough to do as it was.

Normally I would go buy them OTC but not at the quantity he needed.

Cos he COULDNT do much for weeks

Yes judas sorry would you believe me if I said the second loath was a typo :)

This is what I pay my taxes for

It's not

I work but am still on a very low income, my GP just this week prescribed treatment for ongoing eye problems that I could buy over the counter. It would come to approx £20 a month - yes it would make a massive difference to my budgeting.

I don't think you are being unreasonable OP, but I would definitely book an appointment to see why you are getting thrush so frequently. Do you have a partner? Is he treating himself? My midwife told me that my XDP also needed to cream his bits (so to speak) otherwise he would just keep transferring it back to me.

I dont get why people are on the OP’s case. If she can get it for free why shouldnt she get it for free?

Because it costs the NHS many multiples of what she is saving. Can the NHS afford it?

I have an annual prepayment certificate - my GP told me to get it when she began prescribing regular medication. I went through a phase of recurrent thrush and went to the local std clinic as it was drop in and round the corner from school so it was easier than trying to get a GP appointment. They were able to give me a scrip for an oral medication that cleared it up, for which I used my prepayment certificate. The clinic were also very clear that I was right to ask them to check it out as it was quite a nasty case.

"He was on the max dose, 8 tablets a day. Pharmacies only let you have a few a day, so I'd would have been at the pharmacy every other day...in addition to working full time/shifts/on-call/worrying about him/,doing everything at home cos he could do much for week"

A pharmacist, at their discretion, can sell patients up to 100 paracetamol tablets in a single transaction for precisely this sort of situation.

I got medicine over the phone to my gb before (steroid cream and local anaesthetic for anal fissures) maybe try that.

You can buy 96 ibuprofen and 64 paracetamol from a pharmacy. You don’t need to go to the GP for it. I did this for DH after his surgery.

I have paracetamol on repeat i don't pay over 60

It's not

I’m sorry?

GP would prescribe for recurrent thrush but would want swabs doing & urine dipping for sugar before agreeing to it.

I used to get recurrent thrush - stopping having baths AT ALL fixed it - strictly showers only for many years.

After over 20 years without a bath I have actually had two in the last three months & been okay. Not going to push my luck though!

Other things that can trigger thrush include:

scented panty-liners

"intimate" wash

douching / washing inside the vagina

perfumed soap

coloured toilet paper - yes really!! Unbleached is best, failing that white, never pink or green - the worst

anything that makes you hot "down there" - synthetic undies, tight jeans/leggings

hormonal pH changes - more common around period

sex often triggers it - having pessaries to use as a single dose after intercourse can help a lot

Then why the fuck are you asking ? If you are going to do it anyway ?

Yes, do it. You're not breaking any rules, in fact it seems to be what that scheme is set up for? Personally I don't think people should get things on prescription that they can just buy over the counter anyway, but it is allowed.

Recurrent thrush can be a symptom of diabetes and needs a GP appointment.
NHS prescription costs don't reflect the actual cost of the drug. Some are extortionate at £80 a pop, others cost less than 20p. It's NOT unreasonable to get medications via prescription at all.
I'm questioned if I buy otc thrush treatment but can't remember how often is too often for treatment.