To think NHS Prescriptions are extortionate

[Leobynature]

I am not sure what response I am looking for. Myself and 1 year old have been sick all week with flu. I have developed a chest infection and DD has had breathing problems. After a much appreciated GP visit I was pleased I was given a prescription for antibiotics, pain medication and an inhaler. I was advised to buy ibuprofen and paracetamol for DD as the ‘NHS do not give prescription for calpol’. I was absolutely astonished that this came to over £35! This is a lot from our budget. I don’t think I could afford to be sick again. I don’t know how some families with repeat prescriptions manage it. So annoyed as the pain medication is not even that strong and I could have just ‘overdosed’ on 49p over the counter medication. £9 per med is extortionate

@leobynature

I don't understand your complaint.

You mention a 1 year old child. No charge.

You say you paid over £35. Presumably you mean four items at £9 charge each for yourself.

Are you unfamiliar with English prescription charges? A PPC is a better bargain if you are likely to need several prescriptions in a year or in a 3 month period. I had annual ones when my health was poor.

There are also a number of exemptions. If you are in need and "can't afford to be sick again" you should look into what is available to you.

I have PCOS, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma and I must admit I am grateful to live in Wales. I really do think RA drugs and inhalers should be free as without medication, both could have serious consequences. My fingers and toes are deformed due to late diagnosis. I used to have to choose between heating and food, I can't imagine what it would have been like if medication had been involved too - I simply didn't have the £9 per prescription.

Unfortunately only around 50 per cent of prescriptions are paid for which doesn’t help.
I agree with you in the main however I suppose it does stop the system being abused.

Very occasionally, the private price of a drug is less than the NHS prescription charge. I became aware of this through a helpful pharmacist who said that she could sell me something I had been prescribed for about half the NHS charge. It's always worth asking.

I doubt any of the medication I brought was worth £9 tbh”

Well go without them then, no one forcing you to purchase the script. Turn back the click 80 years and 2 of the items weren’t available anyways

We have repeat prescriptions every month, & three of us use pre paid certificates, costs @£10 a month

motorina exactly.

Two of our horses and one of our cats are no longer insured. I would be significantly richer if I could buy every medication they've had since at £9 per human size prescription. Not because in my case someone is making a tidy profit, that's simply what the drugs cost.

I have to have a weekly injection, and use a prepayment certificate for it, along with my other prescriptions. If I was to buy this 1 injection for what it costs the NHS, I would be paying over £200 per injection.

YABU, buy paracetamol and ibuprofen from Asda or the like, don't waste the NHS' money.

I think people are being harsh on the OP yes I know this is AIBU but she admitted herself she didn't know the real cost of the medication. I only found out how much my inhalers when I asked my dr for a spare one and was told no because symbicort is £38 per inhaler and I get three on one prescription. Items that are on prescription only are never sold in shops so we don't have a real understanding of the cost. If they were to print the price of the items on our prescriptions people would complain that it's insulting but at least we have a better understanding of the real cost.

I hope you and your little one feel better soon OP.

Nobody should be paying for dressings. Aside from the fact that the prescription is way above what it would cost to make encouraging people not to change dressings in order to save money would cost the NHS more in the long run and could have serious health consequences.

£9 a month is a great sum to pay for the medication I'm on, it'd cost me £36000 a year otherwise, that's over three times what I earn annually. Dread to think what would happen if I couldn't get it on the NHS

If the prescription was for your DD there should be no charge.
It would help if you clarified what medication you were being charged for and whether it was for you or you DD.
I would never put calpol/ibuprofen.. or any otc medicines on a prescription as I know the cost for the NHS is so much more than buying the same product from a major supermarket.
Also interested to understand your Comment on how you would overdose on the otc medication as I thought supermarkets were limited to 16 and pharmacies to 32.

Great Alemony you’re getting a bargain, others aren’t.

If you’re on a lot of medication and you don’t get free prescription there’s something like a pre payment card thing you can get. It’s about £100 yearly. My brother has one and he’s on many medication so it works out a great saving.

Just reread your thread , as your Day D is so young you need calpol for her , or was the prescription for a paracetamol suspension ?
Hope you both recover soon

I am, I know. Pharmacists usually tell you if it's cheaper buying OTC, so assuming everything op got wasn't, she also got a bargain.

YANBU £35 per month is extortionate if you haven't got it.
I'm sure for many people it would be easily affordable.

OP, I know this might not be easy for you but I used to keep a tin for stuff like this and stick a couple of quid in it when I could.

It helped when I'd forget none school uniform too.

I’m sure I’ve brought paractemol for 19p before.. possibly Asda? But even at Tesco or co-op they’re literally 40p...

My gran gets prescription paracetamol and it really makes my shit itch that she continues to receive it, then pies it off on all other family members, so she doesn’t even need half the amount she is being prescribed! Agh

I don’t give a fig what other countries pay for meds. We pay more tax and NI and it’s what should be reasonable and affordable. You can’t help being ill and I think there needs to be a cut off in a month.

My dh has just had a procedure he had to wait far too long for fucked up by the NHS. On 4th lot of anti bs and has to pay for bloody dressings at £9 a pack which he has to take to the nurse!This is going to be going on for weeks. He complained re the huge bill at the pharmacy only for her to say” you should be grateful you can pay and dont need free prescriptions”. Oh ok.My dh never, ever goes to the doctor and this is the first time he has needed treatment for anything. The way he has been treated is appalling.

The other thing that bugs me is the “use the pharmacy first”mantra. I have done that for quite a few things. Paid a lot for medication which doesn’t work and then end up paying for prescriptions on top. Things end up 3x the price.*

We spend less on healthcare per person than most of northern Europe, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the USA. If you want better treatment you need to pay more tax.

And of course pharmacies are pushed. They are a cheaper intervention that tends to be more convenient for the patient. If you feel you need a doctors appointment instead there's nothing to stop you booking without speaking to a pharmacist.

My inhaler is £28 according to google, anti anxiety meds £2.40. My gp is great and gives me 2 months supply each script. I use a ppc, so I can afford the antibiotics I'm invariably prescribed each winter plus other meds through the year.

@Drabani

There is no need for anyone to pay £35 a month.

She paid £30 which is a huge amount for families. She has paid taxes for this.

Your £10 is a third of what she has paid and a fraction of what my dh is paying.The smuggery and I’m alright Jack is what makes the NHS unworkable.

Didkdt
It is hard for a doctor to know if a chest infection is viral or bacterial. A viral infection will last 7 to 10 days, bacterial longer without anti bs. The op states she has been ill all week so 5 days.
So yes there is a good chance it could have been viral.

And as to my vet over prescribing well it is my choice to pay the vets fees and the nhs is not picking up the tab.

Radio sorry your OH Is having a rough time of it, and I realise you are having a vent on here because you are probably holding back at home, understandably.

But sad to say you are not being realistic, and have clearly not experienced the billing techniques of private medicine where every antiseptic wipe , sterile water ampoules to flush out a drip, and inch of sticking plaster will be noted and charged for, believe me, a £9.00 charge for a sterile dressing will be a fond memory. If that is you can even find an insurance company to take your family on with pre existing conditions.

radio yes, because that's exactly how the nhs is designed to work, we all pay in certain amounts regardless of how much we take out.