Doctor won’t prescribe thrush treatment

[Loserlacey]

As above.
i get it quite often when compared to others. I’ve got it to a point whereby I can control it. However I have got it again.
doctor won’t prescribe it. I must have been about 10 months ago since I was last prescribed.
i Pre pay for my medications and I earn £24k a year.

Please try boric acid vaginal suppositories (available OTC.) They have helped so many women with recurrent thrush and are really popular here is the US.

Of course it is. They not only have to buy the item, which may be cheaper overall, but then the doctors time to issue it, the chemists time to process, they get paid a fee for each script etc etc.

Make sure to push for further investigation if your thrush is happening frequently. As a PP mentioned, lichen sclerosus often presents like thrush and is frequently under-recognised and misdiagnosed. I was told I had thrush for years and must just be very prone to it - I am, but that’s because of the lichen sclerosus. Early detection is key for effective treatment.

You don’t need a prescription that’s why.

Doctors famously work different shifts.

If you are getting thrush this often you need to look at your lifestyle choices as sometimes (most the time) things like this can be prevented by changing certain things. like underwear, food, washing powders, shower gels etc.

Its a complete waste of a GP's time , when you can buy it over the counter and ask a pharmacist. People who see the GP for having a bone in their finger are the ones who are putting pressure on the NHS . ffs

@NippyWoowoo I buy it so frequently that I know how much it costs at every pharmacy in a ten mile radius sadly! The £2.50 one is a generic brand called TEVA that a small village pharmacy stocks and is my go to as it's the cheapest one although not the nearest to me. I do occasionally pay £4/£5 if I buy say a supermarket generic one for convenience but rarely any more than that. Canesten tablet in Boots near me is £13.49 currently so a massive rip off in comparison for exactly the same tablet.

It is, thank you.
I don’t have to work full time, and regardless, I’m off now anyway.

Stay mad about that if it makes you feel better.

You've saved my life. Just found it online for £1.49! That's cheaper than a prescription for it monthly for a 6 month supply.

However I'd probably want it on record with the GP if I needed another 6 month dose anyway

Yep. This too.

It's one of the meds they will no longer prescribe because you can buy OTC. The only time I had it prescribed was when I was pregnant. Pharmacist told me the thrush was coming from my womb. Ex partner was frustrated as we couldn't be intimate due to pain. He marched me to the docs to make sure I got what I needed. 😂😂😂

Clotrimazole 1% currently 0.99p a tube www.chemistdirect.co.uk/clotrimazole-1-cream/prd-50?glCountry=GB&glCurrency=GBP&gclid=CjwKCAjwqJSaBhBUEiwAg5W9p0-BkU3uVIVwlLidCwUCTcVxTlts99jey1WJOYWOVl_NYHvYKai4DRoCuY4QAvD_BwE
But if you put what you want in google search then click 'shopping' tab it will bring up all the places it's available and the prices.

But the cream alone might not be enough. If you are getting it repeatedly then you might need an oral dose of antifungals to clear out your gut etc.

fluconazole is the oral tablet.

The only way I think it would be worth a prescription is if you need to use it continuously for several months, in which case it would be cheaper to get it as 1 prescription item.

Buy over the counter. I’d never bother a GP with thrush. I also found cutting out sugar for a bit drastically improved it, in fact when I ditched sugar in tea I haven’t had it since.

Yes it's frustrating if you wouldn't normally pay but as has been said there's a big push for simple conditions to be managed by pharmacist/otc medications instead of GP appointment, the idea being to free the GPs for more complex patients. It costs the NHS roughly £30 to provide each 10minute appointment with a GP so if we can eliminate all these appointments for simple ailments (can be managed with OTC medications) then it's a sensible choice to make.

As with anything though it's guidance, some GPs will continue to prescribe but others will not, gradually I suspect it'll be less and less common.

Pharmacist told me that 2% is much more effective, can't seem to find that online though. It's quite expensive to buy in store

I think generally if medications can be bought over the counter, they won't be prescribed anymore. My mother used to ask for calpol to be prescribed if we were ill as a kid and had been to the doctor and they would prescribe which was crazy looking back - she wasn't struggling for money either so it's not due to money issues.

You can usually buy several packs online cheaper than boots or other chemists.

Does anyone have a chemist who you can spend anytime discussing issues with?
In all my local chemists you speak to a sales assistant. If you want to speak to the pharmacist you get asked to wait at the side and it can take ages before they come and have a quick chat with you. And they have never been that helpful anyway.
So unless people are going to GPs for really basic stuff, then it will not work.

I read somewhere that merely the admin for NHS prescriptions costs £7 per item, and this was some time ago. So surely not unreasonable to ask people to pay for relatively cheap items that are available OTC.

Ditto to asking for the generic version of whatever it is - Boots so often have their own, just as good and a lot cheaper.

My GP surgery employ a pharmacist who can help with certain queries/issues. He also helps with sorting prescription issues. He can’t prescribe but can liaise with GP to do that. You do need to book a phone appt but you get one in a few days instead of a few weeks. It’s a fantastic service and I think more GPs should do it.

Ah okay! I can get a GP appointment fair;y easy. Much easier than getting to speak to a pharmacist.

No you buy it over the counter. No OTC meds should be provided on prescription. It's this overly entitled attitude for patients, as well as fat cats in senior management roles that are contributing to the collapse of the NHS

My dd developed a fungal infection on her cheeks. (She's an adult) and the doctor told her to buy some daktarin OTC. No problem. But the pharmacist asked what it was for and she showed them the rash on her cheeks.
They wouldn't sell it to her because it's not advised to be used on the face.
(Doesn't say this on packaging) Told them the GP had advised it and they said she must then have a prescription. Back to doctor who said that's not true, go back to chemist.
Don't know who's right or who's wrong.

OP I suffer from repeated thrush. I buy Fluconazole from Chemsit 4 U. £3.99 for three treatments. It’s supposed to be one capsule for one treatment but sometimes I have to take it twice to get rid of the thrush.