Hypothyroid and free prescriptions - why?

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

I have just been diagnosed as having hypothyroidism and have been looking into it a bit more.

I've found out that having this entitles people to free prescriptions (for anything not just the levothyroxine) and I don't understand why that should be(it's irrelevant to me personally since I live in Wales).

Is it just prescriptions, or dental checkups aswell like during pregnancy?

dont panic,I have taken thyroxin for 30yrs and not had any other health problems,so don't wish them on yourself.The script part is historical and never been reviewed as the resulting outcry would probably bring down the government.Some chemists round my way give you all scripts free and others just give the thyroxin free,don't know the ins and outs of it so you can guess which chemist I use.

Sneakapeak - didn't mean to worry you! As it happens, although my DH's is an autoimmune type, his other conditions are totally unrelated (well, eczema may be autoimmune but that hardly figures in the scheme of things) I think he inherited one thing from his dad and everything else from his mum!

'may' not 'will' - just something to bear in mind if you feel something else is going wrong IYSWIM

Lilyliz - it is all prescriptions, not just thyroxine. Once you fill in the application and get it signed by your GP you receive a 5-yearly medical exemption certificate for all prescription charges. I have no idea why some of your local pharmacies are refusing to honour your certificate, but you should report them to the PCT.

Jux I saw a neurologist initially about long term headaches and some altered sensation in my face. My MRI was normal so he ordered a battery of blood tests including thyroid function.

The TSH was high (thyroid stimulating hormone) which is my body trying to get the thyroid gland to produce more thyroxine, and the free T4 (the amount of thyroxine circulating in the blood) was right at the lowest end of normal. So even though my body was calling for more thyroxine, it wasn't being produced (that's how the consultant explained it to me).

I have dry skin, sluggish bowels and not a lot of energy but I had put the symptoms down to the time of year, looking after 2 young boys while working part time in a hectic job and a DH who works away a lot.

I hoping that the thyroxine will boost me up a bit, though I may need a higher dose to get back to 100%. I'm having blood tests in 5 weeks to see how I respond to the initial dose, and also to test what my thyroid antibodies are, because that's not been tested yet so we don't know if this is an autoimmune hypothyroid problem.

I have a medical exemption certificate, which is credit card sized. I now need to show it whenever I go to the pharmacy even though I have a lifelong entitlement to it. So check on line whether you can get this and scripts will be free. Prescription pricing authority, I think.

My first test after starting the pills is on Monday.

I had all those things too Iwish. I can already see a bit of difference (and I think my bowels are waking up a bit tmi). I do hope you start feeling more energetic soon.

I thought I'd turn into Superwoman after the first dose but I haven't yet! (But I do have a bit more energy - dh is beginning to feel backed into a corner "why haven't we got shelves up yet, I've been asking for them for 5 years" etc. Poor sod!)

thing one,I an in Scotland and here now you fill in a form at the docs and then it goes on computer and thats the end of it ,pharmacy computer just looks you up and away you go.

Hope anyone suffering from thyroid disease is now feeling well and medicated/being looked after well. Please do take your check ups and regular medication requirements seriously - I know a lot of people are a little upset that these sufferers get 'free' prescriptions, but they obviously are not aware of how this condition can affect people - especially women who want to conceive or are pregnant-regular checks are required. It can made people feel very very tired, or even totally exhausted without medication (I could not stay awake after mid-afternoon!). It can also cause infertility (unless you are medicated) and recurrent miscarriages - as a suffer of all of these things the free prescription rule is NOT unfair at all - the condition itself is very unfair and so is anyone who is not a sufferer commenting on this in a negative way.

The reason is an underactive Thyroid gland cannot be cured and will need Thyroxine supplements for life. And to have specific disease exemption certificates would < I assume> be too much bother/complicated.

Those on anticonvulsants also get all their drugs free

I don't agree with hypothyroidism meaning blanket free prescriptions. Wasn't it only a few years ago that ppl with cancer started to get it free. I mean being hypo doesn't leave you at risk of other chronic health conditions, does it?

I would be more than happy just to get my thyroxine free.

Well looks like it does leave you at risk of other conditions by reading other posts... whoops :)

Shows how much I know.

I've thought a lot about this over the years, and I do think there is an anomaly over charging. eg. my late mum who had several health conditions (biggies were ulcerative colitis and parkinson's - she was on several meds per day for decades, would ahve been very ill/possibly dead without) paid for all her meds til she was 60; her 2 sisters who were on thyroxine got all meds free. I don't think people on thyroxine shouldn't get free prescriptions, just that more conditions need to be included.

I am on thyroxine (and in scotland, so it's free anyway!) and have several other autoimmune conditions. While the hypothyroidism didn't cause the other problems, there is clearly an AI gene in my mum's family (my cousin has it too). The year before i first got thyroxine I was so very ill - lots of infections incl pneumonia - and spent a small fortune on medicines. Because of the nature of my AI problems it is very hard to see what is the thyroid and what is the 'something else'. It all does overlap to a point - esp the hair and the skin, and tell me about the fatigue . Oh and the joint pain. (I'm only now still up cos I slept this morning, and am daft). i will pay for this tomorrow.

To others who at present only have hypothyroidism, only worry about it if/when it happens. lots of people do well on thyroxine and never look back. BUT we do need our medication. all of them! FREE!

I also had raised BP for a while - till my thyroxine was at 'optimal' level. It's now okay.There is risk fo certain heart problems if you go hypothyroid for too long. Those of you jsut started on levo, it can take a while to get you onto right dose for you - one GP told me too that the longer you've needed it, the longer it takes ot sort out the symptoms. I was undiagnosed for a very long time - at least a decade - and I think it was a few years before I felt better, though I had other things going on too - and I did feel a marked difference within weeks, just not completely better. The difference between 'better' and 'betterbetter', I suppose ....

There are various threads on MN about best time to take your levo, not to take it with caffeine, etc. A lot of stuff GPs don't necessarily tell you. I take mine at night so as to avoid the morning coffee fix.

Sorry about that little digression from prescription charges .....

When I was overactive, years ago, < and was very ill>, that was not on the exemption list as is curable. But years later, after being cured, my Thyroid became slightly underactive and gained an exemption certificate, which covered the HRT I had been prescribed at the same time.
My sister had been diagnosed as underactive after her 2nd child at 31, and was delighted she was exempt from paying for any other prescribed medications i.e. Antibiotics etc. for ever. She had no symptoms of her Hpyothyroidism, just her periods stopped. She was told she was very underactive.

Hey guys am new here

I have a question for ya. I have not long ago been diagnosed with underactive tbyroid and I take Levothyroxine for it. My GP mentione about a website where I order free Levo Thyroxine. What is the website called where I get to order free perscribed medication on Levothyroxine as I forgotten