Prescription For Child Denied - Told to spend £20

[SuperFluity]

Hello, new joiner here! My GP has just assessed my DD as needing Cetirizine and Piriton day and night for the next two weeks to deal with an allergic reaction.

I was told I had to pay for the medicine myself and the GP would not provide a prescription. I said that would need 4 bottles of medication to cover the period and cost £20 and that we should not be expected to pay £20.

I absolutely understand that prescribing aspirin and paracetamol should be banned. But what do you all think about the situation above? Is this normal? Am I being unreasonable to expect a prescription in this instance?

Thank you!

why if the generic stuff costs 49p from Aldi, why do the nhs say that it costs them £20 for the same thing?

I suppose it's not just the cost of the medication. Prescription meds have to be dispensed by a qualified pharmacist, then checked by someone else. That adds to the overall cost. Plus I suppose many pharmacies are quite small and deal in smaller quantities than the likes of Aldi, so they won't get such good discounts from the manufacturers.

Cetirizine £14.50 for 12 months' supply. Free Delivery.

pharmacykwik.co.uk/products/12-months-supply-of-cetirizine-hydrochloride-10mg-allergy-hayfever-relief-tablets-with-free-delivery-360-tablets

@mumsiedarlingrevolta nope, they've tried every antihistamine, beta blockers etc. The only thing left is cyclosporine but I can't have that as I'm already immunocompromised

@Ollivnader84 how gutting.
hang in there.
and a vey unmumsnetty hug for having to deal with so much shit. x

My son takes Cetirizine in liquid form - it’s £4 a bottle over the counter - sometimes more

A child may not co operate with pills.

Ive been given free headlice treatment for a dc under minor ailments.

I have to use omeprazole for GERD and now have to pay for it myself and it's about £20/month. C'est la vie!

I had no idea you could buy cetirizine syrup that wasn't by the brand piriteze! I've bought the tablet version cheaply but my youngest can't (won't?!) swallow them. What do you ask for on the pharmacy. Is it only certain pharmacies that stock it... if so which ones?

We have a Poundland quite near to us so I will check there.

I'm currently paying £4 something a month on amazon subscribe and save. She doesn't need it at the moment (hay fever) but it's only a 70ml bottle so I just thought I'd stock up instead of buying it once a week at Superdrug.

Depending on the type of pharmacy I would just ask for the cetirizine syrup.
We have two here and the one that isn't boots always has generic kids cough syrup, calpol etc for so much cheaper.

Like BalloonSlayer, we needed a prescription and pharmacy version so dd could take them into school. Utter waste of money for government. Otherwise, I just buy them otc

Thank you to all the super advice from so meany people . DD is too young to take tablets but the pharmacist clearly was trying to sell me top brand and wasnt making me aware of cheaper generics. Also great to know that tablets are so cheap from ALDI and poundland whren DD is old enough.

Just a comment to the one or two people who just commented that I was being unreasonable and made no constructive comments: I am a single parent and have £120 to last to the end of the month. £20 is a meaningful amount of money to me.

Don’t buy branded piriton. Get the generic stuff.

OP

Ate you in an area where there is a 'minor ailment scheme'? NI, Scotland and parts of England have this, you can get OTC meds and if you are in an category that you don't pay for prescriptions, (eg a child) then you are not charged for the medicines/

I work in a pharmacy and there’s no way you’d need to spend £20. Piriton is generically known as chlorphenamine syrup. It’s usually about £2.50. Cetirizine is also a generic and shouldn’t cost more than that either. The nhs is on its knees. Why should you get something for free for a short term medical illness when it can be bought over the counter? If this was to treat a long term or dibilatating illness then I would say they should prescribe it but otherwise you should buy it. To many people take the piss with regards to free prescriptions. The amount of waste bought back everyday is criminal. I’m pregnant but I still buy everything I can buy over the counter.

Piriton makes children drowsy

Maybe it would have helped if the GP had told the OP the cheaper, unbranded medicines to ask for.

I agree - I was told Piriton and Piriteze in the pharmacy. Two bottles of each ,so 4 x £4.99 which came out just shy of £20. I think there was a failure of communication by the GP and the chemist was trying to profit from premium brands.

I think the rules changed last year and a lot of OTC drugs were removed from the NHS list.

I assume prescriptions for children are free because the NHS doesn’t want children going without medications because their parents can’t afford them.

Plenty of people would struggle with an unexpected £20 charge.

This situation makes me feel uneasy

Our CCG have stopped GPs from prescribing certain things so it isn't that the GP doesn't want to be rather they aren't allowed to.

It's very hard isn't it - on the one hand the NHS has to save money, on the other people who can't afford it will struggle

I would struggle to find a £20 for medicine rn. I have literally £2 on my card & £3 on credit card to last me till the 1st Feb. Had to shell out £14 yesterday to get to a job interview I didn't get in the end all because the job centre threatens less money if I don't go to interviews I'm offered.

When you have a small child they're less likely to take tablets (understandably!) so I feel for you OP as the tablets are often more available in generic brands and much cheaper.

Do you think you'll be able to get the meds? If you can't just go back to the GP and explain the situation. Your daughter needs her medicine.

I assume prescriptions for children are free because the NHS doesn’t want children going without medications because their parents can’t afford them.

It's nothing to do with parental affordability. I'm this case though we are talking about OTC meds', not prescription only.

In Scotland prescriptions are free for all, which is fantastic, but we do have problems with GP's getting bogged down in stuff that people should be able to deal with themselves. Not just for children but adults as well would rather see/call a GP and have them waste valuable time sorting prescriptions for things they can buy OTC. Then we have the complaints because no one can get an appointment.....

Nothing you’ve said there makes the situation any better

Isn't this a case of using your child benefit payment to benefit your child?

I do think you have a point actually if your child will need the medication whilst at school. Our school will absolutely not administer anything that doesn't have a pharmacy prescription sticker on it with name/dob/dosage etc.