Arranging injection in the UK when clinic is abroad

[evalooda]

After a few rounds in the UK, we're now having treatment abroad for the first time.

I've been prescribed Decapeptyl 3mg (intramuscular) for down regulation before my FET, which the clinic says must be administered by a nurse or doctor.

Has anyone arranged this through their GP surgery? It's what my clinic suggests but I fear they'll take one look at a Czech prescription and refuse to do it and I'll be stuck. My clinic doesn't partner with any clinics in the UK, so I don't know what my options will be if the GP won't do it for me. Any help would be really appreciated.

(For info, I'm not entertaining doing it myself - I've done plenty of intramuscular injections in the past, but my understanding is that the viscosity is trickier with this particular drug and it was really expensive so I don't want to attempt it myself and mess it up!)

I just Googled 'home injection service UK' and a number of private options popped up - see if any are near you?

https://www.medelit.com/uk/home-visiting-team/nurse/home-injection-service-in-london/

https://www.nurseagnes.co.uk/subcutaneous-injections

https://www.hphomecare.co.uk/services/specialised/subcutaneous-treatment

Hello, I will be doing my IVF in Prague too.

Regarding Decapeptyl 3mg, I believe if you present your prescription to Asda pharmacy, they will provide you with your vials.

Thanks Loulamay - I'd googled that before but unfortunately nobody comes near me (deepest rural Shropshire)!

Thanks MrsHH11 - it's having the injection administered by a professional that was the problem rather than securing it from a prescription. Although it is worth saying that Asda refused to fulfil my Czech prescription, but I think it depends where you go! (I got it through Stork eventually).

For any future mumsnetters with a similar query to mine - my GP refused to administer the injection but it seems they should normally do this for you, I think the receptionist was a little misinformed. It's worth pursuing with an appointment with your GP if that's what it takes. I ended up asking my old fertility clinic if they could help and they're doing it for a tasty £100 injection fee! On top of the cost of the decapeptyl itself, it's proved to be a very expensive down regulation. I will definitely push more with the GP if I need to downregulate again.

Your GP may be able to help for a fee as it would classify as private treatment - ask the practice manager and say you are willing to pay if a nurse can administer it for you, as it will mean taking up an appointment slot. I had some unusual blood tests requested from my clinic abroad and the GP were able to do it for a fee, which was cheaper than what the nearest private sonography clinic was offering.
If GP can't help, google any local private clinics that do standalone early pregnancy scans / bloods etc, as there is usually a nurse on the roster who could help

Your GP ‘should’ not do this for you, it’s not an NHS service and not an NHS prescribed medication so it’s outside of their contracted services. They can choose to offer a private service, mine didn’t. I had this and other services privately in the UK via 3 different private GP services depending on when I needed it. My clinic was in Spain. Definitely paid more than £100 for my Prostap injection to be administered several years ago so you haven’t been overcharged. Hope the treatment goes well. I eventually also had hcg blood tests done at private GP.

Thanks MrsA1234 that's helpful advice 👍

Thanks @LongerthanMrTicklesarms

To clarify my 'should' - my GP does offer a private service, and the GP I've since spoken to has apologised that I was misinformed. I didn't mean to imply that you can demand it at a GP surgery that doesn't offer a private service!

Re price - it cost £228 for the injection meds, and another £100 to have it administered. I just want it to serve as a heads-up to future mumsnetters who might look this up that it can be pricey. £338 was a lot more than I'd expected to pay for a one-off downregulation (I'd paid a couple of hundred when I was with a UK clinic), but maybe that's my naivety.

Thanks for the good wishes- it's certainly been a steep learning curve moving to a clinic abroad!

I used an overseas clinic with no UK affiliation.

Some chemist's will do this for you if they have a registered prescriber and you can provide the ORIGINAL prescription. It may take some time to get the meds given they don't always stock fertility medication. alternatively you can try Zen pharmacy in London who stock fertility meda and arrange courier of the meds. They were incredible for me, unfortunately, it does work out pricey than getting it overseas but they'd typically waive the delivery charges