Paying for prescriptions

lululu

Hi I am now back at work and just mentioned to a colleque about the cost of prescriptions, seems she has thyroid problems so gets frre meds for everything not jut the thyroid. Now my question is Our Arther is very expensive can we get free prescriptions. I found that I would pay for meds and then if not suitable I would be left with @ 200 pills that I didnot want and then have to pay again to get something else.

tillytop

Hi Lulu - glad you are now back at work.

Unfortunately, us arthritis people don't qualify for free prescriptions and you are right it is VERY expensive, particularly when chopping and changing meds.

But do you know that you can buy a prescription pre-payment certificate? Current cost is £104 per year but I you can pay monthly by direct debit or buy a three month card instead of all at once. Once you have this card, you don't pay for any meds for that year - not just arthritis meds so it can save you a considerable amount. I have put the link below to the pre-payment certificate website, which tells you how to go about it.

http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/1127.aspx

Hope this is of some help.

Love TIlly xxx

joon51

Morning I agree with Tilly and Lynn I have got a pre payment certificate and it has saved me an absolute fortune, I would definately look into getting one. Junexx

tillytop

Morning Lynn and June!

Know what you mean Lynn - it IS a bit early isn't it?!!!

Love Tilly xxx

cthornley

Ha prescription costs are a particular bug bear of mine
The rest of my family live in Wales so get theirs for free (and they are typically healthy) I however don’t and it would cost me a small fortune :roll:
Pre payment is the only way I could afford it especially now that MTX has been limited to 4 week prescribing and my GP will only issue it with its 4 weeks worth of folic acid thats 2 prescriptions a month without even considering painkillers, anti-inflammitories, the pills to allow me to keep the anti-inflammitories down, the other sundries that keep me up and moving and god forbid I am actually ill and require anything else :shock:

Chrissie

woodbon

Hi, Prescriptions are expensive and I agree the way the system works is silly, some illnesses qualify and others don't. Arthritis does't qualify which is stupid. I think I read in paper some time ago about changing the system to include all people who need medication perminentlly, but, I'm not sure and we've had a change of Government since then.
Love Sue

debsmartin

Hi its a major bug bear I can't understand why some people with illnesses can get free prescriptions and other long term conditions can't. I've got a prepay certificate as well and it does save you alot of money, I pay mine monthly by direct debit so its only just over a tenner a month.

debs

sharmaine

Hi
You can pay for a Pre-Payment Prescription (details online)
email: ppc1@ppa.nhs.uk for more details. or visit the nhs website for more details.

I pay for mine by monthly direct debit. It costs about £11 per month. My husband has eczema and he also pays monthly. It saves a great deal of money especially as I take about 7 different types of medication.

Sharmaine

elainebadknee

Hi Lulu

I found this out too as my brothers other half has thryoid problems so dont pay....I dont know much about thyroid probs but i dont know if it can be life threatening? Surely any medication you got to take on a daily, monthly, yearly basis should have some kind of concession???
Pre payment is good but I sure as heck wish lived in Wales and parts of Scotland where they only pay minimal amounts of less than £4.00!!

Elainex

cthornley

elainebadknee wrote:

I dont know much about thyroid probs but i dont know if it can be life threatening?

Hi elaine
If not managed in can be life threatening - through the associated heart problems

elainebadknee

Hi

Well I see...But surely HBP and diabetes fall into that category too and do people have to pay for prescriptions too? I think a lot of illnesses people have are dependent upon how well they are managed...Ive never heard of someone dying of thryoid probs......Yet!!

elaine

oneday

asthmatics have to pay for presciptions as well which is ridiculous cos they would literally die! without their meds.

frogmorton

Gets to you doens't it? I have a friend on thyroxine and she totally disagrees with getting everything else free :roll:

Just the thyroxine she says.

Thank goodness for my pre-pay. Also you get them free when you get to 60 AT THE MOMENT :shock: I bet they will stop that just before I get there as they are making us work till we are 69 anway :roll: (I think?)

Love

Toni xx

lululu

Here we go again - just pay monthly it is not much -but everything is 'not much' I work hard and live on my own so all my bills are all mine, no-one to share with. It all adds up to a lot really. But thanks for all the replies anyway.
Free prescriptions at 60 you must be joking, retirement was supposed to be at 60 - I have worked since I was 15 but retirement for me is 63 (if Arthur behaves). so instead of having 2 1/2 years left I have to do 5 1/2. I expect the prescriptions to go the same way and the bus pass -

oh eck what have I started this should be another thread sorry.

tjt6768

The free scrip thing is ridiculous.. I think it was set up in the 60's and hasn't been reviewed since.. There are just a few things that give you free ones, thyroid as mentioned, diabetes and I can't remember the others..
I have arthritis and am on about 20+ tablets a day and as you all probably know, they're all well needed, my Wife has Heart Failure, her tablets keep her alive and she doesn't get them free either! How stupid is it?? It's about time it was reviewed..

Pre-payment, the only way to go.. Direct Debit, can't beat it!!

T

alarkra

My sister and I have this arguement as she has a thyroid problem so has the free medication card. I have got a year pre-paid certificate thingo as it's still going to be SO much cheaper than buying 4 sets of prescriptions every 3 - 4 weeks. When I went to my MDT clinic last month I was told by my Rheumy nurse that there is a petition to get long-term illnessness (esp. arthritis) on the free medication list... I haven't found the petition online, but I do think it's something worth fighting for - £104 each year adds up very quickly!! :shock:

paulch

:x yes the percription set is all wrong why we have to pay in england and not in wales i!!!!!!!!!! i have had a stroke and i cannot get free percriptions i have to take 18 pills a day.

tjt6768

alarkra wrote:

My sister and I have this arguement as she has a thyroid problem so has the free medication card. I have got a year pre-paid certificate thingo as it's still going to be SO much cheaper than buying 4 sets of prescriptions every 3 - 4 weeks. When I went to my MDT clinic last month I was told by my Rheumy nurse that there is a petition to get long-term illnessness (esp. arthritis) on the free medication list... I haven't found the petition online, but I do think it's something worth fighting for - £104 each year adds up very quickly!! :shock:

Could you find out from your nurse about the petition? Myself and my Wife would be very willing to sign that one!!!!
I think that it's free for scripts in Scotland too.. I assume us mugs in England subsidise them somehow or other??

T

bambi59

hi there
pre payment is the best, iv known friends not get meds due to cost !! asthma can kill so it was important she got them. :? one payment a month is less than 2 items so its worth it for your health iv had one for many years on dd. but i think you can buy one month at a time the phone no is 0845 850 0030. good luck

tjt6768

My Wife has heart failure and her tablets are literally keeping her alive and because she goes out and tries to do the right thing by working we both have to pay... Both do get the pre-pay though.

Think I mentioned earlier that I was told that the exemptions for free ones were decided a lot of years ago.. Just plain wrong.
Tony

lavenderlady

having diabetes and an underactive thyroid I do get all my meds free as both illnesses cover me for life, which i do agree is unfair my daughter has asthma but once shes older she will have to pay as someone quite rightly said she needs them for her life to be free of breathlessness her life is at risk if not on medication
I have thyroxine which if not taken can cause many health worrys including heart problems anemia and my worst side effect is the over whelming tiredness I fell sleep in the shower, I'm on a very high level as my thyorid has been attacked by my own immunity for me its a lifelong medication
being on insulin for my diabetes along with tablets and other associated medications etc for diabetes I'm sure most would be aware of side affects of being diabetic, both illnesses are life threatning but so is my dads heart medication and he had to pay until becoming a pensioner, I do believe more illnesses should be included on the list though,

jonkarra

Hi newbie here;) Have to agree the system is stupid. I am I dunno if the correct word here is fortunate or not but I get free prescriptions as I have type 2 diabetes. Ontop of asthma and some undiagnosed arthritis that my last and current GP seem to be thinking is rheumatoid arthritis. Luckily I finally after nearly 12 months have a referral!

The list of conditions doesnt make much sense but a type 1 diabetic would die within a couple of weeks without medication. A type 2 it can depend some can be in a similar position to a type 1 although that is rare, but for example I have a friend who is type 2 in the US and on insulin he is legally insulin dependant as whilst stopping insulin would not kill him straight away it would make him very ill and the damage from the high blood sugar would probably limit him to a few years.

Not saying one condition is more important than another as IMO everyone with a serious chronic disease should get free prescriptions.

hileena111

I agree that system is stupid.....there seems to be no rhyme nor reason to they way they decide which illness will get free prescriptions and which wont.
Saying that ...I do get free one...dont think this has been mentioned on the list....Epilepsy......thats why i get free ones but a friend with hearth problems cant get free ones. Its absolutely stupid.
I hadnt realised she couldnt get free ones until one day we were discussing how our motor insurance was bumped up because of illness.
I get mine free now because i'm over 60 as well dont know if thats a plus or not
Love
Hileena

dreamdaisy

Why should prescriptions be free? I see no reason why some should have free ones and others not. You cannot decide these things on the grounds of 'this illness is more life-threatening than that.' Everyone should pay something, perhaps that way the costs would come down (yeah, right!) It might stop them rising any further, tho. DD

tillytop

I have to say I agree with DD here.

Nice though it would be to have free prescriptions, I can't see that happening in the current economic climate and it is very difficult to argue that one condition is more deserving than another (ie someone with a life threatening condition may still only need one prescription per month, compared with, for example someone with another condition who may need perhaps many more per month. I currrently need seven per month and I am sure others have at least as many).

I think, under the circumstances, the pe-payment certificate is the best option and I know that it saves me a lot of money overall.

Doesn't mean I don't wish that prescriptions could be free for everyone though!

Tilly xxx

caravancollie

Hi everyone, I take thyroxine daily for my thyroid so get free prescriptions. The free list came about I think for those hormones that the body should make for itself like thyroxine and insulin but doesn't. It's not necessarily about seriousness of one condition over another. It's just that these are replacement therapies rather than treatments. I agree though there are a lot of inequalities in our NHS depending on where you live
Elaine