Methotrexate repeat prescriptions

tkachev

I get everything on a 4 weeks supply. I couldn't fit anymore into my medicine drawer anyway.

E

DebraKelly

PS - We get free prescriptions in Scotland! Thank goodness, couldn't afford to pay £7 everytime, because I always come out the chemist with a rather large bag of medication! lol

dreamdaisy

Someone, somewhere, pays the cost of 'free' prescriptions. The only truly free thing on this earth is air - appreciate that whilst it lasts.

Fowls, it could be time for you to investigate the prepaymnent certificate - I pay for mine monthly (10.40) and so save a fortune on charges.

I have to trot off to the hospital every few weeks or so to collect my meth. I have three doses left, I have collected another four this morning. The nurse advised me not to take it until I'm off the anti-bios so I have at least another seven weeks to go before my next trip. Je suis une happy DD about that! DD

cthornley

I brought this subject up with my consultant and GP when they changed from prescribing whatever was needed to only a month at a time.
My consultant (and head of rheumatology) thinks it's crazy and that common sense should be applied, however after some research she says that it comes from a change in GUIDANCE that was issued by National Patient Safety Agency and how this has been interpreted by the Primary Care trusts which in turn filters down to the GPs.
There was a significant number of serious incidents with MTX prescribing as well as a drop in checking monitoring figures. The change in policy is an attempt to reduce these numbers. Most of it is prescribing errors and failing to check that patients are actually getting monitored. Hence the fact that you get great big warnings on GP computers now. The change from prescribing a mix of 10mg and 2.5mg tablets is part of this, it was causing confusion for a significant minority of patients.
I still think its daft as a blanket policy has been adopted that relates badly to real life. I can only get 1 months mtx at a time to make sure I am getting monitored yet I am on 2 monthly monitoring :roll: - go figure.
Consultant agrees it is daft but there is nothing she can do prescribing mtx is in the GP's domain, GP's won't go against PCT guidance
I have a prepayment certificate as the costs of the various meds start to add up quite quickly but understand that if I've got to pay then this is a sensible way to do it.
You can't compare the cost of the actual meds to the prescription costs - if you want to do that get a private prescription. NHS prescriptions pay a contribution to treatment. Which most of us on Anti-tnf are happy with as at an annual cost of that is just under £10k a year, which I know I couldn't afford if I actually had to pay for. I guess my MTX, paraceatmol, codeine etc are going towards subsidising that.
Chrissie

salamander

I used to get my mtx from the hospital as they did the blood tests. My GP refused to supply them unless I had the bloods done at the surgery. Seeing as I have to go to the hospital for those as well, I opted to get everything done at the latter. They prescribed two months at a time which was not too bad.

MrDJ

fowls48 wrote:

Hi
I have only been prescribed 24 tabs , i take 6 on a friday , i was absolutely spitting feathers when i realised i had paid 7 quid for 4 folic acid tabs Which i could have purchased over the counter cheaper ,To be honest they will have to change as i cannot afford this evey month.Do i have to get myself another cleaning job to pay these fees .i'm already killing myself crud talk about having last pound of flesh .

karen.

hi karen
dont get another job get this>
if you havnt already done so i would recommend a pre payment prescription
which you can get here > https://apps.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/ppcwebsales/

The current cost is:
* £29.10 for a 3-month PPC; and
* £104.00 for a 12-month PPC.

you only need to buy 4 single prescriptions which would be £30.40 if you pay for them and unlimited prescriptions within the 3 months or a year if you use a pre payment.


update to my fiasco so far.
i didnt get the callback from the gp last night so i rang again this morning.
receptionist couldnt understand why i hadnt received the call so she added me to the main practice gp to call me back.
she rang at 11.30 and after explaining what had happened with her colleague all she kept doing was apologizing especially after i told her my infusion had been cancelled once again today because i hadnt had my methotrexate. a prescription was ready for me an hour later and guess what.... it was 24 tabs again

part 2. at 9am this morning i had a rhumy appt and he was shocked when i explained the above. he will now be writing a strong letter to the practice.
thanks to this lovely weather we are having the pain isnt as bad as when ive previously missed infusions but my psoriasis has gone absolutely haywire and patches are popping up on a daily basis. luckily its only affected my legs and is no where else.
luckily the rhumy gave me a prescription for 3 months supply of mtx BUT i was refused at the pharmacy as i hadnt got my mtx book even though i had a full list of my last few bloods.

what a palava :?

dreamdaisy

Ooooh, is your psoriasis springing up? Mine too, I don't have a major problem with it but it's appearing on my wrists, my right ankle and soles. Grrrrr. I am glad your rheumatologist will be writing to your practice: GPs know a great deal, but not everything about everything. DD

MrDJ

wonder if your flare up is due to the change of weather.
mines through lack of mtx
while i was away in ibiza a couple of weeks ago it had almost totally cleared but now its speading like wildfire on both legs. the original patches are paler and there is new very red spread around it.
is this how this bugger spreads?

the docs still cant understand how ive managed 27 years without a single patch and then over the last 2 its started. of course we joke that ive got oa/ra/anky spon/ and now pa and not forgetting a lupus coagulant. its not lupus but an add on that give of weard blood readings.

go on say it, its because im special.

ruby2

I have an appt 2moro with RHm nurse all tests done so MTX should be given I have no other option at this time.
I understood I would get the prescirtions from her/hosp...Is this not the case?

Also I may be in a minority here ..but the good weather causes me swelling and pain.

Another thing Mr DJ you say you were ok abroad with the Psa..... dont they tell us Mtx and sulfa cause photo sensitivity?.. I dont find that either (sulfa only currently) .
Perhaps I am just unusual! I am stressed to the max too at the moment.

MrDJ

Hi Ruby
when u see your rhumy consultant he can also prescribe mtx which you get from the hospital pharmacy. and then your gp can carry on prescribing but as mentioned above its like getting blood out of a stone lately.

dont worry your not in a minority
in the uk as soon as the heat gets sweaty like it is now so 25c and above my joints get a lot worse.
in ibiza it was 28c and no pain at all and the hottest ive had it was cyprus and it was 43c and i was loving it (except for when i had to wear a black suite for a wedding and lost almost a stone that day).

not sure about the photo sensitivity with mtx and sulpha.
i did have 2 very red patches which got a lot whiter but didnt totally clear but all the rest did. within 4 days of coming back they were back with a vengence and forming around the original rashes so getting much bigger.
doc wants to try me stopping sulpha after 27 years so this should be fun.

dreamdaisy

I think mine is springing up due to the current chest infection and anti-bio treatment. I'm not feeling as good as I usually do with that kind of medication so I reckon this bug is really deep-seated. I find that the sulph usually controls the skin and the P is not a real problem for me - I'm lucky with that. We are complicated people aren't we? I don't mind a dry heat but the humidity is the thing that gets me. I hate it. DD

fowls48

dreamdaisy wrote:

Someone, somewhere, pays the cost of 'free' prescriptions. The only truly free thing on this earth is air - appreciate that whilst it lasts.

Fowls, it could be time for you to investigate the prepaymnent certificate - I pay for mine monthly (10.40) and so save a fortune on charges.

I have to trot off to the hospital every few weeks or so to collect my meth. I have three doses left, I have collected another four this morning. The nurse advised me not to take it until I'm off the anti-bios so I have at least another seven weeks to go before my next trip. Je suis une happy DD about that! DD

Thanks for that DD , The money i used to purchase this months was my petrol money , my poor car is crying for a drink now .lol

dreamdaisy

I think Mr DJ has posted a link further up the thread - it's worth a look. DD

MrDJ

yup upper da top o da page