prescriptions

petals
petals Member Posts: 217
edited 5. Feb 2011, 06:12 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi everyone,

hope you are all ok today.
Just a quick question cos I know ou are a wealth of knowlege on here. When I get my Methotrexate prescription from the Docs he will only give me 4 weeks worth at a time. Is this a general rule or is it just my doc being extra careful.

The reason I ask is that I work full time and have to fit in a monthly blood test, plus order repeat prescription, then pick it up from Docs, then go to chemist to collect it.

I know it sounds like a winge but to be honest, when I finish work I am so tired I really cant be bothered to mess around all the time with prescriptions etc. Trying to get any more than 4 weeks supply at a time seems impossible.

I am very good with the blood tests, I always have them done on time and they are so far ok. Life would be just a little better if I could cut down the trips to the chemist especially with all this bad weather we have been having.

Sorry winge over

Petals

Comments

  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Are you talking about meth tablets or meth injections? I cannot remember how much I had when on the tablets (that's a few years ago now) but with the injections I am only given four weeks' worth by the hospital. Yes, it's a nuisance but this is a dangerous drug: perhaps they limit it for security reasons. I think my chemist does a repeat prescription service and they deliver: I don't use it but it might be worth investigating whether your pharmacy offers the same. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • valval
    valval Member Posts: 14,911
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    you can get chemist to pick prescription up from doc then deliver meds to you works well just let them know when you have ordered it sorry they can not go do meds 4 u lol wish they could
    val
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Sorry, Petals, but it's the same for me too. I can order other meds through the chemist but with the meth I must go through the surgery every month and they're very on the ball with the blood tests too. The only time I get a double prescription is when I tell them I'm going to be out of the country. It's annoying but far better safe than sorry.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • cherrybim
    cherrybim Member Posts: 334
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I agree with DD,

    One must remember that methotrexate can be toxic, in larger doses it is of course a drug prescribed for the treatment of cancer.

    The limitation of a 4 week script is because the healthcare professionals are making sure that they check your blood levels etc before issuing another script.

    It was the same for me when I had Gold injections weekly for 4 years. No blood test each week, no script and in those days the scripts were weekly! When I was put on meths I was already clued up on the procedure :lol:

    I know it's a bore but I understand fully the sense of it :smile:
  • julie47
    julie47 Member Posts: 6,041
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi petals
    I am on met tabs and my gp prescribes 8 tabs for the two months.
    I have bloods done evey other month.
    But I have been on meth a long time.

    If you are on injections by what the others have said it seems normal and dispensing works different to tblets as they are more potent perhaps.

    juliepf x
  • alanthemanc
    alanthemanc Bots Posts: 512
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I get 10 weeks of injections from my knew supplier, so not too bad. Alanthemanc
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,332
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    In general everything is 4 weekly unless you are very very lucky.

    have you thought about asking the chenmist what delivery they can do as Val suggets. She is right some do.

    It IS hard when you have a busy life to fit it all in.

    Love

    toni xx
  • petals
    petals Member Posts: 217
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks everybody,

    I did reply to you all individually but my replies seem to dissapear when i clicked on the submit button, sorry.

    Anyway I will definately see if the chemist can arrange for my repeat prescriptions, this would be most helpful. Only a small thing but would make all the difference.

    Thanks again Petals
  • cthornley
    cthornley Member Posts: 627
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I did a lot of research into this when my GP changed my prescribing down to only 4wks - being married to an arsy doc and being quite arsy myself I rarely take everything I'm told for granted.

    Its an overzealous interpretation of new MTX guidance however many PCT's and their GP's are sticking to this interpretation so we are stuck with 4wks.

    The guidelines changed because there were some issues with MTX overdoses for people in hospitals , so they overhauled all the guidance which says that prescribing and the checks associated with it must be checked and followed up to make sure prescribing mistakes aren't being made.

    Over zealous interpretation of this has led to the 4wk max prescribing rule.

    However many clinicians agree that this does nothing to increase general prescribing safety and that it should be tailored to the individual or it leads to lazy checking and a tick box approach.

    My Rhemy is one of those who doesn't agree with it and i'm about to highlight the stupidity of the ruling with the PCT. I have to go and get a new prescription every 4wks (they won't renew on repeat so they 'can do the checks') but I only have to be tested for bloods every 8wks :roll:
    I have a full time job on the opposite side of town which I have to take time out of every time I have bloods, & get my prescription which now amounts to 3 separate appointments every 8wks
    ANd the joke of it all......this palaver is supposed to prevent prescribing mistakes.....for the past 5 descriptions since my dose was reduced as it was making me sick....I tell them the dose has been reduced and they print out, you've guessed it ....the higher dose!!!!
    With the support of my rheumy I am going to kick up a lovely fuss about it later this year (too much pressure on me from every other angle to do it at the moment :???: so has to be delayed for a bit)

    I know its a dangerous drug BUT common sense should be applied, otherwise tick box stupidity will prevail
    Ok Rant over
    Chrissie
  • petals
    petals Member Posts: 217
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks Chrissie,

    I'm glad i'm not the only one to think this way. I take 6 tablets once a week, if they gave me two months worth of tablets at a time I am sure I could still safely count to 6 every Wednesday. Having RA is bad enough but making everyones life harder because they think we can't count how many tablets to take just makes things worse.

    Please let us know how you get on when you 'kick up a fuss' I hope it works.

    Petals
  • need me bed
    need me bed Member Posts: 103
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Evening all,

    I must be one of the lucky ones, I've managed to convnice my GP to do all my meds Bi-Monthly, I just seem to have the gift of the gab there i think...

    I fell over in the snow back before xmas and asked if i could have some morphine, he told me he was giving me 14 days supply of the tablets (30mg 2x daily) but the lovely lovely man gave me a month supply AND a bottle of Oral Morph too!! not only was I buzzing, but i was literally buzzing after the first tablet too!!!! heh heh heh, I think I want to marry him!!!!!

    He's such a good GP I never see anyone else, he's always so supportive too., when my bessie mate passed away last year he put me on a 2 week sick note... i didnt even ask..... work went mental about it but what can they do if your on a not fit to work note eh?? lol... must admit they're not the most supportive employer so I play the Disability Card as much as possible... (naughty I know but if you need summat then needs must.)

    When I saw him last he did say he was gonna put my MTX on a bi-monthly repeat with all the other so fingers crossed

    wishing you all well with gentle hugs.... my pizza has just arrived.... im off!!!!

    TC NMB xxxx
    f055.gif

    There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.
  • sullivt56
    sullivt56 Member Posts: 33
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    My GP practice is the only one in town that prescribes 28 days worth of meds...thats anything full stop......
    The pharmacy know me by sight and as soon as I walk in they are ready with the carrier bag of stuff that i need... 28 days later I am back and so on..

    It is really frustrating as they used to be like the other practices 56 day supply but the dotted PCT boundary line changed and it was moved to a different one which had a different policy...

    Bloody bureaucrats.....
  • salamander
    salamander Member Posts: 1,906
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have been told the prescribing of Mtx is very strict. I couldn't get it without presenting my recent blood results. My gp couldn't prescribe it as the hospital were doing the bloods, which meant getting the nurse to leave a script at the reception and me queuing up at the hospital pharmacy for it. A nuisance to say the least. My own pharmacy wouldn't dispense it without looking at my booklet either so I don't know how other people get more than 4 weeks.