CBD for pain

[Kingfisher101]

I am sure that if IS possible for certain patients to get prescriptions for THC-containing cannabis meds. A friend of mine with MS uses it and does get some relief from it. Only thing is it costs a couple of hundred pounds a month! (Apparently, that is a big price reduction - it used to cost about £500 a month...)

Rip off, she might as well just buy weed. Plenty of that about.

 

[ColinJ]

Rip off, she might as well just buy weed. Plenty of that about.

He actually IS a weed smoker and that does give him slight relief, but whatever the prescription stuff is seems to be much purer and better targeted at his symptoms.

 

[Oldhippy]

As with so much in the UK things like this get rolled out half ar*ed. There are many examples in Europe and elsewhere that despite overwhelming research by real scientists that show convincing pain relief and benefits. We here continue to dither and faff with all manner of exemptions that ultimately help a tiny number of people while the bandwagon has High St chains and others eagerly selling pointless, expensive useless versions.

 

[ColinJ]

Only available on private prescription? NHS-funded prescriptions are a standard fee (£9.85 or something IIRC) regardless of the actual cost of the drug to the NHS to purchase.

I didn't realise that private prescriptions were possible but I just read about them and I think that you must be right.

What a weird set-up! It is one thing to see a private doctor, but I think that the NHS should still cover the prescriptions.

 

[Drago]

Vets can issue them too, that is to say vets can prescribe some medications for dogs which can be obtained at chemist shops that wouldn't otherwise be available to the public. Easier to forge these days than doctors prescriptions, so it does get abused.

 

[Espresso vecchio]

When I got put on anticoagulants for life I found out that diabetics don't have to pay for their meds.

When I asked why I had to pay for mine I was told that diabetics would die without their prescription drugs for life so the NHS pays.

I pointed out that I would also die without my prescription drugs for life...

And similarly... Why are some prescriptions cheap, but some like full-strength CBD extremely expensive?

Declaration of interest upfront: retired GP.

The rules about who pays for prescriptions and who doesn't were made in 1968 when prescription charges were reintroduced after they had been abolished in 1965. Cancer was added in 2009. GPs - individually and collectively - and patient groups have complained throughout that time to the Dept of Health and have been ignored. The rules and exemption groups are bonkers, illogical and unfair. Further inconsistencies were introduced when health was devolved to the smaller countries of the UK, starting with Wales abolishing charges in 2007, and Scotland and N Ireland following suit. Nb..these are countries who get higher funding of public money from Westminster.

As to the cost of drugs.... some very important and usually older drugs cost literally a few pennies for a month's worth; same for some newer ones like some statins..yet the patient is expected to pay £9.90 per item. On the other hand, getting a drug for £9.90 that costs many hundreds a month is a bargain! A few items that have 2 compounds in the one prescription eg some HRTs attract two charges. As a dispensing GP I used to issue a private prescription for very cheap items such as a week of common antibiotics and charge about half the prescription charge - the local health authority threatened to sue me the day after I was interviewed about it for BBC national news but they backed down when I suggested I'd give it and their threat even more publicity

The official line from the DoH is that non-exempt patients should be advised to buy an annual season ticket for £114.50 which will cover unlimited items; there is a also now an annual season ticket for £19.80 for HRT. That's all a help but it avoids the DoH having to tackle the root of the problem.

Other quirks...some conditions like having a colostomy, diabetes, epilepsy, hormone deficiencies such as thyroid bring exemption for ALL drugs even those wholly unconnected with the exemption group. HRT treats hormonal deficiency yet is deemed not worthy of exemption. Other serious conditions such as heart disease or asthma (1200-1500 die annually in UK from asthma, and most of them young too) are not exempt at all. The contraceptive pill has always been exempt from charges but does not grant exemption from charges for other drugs; what's more, a charge should be paid if the Pill is prescribed for other reasons such as acne. Similarly a diabetic drug used by a non-diabetic for something other than diabetes attracts a charge. Finally on charges - as chemists get a fee per item per month they love monthly prescriptions from the GP rather the 3-month ones that patients prefer and which are appropriate for stable conditions.

I hope you can see how complicated it all is!

 

[vickster]

I didn't realise that private prescriptions were possible but I just read about them and I think that you must be right.

What a weird set-up! It is one thing to see a private doctor, but I think that the NHS should still cover the prescriptions.

Private specialists write private scripts in my experience (NHS clinicians can do too eg for anti malarials).
Some drugs on private scripts like standard pain meds can actually be cheaper than the NHS fee (although places like Boots charge for dispensing on top, local private hospital doesn’t), some more costly

 

[presta]

non-exempt patients should be advised to buy an annual season ticket for £114.50

It's cheaper to buy the 3 monthly ones (because you can get 4 months prescriptions out of each 3 month certificate).