Generic medicines

I always buy cheapo pills for headaches.. 16p a packet type jobbies! All does the same thing.

Glad you got the right forum this time. Anything you wanna tell us? ?

I buy the generic medicines. 39p or £2.50? Easy choice! Unless I'm feeling really sorry for myself and I invest in the 'fast acting' ones which are probably no different but it makes me feel better!

Generic ones, ingredients are exactly the same in most of them so it's a no brainer!

Generic ones...

Generic all the way here, it infuristes me the way the branded products sometimes imply they are better when they are no different.

Generic all the way! 'im indoors insists on buying Nurofen. Drives me mad. Although he is starting to take heed that they're exactly the bloody same as Asda Ibruprofen for 32p.

Generic!

I have to take A LOT of painkillers daily, the codeine and tramadol are prescription so I try and recoup that expense with general paracetamol!

When they are the "extra" pain relief is there actually any diffirence than the normal ones?

Generic/ cheapest! I was actually wondering about this the other day, amazed at all the ways that different drugs can be marketed: Exactly the same drug, exactly the same dose, but there were three different variants (migraine relief, period pain relief and just a no frills). And three different prices ranging from £2-£4. I was wondering why someone would pay the £4...

Generic. Same stuff, no frills packaging, no brainer.

this!!

out of intrest how many gram is a normal box of paracetamol you buy from the supermarket>?

Ha! Had a pescription rant earlier on today on Facebook. Astmatics have to pay for thier inhalers whilst diabetics get all thier pescriptions free- my little soapbox view is that Insulin or whatever medication diabetics need should be free, the same as my inhalers but there is not need for unrelated pescriptions to be free for them.

I have 3 pescriptions now to pick up, best part of 30 quid for 4 diffirent medications. **grumble grumble**

Ahh yes, saw your rant earlier on fb and forgot to respond. This really gets my goat too. I now pay for one of those prepayment things - a tenner a month and I get all prescriptions through that.

I was quite ragey- blame the steriods!

How many pescriptions can you get for tenner?

Ha!

It's unlimited. https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/1127.aspx

I pay £10.40 a month on direct debit.

Re: all prescriptions being free for those with diabetes -

I have diabetes. As well as insulin, I also need thyroid medication. Underactive thyroid is an autoimmune disorder, like diabetes. I have recently developed a frozen shoulder, for which the GP has prescribed anti-inflammatories. Surprise surprise, frozen shoulder is a lot more common among people with diabetes. If I get an infection, it's more likely to linger and need antibiotics, due to diabetes.

I'm not sure whether athsma is similar - if it is, then maybe we should be arguing for them to get their prescriptions free as well rather than for people with other conditions not to, if you see what I mean.

Generic , the only difference is normally caffeine. So just have it with a coffee!

I agree with this. Asthma creates lots of other problems too. For instance, as well as the normal inhalers we have to take every day, courses of steroids and antibiotics are frequent.

I also have to have prescribed heartburn tablets as reflux when I'm sleeping causes me to stop breathing. I also have to have stronger than normal allergy tablets prescribed quite often.

Asthma is also linked to eczema so often medication is needed for that too.

I think what Mini and I are saying is that Asthma is also a life threatening illness - around 25 people die from asthma each week in the UK. I was almost one of these.

They estimate that 90% of asthma deaths are preventable - surely providing sufferers with free inhalers would go a long way towards this.

I probably diddnt phrase myself brilliantly - I think that any related pescriptions should be free, I have eczema and hayfever that requires pescriptions plus the annual chest infection that leads to steriods and antibiotics. Ditto for diabetics, one of my team has an abcess related to his diabetes- the antibiotics needed for this should be free,

I dont think i should get pescriptions for lets say a kidney infection free, or for the cream I uses on my scars to lighten them. Likewise for a diabetic?

I find the labels they use really confusing, and I know a bit about drugs!

Any of the "max strength"/"extra" type ones can mean several different things. Sometimes it means that it's got codeine in with it, sometimes that they've added caffeine to give you a bit of a kick (they do this in cold and flu remedies a lot, I always try to avoid it) and sometimes it's that they're using ibuprofen lysine which is supposed to be faster acting - I am not actually sure if there is evidence for this. So you have to read the label carefully to know exactly what you're getting.

As for paying for prescriptions, I can understand why they made them free for diabetics - because if a diabetic doesn't get their insulin because they can't afford it, they could die very quickly. However, you could argue the same is true for lots of other conditions who aren't entitled to free scripts - asthma is a good example, plus transplant recipients, cystic fibrosis sufferers... It would quite possibly be easier just to make all prescriptions free rather than faffing over who "deserves" it enough. IIRC, only ~10% of all prescriptions in England are actually paid for anyway, as all the rest are for children, the elderly or those who are exempt for some reason, so it wouldn't actually be as financially devastating as you might think.

Mini it's not that simple. A kidney infection for me is quite likely to have been caused, or worsened, by diabetes, and to take longer and be more difficult to heal. It's not always that clear cut as to whether anything is "diabetes related".

Anyone can get a prepayment certificate - it's worth it if you have more than one prescription a month since GPs aren't supposed to give you more than a month's supply (used to be 3 months). I have one, I get up to 6 medications a month - and everyone I know who takes regular medication either has one or is exempt.

But I always buy generic where it's available. The weird thing I've found is Benylin cough mixture - you know the 'mucus cough' one they're advertising on the telly (the one with the little green man sitting on the guy's chest)? It's exactly the same stuff as the regular chesty cough mixture - but at nearly twice the price! Smart marketing is the only difference - along with most branded OTC medicines.

Kidney infection was only used as an example as that and my scar cream ate the only things I have got pescriptions for in the last 12 months,I get that for some people they could be worse than others. Imo (and I know its not that basic) all pescriptions should be free. I understand that they want be as alot could be for non urgent reasons etc therefore I think all life saving or condition related pescriptions should be free. Clearly someone with medical knowledge would qualify the condition not me!!

And the structure of that post is truly crap! Will post something much better when on computer!

Generic for sure, I also think prescriptions for serious conditions should be free. I have Lupus, which is also an auto immune disease and we do not get free prescriptions. I take between 10 and 20 tablets every day, depending on if Im in a flare on not. I have a pre paymernt certificate so of couse I'm not paying for all these or I would be bank rupt! There is an on going campaign by some lupus charities to make this the case I believe but no luck so far.

I get what you're saying mini.

I didn't know diabetics got free prescriptions. Is it the the same for any other conditions?

Yeah, there's a list (sorry, don't know why it's so massive!): -

• a permanent fistula (for example caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy or ileostomy) requiring an appliance or continuous surgical dressing
• a form of hypoadrenalism (for example Addison's disease) for which specific substitution therapy is needed
• diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism
• diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone
• hypoparathyroidism
• myasthenia gravis
• myxoedema (hypothyroidism requiring thyroid hormone replacement)
• epilepsy requiring continuous anticonvulsive therapy
• continuing physical disability that prevents the person from going out without help from another person. Temporary disabilities do not count even if they last for several months
• Cancer (for the duration of treatment of the cancer or side effects of its treatment)
• Some renal dialysis patients.

As judeclarke said though, it's possible for anyone to get a pre-payment certificate which can save you a lot of money if you don't have one of the above conditions. And of course, if you're pregnant all prescriptions are free, as is all contraception.

I do this! Generic unless I'm really unwell, then its Beechams "to treat myself".

OH always got his prescriptions free due to his epilepsy but he also has asthma. I used to always think it should have been free even if he didn't have the epilepsy, but nope it didn't count. Now we all get free prescriptions so its beside the point but as the only prescription I ever get is contraception amyway and his was previously free we haven't really gained from the stupid free prescription rule (i'd be happy to pay for some cos we can afford to however if OH had to pay it would cost us an arm and a leg for his millions of pills and inhalers!)

so cos he has plantar fascitis just now (very sore foot!) he gets free painkillers too (no i dont pilfer these)...but we buy our own ibuprofen from tesco...the cheap stuff.

Always whatever is cheap! There's no point paying £3 for nurofen when ibuprofen tablets cost about 30p. We don't use branded medicines at work, I imagine they get in whatever's cheap, it's all the same stuff.