Are zovirax tablets generally only given to immunocompromised patients?

Piste

Hi, I have three dirty big coldsores on my upper lip, for the last few times I've gotten coldsores it's been in clumps of two or three, I had another last week on my lower lip. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to ask about getting zovirax tablets as they're a lot more powerful than the cream. I was reading the product info on medicines.ie and there was a lot of mention of immunocompromised patients. Seeing as zovirax tabs are prescription-only, would GPs only generally prescribe them to people with compronmised immune systems?

I don't want any advice or info on the drug itself, just the policy around precribing it.

Thanks

_Whimsical_

I have no idea about the prescrbing policy but I took a course of these a few years ago for shingles. They were extremely expensive.I think a weeks supply cost me €250.I'm not sure if that would influence your decision to try and get them but just thought I'd mention it in case.

Piste

Jesus. €250?? That's extortionate!

DrIndy

Acyclovir orally is recommended for widespread herpes infections which are not responding to topical acyclovir - but your doctor will decide if you need it.

Acyclovir is not a great drug orally because you need to take it 5 times a day or more often even. Famcyclovir and valacyclovir are similar to acyclovir but they need to be taken less often. They work the same way, inhibiting viral DNA synthesis and reduce infection and viral shedding rapidly with only very short courses (one day even).

Have a chat with the doctor.

Piste

Thanks Dr.Indy. Hopefully the doctor will know something cheaper but still effective. I find topical aciclovir a bit useless really.

Alicat

Famvir (Famcyclovir) is rotten expensive too so watch out. If you've got your PPS number or are signed to the DPS scheme you shouldn't have to pay over €120 though. Same applies if you get Zovirax tabs too.

Piste

Unfortunately I'm not on the DPS as I rarely need prescriptions


Would Quinn healthcare insurance cover this does anyone know?

Alicat

Healthcare insurance doesn't as far as I know but most pharmacies will sign you up to the DPS in the shop? They have emergency forms, just bring your PPS number with you. You just pay the 120e, they'll send the emergency form off for ya and in a few weeks you'll get a white DPS card which you can use thereafter.

_Whimsical_

Piste wrote: »

Unfortunately I'm not on the DPS as I rarely need prescriptions


Would Quinn healthcare insurance cover this does anyone know?

I'm pretty sure that they don't.

Come to think of it I think the Zovirax may have cost me €350. I remember between it and one tube of the cream it cost €400 in total. It was an expensive illness!

Alicat

And if any pharmacy says they "can't" do it for ya, they're fibbing With all the pharmacy disputes over the past year I have heard of pharmacists not doing the emergency registrations anymore. Just go somewhere else

Quiet Lurker

Alicat wrote: »

And if any pharmacy says they "can't" do it for ya, they're fibbing With all the pharmacy disputes over the past year I have heard of pharmacists not doing the emergency registrations anymore. Just go somewhere else

It is worthwhile applying for DPS. If you know a pharmacist they will possibly work it through DPS in advance of your card coming through. Bring your PPSN number. Contact your local health board or pharmacy today to see how long it will take

locum-motion

chilly wrote: »

I have no idea about the prescrbing policy but I took a course of these a few years ago for shingles. They were extremely expensive.I think a weeks supply cost me €250.I'm not sure if that would influence your decision to try and get them but just thought I'd mention it in case.

How many years ago, can you recall?
If it was after the introduction of the Drugs Payment Scheme, then the pharmacist really should have signed you up for it.
Even if they didn't, then you would have been given a receipt which you could have used to claim back most of the money from the HSE.

locum-motion

Piste wrote: »

Unfortunately I'm not on the DPS as I rarely need prescriptions

Join it. Doesn't matter if you only use it occasionally. At least you'd have it if you did need it.

Piste wrote: »

Would Quinn healthcare insurance cover this does anyone know?

No. The health insurers don't cover medicines. You'll be able to claim your tax back on some of it.

AmcD

I recently treated my brother with aciclovir for a nasty herpes simplex infection- his first cold sore infection spread all through his mouth, down his throat and over his neck. (I rarely, if ever, treat family members, but it had to be treated quickly).
The aciclovir cost him €177, but a nice pharmacist signed him up for the drug payment scheme on the day.
He responded really well to the meds. His was the type of infection that I would consider oral treatment for.
For the record, I made him follow-up with his own gp.

Piste

Well I got the prescription, she warned me it'd be expensive but i thought it'd be as well to have it in case I get more clumps of coldsores. Luckily these have started to go down a lot quicker than expected. It used to be that I'd get one coldsore at a time that would last 10 days, but now i'm getting them in twos and threes lasting for 4/5 days. Does anyone know what the prescribing policy in the UK is, could I get it filled there or will they only fill UK prescriptions?

_Whimsical_

Piste wrote: »

Well I got the prescription, she warned me it'd be expensive but i thought it'd be as well to have it in case I get more clumps of coldsores. Luckily these have started to go down a lot quicker than expected. It used to be that I'd get one coldsore at a time that would last 10 days, but now i'm getting them in twos and threes lasting for 4/5 days. Does anyone know what the prescribing policy in the UK is, could I get it filled there or will they only fill UK prescriptions?

They will fill Irish prescriptions in the UK. UK Chemists are not obliged to fill them but legislation passed in 2008 makes it legally possible. I'd say most will be happy to help you.

_Whimsical_

locum-motion wrote: »

How many years ago, can you recall?
If it was after the introduction of the Drugs Payment Scheme, then the pharmacist really should have signed you up for it.
Even if they didn't, then you would have been given a receipt which you could have used to claim back most of the money from the HSE.

Thank you.I did claim the money back. It just was an initial shock to the wallet to be forking out €400 in one go unexpectedly so I remember it vividly .

Piste

Oh yay, I bet it'll be way cheaper.

_Whimsical_

Piste wrote: »

Oh yay, I bet it'll be way cheaper.

Actually,off topic but for interests sake I looked up Zovirax brand tablets on a UK pharmacy website that most people here are aware of. Buying medications via mail order, including from the internet, is illegal in Ireland and probably highly inadvisable for safety reasons if you are in the UK.Im suggesting you don't do it Piste in case there's any confusion about that.

However, on this site one 800mg Zovirax Dispersable tablet labelled "Shingles Pack" costs
£2.59.

Could these possibly be the same Zovirax tablets that 3 years ago would've cost €350 for a weeks supply in Ireland?

locum-motion

Piste wrote: »

Oh yay, I bet it'll be way cheaper.

Probably will be cheaper, but not by a huge amount, at a guess.

chilly wrote: »

Actually,off topic but for interests sake I looked up Zovirax brand tablets on a UK pharmacy website that most people here are aware of. Buying medications via mail order, including from the internet, is illegal in Ireland and probably highly inadvisable for safety reasons if you are in the UK.Im suggesting you don't do it Piste in case there's any confusion about that.

However, on this site one 800mg Zovirax Dispersable tablet labelled "Shingles Pack" costs
£2.59.

Could these possibly be the same Zovirax tablets that 3 years ago would've cost €350 for a weeks supply in Ireland?

I looked it up (purely out of curiosity), and I didn't find it quite as cheap as that; the cheapest I saw was £3.84 per tablet, not per pack, and that was only if you bought 100 tablets.
You are perfectly correct, though, when you say that ordering through the net is illegal, so - with my Mod's hat on - I would ask all posters to please be very careful about future posts in this thread. We cannot allow the Health Science forum or boards.ie to be used to promote or condone illegal activity.
Thanks.

_Whimsical_

locum-motion wrote: »

Probably will be cheaper, but not by a huge amount, at a guess.



I looked it up (purely out of curiosity), and I didn't find it quite as cheap as that; the cheapest I saw was £3.84 per tablet, not per pack, and that was only if you bought 100 tablets.


Thanks.

Yes the initial post says that it is £2.59 per tablet .. There is no minimum purchase in that pharmacy. 5 days supply of 4 tablets taken each day would cost £51.80. Dramatically cheaper than €350 for the same here.

Locum-Motion I pm'ed you a link to the above.I did not want to post it here as it's illegal to buy meds online. If you did not get it let me know.I'm beset by computer problems tonight!:)

Piste: I would be interested to find out how much these tablets cost in a normal UK
pharmacy. Let us know what you discover.

SomeDose

GSK's Zovirax "Singles treatment pack" is nothing more than marketing shenanigans. In the UK, a week's course of aciclovir / Zovirax 800mg 5 x daily should cost no more than £15-£20 on a private prescription, from either a high street pharmacy or a legitimate UK online pharmacy service i.e. one which is RPSGB registered (and not available for ROI residents). I don't know what website Chilly referenced, but I suspect it's not legitimate, especially considering it appears to offer discounts for buying >100 aciclovir tablets.


*Formerly known as SomeDose.

_Whimsical_

ThePharmer wrote: »

GSK's Zovirax "Singles treatment pack" is nothing more than marketing shenanigans. In the UK, a week's course of aciclovir / Zovirax 800mg 5 x daily should cost no more than £15-£20 on a private prescription, from either a high street pharmacy or a legitimate UK online pharmacy service i.e. one which is RPSGB registered (and not available for ROI residents). I don't know what website Chilly referenced, but I suspect it's not legitimate, especially considering it appears to offer discounts for buying >100 aciclovir tablets.

*Formerly known as SomeDose.

It is a legitimate pharmacy that is registered and provides NHS prescriptions to the UK and more recently private prescriptions to the EU.If you read the above post you will see that there was no mention of bulk buying referenced by "chilly". That was referenced by locum-motion.

I will send you a link to it. As doctors and pharmacists I am very surprised that you are not aware of where Im refering too. There are countless posters on boards having prescriptions filled there despite mail order being illegal.It may be wise to familiarize yourselves with what many of your patients have felt it necessary to do to afford their medications in the last year. I'm not condoning it or recommending it in ANY way.

This is "chilly" making use of someone elses account while I can't access my own.

angeldelight

To be honest we know that drug prices in Ireland are high compared to other countries. Anyone who wants to know why do a search for posts by locum-motion, myself or bleg (just the 3 names I can think of off the top of my head) from around last July/August.

If you're heading to the UK and want to get them there, by all means do. If you choose to get them here, as was said previously, bring your PPS number and sign up for the Drug Payment Scheme

SomeDose

Pernickity wrote: »

It is a legitimate pharmacy that is registered and provides NHS prescriptions to the UK and more recently private prescriptions to the EU.If you read the above post you will see that there was no mention of bulk buying referenced by "chilly". That was referenced by locum-motion.

I will send you a link to it. As doctors and pharmacists I am very surprised that you are not aware of where Im refering too. There are countless posters on boards having prescriptions filled there despite mail order being illegal.It may be wise to familiarize yourselves with what many of your patients have felt it necessary to do to afford their medications in the last year. I'm not condoning it or recommending it in ANY way.

This is "chilly" making use of someone elses account while I can't access my own.

I am already aware of the internet pharmacy service you referenced. Whilst it is currently legitimate and operated from an RPSGB registered premises, if it's dispensing medicines to ROI patients then I'm not convinced it fully adheres to RPSGB guidance in relation to meeting export requirements for overseas patients. I believe a prominent NI pharmacy chain recently ceased providing cross-border internet supply of medicines on similar grounds.

Also, I suspect that their professional standards are lacking, specifically in relation to assessing the clinical appropriateness of some of the medicines they supply. Picking two random drugs for example, I was able to order Actilyse (a "clot buster") and atracurium (a paralysing anaesthetic) on a private script. Now there is no reason on earth a patient would be prescribed those drugs in primary care, yet they can be supplied on receipt of a valid script. Technically it's legal, but it's completely inappropriate from a clinical and professional point of view.

angeldelight

ThePharmer wrote: »

Also, I suspect that their professional standards are lacking, specifically in relation to assessing the clinical appropriateness of some of the medicines they supply. Picking two random drugs for example, I was able to order Actilyse (a "clot buster") and atracurium (a paralysing anaesthetic) on a private script. Now there is no reason on earth a patient would be prescribed those drugs in primary care, yet they can be supplied on receipt of a valid script. Technically it's legal, but it's completely inappropriate from a clinical and professional point of view.

To give credit to that particular group (which I am loathe to do, honestly!) I would have thought the clinical appropriateness (or not) is checked at the time of dispensing rather than have it as a pop up window or similar on a website?

And yes a NI chain were stopped from exporting Prescription medications into the South a few months ago

_Whimsical_

ThePharmer wrote: »

I am already aware of the internet pharmacy service you referenced. Whilst it is currently legitimate and operated from an RPSGB registered premises, if it's dispensing medicines to ROI patients then I'm not convinced it fully adheres to RPSGB guidance in relation to meeting export requirements for overseas patients. I believe a prominent NI pharmacy chain recently ceased providing cross-border internet supply of medicines on similar grounds.

Also, I suspect that their professional standards are lacking, specifically in relation to assessing the clinical appropriateness of some of the medicines they supply. Picking two random drugs for example, I was able to order Actilyse (a "clot buster") and atracurium (a paralysing anaesthetic) on a private script. Now there is no reason on earth a patient would be prescribed those drugs in primary care, yet they can be supplied on receipt of a valid script. Technically it's legal, but it's completely inappropriate from a clinical and professional point of view.

I cannot speak from personal experience but I have read in other posts on boards that in cases where a prescription was in question then the pharmacist did contact either the prescribing doctor or a patient to discuss it. As they are a fully registered pharmacy staffed by fully trained pharmacists I would sincerely hope that they would act with the same concern for the patient as any other registered pharmacy.

angeldelight wrote: »

To give credit to that particular group (which I am loathe to do, honestly!) I would have thought the clinical appropriateness (or not) is checked at the time of dispensing rather than have it as a pop up window or similar on a website?

I can't help wondering why you are loathe to give them credit ?

I'm not arguing the case for them here. I wouldn't buy there myself or advise others to do so as the .01% doubt would linger in my mind that it may not be all it seems and I would not risk anyones health.

I initially was just shocked to see drugs I'd paid €350 for available for sale at £51.80. I wondered if I was mistaken in thinking they were the same and here seemed the best place to ask that. I responded then only to clarify that I had not been referencing some unlicenced internet drug den as a price comparison. I'm not interested in another "why are medicines more expensive here?" debate either. By the same token I do think it's sad that anyone involved in healthcare would not be outraged to see such an extortionate price on an item in Ireland. For some people who are not eligible for a medical card forking out an unexpected €120 in a week could be the difference between being able to get the groceries and not being able.

angeldelight

The website I used to check the prices may or may not be the same one you used, the one I used I would be loathe to give any credit to because I hate them, and everything they do, on many different levels!

And I didn't say I'm happy that there is a price difference that large, nor was I shrugging it off as no big deal. However I'm not outraged by it because I understand why drugs are so much more expensive here. I fully sympathise with anyone who all of a sudden has to pay an unexpected 120 euro, and at the minute if it was myself I'd
struggle to pay it however that is not the same thing as being outraged. At the end of the day that's in the hands of the government who the people in this country continually vote for - and until either that changes or FF decide to do a complete overhaul of the sector it's how it's going to be