B12 Deficiency and Cytamin

LegacyUser

Is there many other people like me struggling to located either cytamin or neocytamin??

What the deal...I went to five pharmacies today and could get none!

Luckily though, went into a random last pharmacy on the way home and even though I have a medical card, I had to pay €16 for 10 amps!

Anyway, I have to get my jabs twice a week... How often do you get yours??

How do you help yourself? I'm literally clueless as to what to do, so any help would be much appreciated!

FluffyCat

atalossagain! wrote: »

Is there many other people like me struggling to located either cytamin or neocytamin??

What the deal...I went to five pharmacies today and could get none!

Luckily though, went into a random last pharmacy on the way home and even though I have a medical card, I had to pay €16 for 10 amps!

Anyway, I have to get my jabs twice a week... How often do you get yours??

How do you help yourself? I'm literally clueless as to what to do, so any help would be much appreciated!

These have been really hard for the pharmacy to obtain for ages!! Make sure you let the pharmacy know well in advance when you need it so that can do their best to get it for you.

Moocifer

I've heard theres a country wide shortage on these again and that pharmacies have to bring them in from America. Same thing happened about five years ago!! I'm not too bad as I only need the jab once every four weeks. I feel sorry for you Ataloss again having to get them so often!

LavaLamp

I just went to get Cytamin for the first time here (moved from UK with a good supply a couple of years back thankfully) and was stunned when the pharmacist said it wasn't covered by the medical card. I can't believe that a medication we would essentially die without itsn't covered . Oh well. Rant over.

The_Conductor

Goldshield have a generic cobalamin (B12) widely available countrywide in the past month or so (thankyou!!!!). I was getting supplies in Belfast before this- it simply wasn't possible to source it in the Republic for ages.

It is a bit ridiculous that its not covered under any of the medical schemes (other than the 120 a month one). I've had my illeum removed- so I can't absorb dietary B12 at all........

I'd suggest pestering politicians- but in the current climate thats not going to work

FluffyCat

If the pharmacy has to source the meds from another country and a different brand thats not licenced here then you will have to pay regardless. ULM are not really covered.

The_Conductor

FluffyCat wrote: »

If the pharmacy has to source the meds from another country and a different brand thats not licenced here then you will have to pay regardless. ULM are not really covered.

Errr- Goldshield do a lot of the generics here- and are fully licensed (they do an Eltroxin and Cobalamin generic- there is a whole list on the IPU website). I'm not aware that a local pharmacy is licensed to import meds as you're suggesting? A local pharmacy certainly wouldn't supply any medication thats not licensed here- full stop- there is no issue about someone having to pay for unlicensed meds- they simply wouldn't be available, period. Whats ULM?

FluffyCat

ULM - unlicenced medication

Lots and lots of medication which is not licenced in Ireland is imported, perfectly legal, for patients. Its done on a patient basis and the doctor takes full responsibility for the product and the patient.

Its the products itself and not the company. So a company can produce medication which is both licenced and unlicenced in this country.

Some but not all unlicenced medication is covered by the GMS scheme which is why patients may have to pay.

The_Conductor

FluffyCat wrote: »

Some but not all unlicenced medication is covered by the GMS scheme which is why patients may have to pay.

I wasn't aware that any unlicensed medication was covered under the GMS schemes- there is a specific list of products that are covered- and if the product isn't on the list (and doesn't have a GMS code associated with it)- its not covered.

By the way- if the discussion of importing unlicensed medication into the country is on account of my comment about getting Neocytamen in Belfast- I'd like to state that I was physically in Belfast, with a script from a local GP, and paid for it as I would for any prescriptions there, in a personal and private capacity. I did not have my local pharmacy source the Neocytamen or generic in the UK (or elsewhere)- the generic was approved and assigned a GMS code, and I've been told is now available nationwide. The Neocytamen itself- meanwhile- is for some reason in constraint, pharmacies are simply unable to source it.

FluffyCat

Its a newesh enough thing that GMS covers some ULM. The reason the meds would not be licenced here is really a money thing. I work in pharmacy and still dont understand the full reasons why some meds arent licenced but it would explain why some patient with medical cards would have to pay.

LegacyUser

just been to collect a prescription. been using cytamen for the last few months since neo-cytamen became unavailable. today i was told that cytamen was no longer available using a medical card. i was offered cobalin H at 25 euros.

this is not about problems with supply it is a decision to remove a vital medicine from the gms list.