Pharmacy question

pummice wrote: »

So I have a prescription for 6 months supply of tablets. Is there any financial advantage to purchasing the 6 months tablets upfront compared to buying them month by month?


Thanks

In some pharmacies yes... they may only charge you one month dispensing fee.

Things to consider before doing it are it depends on the type of medication whether the pharmacist will be happy to do it or not eg six months sleeping tablets would be a no go. Also can you be sure you will definitely be on these tablets at this dosage for six months... once dispensed they can’t be returned so if the doctor changed your therapy you could be left with them. Another consideration is it can be dangerous to have large quantities of medication at home particularly if there are children in the house.

pummice wrote: »

I am on them long term and there are no children in the house. If some pharmacies charge for more than one dispensing fee for the 6 months supply is that not fraud?

They're private businesses and can charge what they like. You're a private patient and can choose where to get your prescription dispensed.

Some GPs will charge twice to see you for the same issue, some won't. Some will charge to write up social welfare slips, some wont. Its not fraud either.

Edit: I personally don't know any pharmacies that charge 6 dispensing fees when dispensing a 6 month script all at once. I'm sure that happens so best to ask before leaving in your script.

pummice wrote: »

I am on them long term and there are no children in the house. If some pharmacies charge for more than one dispensing fee for the 6 months supply is that not fraud?

No, they can charge you one higher dispensing fee if they want, as a private patient they can charge anything. The fee can change for many reasons. Best to ask in advance how much it will be

0lddog wrote: »

Q : If the value of the six months ( 24 weeks ? ) supply exceeds the one month DPS € ceiling can the six month supply be provided in one go and be covered by DPS ?

PCRS will not cover 6 months supply in one month. So if you have a DPS card and want 6 months supply you would have to pay privately.

Thanks Angel & Hound. I wonder if this has relevance for OP.

pummice wrote: »

Thanks for all replies.


Another issue I had recently. Gave prescription to chemist for 30 tablets. It clearly said 30. When I get home found out they only gave me 28. They come in box of 28. This make of medicine is not very common and would be a low seller for the chemist. I queried it and they said they couldnt give me 30 as they would be left with an open box. So it seems that chemist profits comes before customer satisfaction. Any opinions on who is right here?

This is a common problem, if the script is for 30 tablets then you should insist on having 30 dispensed, the "open box" is the pharmacists problem

pummice wrote: »

Thanks for all replies.


Another issue I had recently. Gave prescription to chemist for 30 tablets. It clearly said 30. When I get home found out they only gave me 28. They come in box of 28. This make of medicine is not very common and would be a low seller for the chemist. I queried it and they said they couldnt give me 30 as they would be left with an open box. So it seems that chemist profits comes before customer satisfaction. Any opinions on who is right here?

1) If you were dispensed 28, you were charged for 28.
2) There's a legal grey area with splitting packs. Technically, by the books, all medication should have an expiry date, batch number, drug name and strength associated with it. Cutting blister packs removes this information and breaks the law. Most pharmacists will still supply 30 if asked, depending on the medication. Myself included.
3) You do yourself out of a free "extra" dispensing per year by requesting 30. If you're a DPS patient and receive 28 tablets per month the HSE recognise that over the course of a year you will end up 28 days short of medication, so you're allowed a second dispensing in a month, with no extra charge. You aren't entitled to this if you're a DPS patient and request 30s.
4) It's a giant pain in the arse for the Pharmacy staff.

Stanford wrote: »

This is a common problem, if the script is for 30 tablets then you should insist on having 30 dispensed, the "open box" is the pharmacists problem

Pharmacist runs the show if they want to dispense 28 when you want 30 it's your problem. Take your script elsewhere if you don't like it. Depending on the medication, you'd have to catch a pharmacist having a really bad day to not give 30 if requested when 28 was prescribed. If you came in with the kind of attitude that comes across in your post you're getting 28 like it or lump it

Stanford wrote: »

the "open box" is the pharmacists problem

No, it's potentially anybody's problem.

The whole reason behind the existence of pharmacists is that all medications are potentially lethal, and need to be considered as very dangerous if not used correctly.
That's why a professional expert checks them and dispenses them.

An open box and the risk of random tablets ending up wherever is a terrifying prospect.
Depending on someone's (patho)physiology, even one tablet could render them hospitalised, or dead.

Any professional who takes those reasonable steps to prevent risk should be applauded, even if you feel it undermines your (non-applicable) "customer's rights".

E.g. I would NEVER have prescribed 60mg tablets for one month in a patient who needed 30mg tablets so they could split them in half and get a two month supply from the one script. It's too dangerous - even though it's something that could be insisted on.

0lddog wrote: »

( totally O/T...this reminds me of the time when I found a carer trying to grind up a slow release sodium tablet so that it could be given through a PEG ......What do people think would have been the best way to handle this ? )

A foot in the ass. Realistically a call to the prescriber or pharmacy before any administration decisions that aren't oral/IV/anal

With regard to the drift of the thread and medication packaging granularity, perhaps custom blister packs are more useful than the thread https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057973362 would lead one to think ?

Blister packing takes a huge amount of time and effort that the Pharmacy doesn't get paid for

Graces7 wrote: »

My monthly prescription is for 112 capsules. They add the 12 to the 100 box. I use the same pharmacy every month.

If you’re on 4 of something daily, then you’ll be given either 112 (four weeks) or 120 (Thirty days) of them.

The 100 pack doesn’t correspond to either of those, so you won’t get an original pack in that case, no matter which definition of ‘a month’ is being used.