New NHS prescription charge explained
From the 1st of April 2020, the new NHS prescription charge is £9.15 for each item dispensed by a pharmacy. Patients need to pay new prescription charge even when a prescription was prescribed before 1st of April 2020 and collected on or after that day.
How to get paracetamol during COVID-19 pandemic?
Paracetamol, one of the most prescribed drugs in the UK, and probably the most popular over the counter medicine has been recently subject to shortages due to increased demand during coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In the last 1-2 years, surgeries across the countries advised many patients to purchase paracetamol over the counter to reduce the cost of drugs prescribed on the NHS. Paracetamol shortage in the UK has been problematic for many patients who rely on this essential drug to manage their long-term conditions, such as osteoarthritis. Similarly, paracetamol shortage is seen for the liquid preparations such as paracetamol 3 months+ (brand: Calpol Infant) and paracetamol 6 years+ (brand name: Calpol…
How to get NHS prescriptions delivered?
Choosing NHS prescriptions delivered in the current climate is something patients should consider, however as you will learn from the post, some distance-selling pharmacies, which deliver NHS prescriptions via Royal Mail, are struggling with the demand due to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Delivery of NHS prescriptions will not only support the social distancing measures to reduce the interaction with other people and vulnerable patients, but also reduce the workload of pharmacy teams, as many NHS prescriptions are dispensed ‘centrally’ and delivered directly to patient’s homes. In this post, I will discuss how the biggest pharmacies deliver NHS prescriptions in the UK. I will also talk about two main options for delivery…
Ibuprofen & coronavirus: NHS, WHO advice
The last few days proved to be a manic time not only in all supermarkets but also pharmacies. The situation is surreal. Pharmacy teams have been under enormous pressure from the workload. People also buy an excessive amount of over the counter medications due to coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic. A few days ago, a French Health Minister Olivier Véran and a qualified doctor Tweeted: “Taking anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, cortisone) could be an aggravating factor for the infection. If you have a fever, take paracetamol”. With paracetamol going in and out of stock, many patients are left in ‘limbo’. Every day, I am asked several times, ‘Can I take ibuprofen for management…
Nasal sprays for hayfever: treatment choice
Symptomatic management of hayfever involves the use of different over the counter antihistamines and nasal sprays. There is plenty of option when it comes to nasal sprays. In this post, I will list common nasal sprays for hayfever available over the counter from pharmacies and larger shops. I will briefly divide nasal sprays into two categories: steroids nasal sprays and non-steroid nasal sprays. I will also summarise: Possible side effects associated with their use Any important, relevant information Use of nasal sprays in pregnancy
Antibiotics for UTI when pregnant: recommendations
Urinary-tract infection (UTI) is a common condition experienced in pregnancy. Physiological changes to the urinary tract during the pregnancy, such as dilation of the urethra and decreased bladder capacity, increase the risk of urinary infections (Hebak, 2019). UTI is an umbrella term which defines infection of the bladder (cystitis), kidneys, or urethra. In this post, I am looking at recommended antibiotics in UTI when a pregnant patient is affected by this condition.
Type 2 Diabetes Medications Guide
Type 2 diabetes is a common condition affecting around 3.5 mln people in the UK (Diabetes UK, 2019). In this post, I will discuss the most common type 2 diabetes medications used in the UK, reflecting current guidelines in the management of this condition. In relation to each drug, I will focus mainly on: Mechanism of action Common side effects Any essential and relevant information about the drug The following type 2 diabetes medications will be discussed: Metformin Sulphonylurea Gliptins (DPP-4 inhibitors) SGLT2 inhibitors GLP-1 mimetics (Incretin mimetics) Pioglitazone GLP-1 mimetics In the final part of this post, I listed the most common type 2 diabetes drugs prescribed in the…
10 most common antidepressants in the UK
Depression is a widespread condition in the UK, which reflects prescribing trends for antidepressant drugs. In recent years antidepressants became the fastest growing class of drugs in the UK. In 2019, four million more antidepressant items were prescribed as compared to 2018, reaching 74.4 mln prescribed items. In this post, I will be looking at the most common antidepressants in the UK. I will also discuss the rationale behind the popularity of some commonly used antidepressants in the UK.
How to change a nominated pharmacy?
Have you recently moved and want to change your pharmacy? Or perhaps you are not happy with the service you have been receiving from your current pharmacy, whatever the reason changing nominated pharmacy is easy and can be done in several ways. How to change a nominated pharmacy? In this post, I will discuss 7 easy ways of changing your nominated pharmacy.
Tesco sildenafil: how to get a cheap “Viagra”?
Update: on 01/04/2020 Tesco dysfunction service was discontinued. There are many ways of getting sildenafil. Sildenafil can be prescribed on NHS or private prescription, it can be purchased from a pharmacy or online pharmacies, or patients can use different private erectile dysfunction services widely provided by online pharmacies / online doctors. Since 2018 sildenafil became available over the counter from pharmacies without a prescription, under a branded name as Viagra Connect. In 2020, we saw a launch of Aronix, another brand of sildenafil available over the counter without a prescription and priced much more competitively. Today I am going to write about one of the cheapest ways of getting sildenafil…
