Going to have to cut down on meds due to price - which ones?

[Danceruk]

This is now my 4th week of flare, I am sorting a prepaid for next month but for now I am going to have to cut my meds down

Currently taking

Cocodomal (got a box of 100 of these - last me 12 days maybe)
Spasmonal
Pred
Predfoam

Have stopped using the predfoam, something else is gonna have to go - Am I best to taper down quickly on the pred?

Any advice would be fab... :yrolleyes:

 

[katiesue1506]

Don't cut out the pred. Tapering too quickly and quitting it can cause a severe consequence known as an Addisonian crisis in which the adrenal glands shutdown and no longer function. This can be deadly. Wikipedia has a pretty concise page about it. I'm sure there are others on here who will let you know what its like to go through an Addisonian crisis.

I would look in to medicine copay programs or assistance... I'm sure there's some group out there that can help you.

 

[Crohn's 35]

Katiesue is correct on the Pred. Besides Prednisone is the cheapest but has many unwanted side effects. Not many drugs that are cheap nowadays. Maybe someone from UK can help you more of costs and access. NO one should not be able to get the meds they need. Let us know how you make out.

 

[Dallies]

You should get the medicines and treatment you need, I'm sorry I can't help with costs etc as Megan is in full-time education. Would it not be specially prescribed for you? Using an NHS standard prescription charge? You know I am worried about you, please get the help you need so that your health doesn't suffer and I say this with utmost respect. xx Take care xx

 

[Danceruk]

Yes standard charge, its costing me around £28 then another £10 painkillers a week

I can get a prepaid, but not for a few more weeks, in the meantime I cant stretch to all these prescriptions! I spoke to my parents but they said - oh probably do you good anyway, just said medicine is a waste of cash and that was that!!

Thanks everyone.. I guess the pred is staying then, predfoam and painkillers will have to cut back

 

[Astra]

Hiya

if you apply for a pre paid prescription certificate you do not have to wait til it comes, if you apply online they give you a ref number, give this in to chemist, and it's all ok, a PPC costs £28 for 3 months and you should get the co-codamol on this too via your GP!!
Use the PPC to get shedloads of meds all in one go!

https://www.ppa.org.uk/ppa/ppcdd/patient.do

if you haven't already done so, use the application form above, if you have, then go and get all your meds now!
don't have to cut back on anything!

xxxx

 

[Danceruk]

I plan to apply for PPC end of this month

still got a long few weeks ahead to figure out!

Thanks for the info, I did have a read, know you can do Direct debit on the yearly one

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Listen to Joan, she is wise.

With regards to what Katie Sue said, I've recently been tested for Addison's disease, although the test results were confusing and I'm still not sure if I've got it or not. But I can tell you that it is miserable going through a crisis like that, and I think my crisis was relatively minor as I was still coherent - my blood pressure dropped way low, I was super dizzy and couldn't see straight (somehow I still managed to drive myself to urgent care - scary!) and was really nauseous and felt like I was going to pass out and just generally felt incredibly awful. They had no idea what was going on with me so they put me on some IV fluids, told me that they can't figure out why my blood pressure is so low, and sent me home. My blood pressure remained so low that I spent the next few days feeling awful at home, and was super dizzy even when I was laying down with my feet up. Finally I discovered that upping my intake of sodium helped a lot, and that finally got me to feeling human again.

So long story short, don't stop taking pred whatever you do, because you do not want to go through something like that if you can avoid it! Take my word for it!

 

[Danceruk]

Thank you - I have maybe 50 pred left, so that should last me just over a week

Thanks, I wont stop it unless I have to, tapered down a little now

Soon as I can will get prepaid card!

 

[bushydougie]

Have you spoken to you gp to ask more more tablets wih each prescription? I did this a few years ago when on some medication that I was having to get every month. I don't think he'd clicked that I had to pay for it and he upped the prescription to 3 months worth of tablets. Worth a try at least until you get the pre paid certificate