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Prescriptions that are à renouveler


mint
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My previous doctor always gave me my asthma prescriptions for 3 months at a time.

I have now found a doctor near my new house and, when I asked for the ordnance to be à renouveler, I happened to enquire at the new pharmacie how many times I could renew the prescription.  She said, one more time; which makes it twice.

This is not good news for me because it means more visits at the doctor's and I am a firm believer that the wider berth you give the doctor, the better your state of health.

And, anyway, what an inconvenience, having to go two-monthly instead of quarterly.  For those people who are unfortunate enough to need the doctor more often, I apologise if I sound spoilt and ungrateful but I pride myself on never going unless I absolutely have to.

Then, my neighbour, to whom I was complaining about the above, said that the "rules" have changed and that they are not "allowed" to give prescriptions for more than two months at a time.

My question is this:  is my neighbour correct?

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I get one prescription every 6 months.

It is marked AR x 5. This means it is "renouvelée" (renewed) 5 times.

Your prescription is renewed twice after the first time you present it, making it valid for 3 months in total.

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I haven't heard that, SW17. It's not long since they increased the time from 2 to 3 months.

But I wouldn't be surprised if it does go back to 2 months. The generalistes have been complaining about their low rate of pay - they only get the 23€ that each patient gives them, and want to be paid more, like the hospital doctors. So the more often you come to see them, the more they earn.

They don't earn anything like as much as UK family doctors.

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Thanks, Clair.  Yes, it used to be renewed twice, making it 3 monthly.  But, this time, the pharmacist definitely said only one more time which means 2 months [:(]

Pat, I take your point about doctors being only paid when you see them.  But, IMHO, it's such a waste of everybody's time: mine and the doctor's.  Also, a waste of resources because other people might need the doctor more than I do.

My medication has stayed the same for 10 years and I don't see the point of going every 8 weeks (the medications come in packages that only last 28 days or 4 weeks and are not really "monthly" as in 30 days.

Anyway, forewarned is forearmed and I shall smile sweetly next time and insist that he puts AR x 2.

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That really is a pain, Sweets. Having to make the appointment, wait an eternity to see the medecin and all that when you aren't even ill!

For my thyroid medocs, I have a three month prescription, call the surgery in month three and the medecin leaves a prescription for me to pick up when I'm passing.  I only see her once a year to get a prescription for the blood test.

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It's perhaps slightly different, but I have a prescription for a year from my gynaecologist. It is only for a cream, so perhaps not so "dangerous" as a tablet that affects the whole body. Perhaps this is just for new patients?

FairyNuff

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You know, I always suspect that the French health service, for all its vaunted fabulousness, is uneconomical to run and overused by the vast majority.

No, I don't want to compare the dear old NHS with all its own problems with the French one.  But there are certainly inefficiencies to be got rid of in both systems.

I think the French system is unwieldy to administer; what with it being part private, part public, and all the bits of paperwork and computer-generated data flying back and forth.

When Thatcher (I think it was she) introduced the "internal market" within the NHS, the admin that was inherent in these so-called markets was out of all proportion to the supposed "savings" and I believe that the people working within the NHS really saw the disadvantages.

Of course, tinkering with the NHS, and indeed how prescriptions (see, I got back on topic!) are dispensed,  has always been a top priority of any government (red, blue, sort of purple with yellow and blue mixed?) because of the amount of money that is involved.

Me, I don't like unnecessary waste whether of individuals or governments.  Seeing as the new doc didn't even ask me any questions about my asthma and certainly made no attempt to examine me, merely giving me a prescription for all the drugs from information I gave to him, I think he might have felt it was a very good fee for the work of a few minutes and might have let me have a 3-monthly prescription.

OK, off my soap box now and won't let this little matter put my blood pressure up or else I WILL need to go back to the surgery......   

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It's obviously not mandatory as I get mine renewed monthly x3. It used to be x2. As Coops says it is probably due to the gp not making much of an income. Next time you go you could ask gp if you can have it x3. It certainly is a nuisance going to the doc's every 8 weeks unless you need to.
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As you say, minnie, the sheer waste of time and resources!

Then it's my mutuelle and the state that pick up the extra bills.  No wonder the French health system has such an enormous deficit and mutuelle premiums are so high [:'(]

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Unless there's been some recent legislation...

My current prescription (issued last July) is renewable for one year.

The previous one was worded slightly differently; renewable once a month up to twelve times.

(This is for Ventolin and Symbicort, so not particularly heavy-duty, and I was diagnosed aged 4, so it's not a new development that needs to be monitored more regularly).

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Thanks for that, Juswundrin.  I will emphasise (and I'm very good at being assertive!) that I have been on the same medication for over 10 years, that I saw a specialiste last year and that no change was advised.

Good ammo you have given me [:)] 

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