Getting Repeat Prescriptions

[DavidIII]

Hi,

I'm soon to be moving and here in the UK I have some monthly prescriptions and would like to know how I can continue to obtain these on a monthly basis in Australia once I've moved.  Do I have to register with a specific doctor/practice to continue to obtain them or is there a different method.

I'm going to take 3 months of medication with me so won't need immediately, but would be good to know the process.

Thanks

[Quoll]

Find a doctor. If they’ve got room, register with them. Book a long appointment and go and make yourself known. You might find that some of your medications will change because they may not be available (two of my quite common ones weren’t so the doc gave me an alternative). They will generally give you a prescription for 6 months - you can only get them filled a month at a time and you will pay for them all (max about $35 per item per time but you can get generic options which are cheaper). You go back every 6 months for a review. 
 

There are medical centres so theoretically you could wander into whichever you want but if you’re on several meds you probably want continuity of care. Doctor visits will cost you about $30-50 a pop (U.K. migrants seem to be fixated on getting a bulk billed doctor but most Aussies I know actually pay the co-pay which is what the system was designed for and you’ve got a better chance of continuity of care. Bulk billed means Medicare pays for the appointment in full but all depending on where you are, bulk billing docs can be harder to find).

Remember, it’s not the NHS and is not designed to be used like the NHS. 

Edited October 20, 2020 by Quoll

[DavidIII]

15 minutes ago, Quoll said:

Find a doctor. If they’ve got room, register with them. Book a long appointment and go and make yourself known. You might find that some of your medications will change because they may not be available (two of my quite common ones weren’t so the doc gave me an alternative). They will generally give you a prescription for 6 months - you can only get them filled a month at a time and you will pay for them all (max about $35 per item per time but you can get generic options which are cheaper). You go back every 6 months for a review. 
 

There are medical centres so theoretically you could wander into whichever you want but if you’re on several meds you probably want continuity of care. Doctor visits will cost you about $30-50 a pop (U.K. migrants seem to be fixated on getting a bulk billed doctor but most Aussies I know actually pay the co-pay which is what the system was designed for and you’ve got a better chance of continuity of care. Bulk billed means Medicare pays for the appointment in full but all depending on where you are, bulk billing docs can be harder to find).

Remember, it’s not the NHS and is not designed to be used like the NHS. 

Hi,

Thanks for this.  Should I take my medical records or just a copy of current prescriptions.  Also, would a child of 15 have to pay for medication ?

 

[ali]

33 minutes ago, DavidIII said:

Hi,

Thanks for this.  Should I take my medical records or just a copy of current prescriptions.  Also, would a child of 15 have to pay for medication ?

 

Everyone pays for medication (with very few exceptions) so your 15 year old will have to pay too.  Personally, I'd ask you're GP to give you a summary of your history (it can just include illnesses) and your current prescriptions and doses.  Some medications aren't covered by PBS and may be more expensive.  You can look up the cost of individual medications here https://www.pbs.gov.au/browse/medicine-listing, as Quoll said, some pharmacy own brands may be cheaper.

[starlight7]

Just a small warning that although the chemist might tell you the no name brands are the same, only cheaper, it is not always the case. Personally I have had some bad reactions to the cheaper generic drugs whereas the normal brands were fine for me. Worth watching and monitoring because they will not tell you this.

[AussieMum]

9 hours ago, starlight7 said:

Just a small warning that although the chemist might tell you the no name brands are the same, only cheaper, it is not always the case. Personally I have had some bad reactions to the cheaper generic drugs whereas the normal brands were fine for me. Worth watching and monitoring because they will not tell you this.

The active ingredients in subsequent brands and generics are always identical to the original brand.  However, each manufacturer might use different "inactive" ingredients which you as an individual react to, or that may interact with another medication you take (eg, calcium salts can be used as a filler in some tablets but will interfere with the absorption of tetracyclines if you take them).  If an excipient differs between brands, there will be people who have a negative reaction to the brand name as well as some who react to one of the other brands.

There's also a small number of medications such as warfarin where each manufacturer's process and ingredients mean they all have a slightly different effect on the body and it will be recommended to stick to your usual brand unless a change is specifically indicated.  This is why prescriptions have a "Brand substitution not permitted" box the doctor can tick.

A good summary/explanation in plain English: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blog/are-generic-medicines-the-same-as-brand-name-medicines

 

[DrDougster]

On 28/11/2020 at 08:46, AussieMum said:

The active ingredients in subsequent brands and generics are always identical to the original brand.  However, each manufacturer might use different "inactive" ingredients which you as an individual react to, or that may interact with another medication you take (eg, calcium salts can be used as a filler in some tablets but will interfere with the absorption of tetracyclines if you take them).  If an excipient differs between brands, there will be people who have a negative reaction to the brand name as well as some who react to one of the other brands.

There's also a small number of medications such as warfarin where each manufacturer's process and ingredients mean they all have a slightly different effect on the body and it will be recommended to stick to your usual brand unless a change is specifically indicated.  This is why prescriptions have a "Brand substitution not permitted" box the doctor can tick.

A good summary/explanation in plain English: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blog/are-generic-medicines-the-same-as-brand-name-medicines

 

Good explanation AussieMum!

There are also differences in bioavailability and dose with some formulations e.g. itraconazole which the pharmacist will invariably be vigilant over but the transcribing GP may not be aware of if the drug isn't one they routinely use. Some medical records are always nice but try to keep them fairly brief. If you normally see a specialist then worth getting your marker down for a review fairly early as with all countries and systems waiting times can vary.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

On 27/11/2020 at 22:40, starlight7 said:

Just a small warning that although the chemist might tell you the no name brands are the same, only cheaper, it is not always the case. Personally I have had some bad reactions to the cheaper generic drugs whereas the normal brands were fine for me. Worth watching and monitoring because they will not tell you this.

It’s funny you should say that, I’ve also found this.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

10 hours ago, DrDougster said:

Good explanation AussieMum!

There are also differences in bioavailability and dose with some formulations e.g. itraconazole which the pharmacist will invariably be vigilant over but the transcribing GP may not be aware of if the drug isn't one they routinely use. Some medical records are always nice but try to keep them fairly brief. If you normally see a specialist then worth getting your marker down for a review fairly early as with all countries and systems waiting times can vary.

Agree with @DrDougster, you may also find that depending on your medication a Dr may not prescribe it until you have seen a specialist. This could mean going without medications until you see someone.  I don’t know if it’s still possible but when my mum use to visit for 6 months her UK Dr would give her a script for 6 months supply. You can legally only bring over 3 months supply, however, I’ve known people post 3 months supply and bring in their hand luggage the other 3 months supply.  If it’s a  Schedule 4 or 8 you need to carry a copy of your prescription. Also if you are stopping off in other countries on the way over make sure to check their laws. I may be wrong but I’m sure paracetamol isn’t allowed in one country it was something silly. 
‘If you see a specialist ask them to provide a letter of introduction explaining your diagnosis, past and current treatment, how long you have been their patient and future care/treatment plans. 

[Guest The Pom Queen]

On 20/10/2020 at 19:36, ali said:

Everyone pays for medication (with very few exceptions) so your 15 year old will have to pay too.  Personally, I'd ask you're GP to give you a summary of your history (it can just include illnesses) and your current prescriptions and doses.  Some medications aren't covered by PBS and may be more expensive.  You can look up the cost of individual medications here https://www.pbs.gov.au/browse/medicine-listing, as Quoll said, some pharmacy own brands may be cheaper.

I find a lot of mine are off label use or special authority, I’ve managed to reduce my meds now but I’m still on around 30 a day. I ran out of three the other day, went to the chemist and it was something like $154 for one, $108 for the other and $6.60 for the other. 
‘Hubby is on one med and it’s $180 a month. 
You have got the PBS Safety Net threshold so once you and your family (it’s good that it’s combined with other family members) have spent $1486.80 on medication you will get a card which allows you to get other PBS drugs at $6.60, however, like you can see with my trip to the chemist you still pay full price for non PBS. In fact if anyone knows a scheme to help with this please let me know because the cost of my non PBS meds a month is more than my son earns in a week, I’m worried soon I will need to stop them and there are currently no alternatives.  To the OP Chemist Warehouse seems to be the cheapest for meds and if you look online you can search their site for the price and different brands. Sometimes it’s cheaper to get a higher dose and split the tablets, with your Drs consent of course. 

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Also talking about medication it won’t affect a lot of you but if you are on birth control you do pay for it here so it’s worthwhile bringing some with you

[NicF]

On 05/12/2020 at 01:52, The Pom Queen said:

I find a lot of mine are off label use or special authority, I’ve managed to reduce my meds now but I’m still on around 30 a day. I ran out of three the other day, went to the chemist and it was something like $154 for one, $108 for the other and $6.60 for the other. 
‘Hubby is on one med and it’s $180 a month. 
You have got the PBS Safety Net threshold so once you and your family (it’s good that it’s combined with other family members) have spent $1486.80 on medication you will get a card which allows you to get other PBS drugs at $6.60, however, like you can see with my trip to the chemist you still pay full price for non PBS. In fact if anyone knows a scheme to help with this please let me know because the cost of my non PBS meds a month is more than my son earns in a week, I’m worried soon I will need to stop them and there are currently no alternatives.  To the OP Chemist Warehouse seems to be the cheapest for meds and if you look online you can search their site for the price and different brands. Sometimes it’s cheaper to get a higher dose and split the tablets, with your Drs consent of course. 

My extras cover allows me to get non PBS drugs for the same price as PBS drugs at participating pharmacies.  It's only to a certain value per year, which I can't remember the exact amount, but when I was looking in to it for my eldest who may have needed injections every 3 months that cost about $1300 a shot it would have paid for one of them and I think covered a bit towards the other one.  Might be worth looking in to if your health cover offers something similar.

(My eldest ended up on a different drug that costs a few $s for 100 tablets and only has to take 1.5 tablets a week so we never had to worry about paying for the expensive one).