# Prescription charges



## Rob (Apr 20, 2011)

Hi everyone ime a newbie, T2 lifestyle control 57yrs male diagnosed march 2010.
Lost a stone and half put half back on By April 2011 i was told by my DN that my cholesterol needed to be treated with statins also the level recognised as high for a diabetic would not be treated with medication in a non diabetic. In my case it is 5.9 . I was informed that level of 5 becomes of concerned with a person with diabetes.
My issue is as I am being prescribed statins due to a cholesterol level which would not need medication in a non diabetic , are the statins therefore part of the treatment and medication for my diabetes and so qualify me for prescription charges exemption certificate.My DN and GP are sympathetic and are looking into the matter.Meanwhile I would like to here if anyone else had experience of this situation .Or any comments which could be of assistance to myself and benefit to others in the future.
Thanks for reading 
Rob


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## gail1 (Apr 20, 2011)

if you are deit and execise controlled you are not entiltaled to free prescrions if however meds are used you are


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## Ellie Jones (Apr 20, 2011)

Sorry Rob, no it doesn't give the entitlement for free scripts..  You've got to be on one of the medications designed for diabetes...

You can reduce your outlay slightly either by pre-payment either 3 months, 6 months or 12 months...  with the 12 month prepayment you can do this by monthly direct debit..   And this will cover you for not only your regular statins by any pescription that the doctor prescripes throughout the pre-payment period..


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## Northerner (Apr 20, 2011)

Hi Rob, welcome to the forum  Unfortunately, no, the statins are not counted as a medication to treat your diabetes so you're not entitled to an exemption for that. Actually, 5.0 is what non-diabetics should aim for - for diabetics they prefer 4.0 or below. I was on statins for a while but when my level dropped to 2.4 I decided to stop taking them. My level tends to hover around the 4.5 level and I'm happy with that. 

As you are new to diabetes I'd recommend having a look at our Useful Links:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=10406

Are you able to exercise regularly? This can be very helpful in many ways if you can - with weight loss, lowering cholesterol and also maintaining better blood sugar levels.

Please feel free to ask any questions - nothing is considered 'silly', and we'll try our best to help


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## Robster65 (Apr 20, 2011)

Hi Rob. Welcome 

It seems very harsh that you have to pay so much for something that is only needed because you have a condition that would otherwise make you exempt.

Rob


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## margie (Apr 20, 2011)

Welcome to the forum - sorry that you can't qualify for free prescriptions. 

I hope that you have some questions were we can give you a more positive answer.


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## teapot8910 (Apr 21, 2011)

Welcome to the forum


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## Copepod (Apr 21, 2011)

Frustrating that you can't have free prescriptions on basis of diabetes diagnosis. 
There are several ways of getting free prescriptions - age, living in UK outside England, low income, getting Higher Rate Mobility and being unable to leave the house alone, etc. 
If none of those apply, the only option to reduce costs is what Ellie Jones mentioned - the key words are Prescription Pre-Payment Certificate. Application here https://www.ppa.org.uk/ppa/ppcdd/patient.do


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## Pumper_Sue (Apr 21, 2011)

Hi Rob,
Welcome to the forum.
It would be better for you if you did some research on the use of statins and their dreadfull side effects and also look at things to use in your diet to lower your cholesterol natually.


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## robert@fm (Apr 21, 2011)

What angers me about prescription charges is that for some of the more severe mental health problems (such as paranoid schizophrenia, which a friend of mine suffers) medication is compulsory -- so why isn't it also exempt from prescription charges?  If I was told that I had to take meds _and_ pay through the nose for them, I'd tell the doctors where they can shove their meds...


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## novorapidboi26 (Apr 21, 2011)

robert@fm said:


> medication is compulsory -- so why isn't it also exempt from prescription charges?



Is that a fact, I am shocked at that.............


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## Steff (Apr 21, 2011)

Hi and welcome to the forum


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