Background: lumpy huge inefficient inner city GP practice.
HAve never asked for MTX monitoring booklet. Ever.
Pharmacy round the corner dispense and have never asked as they say GP woulnd't have Rxed repeat if any concerns.
Got a letter invoking a new and time consuming system for obtaining repeats (standard elsewhere, I know) going in with booklet to order, going back to get booklet and Rx back from them. At present I call up and order a repeat and just get it no questions. The practice is computerised. I do not receive my blood results in any form from anyone.

I was steaming, but mostly kept lid on it to write:

"Hello, I had a letter about my repeating Methotrexate prescription dated 15/6/10, ref: JM/36581. I have questions to check I understand please:

1. The cover letter says the booklet needs to be completed with ‘latest blood results, and dosage, and the next appointment details’. Which next appointment please, phlebotomy test, consultant or GP? Am I right to assume phlebotomy?
2. Professor Yummy McDoctor (consultant) says I only need blood tests every 2 months. Will the staff be aware of this OK, I will not having monthly blood results.
3. Can I really not get my repeat prescriptions for 2 month periods, reflecting consultant’s advice to me? If I happen to get a prescription from the rheumatology clinic then I get 2 months supply at a time.
4. I have to make 2 visits per repeat prescription now? Not just one? In order to present the booklet in person. Every other month, the results will be the same as the previous month. This will tax my management of family and work and chronic illness additionally.
5. How do I obtain my blood results? They are never sent to me by hospital or GP. They have never given cause for concern re: Methotrexate, but I know the clinic contact me direct if there is a different worry. Or they wait til my next appointment.
6. Do you actually have my current blood results? My booklet has been prefilled in one column, but with results for August 2009! I have had at least 3 other sets of results since then.
7. I assumed you had them entered on your computer system as they arrive from UCLH, and that they were referred to in previous repeat prescribing of Methotrexate. Has this not been done at all?

Please advise me in my confusion, especially as I will need to go through this process starting next week.

Also interested to hear what they have to say for themselves. My consultant gave me a "blood" booklet and the GP prints a copy of all the results off for me.
xxx

Funny you should start this thread.

I had a booklet given to me by the Pharmist; which I filled in my part of it. I had an appointment with my GP last week (to review my medication as I have high blood pressure as well). I told him about the booklet and he asked me if I wanted the results filled in (I have blood tests every month); I could ring through to the surgery and ask for them.

Now my GP is quite good he was the one who referred me for my blood tests straightaway when I started show symptoms and he is the one who phones me if the blood tests come back showing something slightly abnormal.

Regarding my repeat prescriptions I just drop the form off at the pharmacy & they do all the running around to and from the surgery & I just turn up at the pharmacy about a week later to collect & pay (or in my case show my pre-payment card).

So I have decided to leave it as it for the time being until I next go to the Rheumatology clinic in October & see what they suggest.




Caroline

Hi again, interesting variation how it goes on for you guys. For some reason the repeats service doesn't do MTX. Will ask why not.
Still no reply to my email.
I'm going to be naughty and use a GP appointment in which to get it refilled.
I am attaching a copy of my email to my booklet.
I still cannot believe I am supposed to attend 24 times a year to essentially take 1 piece of information from one part of the organisation and press it through to another part. The more I think about it the more I object.

How the hell does this tie in with returning to work?

Grr.

I've just started MTX so I have found all of this interesting.

At the moment I am being given the prescriptions at the hospital. I asked the nurse at the monitoring clinic if I need to put anything in my booklet and she's told me I haven't, just to take it with me to appointments and they will fill it in.

I asked when I had my first prescription made up about taking the booklet and was told I only need to show it when I fetch the meds. My other medications are all sorted by the chemist, so when it does eventually go on my repeat list I wanted to know what would happen.

Jackie's put that you can only have one months supply each time, rules have been changed. My first prescriptions was for 6 weeks. Today I have been for my 6th week appointment at the hospital and have been given a prescription for 3 months. The nurse did say that some chemist will only give one month at a time (they did do 6 weeks last time) and some will do longer, so I am hoping that mine will give me three months in one go. I will be having it made up in the next few days, Friday is my MTX day so I will let you know what happens.

Paula

Dear all

It is a minefield I agree and it looks as if you get different service and opinions depending on where you live. As I can only access one month's worth at a time, I am so glad I pay for a yearly prescription card. Otherwise the cost would be horrendous - £86.40 for the Methotrexate alone.
Bearing in mind I take six types of different medication a day, my yearly prescription payment (£104.00) is worth its weight in gold.

Jackie
xx

While you are taking MTX you really should have blood tests monthly. It does sound like a lot of trouble for you to get your prescriptions.

I'm able to order mine online now, and collect them from the chemist 3 days later.

Lyn

I took my prescription for three months MTX to my chemist yesterday and told them that I had been given it by the hospital, had no problem having that amount being dispensed in one go, apart from me having to do the maths for his assistant of how many I wanted. 6 a week for 3 months is hardly rocket science - 12 weeks in 3 months - 6x12=72. The folic acid 1 a week.......12x1=?...........nearly ended up with 80 odd of them???????? Well she didn't have a calculator at hand!!!! Think I will always have to check the amount's given in future before I leave the chemist.

I asked if they wanted to see my booklet and was told no. I asked if I should take it next time (there seems to be someone different there each time I go now). Was told yes just incase. I did ask why I would need it because who ever prescribed the drugs for me would have the same blood results that I had in my book, so if there was a problem I wouldn't of been given the prescription anyway. My last two have been done at the hospital where I have the blood test done and when I do start to get them from my GP I know that they can look on the computer and see my results from the hospital. So I can't understand why I would have to show it at the chemist.

The pharmacist told me that he was a Doctor as well, so he could speak for both. The doctor who does the prescription is liable if anything went wrong because he prescribed the drug and the pharmacist would be as well because he dispensed the drug.

Paula

I get my previous bloods written in my book when I go for the next months.