TOO MANY PROTONS
Jul. 29th, 2019 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrUgh! I am tired and sore from going to the doctor and STRESSED not knowing for sure if this med I NEED TO FUNCTION will be taken away for NO GOOD REASON. So this may not very coherent.
So. I take a prescription medication called Pariet/rabeprazole for my reflux. It's what's called a "Proton Pump Inhibitor"/PPI(*). Until recently, PPIs were considered a pretty benign medication in Australia, with some being sold over the counter. They tend to have no major side effects or narcotic effect etc. They just make your stomach less acidic. (Ok they can make you low on minerals, but untreated reflux can cause THROAT CANCER, so)
I take two 20mg tablets a day instead of the usual one, because on anything less that that my reflux is intensely painful. (I tried cutting down a few years ago, it was Not Good) So it was an "authority script": the GP had to ring up to authorise it, and the chemist couldn't dispense my two boxes more than once a month. Annoying, sometimes, but not a huge deal.
And then all PPIs became authority scripts, based on...the fact that they may cause a very slight increase in certain conditions? I'm no expert but "While there is insufficient evidence to establish causation, these reports deserve consideration" doesn't seem like a very compelling argument to me. Oh but also "In the 2013–14 financial year, there were close to 7 million PBS-subsidised prescriptions for esomeprazole in Australia, at a cost of over $200 million to the PBS", I see :/
Anyway, I thought this was unnecessary, but since it was already an authority script for me I wasn't fussed...until my GP rang up to get my prescription for two boxes of Pariet per month and was told that's impossible under the new system. I can only get one box per month D:
Now my GP said I should be be able to renew that every 2 weeks, thus taking the same amount as before, but in the past the chemist couldn't give me authority scripts early. And even if I can get two boxes a month (I'll certainly try getting the chemist to give me two at once and see how that works) it's going to be a pain in the ass, because I'll burn through all my repeats in 3 months instead of 6. It's probably going to cost twice as much, too.
I am Not A Fan of this approach of "people are taking this med a lot so we'll just limit supply, then everyone will realise they're actually not sick at all, or could at least be taking something better, since the fact it's so popular in no way implies that many people have made the educated choice that it's the best med for their condition".
UGH. I have a month and a half until I'm in any risk of running out, but I'm going to be stressed until I know for sure I have a steady supply.
(*)since it stops the stomach producing acid in the form of hydrogen ions, which, minus their electron, are just protons. And maybe some neutrons? ANYWAY. I pump out too many of the damn things in the wrong places and that needs to be inhibited.
So. I take a prescription medication called Pariet/rabeprazole for my reflux. It's what's called a "Proton Pump Inhibitor"/PPI(*). Until recently, PPIs were considered a pretty benign medication in Australia, with some being sold over the counter. They tend to have no major side effects or narcotic effect etc. They just make your stomach less acidic. (Ok they can make you low on minerals, but untreated reflux can cause THROAT CANCER, so)
I take two 20mg tablets a day instead of the usual one, because on anything less that that my reflux is intensely painful. (I tried cutting down a few years ago, it was Not Good) So it was an "authority script": the GP had to ring up to authorise it, and the chemist couldn't dispense my two boxes more than once a month. Annoying, sometimes, but not a huge deal.
And then all PPIs became authority scripts, based on...the fact that they may cause a very slight increase in certain conditions? I'm no expert but "While there is insufficient evidence to establish causation, these reports deserve consideration" doesn't seem like a very compelling argument to me. Oh but also "In the 2013–14 financial year, there were close to 7 million PBS-subsidised prescriptions for esomeprazole in Australia, at a cost of over $200 million to the PBS", I see :/
Anyway, I thought this was unnecessary, but since it was already an authority script for me I wasn't fussed...until my GP rang up to get my prescription for two boxes of Pariet per month and was told that's impossible under the new system. I can only get one box per month D:
Now my GP said I should be be able to renew that every 2 weeks, thus taking the same amount as before, but in the past the chemist couldn't give me authority scripts early. And even if I can get two boxes a month (I'll certainly try getting the chemist to give me two at once and see how that works) it's going to be a pain in the ass, because I'll burn through all my repeats in 3 months instead of 6. It's probably going to cost twice as much, too.
I am Not A Fan of this approach of "people are taking this med a lot so we'll just limit supply, then everyone will realise they're actually not sick at all, or could at least be taking something better, since the fact it's so popular in no way implies that many people have made the educated choice that it's the best med for their condition".
UGH. I have a month and a half until I'm in any risk of running out, but I'm going to be stressed until I know for sure I have a steady supply.
(*)since it stops the stomach producing acid in the form of hydrogen ions, which, minus their electron, are just protons. And maybe some neutrons? ANYWAY. I pump out too many of the damn things in the wrong places and that needs to be inhibited.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-30 02:08 am (UTC)But either way it SUCKS? Also, over the counter Omeprazole and Pantoprazole have been life-savers the few times I've run out of meds or had breakout reflux. Like this PPI decision is a *bad one.*
Also that article annoys me. 'Here's all these very low low risk things let's make things way harder on patients *and* doctors.' *grumbles quietly but lengthily about how ridiculous this is.* Also that your GP's wishes can't trump a *Pharmacist's?*
*seethes*
no subject
Date: 2019-07-30 02:28 am (UTC)Thank you hugs
Hmm, afaict the rules around them are the same. They're a sort of streamlined authority script where the Dr doesn't have to ring up, but the use is still restricted. I don't know if I can be prescribed multiple in the same family of meds. But it's something to investigate! I tried Nexium before and it worked a little but not as well as Pariet, I haven't tried Somac.
It's not that the chemist WANTS to stop me, it's that the system beeps out an error if they try to fill a script when they're not supposed to. Like it does if the Dr tries to prescribe something they aren't supposed to. I'm just not sure my GP correctly understands how the system works, but I might be wrong.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-30 05:35 am (UTC)The pharmacist probably can give you a box every fortnight (not two on the same day though) if the doctor has on the script that you're taking two daily, but it means that it won't go towards your Safety Net and it will indeed be costing you double.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-30 07:19 am (UTC)Yes, it's ridiculous. But THANK YOU, that's annoying but 100000% better than not having it at all.