Cutting the cost of vital medicine is just what the doctor ordered for Linda!

Apr 1 2009 by Cameron Hay, Paisley Daily Express

PRESCRIPTION charges have been an expensive problem for mum-of- three Linda Logan.

The 58-year-old has needed to buy a range of medication to cope with a variety of health issues, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and Sjorgrens syndrome, which is an autoimmune disease.

That has left Linda counting the cost of long-term illness.

And it means that she is happier than most people that, from today, the cost of prescription charges is being slashed by the Scottish Government.

Holyrood ministers have reduced the prescription cost from £5 to £4.

Cover

And the price of Prescription Pre-Payment Certificates – which enable long-term sufferers to pay one price to cover all of their medicines – has been cut from £17 to £13 for four months and from £48 to £38 for 12 months.

This follows on from a previous reduction in charges which came into effect a year ago and which led to the cost of a single prescription item being lowered from £6.85 to £5 and the cost of a Prescription Pre-Payment Certificate being reduced from its previous figure of £98.

Linda has told the Paisley Daily Express the falling costs will make a huge difference to her standard of life.

The Bishopton woman explained: “I need several different medicines to manage my condition – disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers and medication for my stomach to combat the side effects of the other drugs.

“To begin with, I paid for each prescription for these individually, which adds up if you need several prescriptions at once like I do. Then my GP told me about Prescription Pre-Payment Certificates and I started using these as it works out much cheaper.

“When I was working, I bought certificates which cover the cost of prescriptions over 12 months but, when I was no longer able to work, I changed to four-month certificates as £98 was quite a lot of money to pay up front, even if it did cover all my prescriptions for the year.

“But I was really pleased when the cost of the Prescription Pre-Payment Certificates was halved last year, that’s a big difference. Now that the cost is coming down again, I’ll have a bit more money in my pocket.”

More than nine million people in the UK suffer from arthritis, a condition which is caused by inflammation of the joints. Most people with arthritis experience pain, discomfort, fatigue and difficulty in moving around but this can be eased through medication.

Linda added: “I think that, unless you have arthritis yourself, it’s hard to imagine what it’s like.

Flu

“It’s not just a bit of stiffness, there were mornings when I couldn’t get out of bed and times when I felt like I had a really bad dose of flu.

“I couldn’t do without my medication. Anyone with systemic forms of arthritis will tell you how much they need it, so the fact that prescriptions are so much cheaper is a definite plus because it can add up to a lot of money.”

l For more information about prescription charge changes, speak to your local community pharmacist or log online to www.infoscotland.com/ prescriptions.