Paracetamol

Presumably pharmacies receive the same fee however much the prescribed drug costs the NHS to buy. Therefore, the percentage paid to the pharmacist on a cheap drug is much greater than it is on a more expensive one. Paracetamol in itself doesn't cost the NHS very much.

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When I required it regularly following knee surgery,. and then again after an accident, I asked my friends to pick them up for me while shopping.

I left the pharmacy in 2003 so am not au fait with current guidelines.

No calli not a treating medical professional. One was in an allied occupation and definitely should have known better, the others people I met on a committee. I am told I look well, which is probably the root cause. Interestingly after a knee replacement in 2021 I was complimented on the way I dealt with pain. Practice seems to make perfect.

The issue of prescribed paracetamol is a recurring debate. In fairness I don’t think anyone who hasn’t managed chronic pain can truly understand how hard each day can be. Getting out of bed can be enough of a challenge without the need to go in search of pain medication. Many people pretend they are relatively pain free when they are far from it, glue on a smile and face the day. I’m not unique in that I’ve not had a day without pain for over 30 years. I manage it, painkillers play a part in that management, a prescription is often the only way a GP can truly help. It’s not a straightforward issue.

Have you been referred to a Pain Clinic cornergran? I'm not sure what they do or how good their methods are but it might be worth investigating.

I must say I'm rather alarmed that having a knee replacement may not give the pain relief hoped for!!

My life got better, when I was eventually referred to a pain clinic.
The consultant agreed that my pain was no longer manageable, despite trying most of the usual painkillers, some mentioned on here.

Corner, I agree with you, unless you have lived with chronic pain on a daily basis, you cannot understand how difficult life can be.
There comes to a point, where you need the support of a medical professional, to develop a treatment plan.

Explain this to your GP and he or she can prescribe larger amounts.

You can ask your local pharmacist. They are allowed to sell you more if they know what it's for and in their opinion it's needed. They are highly trained professionals in their field with some, limited, powers to do this for people.
They will usually check with your GP or consultant directly (so no need for you to have another appointment) .
They may even be able to organise it for you on prescription delivered to them if you have been prescribed it by a doctor,.

Mr GO was on a high dose of paracetamol for years, pending knee replacements, and we used to ask the pharmacists for the largest box they had available, and we were able to buy 2 boxes of that size at a time.
However, people on long term use of this should be monitored by their GP, as there are side effects from prolonged use.

Dizzyribs

You can ask your local pharmacist. They are allowed to sell you more if they know what it's for and in their opinion it's needed. They are highly trained professionals in their field with some, limited, powers to do this for people.
They will usually check with your GP or consultant directly (so no need for you to have another appointment) .
They may even be able to organise it for you on prescription delivered to them if you have been prescribed it by a doctor,.

It's illegal to sell more than a 100 at a time without a prescription. For some people, that's just enough for 12 days.

As an aside, when my MIL died and we cleared her house, I found huge brown glass bottles of paracetamol in the bathroom! They were Boots brand, expiry date around 1996. No mimsy little pop out packets then! I took them to the local Boots in New Milton for disposal and they didn't want to know. I've later discovered pharmacists are legally obliged to accept and dispose of unwanted or out of date meds.

Pharmacies can sell you packs of 60.

Your GP should have details of the treatment proposed by the hospital. Don't think you need to actually visit your GP, perhaps a message left with receptionist requesting a prescription will be enough. Or, if not, Practice should contact you to advise what's needed to obtain prescription.

You can speak to the Pharmacist and they are able to sell you more if you have a medical need. Our son had a prolapsed disc and it was cheaper for him to buy the paracetamol and ibuprofen in larger quantities from the chemist than it was for him to pay for a prescription.

Lemontart

Pharmacies can sell you packs of 60.

People with a chronic need for paracetamol need to take 8 a day. 60 tablets would last a week.

The legal limit (which I copied and pasted before) is 100.

Go to different shops while out that's what I do

Lots of prescribed drugs are available over the counter. Just because paracetamol is fairly cheap to buy doesn't mean you shouldn't be getting it on a regular prescription. The problems come with people stock piling drugs and not asking for items to be ommited from repeat prescritions. I bet if we all chatted with friends many would have things in the cupboard that they keep for 'just in case' or indeed give to friends and family.
As for paracetamol , taken on a regular basis can be really good for keeping severe pain manageable. It may also give GP vital information on your longer term management. Good luck whatever you decide to do. Or you could tell all you house guests they can only come in if they bring some paracetamol with them.!!

Connor13

Go to different shops while out that's what I do

My goodness! I'd have to go traipsing round my small town almost every week, if I didn't have painkillers on prescription. I honestly have better things to do with my time and I'd have to pay 70p for parking each time. I suspect the pharmacist would notice me after a time too. I'd have to buy 13 packets of 16 and I only know of four outlets in town which sells them.

As it is, I order mine online with a repeat prescription. A couple of computer clicks every month and I pick them up a few days later. I honestly don't know where people keep all their stockpiled supplies. I have enough for a maximum of a month and if I haven't had to use that many, I leave them off my repeat prescription. Simple!

The surgeon should provide the prescription for you, or your GP.

It is really annoying when you need paracetamol but can't buy as much as you need, though I obviously understand why they limit them. Recently both my DH and I had flu and we couldn't buy enough for both of us.
I have to confess that I tend to stock up now, and try to always have a bottle of Night Nurse and Day Nurse (or their generics) in stock.

I take eight paracetamol a day and these are prescribed by my GP on a repeat prescription. I get two big boxes a month.

grandtanteJE65

The surgeon should provide the prescription for you, or your GP.

😂 The surgeon said "Keep taking the painkillers and keep walking"
No offer of a presription 🤔

My husband was told to take paracetomol 2 x 4 times a day and then refused to prescribe it as she said its cheap to buy but they dont realise you can only buy 2 packs at a time. We spent most of the day one saturday going from shop to shop buying 2 x packs each so he would have a stock of them. Not ideal though as he isn't very good on his feet and the paracetomol were prescribed for hip pain (along with tramadol )