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Type 1: Prescription fine

This has been in place for a long time (as I've said elsewhere on this topic). I knew about exemption certificates when I left Uni, nearly 20 years ago, and was aware that they expired after five years soon after the introduction of this rule. Can't remember why or how now.

I can also read, so knew that by ticking the box on the back of the prescription, I would need to have a certificate and not that I was medically exempt.

As has also been said elsewhere, the administration of the exemption cards moved to NHSBS only relatively recently after being in local health authority control for years and they had terrible records, hence the fines only go back a couple of years.
 
Sancho panza said:
Bolding mine.
Really I have never seen this bit of legislation can you give me a link @Kes
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http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/HealthCosts/1126.aspx

You can get all your NHS prescriptions free if you have a valid medical exemption certificate because you have:
  • diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone;
It does make sense. If you are not on tablets why do you need free prescriptions?
Of course if you have used drugs then recover your existing card will still be valid until it expires but you won't be able to renew it.
Not sure if you are still entitled to use it tho. You might be fined if they find out.
 
But if your GP prescribes metformin even if you BG is below 10 you can't get the card?
 
BaliRob said:
Neither have I, especially as Diabetes has not proven to be cured IN ANY ONE CASE YET
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There are one or two who got pancreas transplants and didn't need any meds for quite some time after that. I would call that cured.
 
BaliRob said:
Neither have I, especially as Diabetes has not proven to be cured IN ANY ONE CASE YET
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People who have gastric surgery or who go on a 600 Calorie diet for 6 weeks have had diabetes 2 reversed.
Proven.
Visceral fat is one of the main causes of diabetes, lose it and you have a chance or reversing diabetes 2.

They have made diabetic rats non diabetic by feeding them probiotics.
Often if you are obese and diabetic 2 and you change your diet and life style resulting in a large weight loss, you can reverse it.

A friend was diagnosed as diabetic 2 and he changed his diet, lost weight and controlled it just by diet and he now has normal readings if a little high.
BTW he was never eligible for a medical exemption certificate even tho he was diagnosed as diabetic 2 as he never used metformin.
He did have a lot of bitter melon which does something similar to metformin.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/natural-therapies/bitter-melon.html

Doesn't happen in all cases but it is a medical fact that diabetes 2 can be reversed if drastic changes are made.

Living on just 600 calories for 6 weeks is not exactly possible if you have to work.

I think if its more genetic than lifestyle then it won't be possible.
If you are slim and have diabetes 2, a gastric operation or a 600 cal diet isn't going to help is it.?
 
Totto said:
But if your GP prescribes metformin even if you BG is below 10 you can't get the card?
Click to expand...

If you are prescribed metformin then you qualify.. but if you can eat e.g. a Mars bar and are constantly under 9/10 when not taking any drugs (i.e. Normal) a GP might not prescribe you anything.
Metformin and other diabetes drugs are a great strain on your liver, kidneys etc.
GPs are under oath to do no harm if you successfully reverse diabetes then a proper GP should stop prescribing.
Why would you want to take drugs?

If you can't stay under 10 without taking drugs or a very strict diet then you are still diabetic.

There is not a specific number.. Glucose meters vary a lot and are not that accurate.

If you are lucky enough to reverse it, you will always be susceptible to becoming diabetic again.
There aren't many who have reversed it.
Most of those who do reverse diabetes 2 are severely obese and have had a gastric operation so that they can't eat normally again.
Not being diabetic for them is usually the least of their worries.

I think in the future, someone will find the real cause of lifestyle diabetes 2 and I bet it will be simple like an unknown type of bacteria or a bacterial virus that radically changes gut flora.
Dr Barry Marshall proved in the 90s that stomach ulcers were due to a bacteria that lived in stomach acid, despite medicine saying that was impossible.

The latest discovery is that it isn't just the pancreas that produces insulin/glp-1 but also the upper intestine, except in diabetics.
It is gut flora that stimulates the intestines to do that.
People with diabetes 2 don't have the right gut bacteria.

If you starve the gut for an extended time, the wrong sort of gut flora lose out to the right kind and the upper intestine regains the ability to produce glp-1.

It makes sense for the body to use the intestines to do this as it's the first contact with food your body has.
Also the right gut flora break down sugars in your food before you can absorb it. The bacteriodes (bad gut flora) do not and so you blood sugar levels rise more than they should.

Kefir, Live greek yogurt contain the good gut bacteria shown to enable intestine to produce glp-1.
Probably not in the right quantities tho.
We are more bacteria.than human.
There can be as many bacteria cells in a big Xmas poo than human cells in a body.
 
@Kes
I know I'm"nit picking" but this says that you get the exemption if you are under medication for diabetes, not that you get it for the case that you cannot keep your BG under a particular level of control.
If this were the case, I could relax my control, fail the BG level test, and get a new exemption certificate!
 
Totto said:
There are one or two who got pancreas transplants and didn't need any meds for quite some time after that. I would call that cured.
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How can a drastic operation such as a pancreas transplant be considered to be a cure? One is receiving a new 'body'.
 
Your experience is the norm for most of us
 

I wish you hadn't put that up as you've started my blood boiling again. Various countries that did ring fence pension payments & invest the money pay excellent pensions to their retired folk. As you say, the greedy B's, that run our country have used the pension fund as a piggy bank. It's a huge scandal that gets me going every time...

Add to that, the politico's that allowed company pension funds to take holidays from paying their contribution leading to later problems with a lot of big company's pension funds...

Luckily, I made my own arrangements.

Shame, as we get older, that all that is wrong with this country is caused by the old... or so some would have us think
 
@Kes
I know that if you read the thread you will see where I too have posted the NHSBSA guidelines
What I don't know and what I would like you to provide me with a link to is where exactly does the seemingly arbitrary figure of 10 come from ?
 
I have been diabetic for 2 years, no one told me my medicine was free. Only on Friday was I asked to pay for my diabetic med. How long does it take to get an exemption card?
 
Sancho panza said:
@Kes
I know that if you read the thread you will see where I too have posted the NHSBSA guidelines
What I don't know and what I would like you to provide me with a link to is where exactly does the seemingly arbitrary figure of 10 come from ?
Click to expand...
I love your dog
 
brenda walker said:
I have been diabetic for 2 years, no one told me my medicine was free. Only on Friday was I asked to pay for my diabetic med. How long does it take to get an exemption card?
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It does not take that long from posting the forms to receiving the card, you are looking at between 5-10 days. If you have to pay for a prescription in-between, you need to ask the chemist for a FP57 receipt form when you are paying. Apparently, it cannot be given after you have paid for the prescription. The FP57 will advise you on how to obtain a refund for your prescription.
 
Just received a fine for ticking the box exempt in November 2014 letter says the cannot find any evidence of this, my card is in front of me with an expiry date of DECEMBER 2014, talk about fuming I will be on the phone 1st thing Monday.
 
tordy58 said:
Just received a fine for ticking the box exempt in November 2014 letter says the cannot find any evidence of this, my card is in front of me with an expiry date of DECEMBER 2014, talk about fuming I will be on the phone 1st thing Monday.
Click to expand...
Well that's an easy one, put a photocopy of the card in the post and count yourself one of the lucky ones.
 
tordy58 said:
Just received a fine for ticking the box exempt in November 2014 letter says the cannot find any evidence of this, my card is in front of me with an expiry date of DECEMBER 2014, talk about fuming I will be on the phone 1st thing Monday.
Click to expand...

Good job you didn't throw your old card away at the end of December then.
 
tordy58 said:
Just received a fine for ticking the box exempt in November 2014 letter says the cannot find any evidence of this, my card is in front of me with an expiry date of DECEMBER 2014, talk about fuming I will be on the phone 1st thing Monday.
Click to expand...

I knew they were getting a bit over-zealous in a bid to justify their existence, but that is ridiculous LOL. Maybe we'll find a secret clause somewhere that says we need to have so many months remaining on our exemption certificate like you have to on your passport. LOL.

Could you issue them a fine for getting the admin wrong and wasting your time?

Smidge
 
I think your a very luck person to only have to pay £96! Since 1998 how many Prescriptions have you handed over the counter? Think that a prescription nowadays is now £9 odd it only takes 10 prescriptions to be paid. I'm sure you've had more than 10 scrips. I started paying when I was first diagnosed about but with a good GP, they told me I could fill a form and get my prescription paid for. I still feel kind of guilty about not paying but that's what it's there for. It's true diabetics do take up 10% of NHS money but that's why we need to look after our precious NHS. When you tick (E) on the back of your prescription you are declaring that you HAVE a medical exemption certificate. If your signing it and you don't have said card, that's frued! It only take an FP92A form from the doctors to be filled out. Get it signed by anyone from the practice and the card should take about 5 working days. I did have a problem January last year when my card was due for replacement. The receptionist gave me the wrong form even when I explained it was the wrong for I got shouted down by her saying 'It's the only form your getting'. It took about 3 weeks in the end to get the right form, put the receptionist got a telling off when I complained. I was £100 better off by the time I got my receipts paid back from my chemist using an FP57 form, again from the GP. Even though I was on first name terms with the chemist I still had to pay until my card came through.
 
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