Dementia care in Leicestershire South: Your complete local guide
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“I’ve run out of my medication. What do I do?”
It’s a question that can suddenly become very urgent. You might have taken the last tablet without realising there were no more in the packet, forgotten to request a repeat prescription, or discovered that an older relative’s medication has run out.
Whether it’s donepezil, sertraline, apixaban or another regular prescription medicine, finding yourself without your next dose can be worrying.
If you’re in Brighton, Hove or the surrounding area and have completely run out of a medicine that you regularly receive on repeat prescription, the NHS 111 online emergency prescription service may be able to help.
At GoodOaks Homecare Sussex South, we support clients and their families at home and understand that keeping track of regular medication can sometimes be challenging. We’ve put together this guide to explain what to do if you run out of prescription medication and how to access the appropriate NHS service.
Need an emergency prescription?
If you’ve completely run out of a medicine that you regularly receive on repeat prescription, you can use the NHS 111 emergency prescription service to find out what help may be available.
Access the NHS 111 emergency prescription service
You’ll be asked some questions, including where you are and when your medicine is next due. NHS 111 will then suggest the most appropriate way to obtain your medication. This may include referring you to a local pharmacy for a limited emergency supply.
The online emergency prescription service is intended for medicines that you have completely run out of and that you normally receive through a repeat prescription.
If you need medication and also have symptoms or feel unwell, call NHS 111 and speak to an adviser rather than using the emergency prescription service alone.
What information should I have ready?
If you’re arranging an emergency supply for yourself, or helping an older parent, partner or relative, it can help to have information about the patient and their medication available.
Useful details can include:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Home address
- NHS number, if readily available
- Registered GP practice
- Usual or preferred pharmacy
- Name of the medicine
- Strength of the medicine
- Usual dose
- When the medicine is next due
If you still have the medicine box, packet or dispensing label, keep it nearby. The label can provide useful information about the medicine and how it was prescribed.
You may also be able to find information about regular prescriptions through the NHS App.
Don’t worry if you cannot find every piece of information. Follow the NHS 111 process and provide the information it asks for.
What does it mean when a prescription is “on the Spine”?
You may sometimes hear a GP surgery or pharmacy refer to a prescription as being “on the Spine”.
The NHS Spine is part of the secure national infrastructure that allows authorised health and care IT systems to exchange information.
One service that uses the NHS Spine is the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
The NHS Spine supports the secure exchange of information between authorised healthcare systems. The Electronic Prescription Service allows electronic prescriptions to be sent securely to dispensing systems, helping prescribers and pharmacies manage prescriptions.
In practical terms, the NHS Spine helps the systems used by healthcare professionals and pharmacies communicate securely. It isn’t a public database that patients access themselves.
I’ve run out of donepezil. What should I do?
Donepezil is prescribed to some people living with dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
There is an important difference between missing a dose and completely running out of medication.
If you’ve forgotten one dose of Donepezil, follow the instructions supplied with your particular medicine and speak to a pharmacist or doctor if you’re unsure what to do.
If Donepezil has not been taken for more than a week, speak to your doctor before taking it again.
If you’ve completely run out of your regular supply, the NHS 111 emergency prescription service may be able to help you obtain a limited emergency supply.
Access the NHS 111 emergency prescription service
If you’re unsure what to do, speak to a pharmacist, GP or NHS 111.
I’ve run out of sertraline. What should I do?
Sertraline is an antidepressant used to treat depression and a number of other mental health conditions.
If you’ve taken your last sertraline tablet and cannot obtain your normal repeat prescription in time, seek advice rather than simply deciding to stop taking it.
The NHS advises that stopping Sertraline suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms.
If you’ve forgotten one dose, follow the instructions for your particular medicine. Do not take two doses to make up for a missed dose.
If you’ve completely run out, the NHS 111 emergency prescription service may be able to help you obtain an emergency supply.
Access the NHS 111 emergency prescription service
You can also speak to your pharmacist or GP for advice.
I’ve run out of Apixaban or another blood thinner
Anticoagulants, sometimes called blood thinners, include:
- Apixaban
- Warfarin
- Rivaroxaban
- Edoxaban
- Dabigatran
They help prevent harmful blood clots, and instructions for a missed dose vary depending on the particular medicine.
If you’ve run out of an anticoagulant or missed a dose, check the instructions supplied with your specific medicine. If you’re uncertain what to do, speak to a pharmacist, your GP, anticoagulant clinic or NHS 111.
Don’t assume that missed-dose advice for one anticoagulant applies to another.
Can I get emergency medication from a pharmacy?
A pharmacy may be able to help.
The NHS says that pharmacies can provide certain emergency medicines even when someone does not have a prescription, although you may need to pay. The medicine and circumstances will determine whether an emergency supply can be made.
The NHS 111 online emergency prescription service may also refer you to a pharmacy for your medicine.
Other options may include contacting your GP surgery. If your GP surgery is closed, its recorded message should provide information about its out-of-hours service. Depending on your circumstances, NHS 111 may also direct you to an urgent treatment centre or another appropriate service.
How GoodOaks can support clients with medication
Running out of medication can be particularly difficult for older people who take several regular medicines.
Someone living with dementia or memory difficulties may not realise that there are no tablets left to take tomorrow. A family member may believe a repeat prescription has already been ordered. Sometimes an empty packet is simply discovered too late.
At GoodOaks Homecare Sussex South, our care professionals support clients in their own homes in accordance with their individual care plans and agreed level of support.
Where medication support forms part of a client’s care plan, noticing that supplies are getting low and raising this with the appropriate person can help avoid last-minute problems.
Even with good routines, however, medication can occasionally run out unexpectedly.
That’s why we’ve made information about the NHS emergency prescription service easy for clients and families to find.
It doesn’t replace good medication management or advice from a healthcare professional. It simply provides a clear route to the appropriate NHS service when a regular medicine has unexpectedly run out.
Keep the information somewhere visible and accessible. You could place it with medication paperwork or make sure family members know where to find it.
Ordering your medication before it runs out
The NHS recommends allowing up to five working days to request a repeat prescription and receive your medicine.
You can often order regular repeat medication using the NHS App or NHS website, or through your GP surgery.
For families supporting an older person, regularly checking how much medication is left can help prevent a stressful last-minute search for an emergency supply.
A quick weekly check of medication supplies can give you time to request the next repeat prescription before the existing supply runs out.
Completely run out of your medication?
If you’ve completely run out of a regular prescription medicine, the NHS 111 emergency prescription service can help you find out what to do next.
Access the NHS 111 emergency prescription service
Have your medication details available if possible and follow the questions on screen.
If you need medication and also have symptoms, call NHS 111 rather than using the emergency prescription service alone.
In a medical emergency, call 999.
This information is general and does not replace individual advice from a pharmacist, doctor or other healthcare professional. Instructions for missed doses vary between medicines, so always follow the guidance supplied with the medicine you are taking and seek professional advice if you are unsure what to do.
