Live-in care vs care homes: Which is right for your loved one in Barnet and…
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Have you run out of prescription medication and need your next dose soon?
Perhaps you’ve taken your last donepezil tablet, run out of sertraline, or discovered that an older relative has no apixaban or another regular medicine left.
It can be worrying, particularly if it happens at a weekend or outside your GP surgery’s normal opening hours. If you’re in Worthing, Rustington, Angmering or the surrounding area, there are NHS services that may be able to help you obtain an emergency supply.
At GoodOaks Homecare Sussex South, we keep a simple emergency prescription leaflet available for clients and families. The QR code takes you directly to the NHS 111 online emergency prescription service.
Run out of your medication?
If you’ve completely run out of prescription medication that you regularly receive on prescription, you can use the NHS 111 emergency prescription service to find out what help is 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. The service will then explain the most appropriate next step.
You may be referred to a local pharmacy for an emergency supply.
If you need medication and also have symptoms or feel unwell, contact NHS 111 rather than relying solely on the emergency prescription service.
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 include:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Home address
- NHS number, if readily available
- Registered GP practice
- Usual or preferred pharmacy
- Name of the medication
- Strength of the medication
- Usual dose
- When the next dose is due
If you still have the medicine box, packet or dispensing label, keep it nearby. The label can contain 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 can’t find every detail. Follow the NHS 111 process and provide the information it asks for.
What is the NHS 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 Spine is the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
When an electronic prescription is issued, information about the patient, their prescription and where it should be dispensed can be exchanged through these secure systems.
In practical terms, the 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 for some people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. This means running out can be particularly concerning for an older person and their family.
There is an important difference between missing a dose and completely running out of medication.
If you’ve forgotten one dose of donepezil, NHS advice is to skip the missed dose and take the next dose at the normal time the following day. Do not take two doses to make up for a missed dose.
If donepezil has not been taken for more than a week, NHS advice is to speak to a 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 an emergency supply.
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 forgotten one dose, NHS advice is to skip the missed dose and take the next dose the following day as usual. Do not take two doses to make up for the missed one.
The NHS advises against suddenly stopping sertraline because withdrawal symptoms can occur.
If you’ve completely run out rather than simply missed a dose, use the NHS 111 emergency prescription service or speak to your pharmacist or GP for advice.
I’ve run out of Apixaban, Warfarin or another anticoagulant
Anticoagulants are medicines used to reduce the risk of harmful blood clots. They include:
- Apixaban
- Warfarin
- Rivaroxaban
- Dabigatran
- Edoxaban
Advice about missed doses differs between anticoagulants, so don’t assume that instructions for one medicine apply to another.
If you’ve run out of an anticoagulant, or aren’t sure what to do about a missed dose, check the information supplied with your particular medicine and seek advice from a pharmacist, GP, anticoagulant clinic or NHS 111.
Can my local pharmacy help if I’ve run out?
Sometimes, yes.
Depending on the circumstances and the medicine involved, a pharmacy may be able to provide an emergency supply without a prescription. You may have to pay for the medicine.
The NHS 111 emergency prescription service may also refer you to a pharmacy where an emergency supply can be obtained.
This can be particularly helpful if you realise you’ve run out outside your GP surgery’s normal opening hours.
Helping an older relative manage their medication
Keeping track of several regular medicines can become difficult, particularly for an older person living with dementia, memory problems or other support needs.
Sometimes it’s a family member who discovers an empty packet. On other occasions, a care professional may notice that medication supplies are getting low.
At GoodOaks Homecare Sussex South, our care professionals can support clients with medication in accordance with their individual care plan and agreed level of support.
Simply noticing that supplies are running low and making the appropriate person aware can help prevent an urgent situation from developing.
Even with good routines, however, medication can occasionally run out unexpectedly.
That’s why we think it’s useful to keep our emergency prescription leaflet somewhere easy to find.
You could keep it with medication paperwork, somewhere visible in the home, or make sure a family member knows where it is.
That way, if someone says, “I’ve taken my last tablet,” you have a clear place to start.
Try to avoid running out
For regular repeat prescriptions, the NHS recommends requesting your prescription up to five working days before you need your medication.
Repeat prescriptions can often be ordered through the NHS App or NHS website, or by contacting your GP surgery.
If you’re helping an older relative, it can also be useful to make checking medication supplies part of the weekly routine.
A quick check of the medication cupboard or dosette box can give you time to arrange the next prescription before supplies become urgent.
Run out of a regular prescription medicine?
Access the NHS 111 emergency prescription service
Have your medication information to hand if possible and follow the questions on screen.
If you need medication and also have symptoms, contact NHS 111.
In a medical emergency, call 999.
This article provides general information and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. Advice about missed doses varies between medicines. Always follow the instructions for your particular medicine and speak to a pharmacist, GP or NHS 111 if you are unsure what to do.
