Erfa (just out of interest/private prescription - costs)

[Guest guest]

I am just curious here...

I am newly diagnosed hypothyroid and have started on thyroxine on the 12th of

January.

I am great believer that many great doctors out there 'got it right' when they

say that synthetic thyroxine is the least effective thyroid hormone treatment

out there.

It is early days for me by all means and the road in front of me is indeed a

very long one.

I have a very nice GP, but alas, I have just found out that no matter how nice

she is her outlook on thyroid disease management is 'old fashioned' and I will

have to constantly 'politely' disagree with her in future and battle my way, so

I have asked her to refer me to the famous 'Dr S' here in the UK.

When I see Dr S I intend to ask him that with his agreement I would like to

change to Erfa.

I understand that it is nearly impossible to get an NHS GP to prescribe this, I

know it can be done on a 'named patient' basis, my GP 'might' do this, even

then, the local authority 'may not' agree to fund it.

Despite this I still want to go ahead as I have looked at Canadian pharmacies

online and the prices, I have calculated that including import tax (do we pay

import tax on medication??) it will cost me probably no more than £15 per month

if I buy in bulk, a cost I am willing to pay.

My question is aimed at those people who are doing this already out of their

pockets:

when a private doctor gives you a private prescription for Erfa, how much do you

pay for that prescription? do you pay just for the script? do you have to pay

for a consultation 'on top' of the script? how long can he make the prescription

for? (ie maximum length 3 months? 6 months?)

I am trying to work out how much it will cost me in private prescription charges

as I know how much it will cost me 'in drugs'

thank you