A Quick Question

[mhendo]

Hi everyone,

I had my partial transplant back (left eye) on the 5th June, which went well but I had to have a follow up op the week after to inject air to the eye push the deepest layer to the graft. All is going well after the second op.

At the moment I am taking Three drops:-

Dexamethasone (6 times a day)
Chloramphenicol (4 times a day)
Acetylcysteine (4 times a day)

3 weeks supply of each.

The last perscription cost £20 and was looking in to the cost of the NHS pre-payment card.

I forgot to ask my consultant on my last visit, for how I would need to take these drops.

Is anyone here able to help?

Many Thanks

Matt

[Paul Morgan]

Have you asked your Consultant/GP about the possibility of getting an NHS exemption from prescription charges certificate.

I am really not sure if it applies in the case of a transplant or KC generally, but I know if you need drugs for a life threatening condition you can get one.

Failing that, the pre-payment thing will save you money if you are on the drugs long enough..

[mhendo]

I was looking on the NHS site and unfortunatly i do have to pay for perscriptions ....

I also need Atenolol every 2 months at a cost of £6.55 (at the moment)

So all i really need to know is how long i'll need the eye drops for? until i've had my stiches out??

If i only need the eye drops for a few months then their is not much pont in a pre-payment card. But if longer then i think it would be worth it.

[Andrew MacLean]

Matt

it varies! I was on desamethasone for eighteen months, but was taken off it because it was not agreeing with me. I then went onto another steroid, Prednisalone.

Chloramphenicol, as you know is an antibiotic, and I guess the time sepnt on it varies according the the persistance of an infection, or risk of infection.

Acetylcysteine is an occular lubricant.

How long will you need each of these? How long is a piece of string.

Sorry it is hard to be more helpful

Andrew

[mhendo]

Thanks for your reply.

I have another appointment at Moorfield in two weeks, I'll wait till then and ask the consultant.

I wonder how long the string is?....

I started on the lubricant just last week but have been on the other two since the first operation.

They keep changing between the ones with preservatives and without.

Time to finish my Chocolate & Carmel Shortbread Yummy

[Anne B]

Hi mhendo

I have a pre payment certificate. I have to have two lots of eye drops, inhalers and exzema cream( i was using two lots of tablets but it they have stopped now)

It works out cheaper if you have more than 5 prescriptions in 4 months. Or you can do 12 months and you need to have more than 14 prescriptions. I only ever got the 4 months card.

Now i have stopped taking the tablets i probally won't renew my card.

Hope that makes sense (long day at Moorfields)

Anne

[GarethB]

I know when I had my first graft in the late eighties that I was only on medication for six months.

The norm seems to be on medictaion for 12 - 18 months now.

I would love to know the reason why.

[Andrew MacLean]

I have a problem with the preservatives they use in some eye drops. They provoke an allergic response in me.

It muyst be hard tor medics to find any substance that will be both durable enough to kick about in a bottle for a month and which will not produce allergic reactions in a group of people who are known for their tendency to atopic responses.

[GarethB]

Andrew,

The answer to preservative free eye drops lasting a month is to put them in single use ampoules.

Contents of sealed ampoules rarely degrade and well the one you have opened can be disposed of after single use or will last the day.

Think the issue is manufacturing and as the plastic would have contained a medicine the law may dictate these plastics should not be recyled despite the fact most drugs degreade to nothing at the temperatures/preasures plastic melts at and subsequently moulded.

[Andrew MacLean]

I get those litle Minims. I quite like them, and while I do use them gladly I am aware that the environmental cost of my medication must be pretty high, not to mention the financial cost to the NHS

Andrew