Sometimes something as simple as finding your local pharmacy can become a total headache, especially when the pharmacy you find doesn’t have the prescription drugs you’re looking for or worse when the pharmacy you find does have the prescriptions you are after but is so far away that is simply not feasible for you to travel in your condition in order to get the much-needed medicine.

There are those lucky patients who are able to find a pharmacy close to their GP’s office, which would be the best case scenario and that would happen if we lived in a perfect world however, we all know that is not the case so sometimes we end up traveling great distances just to find out a few days later that there was a pharmacy close by that had the medications we were after, yes sometimes things do get ironic.

The good news is that finding a local pharmacy which carries the drugs you need doesn’t have to be a never-ending struggle and we can even use computers and the Internet to help find our local pharmacy’s detail. First let’s start by saying that the best solutions are usually the simplest, finding a good pharmacy which carries the medications you need can be as easy as asking your doctor to make a few calls for you, this could be an excellent solution if you are an elderly patient and in such cases doctors as well as pharmacists will be more than happy to help you out.

If you are know your way around the computer then finding a good pharmacy can be as easy as doing some basic research on a local search engine however we all know that there are three major search engines that will give you the best results, the number one would be Google which offers a very useful feature called Google Maps where you can find local pharmacies by name, physical address and sometimes you can either read and get their phone numbers on-line which is particularly useful when you are trying to make sure that a local pharmacy has the prescription medication you are looking for. Not only that, but you can also find out if the pharmacy you are about to use is able to deliver your medications to your work or home address.

Independent pharmacies will often go the extra mile in order to satisfy their client’s needs and in this case they will even deliver your medications to your door free of charge, this is an invaluable service debt always comes in handy when you are feeling so sick that you cannot even think about driving or if you have a loved one who is sick and you can’t simply bring yourself to leave this person unattended.

When you are prescribed treatment or medicine for an ailment the doctor will have considered your case carefully and decided the safest solution for you.

For those with prescriptions they may feel that the drug isn’t working and consider taking a higher than recommended dosage. It can be highly dangerous to do this without consulting a doctor as can be combining different medications that the doctor isn’t aware of.

With prescribed medicine it’s important also to never share medicine with other people. They may have a similar condition to you but their body or condition may dictate that they take a different medication and by taking yours they may be doing more harm to themselves.

Below are 10 tips to ensure you are safe when carrying out your prescription.

1. Ask your doctor are there are any foods or drinks that should be avoided when on your medication, sometimes they can conflict or worsen your condition.

2. If you are prescribed multiple drugs or pills make sure you check when it is safe to take each one, some drugs may not react well when taken together.

3. Familiarise yourself with the name of the drug you are prescribed from your GP, and check the container when given the drugs if you go to a pharmacy, there’s always a chance for human error.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask your doctor about the drug you’re prescribed; what does it do? What to expect from it? Also know how to identify it from other pills by their markings/shape/etc.

5. By all means visit another doctor for a second opinion but always disclose any treatment or conditions you have from another doctor so that the second one doesn’t prescribe conflicting drugs or more of the same.

6. If you miss a time when you should have taken your dose do not double up at the next time to take your medicine, if it is vital not to miss the time then contact your doctor or pharmacist to find out what to do.

7. Continue the course of treatment even if you feel better, the drugs may have eradicated the noticeable symptoms but will still be working away behind the scenes to fully treat your problem.

8. When on prescription drugs try to avoid alcohol all together, many prescribed drugs do not mix well with alcohol and can be fatal, consult with your doctor as to whether you can consume alcohol whilst on your course of medication.

9. Use a pill case/organiser to help remind you of when to take various pills with their correct dosage too. Set alarms on your watch or computer to remind you or keep a diary.

10. When you have finished your treatment do not flush remaining drugs down the toilet, certain drugs won’t be filtered out by water treatment processes. Go to your doctor or pharmacist for advice on responsibly disposing of surplus medication.

It goes without saying that prescription medications or prescription drugs can be quite expensive without having proper insurance or health coverage, this remains to be a true statement in many countries across the world however within the UK there are many ways that you can reduce your costs when it comes to buying your much-needed medication and as you will learn there are also many ways for you to get your drugs for free. Let’s take a look at some of the options that you have available within this country:

– It is widely known among seniors that they can get their NHS medications for free if they are 60 years old or over. This is a great regulation within the health industry in the UK which has been designed to help seniors get their prescriptions they need at a point in their lives when they become indispensable.

– You can also get free NHS prescriptions if you are 16 years of age or younger. However, if you are within 16 years old and 18 years of age you are also qualified to get free prescriptions if you are a full-time student.

– Females who are currently pregnant or have had a baby within the past 12 months are also entitled to free medication provided they have completed the required forms, in this case form FW8.

– If you have a medical condition that is listed in an exception certificate you are also entitled to free medication.

– if you hold a valid war pension exemption certificate in the prescriptions or you’re getting are for your accepted the settlement then you are equally entitled to free prescriptions; likewise you are able to get the same benefits if you are an NHS inpatient.

There are also several other financial conditions that you may meet and that will allow you to qualify for free medications such as:

– receiving income support to will automatically qualify you for free medication, the same can be said if you receive income-based jobseekers allowance, pension credit, have a valid NC2 certificate or hold an NHS tax credit exception certificate.

Those with a listed medical condition will need to fill out a form and have it signed by their doctor or hospital in order to have access to medication, once this form is signed it will become effective for one month prior to the date the NHS receives such information and it will also remain effective for five years until it needs to be renewed once again, at this point you may receive a notice from the NHS so you can have this document renewed but if you do not receive such noticed you need to be aware that it is your responsibility to have it renewed.

As you can see there are many ways for you to get free medication if you are a UK citizen, there are many other ways that have not been mentioned in this article which is why you need to consult with your doctor in order to figure out the best ways for you to get financial aid when it comes to purchasing your much-needed prescriptions.