Over The Counter Medications

Last year in the UK 1.1 billion items were dispensed on prescription costing a total of £9.2 billion

Many of the items which are included within these prescription are available ‘over the counter’ meaning that you can purchase these items yourself in pharmacies and other outlets, without the need for a prescription. Normally the price of these over the counter drugs is much much lower than what you would have to pay for a prescription fee. If more patients are able to self medicate simple ailments, patients and the NHS can both save a drastic amount of money.

Here is a list of some of the most common drugs that you can buy much cheaper in supermarkets, pharmacies, or even in discount stores:

Paracetamol
Aspirin
Antihistamines

A number of ailments also have a variety of over the counter treatments which are much cheaper to purchase yourself than via prescription. In order to save an estimated £560 million, the NHS will no longer prescribe medications for the following minor conditions for which over the counter medication is readily available at low cost:

Dandruff
Dermantitis
Dry Skin
Earwax
Excessive Sweating
Hay Fever/Seasonal Rhinitis
Head Lice
Insect bites and stings
Mouth Ulcers
Nappy rash
Ringworm and Athletes Foot
Sunburn
Sun Protection
Teething/mild toothache
Threadworms
Travel Sickness
Warts and Verrucae
Minor conditions associated with pain, discomfort and fever (such as sprains, headache, period pain and back pain)