Kiwi gal with PCOS about to move to UK - Questions!
Hi Everybody, this is my first post here. I am from NZ but i am moving to the UK soon (my partner is English).
I was wondering if anyone knows if i will be eligible for subsidised medicines (i will be under a working holiday visa). I know we are covered for free emergency healthcare under the NHS, but i'm not sure about non emergency care.
What medications are commonly prescribed in the UK? I am currently on 50mg cyproterone acetate and Estelle-35 (the same as Dianette). Earlier i was on 50mg of spironolactone (brand names spirotone/aldactone). I am hoping to return to the spirotone again as the Cyproterone is giving me bad side effects, whereas i had none with the spirotone.
I have never tried Vaniqa as it is not publicly funded here (so costs about $120/tube).
So to sum up
1)Is spironolactone prescribed for hirsutism in the UK?
2)Any ideas on whether my meds and bc pill will be subsidised?
I don't know for sure whether or not you would be covered under the NHS, but I know that Canada doesn't have an agreement with the UK and despite this I'm still entitled to healthcare.
This was the case even with a working holiday maker visa, but I believe that I had to be working (paying taxes) to be able to use the services. I'm not entirely sure how it works to be honest, but I know that I've never had to pay to see an NHS doctor.
As far as your meds, I've no idea on those either. I was prescribed Vaniqa (hated it, so stopped using it after a few months) and it's a generic prescription charge about £7 now I think.
Good luck with the move.
A.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
When I lived in the US, I had no healthcare whatsoever as a British citizen. And yet Americans here use our NHS. Typical of our government to let themselves be done over, eh?
I should imagine you'll be fine - things will just have different proprietory names. Maybe when you sign on with your new GP's practice, you can ask them what's available, and see what info they have? Always seems a bit of a lottery finding the right GP as they all specialise in different things and you never really know what til you get chatting to them.
There's also a thriving 'alternative remedies' culture here, with all the common PCOS remedies on every high st, all easily available as well as many other kinds of therapy (herbalists, chinese medicine, etc) you can get pretty well any big town or city so there's lots of options to explore.
NZ looks beautiful, or it does through Peter Jackson's camera lens!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I´m a Kiwi in London too ... I am one of the lucky ones and have family from here so I have a UK passport, but I´ve had friends who have been here on a visa. From what I gathered from them it was just as easy and cheap for them going to the doctor as it was for any UK citizen. I haven´t had to get a new prescription in the UK yet as I managed to come away with almost a years supply of the pill before I left NZ, so I´m not too sure on the prices here.
Good luck with the move
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
~Anna~
'Ride it like you stole it!'
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I'm not sure, i'm a kiwi in the uk myself but I have a british passport.
I think about the only problem you might have is how crap the NHS is compaired to the private care we get back home (least it has been in my experience bah)
On the upside, you already have your diagnosis so yay!
Dinaette is produced over here and I belive Spiro might be as well... though having used neither i'm not 100% certain.
The perscription charge is fairly high but some doctors will do 3 or 6 month scripts so you pay the charge less often. Depends on the doctor (my private gyno was great about it, current gp is a jerk and wont even give me metformin. So I get my gyno to perscribe it mhahahaha)
Bc pills SHOULD be free if they're used as birth control. Just lie if they're for acne or something similar. My sister had this problem, she was on BCP for her skin outbreaks and the doctor wouldn't give it to her unless it was for contraception.. wtf? so yeah, just ask for it as contraception and you shouldn't have a problem. Such is the issue with the NHS, you get used to lying just to get around the beurocratic rubbish.
Anyway, as far as i'm aware BCP isn't charged, you might have to pay a perscription fee but you shouldn't need to pay for the actual drugs. I'll have to look up what the rules are for non uk citizens.
GOOD LUCK with the move, be ready for a culture shock heheh!
__________________
Current treatment:
N/A
- Married May 30th 2009 -
-----
Cian David St. John - Born 13:33, 27th November 2006 at 36 weeks
Weighing 5lb 4oz
Someone didn't want a Christmas birthday
-----
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
All you need to get primary care under the NHS (ie GP care) is proof of address and a local GP surgery accepting new NHS patients.
You'll need to take your proof plus ID to your chosen surgery to register. You can only register with a surgery in your borough council area - ie Hammersmith & Fulham, Lambeth, Camden etc. You'll know which is yours once you find a place to live.
Find one in your area on this site: nhsdirect.nhs.uk
I found it pretty straightforward. Although I have to say the standard of care here is much different to what I experienced at home.
Kiwi gal with PCOS about to move to UK - Questions! 
