Pharmacies Dispensing pharmacy choice?

[MurphynBrown]

Can anyone clear something up for me please?
I was under the impression that I can ask for my script to be sent to any dispensing pharmacy.....is that correct?
Basically I'm with Curaleaf and want access to strains they don't currently have on their formulary but are showing as high UK stock on MedBud. I thought I could ask Curaleaf to send a request to any pharmacy to dispense .....can someone please explain how this works.
Many thanks

 

[GrownHealth]

Welcome to the forum @MurphynBrown

Many patients have had problems trying to do this with Curaleaf as they tend to say their clinicians have to approve it first etc but in theory you should be able to request things from other pharmacies but your clinician has to be comfortable prescribing it and this often takes time with unfamiliar strains/brands ,on the surface it seems aimed at keeping patients using their own dispensary and products maximising profits .

The rule is you can have your medicine dispensed at where you wish(CBPM Pharmacies) but it needs to be prescribed by your clinic and that is where the problem lies as they only prescribe what they are familiar with so you could order from curaleaf's formulary then asked for that to be dispensed elsewhere and that should have no problem but I feel they would still try to deter it .

I'm on the other side where my clinic doesn't have a dedicated pharmacy so I can choose at will from which ever pharmacy and this helps massively with problems like you mention but is more tailored to what I require but also a little more expensive but as it turns out I'm saving money compared to previously as I can access decent lower priced flower and greater selction.

 

[MurphynBrown]

Welcome to the forum @MurphynBrown

Many patients have had problems trying to do this with Curaleaf as they tend to say their clinicians have to approve it first etc but in theory you should be able to request things from other pharmacies but your clinician has to be comfortable prescribing it and this often takes time with unfamiliar strains/brands ,on the surface it seems aimed at keeping patients using their own dispensary and products maximising profits .

The rule is you can have your medicine dispensed at where you wish(CBPM Pharmacies) but it needs to be prescribed by your clinic and that is where the problem lies as they only prescribe what they are familiar with so you could order from curaleaf's formulary then asked for that to be dispensed elsewhere and that should have no problem but I feel they would still try to deter it .

I'm on the other side where my clinic doesn't have a dedicated pharmacy so I can choose at will from which ever pharmacy and this helps massively with problems like you mention but is more tailored to what I require but also a little more expensive but as it turns out I'm saving money compared to previously as I can access decent lower priced flower and greater selction.

Thanks for that mate, appreciate the input.
It's a toss up for me because at Curaleaf I'm only paying £10 a month and am on email consultations/questionnaires now as I've been with them a while BUT ..... They are waiting for 4C Labs to send the quality assurance papers for the Goldberry before they add to their formulary......their cheaper proprietary strains have been poor and I'm not happy with paying the amount they want for decent strains when places like 4C Labs have high THC from £5 a gram .....catch 22 .... do I pay more for consultations to pay less for flower in the long run? I'm torn

 

[MigraineMan]

Having just left Curaleaf for CB1 Medical I can honestly say the grass is not green on either side of the fence.

On the plus side there is at least consistency in the industry, you will be charged over the odds for a very poor service and sub par medicine at all of them.

 

[GrownHealth]

Understand totally and I was in situation where I didn't have to pay anything going forward but the availability of value meds that I couldn't access allied to the fact they messed my script and caused me a bad time time around christmas caused me to reconsider what is important to me as a patient and that is access to medications and service so I'm not left guessing and anxious . The access to lower priced meds that I want is saving me more than any clinic fees I get at my clinic and peace of mind is priceless and the fact your total yearly spend can be reduced a lot I feel on prescription costs .

Also other clinics offer better formulary's and are priced around the same as what you pay now but each has it's limitation but many patients are happy with them .

 

[MurphynBrown]

Understand totally and I was in situation where I didn't have to pay anything going forward but the availability of value meds that I couldn't access allied to the fact they messed my script and caused me a bad time time around christmas caused me to reconsider what is important to me as a patient and that is access to medications and service so I'm not left guessing and anxious . The access to lower priced meds that I want is saving me more than any clinic fees I get at my clinic and peace of mind is priceless and the fact your total yearly spend can be reduced a lot I feel on prescription costs .

Also other clinics offer better formulary's and are priced around the same as what you pay now but each has it's limitation but many patients are happy with them .

Do you mind me asking who you are with now so I can check them out please mate?

 

[GrownHealth]

With my clinic mental health needs to be A symptom but doesn't have to be the primary symptom at Cannabis Clinic Cardiff

Cannabis Clinic Cardiff | Medical Cannabis Clinic Cardiff

Cannabis Clinic Cardiff offers private mental health assessments for legal prescriptions of Cannabis -Derived Medicinal Products (CDMPs). FREE eligibility assessment to see if you meet the criteria for a Medical Cannabis appointment.

www.cannabiscliniccardiff.co.uk

Cannabis Clinic Cardiff

The clinic provides mental health assessments for people interested in a trial of a Cannabis-Based Medicinal Product (CBMP).

MedBud.wiki

 

[GrownHealth]

Also some recommendations and videos of the CEO Sam Ashton ( a MC patient herself) and Doctor Dave.

Clinics Thread 'Cannabis Clinic Cardiff'

13th Oct, 2024

The clinic provides mental health assessments for people interested in a trial of a Cannabis-Based Medicinal Product (CBMP).

Cannabis Clinic Cardiff (CCC) is a patient-centred, clinician-led Private Medical Clinic.

Patients can self-refer to the clinic for a FREE eligibility assessment. An initial appointment with a Specialist Consultant will follow, assessing symptoms and medical history to determine your suitability for having a trial of a CBMP.

There is no guarantee that an initial appointment will result in a prescription of a CBMP and any...

• GrownHealth
• Replies: 352
• Forum: Clinics & Prescribing

• 
• 

 

[MurphynBrown]

With my clinic mental health needs to be A symptom but doesn't have to be the primary symptom at Cannabis Clinic Cardiff

Cannabis Clinic Cardiff | Medical Cannabis Clinic Cardiff

Cannabis Clinic Cardiff offers private mental health assessments for legal prescriptions of Cannabis -Derived Medicinal Products (CDMPs). FREE eligibility assessment to see if you meet the criteria for a Medical Cannabis appointment.

www.cannabiscliniccardiff.co.uk

Cannabis Clinic Cardiff

The clinic provides mental health assessments for people interested in a trial of a Cannabis-Based Medicinal Product (CBMP).

MedBud.wiki

Thanks mate, appreciate you

 

[GrownHealth]

A pleasure to help as this place has helped me and many others find better solutions.

 

[GrownHealth]

 

[jasonmiller]

That’s the frustrating part really. A cheap monthly fee doesn’t mean much if you’re limited to strains you don’t get on with or end up paying more for the flower.

I’d probably compare the total yearly cost rather than just the consultation fee. Access to a wider formulary and fewer prescription issues might work out cheaper in the long run.

 

[GrownHealth]

That’s the frustrating part really. A cheap monthly fee doesn’t mean much if you’re limited to strains you don’t get on with or end up paying more for the flower.

I’d probably compare the total yearly cost rather than just the consultation fee. Access to a wider formulary and fewer prescription issues might work out cheaper in the long run.

Welcome to the forum @jasonmiller and that is exactly the way we need to see things when comparing clinics as in total cost per year for meds and fees and suddenly some options don't seem so budget compared to having access to all pharmacies.

 

[jasonmiller]

Thanks, that makes sense. The monthly clinic fee can look cheap on its own, but access to lower-priced medication and fewer prescription problems could make a bigger difference over the whole year.

 

[jasonmiller]

By the way, this whole discussion made me realise how fragmented the stock information still is. I came across indicaonline.com while looking at how dispensaries manage inventory, and it seems strange that patients here still have to check different clinics and pharmacies almost manually. Is there a reason a shared live stock system couldn’t work in the UK?