Repeat Prescriptions

Repeat prescriptions will be delivered to a chemist 3 FULL WORKING DAYS (72 WORKING HOURS) after ordering so please ensure you leave sufficient time between ordering your medication and it running out.

Please note it may take longer than this for the medication to be available for collection from the chemist. There are 3 chemists located in Kilsyth - Boots, Charteris and Well Pharmacy (formerly the Co-Op). We can also send prescriptions to Twechar Pharmacy and Boots Craigmarloch. 

Repeat prescriptions can be ordered by:

• Posting or handing in a repeat prescription slip or a hospital letter
• E-mail to prescription.61502@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk (please remember to include your name and date of birth in your email!)
• Telephone - leave a voicemail on our 24/7 prescription line 01698 687699
• Via online services – new users are required to register for this service

Please note most medications have a minimum number of days between requests - for example, if you were issued an 8 week supply of a medication, it will normally not be due until at least 6 weeks have passed. Early requests for medication will likely be declined. If you are needing medication because you are going on holiday, the GPs may ask for proof of travel before any medication can be issued early. 

Repeat Prescription Information Leaflet

Special Prescription Requests

If you request a medication that is not on your repeat prescription list this will only be issued subject to the doctors discretion and it may be declined or you may be asked to make an appointment to see a doctor before it is issued.

Local pharmacies will pick up your prescriptions from the health centre for you so that you can collect the drugs directly from them. Some pharmacies also operate an ordering and delivery service. Please discuss this with your preferred pharmacy.

Alteration to Medications

Occasionally we receive advice from NHS Lanarkshire about changes in brands of medication and prescribing alternative medication from the same group of drugs or prescribing by the medication name rather than the Brand name. This is to ensure that all prescribing is as cost effective as possible without jeopardising patient care. Changes are supervised by pharmacists and should not result in change of effect or side effects. In the rare event of a problem with these changes please make an appointment to review this with a doctor.

General Information about Medication

• Please discuss any medication problems with the pharmacist in your local chemist or with a GP.
• Check that any herbal medicines or vitamins not obtained from a doctor do not interact with your prescribed medications.
• Read the patient information leaflet for potential side effects and interactions with food (e.g. cranberry or grapefruit) or interactions with other medications. (Check with your doctor or pharmacist, but please note that doctors often deliberately prescribe drugs that interact – e.g. two drugs that lower your blood pressure). 

Medication Reviews

All repeat prescription lists are reviewed on an annual basis and you may be asked to make an appointment for review of your medication with a clinician. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that you comply with this or your medication may be declined in the future.

Fear of Flying

Benzodiazepines (e.g. Diazepam/ Lorazepam/ Temazepam/ Alprazolam/ Clonazepam) are drugs which have been in use since the 1960s for treatment of a wide range of conditions including alcohol withdrawal, agitation and restlessness, anxiety, epilepsy and seizures, neurological disorders. muscle spasms, psychiatric disorders and sleep disturbance

Initial use of benzodiazepines, including the well-known Diazepam also known as ‘Valium’, was enthusiastic and they were hailed as a wonder drug. However, it became increasingly clear that, as well as having short term deleterious effects on memory, co-ordination, concentration and reaction times, they were also addictive if used for a long time, with withdrawal leading to fits, hallucinations, agitation and confusion, and further had long-term effects on cognition and balance. Unfortunately, benzodiazepines have also become a widely used drug of abuse since they first came on the market. Because of these reasons the use of benzodiazepines has been a lot more controlled around the world since the 1980-90s, especially in the UK. Diazepam in the UK is a Class C/Schedule IV controlled drug. The following short guide outlines the issues surrounding its use with regards to flying and why the surgery no longer prescribes such medications for this purpose.

People often come to us requesting the doctor or nurse to prescribe diazepam for fear of flying or assist with sleep during flights. Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed.

• According to the prescribing guidelines doctors follow (British National Formulary) diazepam is contraindicated (not allowed) in treating phobic states.[i] It also states that “the use of benzodiazepines to treat short-term ‘mild’ anxiety is inappropriate.”[ii] Your doctor would be taking a significant legal risk by prescribing against these guidelines. They are only licensed short term for a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the case, you should be getting proper care and support for your mental health and not going on a flight.
• NICE guidelines suggest that medication should not be used for mild and self-limiting mental health disorders[iii]. In more significant anxiety related states, benzodiazepines, sedating antihistamines or antipsychotics should not be prescribed. Benzodiazepines are only advised for the short term use for a crisis in generalised anxiety disorder in which case they are not fit to fly. Fear of flying in isolation is not a generalised anxiety disorder.
• Although plane emergencies are a rare occurrence there are concerns about reduced awareness and reaction times for patients taking Diazepam which could pose a significant risk of not being able to react in a manner which could save their life in the event of an emergency on board necessitating evacuation.
• The use of such sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. This can cause you to be at an increased risk of developing a blood clot (Deep Vein Thrombosis – DVT) in the leg or even the lungs. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is even greater if your flight is greater than 4 hours, the amount of time which has been shown to increase the risk of developing DVT whether in an aeroplane or elsewhere.
• Whilst most people find Diazepam sedating, a small number have paradoxical agitation and aggression. They can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally which can pose a risk on the plane. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers and could also get you into trouble with the law. A similar effect can be seen with alcohol, which has led to people being removed from flights.
• A study published in 1997 from the Stanford University School of Medicine[iv] showed that there is evidence use of Benzodiazepines stops the normal adjustment response that would gradually lessen anxiety over time and therefore perpetuates and may increase anxiety in the long term, especially if used repeatedly.
• Diazepam and similar controlled drugs are illegal in a number of countries[v]. They may be confiscated or you may find yourself in trouble with the police. The passenger may also need to use a different strategy for the homeward bound journey and/or other legs of the journey.
• Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.
• It is important to declare all medical conditions and medications you take to your travel insurer. If not, there is a risk of nullifying any insurance policy you may have.

Given the above we will no longer be providing Diazepam or similar drugs for flight anxiety and instead suggest the below aviation industry recommended flight anxiety courses.

Flight anxiety does not come under the remit of General Medical Services as defined in the GP contract and so we are not obliged to prescribe for this. Patients who still wish to take benzodiazepines for flight anxiety are advised to consult with a private GP or travel clinic.

Further information:

https://thefearofflying.com/programs/fly-and-be-calm/

https://www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com/

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travel-assistance/flying-with-confidence

https://www.flyingwithoutfear.com/

[i] British National Formulary; Diazepam – https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/diazepam.html

[ii] British National Formulary; Hypnotics and anxiolytics – https://bnf.nice.org.uk/treatment-summary/hypnotics-and-anxiolytics.html

[iii] Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management. NICE Clinical guideline [CG113] Published date: January 2011 Last updated: July 2019 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113

[iv] Acute and delayed effects of Alprazolam on flight phobics during exposure. Behav Res Ther. 1997 Sep;35(9):831-41

[v] Travel Health Pro; Medicines and Travel; Carrying medication abroad and advice regarding falsified medication – https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/factsheet/43/medicines-abroad