Getting Medication For Mental Health

Prescriptions

Whether you’re getting medication from a hospital or your GP, you’ll need a prescription. This is a printed note that you give to your pharmacist. It tells them which medicines to give you, and at what dose.

Prescriptions with FP10 or FP10HP printed on them means your medication can be dispensed (given out) at any pharmacy. Other prescriptions can only be dispensed from your local hospital pharmacy. If you’re not sure where this is, ask the person who gives you your prescription.

Some medications aren’t available on the NHS, but you can still get them privately. With a private prescription, you’ll have to pay, even if you normally get NHS treatment for free.

Before getting your medication, ask the pharmacist how much it’ll cost. Private prescriptions don’t have a set cost like NHS prescriptions do.

In Scotland:

A prescription from a GP is called a ‘GP10’ and a prescription from a hospital is called an ‘HBP.’
In Wales:

A prescription from a GP is called a ‘WP10’ and a prescription from the hospital is called a ‘WP10HP.’ They’re printed in both Welsh and English.

Who prescribes medication?

Your first prescription for a mental health medication could come from your GP, but it’s more likely to be from a specialist doctor, like a psychiatrist.

In the first few weeks of taking your medication, you’ll probably need to see or chat with them again to check how things are going. After that, a nurse or pharmacist might start handling your prescriptions.

Once you’re stable on your medication, you might see other mental health professionals for repeat prescriptions and regular follow-ups. Don’t skip these appointments – they’re a good opportunity to ask questions and talk through any concerns.

If you’re getting long-acting injections, you’ll probably need to get them in hospital and go back every few weeks for further doses. It’s important not to miss or delay your appointments, or your symptoms might come back.

If things are going well with your medication, your GP might start giving you repeat prescriptions. This means you won’t have to go back to your mental health team as often, but you’ll probably still have check-ups every now and then.

You should have a care plan that lists what medications you’ve been prescribed and any other planned treatments. It might also tell you what to do if you’re worried about anything or feeling unwell.

How do I get a repeat prescription?

Lots of people take medicines for a long time, for all kinds of conditions. If this is the case for you, when you need more of your medication, you don’t always have to get a new prescription. Instead, you can ask for a ‘repeat prescription’ to get the same medication and dose you had before.

Don’t wait until you’ve run out of your medication to order your repeat prescription. When you’ve got about a week’s supply left, put your order in so you have enough time to get your next supply before the old one runs out.

Some GP practices let you order repeat prescriptions online. If you’re interested in this, ask your GP or receptionist for details.

If you can’t order online, here’s the usual process for getting a repeat prescription:

Hand in your ordering slip

There should be an ordering slip attached to your last prescription. Tick the medications you want and hand it in at the GP reception. If you don’t have a slip, write down your name, address and the medicines you need on a piece of paper and hand this in instead. Some GP practices also have request forms at the desk.
Collect your prescription

It takes about two working days (not including weekends or bank holidays) to get your prescription ready. When it’s ready, go back to the GP practice to collect it.
Take it to the pharmacy

Take your prescription to the pharmacy and hand it to the pharmacist. They’ll normally have your medication ready to give you then. If they don’t, they’ll have to order them, so you might need to wait until the next day.

Some pharmacies can order and collect your repeat prescription from your GP. If your pharmacy offers this, you just need to call the pharmacy when you need your medicine and then pick them up there a few days later. Ask at your local pharmacy if they offer this service.

Every so often, your GP or nurse will ask you to do a medication review, either in person or over the phone. This is to make sure your medication is still right for you before they give you a new prescription.

Do I have to pay for my prescription?

If you live in Scotland or Wales, prescriptions are free. You just need to be registered with a GP there and get your prescription from a pharmacy in those countries. If you live near the English border, there are special ‘entitlement cards’ that mean you don’t have to pay. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about this.

If you live in England, you might have to pay for your prescription. You don’t have to pay if you:

are under 16
are 16, 17 or 18 and are also in full-time education
have a maternity exemption certificate (for pregnant women and mums of a child up to 12 months old)
have a medical exemption certificate (for certain physical health conditions – check with your GP)
receive Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit
receive Income Support or Income–related Employment and Support Allowance or your family receives Tax Credits

You might be asked to show proof that you don’t have to pay, but if you can’t, you should still be given your medication. If you’ve applied for an exemption certificate but haven’t received it yet, you should pay the fee and ask for an NHS England receipt (FP57). When you get your certificate, you can claim a refund. Your pharmacist can show you how to do this.

A Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC) is a way to pay a set price for all NHS prescriptions for a set period of time. You can get a three-month or 12-month PPC.

If you don’t qualify for free prescriptions, a PPC could save you money. You can buy a PPC online.

Once you have your PPC, you can start ticking the box on the back of your prescription that says: ‘has a valid prepayment certificate’. If you’re still waiting for your certificate, pay the fee for your medications for now and ask for an NHS England receipt (FP57). Once your certificate arrives, you can claim a refund at any pharmacy. Refunds are valid for up to three months.

For more information on getting help with prescription costs, check out these websites:

Help with prescription costs

As a student, you can apply to get help with prescription costs if you’re:

older than 18
over 16 and on low income but not receiving benefits

To do this, you need to complete an HC1 form, which you can get from your GP or pharmacy. You might need to send proof of your income too.

If you’re aged 16-17 and leaving care, you can get a short version of the HC1 form. Your key worker should help you fill it out.

If you qualify for help, you’ll receive an HC2 certificate. Once you’ve got it, you can start ticking the box on the back of your prescriptions that says: ‘is named on a current HC2 charges certificate’.

Pharmacists and pharmacies

A pharmacist is an expert on medicines and the person who gives you your medication. When you start taking a new medication, it’s a good idea to talk to your local pharmacist. You can use a different pharmacy every time you get your prescription if you want, but there are some advantages to finding a pharmacy you like and sticking with it.

Using the same pharmacist means:

If you ever need an emergency supply of your medicine, they can access your details quickly.
If you want to buy over-the-counter medicines (medicines that treat common illnesses like colds), they can check if it’s safe to take with your prescription medications.
If you have personal requests like wanting sugar-free medicine, they can make a note so you don’t have to ask every time.
If your medication is uncommon, they can keep it in stock for you.
If you want to see your medicine history, they can look it up and tell you what you’ve been prescribed and at what dose.

When you stop taking a medicine or it goes out of date, take it to your nearest pharmacy and ask them to get rid of it safely for you. Pharmacies have special bins for disposing of medicines which is much safer than putting it in your bin, sink or toilet.

Talking to your pharmacist

You can visit a pharmacy during opening hours without an appointment, or give them a call to discuss anything about your medication. Most pharmacies have private areas where you can talk, so don’t be afraid to ask if you want to chat about something personal.

If you’d rather speak with a specific staff member or would prefer talking to a man or a woman, it’s okay to ask. You might have to come back later or on another day if they’re not available, but your pharmacist can help with that.

Your pharmacist can also offer you an annual Medicine Use Review (MUR). This is a chat about what your prescribed medications and how well they’re working for you. They usually won’t talk to your GP about this, but they might write to them to suggest changes if they think this is needed after talking to you. You should be given a copy of the letter they write.

Scotland’s Chronic Medication Service

Pharmacists in Scotland can help you with your medicines using the Chronic Medication Service (CMS). This is an NHS service for patients with a long-term condition. It has special support for medications like lithium or clozapine.

Learn more about the CMS

Getting an emergency supply

If you run out of your medicine before your next prescription is ready, head to a pharmacy and ask for an ‘emergency supply’. Take your empty box with you if you can.

You should get at least five days’ worth of medicine.

You might be asked to pay a small fee. Sometimes, the pharmacy will give you the emergency supply as a ‘loan’. This means it’ll be taken out of your next prescription when you get it.

If you pay for your prescription, they might take the prescription charge to cover your emergency supply and then you won’t have to pay it again when you bring in your prescription.

If the pharmacist questions if your case is an emergency, you can remind them that missing your dose puts you at risk of your symptoms coming back or could cause withdrawal symptoms. But know that the pharmacist has the final say and might still refuse your request.

If you can’t get an emergency supply from the pharmacy, contact your hospital team or go to the nearest hospital with your empty medication box.

Controlled drugs

You can’t get an emergency supply for controlled medicines like methylphenidate or methadone. These are restricted by law.

Some controlled drugs like benzodiazepines can be given in small amounts with a maximum of five days’ supply. But the pharmacist will decide if this is okay after talking to you. For medicines that are not controlled drugs, you can get up to 30 days’ supply.

If you're under 16:

It may be harder to get an emergency supply. Some pharmacists might be uncomfortable giving medicine out to a young person on their own. In those cases, take a trusted adult with you.
In Scotland:

There’s a national ‘Community Pharmacy Urgent Supply (CPUS)’ scheme. It works in a similar way to the system described above, but the pharmacist can write a prescription and a copy of it goes to your GP.

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