Can you specify a particular brand of drug? Like Amoxil™ instead of Amoxicillin?
Yes, you can specify a brand name (Amoxil), or use the “generic” name (Amoxicillin).
There are some drugs where different brands of the same drug behave differently. For example, with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), different brands dissolve differently when digested, releasing the active ingredient into the bloodstream at a different rate. This can make a difference to how effective the drug is.
Sometimes there is only one brand available, so it makes no difference whether you call it by the brand name or the “generic” name.
But when there is a choice, the generic drug is almost always much cheaper than the branded drug, so your patient (or the NHS) can save a lot of money if you specify the generic one.
Can the pharmacist substitute a generic drug for the branded one you have prescribed, when there is no difference in the efficacy?
No, they legally can only issue what you have written on the prescription. This can cause problems when they are out of stock of the branded drug (but have perfectly good equivalents in stock from a different brand).
Legally, what can a dentist NOT prescribe, where a doctor can prescribe it?
In the UK, dentists are legally allowed to prescribe or administer (privately) anything that doctors can. This includes Heroin, Viagra, Anabolic Steroids, anything. However just because it is legal does NOT mean you should do it. Your professional body (the GDC) might consider it a “professional misconduct” matter, and could strike you off. They are not interested in you arguing it isn’t actually criminal…
Until new prescribing arrangements are in place for NHS prescriptions, dentists should use form FP10D (GP14 in Scotland, WP10D in Wales) to prescribe only those items listed in the Dental Practitioners’ Formulary.
Do dentists have to let the patient’s medical GP know what they have prescribed?
From NICE: There is no statutory requirement for the dentist to communicate with a patient's medical practitioner when prescribing for dental use. There are, however, occasions when this would be in the patient's interest and such communication is to be encouraged.
Here's an example of a "perfect" NHS prescription, from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). more…Note that in this example, slightly more is present in the standard 100ml bottle than is needed for 5 days. The parent should be instructed to return the remains to the pharmacy, where it can be safely disposed without getting into the water table.
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