You can order repeat prescriptions online using Patient Services or by submitting a written request to the practice.
Order a repeat prescription online
The easiest way to order your repeat medication is through Patient Services.
You can use Patient Services to request medication that is already listed on your repeat prescription.
Other ways to order
If you cannot use Patient Services, you can:
- use the reorder form supplied with your prescription
- complete a prescription request slip at reception.
Please only order medication that you currently need.
We do not accept prescription requests by phone or email.
How long prescriptions take
Please allow 3 working days for the practice to process your prescription request.
Requests received after 2pm will be treated as received on the next working day.
Requests made during the evening, at weekends or on public holidays will not be processed until the practice reopens.
Your pharmacy will also need time to prepare and dispense your medication after we have issued the prescription.
Please order your medication in good time, particularly before weekends and public holidays.
If you run out of medication
If you run out of regular medication, contact your local community pharmacy.
A pharmacist may be able to provide an emergency supply or advise you what to do next.
If you need help when both the practice and your usual pharmacy are closed, NHS inform has advice about accessing medicines.
Find advice about prescriptions and accessing medicines – NHS inform
Collecting your prescription
Your prescription can be sent to your preferred community pharmacy for dispensing.
Please allow the pharmacy enough time to prepare your medication before collecting it.
If someone else is collecting medication for you, the pharmacy may ask them to confirm your details. Additional checks may apply to some controlled medicines.
Change your preferred pharmacy
If you would like prescriptions to be sent to a different pharmacy, complete our preferred pharmacy form.
We currently send prescriptions for collection to participating local pharmacies on different days of the week.
Please allow 2 working days for us to update your preferred pharmacy on your record.
Change your preferred pharmacy
Medicines reviews
Some medicines need regular review to make sure they are still appropriate and working well for you.
We may contact you when a medication review, blood test or other monitoring is due.
Please complete any requested monitoring. We may not be able to continue prescribing some medicines safely without the required checks.
If you have questions about your medication or are experiencing side effects, speak to a pharmacist or contact the practice.
Medicines, Care and Review Service
If you take regular medicines for a long-term condition, your community pharmacy may be able to support you through the NHS Medicines, Care and Review Service.
The service can include medication reviews and, for some people, serial prescriptions that allow regular medication to be supplied directly by your registered pharmacy without requesting a new repeat prescription each time.
Find out about the Medicines, Care and Review Service – NHS inform
Unwanted or unused medicines
Take medicines you no longer need to a community pharmacy so they can be disposed of safely.
Do not put medicines in household waste or flush them down the toilet.
Questions about your prescription
If you have a question about a prescription or need advice about your medication, contact the practice on 0131 537 4407.
Please do not send prescription requests or patient enquiries by email.
Additional Information
Declined requests for medication
Reactions
Download the Yellow Card mobile app
Holiday medication
The NHS does accept responsibility for supplying ongoing medication for temporary periods abroad of up to 3 months. However, if a person is going to be abroad for more than 3 months, then they are only entitled (at NHS expense) to a sufficient supply of regular medication in order to get to their destination, where they should then find an alternative supply of that medication.
Patients residing abroad for a period of more than 3 months should be removed from the registered patient list. Your GP is not responsible for prescribing medication required for conditions which may arise while travelling e.g. diarrhoea medicine, travel sickness, diazepam for anxious flyers.
Please visit: NHS Inform for further information and guidance.
Controlled drugs
Taking opiods for pain
What dose of opioid should I take?
The correct dose of any medicine is the lowest dose that produces a noticeable benefit. It is not usual to get complete relief of pain from opioids. Your GP may recommend an “opiate trial” for 2-3 weeks, then review if the benefits of taking the medication outweigh the risks. You should always take the correct dose of prescribed medicines. If you feel the dose isn’t enough, or if the side effects interfere with your life, discuss this with your GP.
What are the possible side effects?
When you first start taking opioids you can get some side effects, which usually stop after a few days. These include:
feeling dizzy
feeling sick (nausea)
being sick (vomiting)
feeling sleepy If pain has affected your sleep, opioids may help you to recover your normal pattern of sleep, but they should not make you drowsy in the daytime. Opioid medicines can cause some problems when you take them for long periods of time.
These problems include:
constipation*
itching
weight gain
lack of sex drive
* This is common when taking opioids and does not tend to go away the longer you take opioid medicines. You may need to try laxatives to treat constipation.
Can I drink alcohol?
Alcohol and opioids both can cause sleepiness and poor concentration. You should avoid alcohol completely when you first start on opioids or when your dose has just been increased.
Will my body get used to opioid medicines?
Opioids can become less effective with time (this is called tolerance) meaning your body has got used to the pain relieving effect of the medicine. You can also become dependent on opioid medicines (dependence).
What about addiction to opioids?
It is rare for people in pain to become addicted to opioids. People who are addicted to opioids can:
feel out of control about how much medicine they take or how often they take it
crave the drug
continue to take the drug even when it has a negative effect on their physical or mental health
Can I take this medicine long-term?
While opioids can have a positive benefit for some people living with long-term pain they can have serious consequences when they are not providing sufficient benefit or are being taken in a manner that was not intended. It is important to consider the risks and benefits of continued opioid therapy with your prescriber on a regular basis. Recent medical literature suggests that the risks to your health increase significantly when prescribing opioids at high doses for a long period of time.