Over £200-a-month - the cost of living with type 2 diabetes for an Inverness gran
An Inverness woman is paying more than £200-a-month for medication to treat her Type 2 diabetes because doctors have told her the NHS cannot afford to pay for it on prescription.
Mounjaro was originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, but it can also be used to help with weight loss and there has been much publicity about its demand among slimmers.
Janice D’Olier (57), of Milton of Leys, was diagnosed with Type 2 in 2016 and for some time she was treated with the hormone drug Metoformin taken orally.
However in June 2023 her body started rejecting this drug, and after various tests including biopsies, she was taken off Metoformin and prescribed various alternative treatments that gave her “horrendous side effects” including that she could not be too far from a toilet.
Her GP suggested Mounjaro injections but said the NHS couldn’t source it due to a shortage in supplies.
“He suggested I look online to purchase it,” she said: “In desperation I managed to source it and buy it online, until the NHS was able to get supplies.”
Janice, a costing administrator at a Caithness wind farm site, then discovered that Mounjaro, which is self-administered with one injection per week, was “wonderful”.
She added: “It was life changing, I never felt better!
“After two months I went to have my bloods checked to make sure my diabetes was under control again. I was delighted when the doctor said it had brought my levels down and he gave me a prescription for the medication and told me that I may be able to get it.”
Her joy was short-lived however. After being given it on trial for a month and it was still working well, Janice was given a second month on prescription from her GP… but that was it.
It was suddenly stopped by her medical practice and it transpired it was not readily available on prescription because of the cost.
“I was told the GP had made a mistake and it should never have been prescribed, and I was given a letter of apology,” she said.
Janice was determined to take the matter further and complained to the practice. She spoke with a partner and left that meeting “very upset” but with a referral to Dr MacFarlane at Raigmore Hospital’s renal unit.
She said she was told her case would be reviewed, but so far there have been no new developments.
Top stories
She said: “It seems it is all about money. I was told if everyone was given that drug it would bankrupt the NHS, but I have worked all my life and paid my taxes. I am not giving up.”
To date the online medication has cost her over £1400 in total.
“You just have to tighten your belt,” she said.
A spokesperson for NHS Highland said: “Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) is included in the Highland Formulary for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
“Treatment is based on individual patient circumstances and in conjunction with the primary care and specialist teams.
“We would be happy to discuss further with Ms D’Olier and would ask her to contact our feedback team.”
John Kinnear, national director for Scotland at Diabetes UK, said: “Medications such as Mounjaro have a significant role to play in the overall treatment and management of type 2 diabetes as well as being an option for some people to help with weight management. Anyone who meets the criteria and are eligible should be able to access it.”
Mounjaro works by helping your body to produce more insulin when needed. It also reduces the amount of glucose produced by the liver, and slows down how quickly food is digested.
