Lyn: The costs of taking multiple medicines – Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) assistance
Listen to patients and health professionals speak about their experience with taking multiple medicines.
Lyn
Female
Age at interview: 67
Number of medicines: 1
Cultural background: British-Australian
Lyn and her husband have not had a problem affording her medicines, as most of them are covered by the PBS. She can buy one that is not covered through a hospital pharmacy, which reduces the cost.
No, because we're on a pension, a government pension. We get our medications at $5.80. The gabapentin, I believe, is not on the PBS, but it is going to be. At the moment, I'm getting it through the [local hospital]. If they prescribe it there, I can get it from the pharmacy at the hospital for the $5.80 or whatever it is, but if I went to an outside pharmacy, apparently I'd have to pay the full cost. So no, none of the medications that I take cost me more than the $5.80 and I usually get onto the free list by about September, when I'm not paying anything at all for them.
The Living with multiple medicines project was developed in collaboration with Healthtalk Australia.