Inverness gran with diabetes says she is paying £200 a month for medication as NHS can't afford free prescriptions

An Inverness grandmother says she is paying £200 a month for diabetes medication after doctors told her the NHS could not afford to prescribe it for free.

Janice D’Olier, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2016, says she has been forced to fork out £1,500 for Mounjaro injections since April 2024.

The medication, which helps lower blood sugar levels, has grown increasingly popular with slimmers as it aids weight loss.

Janice, a wind farm cost administrator, was initially treated with the hormone drug Metformin.

But she was taken off the medication in June 2023 after tests revealed her body was rejecting it.

The 57-year-old was then prescribed alternatives, which left her with severe side effects, including digestive issues.

She told STV News: “I was not having any kind of life on the other medicine. I couldn’t go anywhere where there wasn’t a toilet. It was soul-destroying.”

In spring, her GP at Burnfield Practice suggested Mounjaro, but said the NHS could not source it until July or August.

“My doctor said I could buy the medication online as it was in short supply. I thought, ‘I can cope and buy it myself until then.’

“It was great medication, with no side effects. My blood sugar level came down. It has been life-changing.”

After trialling the weekly injections for a month, Janice was given a repeat prescription from her GP.

But when she arrived at the clinic, she was shocked to find her prescription had been declined due to the cost.

The practice manager later sent Janice a letter of apology, stating that her GP should not have offered her a prescription.

Following a complaint to the health board, Janice was then referred her to the diabetes unit at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness in September.

She said the consultant suggested trialling another medication for six months, and if this was unsuccessful, he would then request a prescription for Mounjaro.

“That sickened me that they are willing to put me on something else that could give me awful side effects,” she said. “I got really upset.

“I said, ‘so you want me to come off a drug that’s working, to go on a drug with side effects and ruin my life for six months, only to put me back on the drug I’m on just now?’ He said ‘it’s the only way I can justify the money.’

“He said, ‘if we give everyone this drug we will be bankrupt.”

Janice, who is waiting to hear back from NHS Highland’s feedback team over their handling of the case, said she feels “really let down.”

She added: “I’ve got a genuine illness. I’m being made to feel like I’m a drain on the NHS.

“Things go wrong as you get older. Am I not allowed a quality of life?

“On this medication, I feel normal. I can walk for miles without worrying if I need to find a toilet halfway.

“People are talking about weight loss drugs, such as this and Ozempic, but I don’t use it for that. I’m not the type of person who would go ‘I need to lose weight’, then go and use a drug that was made for something else.

“I don’t want to let this go. This is all because of money.”

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.”

A spokesperson for NHS Highland said: “Tirzepatide (Munjaro) 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.

“The patient has contacted our feedback team at the end of last week. We will respond as soon as we can to discuss her case in more detail.”