As your Internet Pharmacy, PharmacyKwik can offer a wide range of services and facilities for you and your family.

Dispensing
We dispense NHS prescriptions and will give advice on how to get the most benefit from your medicines. We keep a comprehensive stock of medicines and use a fast and an efficient wholesaler service to enable us to fill all prescriptions promptly.

Repeat Dispensing
We can dispense NHS repeat dispensing prescriptions issued by your doctor. Ask us for more information about this service.

Medicine Containers
All medicines are dispensed in child resistant containers unless you ask us not to.

Please remember: Keep all medicines out of the reach and sight of children. Our pharmacist can advise you on safe storage of medicines.

NHS Unwanted Medicines Service
Please return all unwanted medicines to the pharmacy where we will dispose of them safely.

NHS Health Advice and Self-Care
The pharmacist and our trained assistants are available for advice on all medicines and minor ailments. We can also give you advice on how to live a healthy life, for example, advice on how to stop smoking or healthy diets. Self Care information is also available on our user friendly website: pharmacykwik.co.uk We can also direct you to other sources of advice and assistance if we cannot help you ourselves.

Patient Medication Records
Our computer allows us to keep records of all your prescriptions dispensed by us. This helps us check for possible problems, such as interactions between medicines and will help us deal with any queries you may have.

We comply with the Data Protection Act and the NHS code of practice on confidentiality. If you want to discuss the records we keep, please ask to speak to the pharmacist.

We provide the above NHS services on behalf of:
NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group
21 Silver Street,
Bury, BL9 0EN
Tel: 0161 762 3100

Other Services:

Repeat Prescription Service
We offer a repeat prescription service. Please ask our pharmacist for further details about this.

Medicines Sales
We stock a vast range of over the counter medicines, vitamins and mineral supplements and other health & beauty products, please visit pharmacykwik.co.uk for further information.

Holiday Healthcare
We can advise on medical requirements for travellers, including anti-malaria treatments. We also stock a range of sun care creams, bite and sting relief creams, flight socks and over the counter travel sickness remedies.

We also provide Care Home Services, Home Delivery Services and a Gluten Free Food Supply Service. Please email or call to discuss these NHS enhanced services.

Private Prescriptions
We can dispense private prescriptions as prescribed by your doctor. Please email info@pharmacykwik.co.uk or call our team on: 0161 773 1456 with details of your prescription for more information including up to date prices.

If you would like any more information about any of the services mentioned in this leaflet, please call us on free phone 0800 023 2295 or email info@pharmacykwik.co.uk

Comments, Suggestions, Complaints and Compliments
Our aim is to give the highest possible standard of service. We would like you to tell us what you think about the service we provide at this pharmacy.

If you have any suggestions, comments or complaints please speak to a member of staff either by calling PharmacyKwik on 0800 023 2295 or alternatively you can email is on info@pharmacykwik.co.uk

We welcome any general comments about the services we provide and any suggestions of ways in which we can improve our services to you.

We operate a complaints procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our system meets national criteria. Our Pharmacist will give you further information.

You may also seek advice from the local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). PALS are not part of the complaints procedure itself but they might be able to resolve your concerns informally or they can tell you more about the complaints procedure and independent complaints advocacy services:

Patient Advice and Liason Service (PALS):
PALS,
Care of The Patient Services Team,
Greater Manchester Commissioning Support Unit,
St. James House, Pendleton Way,
Salford, M6 5FW

An independent complaints advocacy service (ICAS) is available to provide advice and support for people who wish to complain about the NHS. Please use the telephone number below to get in touch with ICAS or for further information:

Tel: 0808 802 3000

Our staff work extremely hard to provide you with the best possible service. Please treat them with the courtesy and respect they deserve.

We reserve the right to refuse to provide services to individuals who act in a violent, threatening or aggressive manner.

When we are closed:
When this pharmacy is closed, for any health problem advice and details of other health services, contact NHS Direct, 24 hours a day.

Call 111 or visit: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

PharmacyKwik,
Rear Unit, 56 Parksway,
Prestwich, Manchester,
M25 0JB
Tel: 0161 773 1456
Email: info@pharmacykwik.co.uk

GPhC Premises Registration Number: 1116209

OPENING HOURS: Monday – Friday: 9am – 8pm | Saturday: 9am – 7pm
This pharmacy is owned by: Allbro’s Pharmacy Ltd.

  • 0800 023 2295

What is Thrush and Have I Got It?

In my daily practice as a pharmacist, I encounter many women, who are seeking to buy products for feminine itching. Like many other pharmacists I certainly agree that this issue can be embarrassing for females to discuss, especially with a male pharmacist. I feel this is where your online pharmacy PharmacyKwik, really comes into its own. You can bypass those potentially embarrassing conversations and get right down to the treatment options and if you do wish to speak to a pharmacist for guidance or clarification, you can either give us a call or simply click on the online chat function.

 

Vaginal Candidiasis (Thrush) is a very common condition, which can be found to manifest women of child bearing age. Pregnancy and diabetes are strong predisposing factors, in other words if you are pregnant or suffer from diabetes, it can increase your chances of getting thrush.

 

I sometimes get patients asking for thrush treatment who are less than sixteen years of age or who are over 60 years of age. Unfortunately thrush treatment cannot be recommended or sold to this demographic of patient, instead a referral to the GP is made. I will explain why:

Thrush is very rare in children and women over sixty because of the different environment in the vagina. Compared to women of child bearing age, where vaginal pH is generally acidic (LOW pH) and contains glycogen (a source of glucose sugar), the vaginal environment of children and menopausal women tends to be alkaline (HIGH pH) and DOES NOT contain large amounts of glycogen. Oestrogen, which is present between adolescence and the menopause, leads to the availability of glycogen in the vagina and also contributes to the development of a protective barrier layer on the walls of the vagina. In children and postmenopausal women there is a lack of oestrogen, which means this protective barrier is not present which means that infections tend to be bacterial and not fungal. So any vaginal irritation in this demographic could require a course of antibiotics.

 

Symptoms of Thrush.

 

Itch:

Many women will experience an itch around or in the vagina. The itch associated with thrush is quite often intense and burning. Vaginal skin may become damaged and red raw from scratching when the itch is really bad.

 

Discharge:

There is also a discharge associated with thrush. Women of child earing age naturally produce a watery discharge and cervical mucus is also produced. The consistency of the cervical mucus changes at particular times in the menstrual cycle. These natural fluids can be watery or slightly thicker, with no associated odour.

A lot of women I speak to worry about these natural secretions as they think they have an infection – this is not the case. With thrush the vaginal discharge is classically cream colourless, thick and curdy in appearance, alternatively it could also be thin and rather watery. We need to be careful here as there are other vaginal infections that could be responsible for producing discharge but these are quite different from that caused by thrush. Discharge associated with thrush does not usually produce an unpleasant odour, bacterial vaginal infections do! If you have a discharge, which has an odour or is yellow or greenish in colour is more likely to be bacterial and needs to be checked by your GP.

 

Your partner could get thrush too...

Men can also get thrush but may not display any symptoms. Typical symptoms that men could experience include an irritating, itchy rash on the penis particularly on the glans (the ‘head’ of the penis).

 

Pain when passing water:

This is medically known as Dysuria. Dysuria MAY be present with thrush but I believe that scratching the skin because of the intense itching may be responsible for causing the pain when passing water. It is very easy to mistake this particular symptom with the symptoms of cystitis but cystitis has other symptoms, which you can read about on another blog.

 

Painful Sex:

This is medically known as Dyspareunia. Painful sex can be associated with most vaginal infections or if the vulval and vaginal areas are suffering from a sensitivity reaction.

 

If you have a history of thrush….

Many women that present at the pharmacy suffer from recurrent thrush, often following a course of antibiotic treatment. I would class recurrent infections of thrush as four or more episodes of thrush per year, that’s two episodes of thrush in six months. If you fall in to this category then I would highly recommend that you speak to your GP as recurrent thrush infects MAY indicate an underlying issue and the GP is better placed to investigate further.

 

In pregnancy approximately one in five women will have an episode of thrush. This is due to the hormonal changes, which change the conditions in the vagina. This altered vaginal environment leads to an increase in the amount of glycogen (a sugar source that candida fungus uses to survive and grow). If you are pregnant and are suffering with thrush type symptoms, you should see your GP. 

 

Candida fungus (the fungus responsible for thrush) is able to more easily grow in those women who suffer from diabetes because of the higher levels of glucose in the blood and tissues. Sometimes recurrent thrush can be a sign of undiagnosed diabetes OR poorly controlled diabetes.

 

If you are taking certain medicines, this can also pre-dispose you to getting thrush infections. I’ve already mentioned that antibiotics can cause thrush, other medicines/conditions that can increase your risk of thrush infection include: steroids, if you are immunocompromised (have HIV or AIDS), patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy.

 

 

If you have the following symptoms you need to speak your doctor:

  • If you are allergic to certain antifungal medicines.
  • If you are pregnant or think you are pregnant.
  • If you have had more than two episodes of thrush in the last six months.
  • If you have a history of sexually transmitted diseases.
  • If you have been exposed to a partner with a sexually transmitted disease.
  • If you are younger than 16 or over 60 years of age.
  • If you have abnormal or irregular vaginal bleeding.
  • Any blood present in your vaginal discharge.
  • Vulval or vaginal sores, ulcers or blisters.
  • Abdominal pain or pain when you urinate.
  • If you experience no improvement within seven days of treatment.

 

 

What products can I buy/use to treat thrush?

There are many products available depending on the syptoms you are suffering from.

If symptoms are external and are limited to just an intense itch, then using Canesten Thrush cream 2% or the generic equivalent will suffice. You have to apply the cream to the affected areas two to three times daily until the redness and itch disappears and I also recommend that you should continue to use the cream for up to TEN days after the problem is resolved. This will make sure that all the fungal spores have died.

If you have the external itching and discharge then you have BOTH internal and external symptoms of thrush, you should use the antifungal Canesten Thrush Cream (or its generic equivalent) AND you should take an oral Canesten capsule. There is also a generic thrush capsule available here at PharmacyKwik. Symptoms should disappear within 48-72 hours. Single oral treatment capsules are the most convenient forms of treatment. 

There is even a pessary, which can be used to help with external symptoms of thrush.

 

Please have a look at the Canesten products available on our website. There are even combination products, such as Canesten Combi (which contains a pessary and a cream),  Canesten Duo (which contains an oral capsule and a cream for external symptoms), for external symptoms, Canesten Trush Cream is all you need. Don't forget your partner, he may need cream and a an oral capsule.

Don’t forget we also stock the generic capsule, cream and even a generic pessary for the treatment of thrush.

 

Thrush Prevention:

Thrush really thrives in warm environments. Therefore I always recommend to women who are prone to attacks of thrush to avoid wearing nylon underwear and tights. Using cotton underwear instead may help to prevent future attacks. 

Also women need to be mindful that the protective lining of the vagina is stripped away by foam baths, soaps and douches and I always state that these should be avoided. 

Candida (Thrush) can be transferred from the bowel when wiping the back passage after a bowel movement. Wiping from front to back can help prevent this. 

 

Now that you are armed with all the information to make a more informed decision, why not buy online and spare yourself those embarrassing questions. Remember that we deliver your purchases ‘kwik’ to your door. 


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