Questions in the Pharmacy

MortgageMamma

:mad: Actually a little off topic but I went into the chemist and was furious with the counter staff yesterday

I live in a small town which only has two chemists and the alternative was shut for lunch. I went into boots to buy some cough medicine for my eldest daughter as she was ill, and the counter assistant refused to sell it to me because the pharmacist was not present he'd gone for his lunch

I was absolutely dismayed - a bottle of cough medicine. I explained I had three kids and had been mother for 10 years and had never been prevented buying a bottle of benylin btu she wouldnt budge

I wont repeat what I said but I have written to boots to complain because I had to drive 4 miles through roadworks to the next chemist, and whilst I did that my daughter was falling asleep in the car

I partially agree with Kenshaz, this country is becoming a joke
Asking someone their symptoms and telling them how to use medication is one thing, but preventing them from buying cough medicine for a sick child is another:mad:

muddled_midget

MortgageMamma wrote: »

:mad: Actually a little off topic but I went into the chemist and was furious with the counter staff yesterday

I live in a small town which only has two chemists and the alternative was shut for lunch. I went into boots to buy some cough medicine for my eldest daughter as she was ill, and the counter assistant refused to sell it to me because the pharmacist was not present he'd gone for his lunch

I was absolutely dismayed - a bottle of cough medicine. I explained I had three kids and had been mother for 10 years and had never been prevented buying a bottle of benylin btu she wouldnt budge

I wont repeat what I said but I have written to boots to complain because I had to drive 4 miles through roadworks to the next chemist, and whilst I did that my daughter was falling asleep in the car

I partially agree with Kenshaz, this country is becoming a joke
Asking someone their symptoms and telling them how to use medication is one thing, but preventing them from buying cough medicine for a sick child is another:mad:

I work in a pharmacy, and believe me it drives the staff even more mad than you! The law states though that during the sale of any pharmacy medicine the pharmacist must be in a position to intervene should he/she find it necessary, and obviously they can't do that while off the premises for lunch. As far as I'm concerned the reasons why people pay the slightly higher prices found in pharmacy is to receive the knowledge of the pharmacist or to buy medicines that are not deemed safe enough to be bought from a supermarket, which it is necessary to answer questions before buying in order to be assured that is will not harm you in any way.

MortgageMamma

The way I see it is, there should be two ways of selling medicines

1. freely, without guidance as in the case of paracetamol
2. On prescription

Selling stuff over the counter that needs the guidance of a pharmacist surely should be left to the doctors i.e. stuff on prescription, or the patient could be masking serious symptoms with over the counter reliefs. I was absolutely dismayed yesterday, I was treated like an idiot and I'm still hopping mad now as I've had to have my car valeted as she was sick in it on the second journey

Katyag

Can i ask the pharmacy workers that have posted on here if there is a rule on selling items to pregnant women??

When i was pregnant with my DS 6 years ago, i developed thrush due to antibiotics i was on for an ear infection. It was a Saturday so i called my midwife and told her she told me to go and get Canestan as it was perfectly safe to use while pregnant. So off DH and i went to the chemist and i asked for it, was told to read thru a long letter and it said if you were pregnant to say so, so i did (despite only being 13 weeks and not clearly preg) she then refused to sell it to me. I told her i was buying it on the say so of my midwife, she said she didnt care and had to cover her back. I asked what to do as it was a Sat and was told to go to A&E, i practically laughed there thru the tears building up and told her it was neither an accident or an emergency and would be laughed at for going. She said there was nothing she could do and just to leave.

Luckily our gp was open then on Sats for emergency apps and as i was pg and it was him who prescribed the antibs previously he wrote me a prescription for Canestan and off i went and got it ok.

This time ive had thrush 3 times and managed to buy Canestan without so much as a question, so have the rules changed or was there any rules in the first place.

Oh last time round i was also refused cold sore cream as i was pregnant!!!

Contains_Mild_Peril

I think the moral of the story is if you want ordinary everyday OTC medication such as aspirin or Benylin and don't require advice, use the supermarket.

SnowyOwl_2

Some supermarkets have a limit as to the number of packets of painkilling tablets they will sell at once - usually two packets. Though I do believe this policy isn't enforced particularly well.

If a customer wants to buy over 100 painkilling tablets all at once that can only be done with a prescription, and therefore only dispensed by a pharamacist. A supermarket or chemist or whatever retailer selling that amount of paracetamol in one transaction would be breaking the law.

Katyag

SnowyOwl wrote: »

Some supermarkets have a limit as to the number of packets of painkilling tablets they will sell at once - usually two packets. Though I do believe this policy isn't enforced particularly well.

My mum works in Asda and her till beeps after 2 packets of pills and refuses to let her scan anymore therefore preventing the customer buying any more.

poppy_f1

Katyag wrote: »

My mum works in Asda and her till beeps after 2 packets of pills and refuses to let her scan anymore therefore preventing the customer buying any more.

but theres nothign to stop you going back in 10mins later and buying and buying another 2 packs using a different till

andyrules

but theres nothign to stop you going back in 10mins later and buying and buying another 2 packs using a different till

But someone said earlier that such delays can deter someone who is contemplating suicide...

beedeedee

Did you realise antibiotics (amoxycillin at twice the strength of the UK) can be bought OTC in Spain? No questions asked - how bad is that ?