Going to the pharmacy

debsy42

Pharmacists have a duty of care to make sure medication is appropriate and safe for patients, doctors and nurses can and do make mistakes that are picked up by pharmacists when dispensing so I think you are being a tad unfair dismissing them.

However if you feel their review is not something you wish to take part in then a firm and polite "No thanks" is sufficient and don't engage any further, I think you are being a little bit melodramatic here.

Georgiegirl256

LilElvis wrote: »

My MIL takes a plethora of medications prescribed by her GP and her heart specialist. Though both are fully aware of all of her prescriptions the one person to pick up on possibly dangerous interactions, overly high doses and the timing of when she takes her pills has been her pharmacist. Doctors aren't infallible and it is an excellent idea for a qualified third party to review a person's medications to ensure that they are effective and safe to take in combination. Why don't you ask if you can make an appointment to see the pharmacist for the review so that you don't feel hijacked? Perhaps you and your husband could go together?

Petra_70 wrote: »

I appreciate what you are saying, but I feel you may be missing the point. I don't want to go in to the pharmacist, and neither does my husband. They should not be making people feel they have no choice.

And I have already seen my doctors and nurse several times a year, (as the above poster said,) and I don't need to see the pharmacist.

I disagree with the point about peoples medicines being taken too often, and the pharmacists needing to check, as the doctor would have ensured they have the correct amount.

When we tried to get my husband's medicine 2 weeks early once, the doctor refused it, and asked to see him if he needed it, to explain why he had run out. The doctors and nurses are very efficient and competent, and there is (in my opinion) no need for this intrusive pharmacy check. If people want it, fine, but if they do not, then they shouldn't' be made to feel as if it's mandatory.

The above post by LilElvis is spot on. The same happened to my Mam (who is also on many different medications) and it was a pharmacist who pointed out that she shouldn't be on a particular medication/there was an interaction/there was a particular medication which would be better suited with less side effects....I can't remember the exact reason why, but it was one of the above.

I feel if anyone is missing the point, it is you Petra_70. Whilst I agree with you that the pharmacy has gone about it all wrong, and no one should be made to feel as if it's mandatory, those checks are there for a reason, and as shown in the two examples above, can be extremely effective. I'm sorry you were made to feel pressured and uncomfortable, but I also think you are being pretty naive in thinking the doctors and nurses are infallible. Quite often, the pharmacists have a better understanding of the medication than the doctors do.

KARO

Another thing to possibly bear in mind is: where and how is this private medical information that Boots is collecting about you being stored? The NHS database is pretty secure and it's unlikely any unauthorised person will get access to what's written on your record, but with a retailer, they could be selling your information on to drugs companies, etc for all you know.

That's what would concern me, anyway.

If I were you and they keep pestering you, I would find another branch of Boots or go elsewhere.

Indie_Kid

I sometimes found that phramacists had more time to spend with me than a GP or nurse. I have asthma and struggled to take the inhalers properly. (I've now got one I can take plus a spacer) I was shown by the phramacist. I was then phoned a few weeks later to see how I was getting on.

I don't think my local phramacy offers this service.

LilElvis

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

The above post by LilElvis is spot on. The same happened to my Mam (who is also on many different medications) and it was a pharmacist who pointed out that she shouldn't be on a particular medication/there was an interaction/there was a particular medication which would be better suited with less side effects....I can't remember the exact reason why, but it was one of the above.

I feel if anyone is missing the point, it is you Petra_70. Whilst I agree with you that the pharmacy has gone about it all wrong, and no one should be made to feel as if it's mandatory, those checks are there for a reason, and as shown in the two examples above, can be extremely effective. I'm sorry you were made to feel pressured and uncomfortable, but I also think you are being pretty naive in thinking the doctors and nurses are infallible. Quite often, the pharmacists have a better understanding of the medication than the doctors do.

Quite. Last year MIL was getting worrying heart palpitations, despite a pacemaker, and was backwards and forwards to the doctor who kept changing the medication to different types and dosages. The pharmacist worked it out immediately when she was aware of the problem - all that was needed was to take her medications at different times of the day as the palpitations were caused by 2 particular drugs which she had been told to take simultaneously.

Next door neighbour had a heart attack a couple of months ago. He took his prescription (from heart consultant) to the pharmacy where the pharmacist immediately phoned the hospital who changed it. The dosage he had been given to take for several months was at a level that should only be used in the first stage of treatment for a few weeks at most - after that it could actually have caused severe damage.

Doctors can, and do, make mistakes so to have a secondary check by a pharmacist really does make sense, especially as medication is their area of expertise. It is, of course, the OPs choice not to let the pharmacist undertake a review, but a pretty naive one in my view.

carlislelass

I am allergic to one ingredient but was given a drug containing it, this was picked up by Boots pharmacist. We have a yearly check with both them and the GP, pharmacists are highly trained and a good source of info. An independent chemist noticed my mum had been given tablets which when taken together were giving a double dose of Quinine. Doctors do make mistakes and don`t listen to patients.

belfastgirl23

I personally think this is a great service. Doctors are now very busy, they don't have time to hand hold people and make sure they understand their medication properly. And often at the point of something being prescribed, people are feeling stressed (like your DH does when interacting with medical personnel by the sound of it) and might not be concentrating or listening as well as they otherwise would.

I think it's a mistake now to act as if the doctor knows best and as long as you do what they tell you things will be fine. We are in a new medical model where you are expected to manage your own health and conditions with the assistance of medical staff. I take all the help I can get on this front.

For example, my mum has twice now been told by the pharmacist that a medicine she was collecting (legitimately prescribed by a GP) was not suitable for the person it was prescribed for. In one case it was for my 5 year old niece who had been prescribed something that could have been very damaging to her. In the other case it was for an older person who was already on a number of medications.

It's up to you if you want to participate in this programme or not, but I figure with health, the more support and information you have the better. If you don't want the help, fair enough, but it's not the pharmacist's fault for offering it.

coolcait

Petra_70 wrote: »

...this medicine check is not for us, we don't need it, ...



Now I know it's not mandatory, I shall say 'I don't have time' the next time, and the next...
.

Why not simply say the first line "This medicine check is not for us, we don't need it [our medication is reviewed regularly by our doctor]"?


That's your point, isn't it? So, be clear about it.


Saying "I don't have time" implies that you don't necessarily have a problem with the check - you just don't have time just now. In turn, that invites the pharmacy staff to ask you next time, and next time, and next time...


I agree with the others that it is a very useful service.


However, if you really don't want to take advantage of that service, state that point clearly.

KARO

Pharmacists have always had a chip on their shoulder because of the "not quite bright enough for medical school" perception of them, which has persisted over the years.


The point the OP is making, is that the questions she and her husband are being asked make them feel embarrassed and uncomfortable, to the point where neither of them want to go into the shop any more. No-one should be subjected to that. It matters not if 1000 other people have these checks done and are glad of them. Everybody is different.


I always say: One size fits all is alright for t-shirts, but it's NOT alright for healthcare.

GwylimT

You're an adult, you should be more than capable of saying no thank you, if it is really that challenging you can have your medication delivered.