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elsien

TELLIT01 wrote: »

Looking at the wider picture of pharmicist responsibility, my wife was extremely annoyed yesterday. She has recently had a change of medication, all talked through fully with her GP, and went to collect the new prescription.

The pharmacist was questioning why the medication had been changed, whether the dosage was appropriate, when my wife was seeing the GP again etc, etc. My wife is a strong enough character to be prepared simply to tell the pharmacist that everything had already been discussed with the GP and she saw no reason to explain/discuss any of this with the pharmacist.
I actually had a similar experience with the same place, pressure being applied to discuss my medication with them. I strongly suspect that they get paid for these 'consultations' and that is a major driver in the pressure they apply. I told them the same thing - my GP has a far greater knowledge of my medical history and I will discuss things with them when necessary.

I can see why that would be annoying, but on the other side of the argument it was the pharmacist who picked up that an idiot doctor had prescribed aspirin alongside warfarin. And also that the person was ordering a lot more diazepam than was warranted and the surgery was agreeing without considering that it was much more than the person should be having.
Checks and balances, and sometimes worth the inconveniences.

Les79

Amy13 wrote: »

Read the first post, about what natural remedies I have been using, hot/cold compress, changing pillow. I have had no head pain this week anyway (surprising) and haven't taken any co-codamol! I'd only been taking it for about 2 weeks previously when the headaches started. I'm also going to the doctors on Monday!

I doubt that natural solutions are limited to just "hot/cold compress, changing pillow" etc. But fair enough, I'll assume that these are the only options your GP discussed with you and that there are no others

Nicki

MarkN88 wrote: »

If a medication is prescribed then you don't need to lay off it, its prescribed for a reason!

You do if you are taking quantities greater than you have been prescribed which is where this thread started!

Nicki

https://drugs-forum.com/threads/is-sumatriptan-recreational.15791/

This forum suggests overuse of sumatriptan has similar effects to codeine - - also found in Co-codamol - so still not convinced the pharmactis being unreasonable here...

JCS1

It's nice to see an employer taking an active interest in an employees health, many don't.

I think a clear the air session when you return is best.

Do you have to provide a medication/health questionnaire to your employer? We do in case of emergency, and I have to update if meds/dosage changes. Maybe providing one would allay any concerns they have?

Nicki

Amy13 wrote: »

No, I'm not taking more than what is prescribed. How can I be?
The pharmacist said I was getting too much prescibed by the doctor but the doctor is happy to prescribe them to me, I have discussed that previously with my doctor.

This isn’t uncommon. Where the doctor prescribes 2 tablets per day and the patient takes more and decreases the interval between repeat requests or gets an extra one to replace a lost prescription or to accommodate a holiday. Often picked up by pharmacy records not GP too.

Have come across this professionally more than once!

motorguy

shortcrust wrote: »

You’ve done nothing wrong, but you have perhaps been a bit daft. Taking a controlled painkiller in front of pharmacists - one that’s often abused and often stolen by people who work in hospitals and pharmacies - was obviously going to lead to some intrusive questioning. You put them in a situation where they had no choice but to ask. But it’s done now. They asked some questions and you answered them. It’s over. You probably will be watched carefully for a bit, but again, you’ve put them in a situation where they’ve no choice.

+1

For the O/P to be such a private person, its not hard to take medication before you go to work, lunchtime or after work, or for that matter discretely to one side.

MovingForwards

Co-codamol is addictive hence the concern from your manager, they are also not recommended for headaches and are also known to cause them.

As others have said there is the risk of your working in a pharmacy with access to prescription only meds. What people tend to do is increase the frequency of the meds, obviously getting through them to potentially have a higher dose eg started on 1x 8/500 co-codamol, they no longer get the benefit so increase it to 2, then 3 then 4...... With access to prescription meds you immediately have access to 30/500 co-codamol, tramadol etc

I've dealt with many an investigation where people were self medicating (like you) then getting help from their GP, long-term use of co-codamol when the GP twigs how long they have been on it and stop prescribing it, resulting in thefts of meds from the workplace as they were addicted; this results in a lot of internal investigation, loss of job, some had a criminal record, struggle to get a new job, get referred to their regulatory body (with the threat of having restrictions on their practice, suspended or struck off when the investigation is complete).

Now do you see the bigger picture? Now do you understand why your manager is concerned?

Alternative treatments include using a tens machine (great for pain relief), thinking about how your head is positioned in relation to your spine when standing/sitting/lying down. Drinking herbal tea; there are many options available.

A quick Google gives advice as to what it could be.

Yes it's horrible to have a manager watching everything, but it can all be resolved with a conversation! You never know they may have suggestions as pharmacists are clued up.

motorguy

Amy13 wrote: »

I've only taken my medication at work on my lunch break in our tiny kitchen.

So who saw you? And presumably they were close enough to know what you were taking.

Given your employment environment you either need to be more discrete or accept you're going to get challenged.

Nicki

But if you understand their concerns, why are you so offended?