2 pills, different quantity...

Avoirdupois

Is it usual practice to supply a customer with different numbers of two pills?  I've been taking pill A for about  year and now am on pill B too.  Each time I pick up the prescription, consisting of both pills A & B, the pharmicist appears to have opened one of the boxes and snipped off some from the foil.  What's the purpose of their action?

Nelliegrace

I expect the pills come in packs of 30 and the prescription is for 28 days, so the pharmacist has to throw two tablets away.

diystarter7

Avoirdupois said:

Is it usual practice to supply a customer with different numbers of two pills?  I've been taking pill A for about  year and now am on pill B too.  Each time I pick up the prescription, consisting of both pills A & B, the pharmicist appears to have opened one of the boxes and snipped off some from the foil.  What's the purpose of their action?

Hi

The chemist is only allowed to dispense as per GP prescription

Thnaks.

Mnoee

Nelliegrace said:

I expect the pills come in packs of 30 and the prescription is for 28 days, so the pharmacist has to throw two tablets away.

As the occasional recipient of 28 pills dispensed all in little offcut 2's and 4's, I think they save the leftovers rather than throwing them away. (Quite right too, some meds are very expensive!) 

[Deleted User]

As above, that's exactly it, happens all the time and is normal.
Cut foil, on a strip of tablets, just indicates that the number of tablets you needed had to be made up with another/different pack.
1 box of tablets isn't dispensed as it is.
A strip in a box of tablets might only need 2 tablets from it - hence using the other 28 etc etc in various different ways.

binao

Use online ordering arranged with your GP prescription team.

Also match the order quantity to the pack quantity.

Many GPs will allow 2 months supply, discretionary - depending on med.

Prescriptions can now be sent direct online to the pharmacy.

MikeJXE

I am on 4 different pills a day for the last 20 years, used to be in bits but now all in 28 day packs

Being on repeat I order on the NHS app and my GP is instructed to send them to Tesco where they are ready sometimes the same day I order them 

Undervalued

Nelliegrace said:

I expect the pills come in packs of 30 and the prescription is for 28 days, so the pharmacist has to throw two tablets away.

They don't throw them away. This happens to me every month and sometimes a box of 28 is made up of two full sheets of ten plus four strips of two!

Murphybear

binao said:

Use online ordering arranged with your GP prescription team.

Also match the order quantity to the pack quantity.

Many GPs will allow 2 months supply, discretionary - depending on med.

Prescriptions can now be sent direct online to the pharmacy.

I’ve been doing this for years, it isn’t particularly new.  

Mnoee

Murphybear said:

binao said:

Use online ordering arranged with your GP prescription team.

Also match the order quantity to the pack quantity.

Many GPs will allow 2 months supply, discretionary - depending on med.

Prescriptions can now be sent direct online to the pharmacy.

I’ve been doing this for years, it isn’t particularly new.  

Depends where you are in the UK - here in NI, I can order online but the doctor still sends a physical paper prescription to the pharmacy. I don't know if England, Scotland and Wales all brought it in at the same time, it might be newer to some than others!

I wish they'd get with the times, they do lose the paper prescriptions occasionally, and if I want to use one of those online pharmacies that send meds packaged in pouches for each day, I have to collect and send the paper prescription. 

binao

Murphybear said:

binao said:

Use online ordering arranged with your GP prescription team.

Also match the order quantity to the pack quantity.

Many GPs will allow 2 months supply, discretionary - depending on med.

Prescriptions can now be sent direct online to the pharmacy.

I’ve been doing this for years, it isn’t particularly new.  

Thank you for your contribution @Murphybear

The OP said, "picking up prescription", which would suggest "online" would save a trip to the doctors.