Medication rant

I take a lot of medication, mostly for my mental health and asthma. My medication is on repeat prescription and I put in my repeat with the doctors surgery about a week before I need it, they get the doctor to sign it and pass it to the pharmacy next door and collect it about 3 days later from the pharmacy. I've been doing this for a few years without any major issues but the last 3 months there's been a cock up in the system. No one can tell me where the error but today I heard the pharmacist talking about it to his colleague and said he 'wouldn't be losing any sleep over it'. I was already extremely anxious as I'd already been toing and froing from doctors to pharmacy and back again so hearing this just tipped me over the edge. I didn't shout or swear but I was pretty graphic about what happens when I don't get my medication and now I feel a bit shitty. I was also crying and it was horrible. I don't want this to happen again but not sure who to talk to.

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8 replies since 15th May 2013 • Last reply 15th May 2013

Aww. I would say report the guy who was acting indifferent. That's just a bad move for a pharmacist to not care about a patient that needs medicine.
Maybe call the doctor's supervisor or something as well and see what's going on? The right phone call might just fix something.
I hope you feel better soon Happy Cheer up! *hugs*

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Thank you Monika. I think I will email the gp surgery. I feel calmer than I did when I first came home. I think I need to try and figure out whether the problem is caused by the same link in the chain or whether I've just been unlucky. I hate that I told the staff at the chemist about how I get when I'm ill as I like to keep that stuff private, but I know I can't unsay it.

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I'd have been livid too. That person was treating your health and well being as if it was unimportant. I would contact whomever heads up the pharmacy and tell then your disappointment in their staff's lack of care. I'm willing to bet there is a manager for the pharmacy who isnt one of the general pharmists. I'd also probably consider switching pharmicies to one that will make you feel more comfortable.

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I've heard back from my doctors surgery and the fault wasn't with them. They said each prescription was printed and passed to the pharmacy and they had signed to say they had collected them. I'm going to look into who runs the pharmacy but I don't know if I'd go as far as complaining. I think the worse bit was that I shared stuff about myself that I regret. I told the pharmacist that it upset me to hear him say he wouldn't be losing sleep over my lost prescription and told him that last time I lost sleep I came very close to taking my own life. He was sort of apologetic but it wasn't sincere and he didn't seem to get it. He said he was just reassuring a younger colleague who was worried. I accepted it while I was there as I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible but after I got home I thought he could have reassured her after I'd left, not while I was sitting there distressed that I wasn't getting my medication.

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Super rude.... My pharmacy would jerk me around with my monthly scripts until I finally found one good pharmacists and cleared up all my problems in one sitting.

Can you have the prescription filled at a different pharmacy?
Also, I'm not sure how your pharmacy works but you could also see if you can have your script set up to auto-refill so you don't have to call it in each time and if you run out of refills the pharmacist can request a renewal from your doctor without having to go in.

Don't be shy or afraid of being rude - just be upfront with what you need and ask what can be done to accommodate it. If you continue being mistreated find out the persons name and "Yelp" that shit...

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Thank you. I'm starting to think that going somewhere else might be a good idea but it feels sad because they used to be really good. Its just that the last three months they have lost my prescription. I think I'd have been okay if they'd held there hands up and showed some concern about fixing the problem but the pharmacists comments really pissed me off. I even told him that the medication is for anxiety and these cock ups are causing me loads more anxiety.

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As an aside: (?) Recently I was in the ER twice with stroke related symptoms. All the experts were in a major HUFF about brain tumors, Stroke, Neurological damage... on and on, blah, blah, blah.

My very down to earth regular doctor, noted that I had a sleep study done 7 years ago. I can not wear a CPAP due to some extremely creative night terrors. My doc suggested I get a "sleep appliance" as my symptoms were also indicative of Severe Sleep deprivation. Not just sleep apnea... you won't get the whole symptom list if you "Search" that. But Sleep DEPRIVATION.

I have had my Oral Sleep Device for about a month now. I mention this here because I have eliminated all but one of my medications!!!! (and it's next.) Early menopause, heart palpitations, excess stomach acid, all GONE! And, I've lost 10 pounds without changing my diet!

So, as I depart my soapbox, I only want to say never, ever underestimate the power of serious sleep! Maybe you could get off those medications for good and not have to deal with that callous A$$ ever again.

(taking my exposed profile and exiting now) Just food for thought, K?

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My doctor would give me 180 day prescriptions but my pharmacy would only give me 30 days worth of medication. I asked my doctor about it but I never did talk to the pharmacy because one medication would be on the second refill and one would be on the first so they wouldn't have been able to give me both in 180 day supplies anyways. I think they did that just to get some more money out of me for going extra times....

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