Why are (some) pharmacists so grumpy and rude

[bluetongue]

I’m in London on holidays at the moment from Australia and I’m short on some medication I take. According to my Google search this particular medication is available over the counter in Superdrug. I tried a couple of different Superdrugs yesterday and both pharmacists were pretty rude to me. Even after I showed them the relevant page on Superdrug’s own website on my phone they still looked at me like I had two heads and said they’d never come across this before and basically bad luck, try an online doctor for a prescription.

I’ll be honest that I’m not even sure I can even use a UK online doctor as an Australian and this isn’t some obscure drug (it’s Norethisterone). One pharmacy assistant even asked what the medication is for and looked at me like I was crazy when I told her it was for delaying periods. I was polite to these people, I swear.

I’ve come across this a few times in Australia with grumpy pharmacists too. I know part of it is just the whole health system being under huge strain but it’s a shame they can ‘t be more helpful. They are meant to be in a customer service job.

This contrast hugely with the interactions with pharmacists in France. They were extremely helpful and instantly knew what I needed for the issue I had. I can imagine it cuts down on GP and A&E visits there massively.

I agree - most pharmacists I come into contact with seem to be grumpy. Maybe it’s a challenging job, I don’t know 🤷🏼‍♀️

I think it's down to ever-increasing workloads as they take on more 'consultations' to reduce demands on GPs.

My partner's daughter qualified top of her year in Pharmacy, RG Uni, and loved the job initially but with every passing month she looks more tired and exhausted.

I think being spat at, verbally and physically threatened, and stalked as a result of her job hasn't helped either.

They do seem to be grumpy as a whole. However it sounds like a request they don’t get frequently. Taking medication to delay periods isn’t something I’ve heard of. I suspect it’s unusual here. Sounds more like a lifestyle request

Yes, you want someone jolly like this
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qT_PEadJ8aE
You should be able to order it on line if it’s not superurgent.
They probably are under stress at the moment. Do you mean pharmacists or just anyone on the pharmacy counter?
They’ve always been nice when I have had the flu jab.

a availability over the counter is linked to the indication.
for example naproxen is indicated otc for period pain only. for all other indications you need a prescription.

could it br something like that?
in that case, see a private gp and get it precribed.

You can access healthcare here in the UK. If you ring 111 from a UK phone you can be offered an appointment with a GP.
You may be asked to provide details so your travel insurance can be claimed against, but every travellers can access urgent care.

Why are pharmacists rude, who knows the world is a rude and hostile place. Hope you enjoy your trip and find the rest of us pommies more friendly. (Can we say pommies anymore????)

Hey, norethisterone is a prescription only medication in the UK. I've always had nice pharmacists but I don't live in London.

In fact I was a pharmacist for a short time and you never know who's going to walk in and try and talk you into supplying them something they shouldn't get. I had fake scripts, people addicted to codeine and sleeping pills, opiate addicts constantly trying to get their methadone early or take it away with them, people with controlled drug scripts asking for emergency supply... You start to mistrust people.

From what I can see you do need an online medical consultation. It's a prescription only drug and the Superdrug website directs you to their online doctor page for a consult and Rx

As for grumpy pharmacists, its stressful, they are doing more services that they used to and they have probably told 10 people today they can't get antibiotics or that no they can't sell them any more codeine.

It's prescription only in the UK. The Superdrug website says you have to answer a questionnaire and the "Our online doctor will review your answers and just like your GP check whether it is safe for you to take a period delay treatment such as norethisterone tablets."

Did you actually speak to the pharmacist or a counter assistant? It's surprising that they could not have told you this.

The superdrug website says you have to fill in a request online for a Dr to review, it doesn’t say you can just walk in and buy it… so that’s probably why they’re directing you to an online Dr…

Delay periods

this is an online provider, I looked at the first page of questions with a complete at the bottom, it doesn’t ask for an NHS number.

I’ve paid for an online prescription a couple of times before, I don’t think I’ve had to provide proof of uk residency.

Never heard of these tablets. A quick Google on super drug shows they need to be ordered online so their doctor prescribes them.....they don't have a doctor in the store.

I've always found pharmacists very helpful. And even not the pharmacists but the counter staff in chemists are often incredibly helpful.

Are they always cheerful? Maybe not, buy I want knowledge not fun!

You are right OP a lot of pharmacists I have encountered are rude. I made a complaint about the service in my local pharmacy.

I was mocked by a pharmacist when I told him in a polite way not to lick his fingers when looking through prescriptions.

You complained about that? Did he complain about you trying to tell him how to live his life as if he was six? What in earth is the world coming to?

I sympathize enormously with pharmacists as more and more we hear about them taking on the jobs and responsibilities of other people.

They are highly qualified scientists, yet go into any Boots and they're not only dispensing medication, but manning the till on the generic OTC part, dealing with queues of people who, for years, have had it drummed into them to not waste the GP's time but ask the pharmacist, there'll be an addict sitting there waiting for their methodone (and I've never seen them not be unfailingly kind to them) and then the people who come in and want medication without a prescription.

They've been turned into:
Stand in GPs
Shop Assistants
Drugs' counsellors

I'd be grumpy as well tbf.

Pharmacists, nurses and hospital receptionists seem arsey. GPs, GP receptionists and care assistants are not...and yes i'm sure it can't be said for everywhere and in my limited experience of course...

@Ciri - I made a complaint because I politely told the pharmacist not to lick his fingers. This was during covid. He then mocked me like I was a 5 year old in front of the other customers and humiliated me.

Do you think it is acceptable for a pharmacist to be blowing their nose with a snotty tissue and having it in their hand while handling medication? This is the kind of thing they were doing during covid.

I've also had misinformation about being able to ring 111 for a script.

A elderly family member's medication was delivered to them in error and they took several tablets by mistake. I had a very stressful week having to get the GP's advice and making sure they were ok.

So all in all I think I have every right to complain about the shitty service and attitude by pharmacists who are paid twice my salary!

Oh goody. This has turned into a pharmacist bashing thread.

They are human. Some of them are unpleasant people, like all humans.

I expect most of them are mightily pissed off with the attitude of the public, no doubt encouraged by the government's reliance on them not only to dispense prescriptions safely but to act as unpaid stand-in GPs.

@rollonspringtimeagain

So all in all I think I have every right to complain about the shitty service and attitude by pharmacists who are paid twice my salary!

Do you complain twice as hard if someone earns four times your salary?

Do you even have any qualifications?

Anyway, you, and those like you, are the reason there's about to be an exodus by highly educated/qualified scientists from the customer-facing role of pharmacist.

Well done!🙄

Norethisterone Is a prescription only medicine in the U.K. A pharmacist simply cannot give it to you unless a doctor writes the prescription - be it in person or online.

I think it’s probably the way you approached it based on what you’ve written above. If you read the Superdrug website it says that the medicine is posted to you after completing the questionnaire online. The pharmacist was quite right to refer you to a doctor.

Boots allow you to complete the form online and then collect from the store but it takes about 24 hours to come through.

So if you went into Superdrug expecting to walk out with your medication and were politely insistent that you could do so, then yes, that would get my back up and make me grumpy too.

I suggest you either use the Boots service or make an appointment with a private drop in doctor - there’s plenty in London.

@Trez1510 - I have a degree and many other qualifications. You are missing the point. I have done volunteer jobs for fuck all money with a better attitude.

I think if your elderly parent with Alzheimer's took an overdose of medication because the pharmacy had fucked up you would make a complaint.

Never had a grumpy pharmacist myself the ones I have ever come across have been kind snd professional.

My googling came up with this page healthclinics.superdrug.com/services/period-delay/ for Superdrug which mentions getting the medication after a consultation with a nurse or pharmacist (see under how do I get period delay medication).

There were also a number of news articles about it being a UK first to get this medication over the counter such as this www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/superdrug-period-delay-pill-high-street-norethisterone-utovlam-a9044896.html.

I am missing no points. However , I have two points to make:

One - you chose the wrong degree if you're being paid half of what a pharmacist earns.

Two - you've changed your narrative .... you said you complained because you were 'mocked and humiliated' after being rude to a pharmacist during the height of Covid when they were stressed and exhausted beyond anything most of us outwith the health service/hcps can imagine.

@Trez1510 - Do you have any English language qualifications such as a GCSE because you clearly haven't read through all my posts!