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.

it doesn't look like it is "over the counter" and also, its a form of HRT, isn't it? ANd there is almost none in the country since Brexit

I probably was a bit too insistent and confident that I knew what was was talking about but I did ask politely and accepted the advice once I was told it wasn’t possible. Also I was jet lagged and had a cold so probably wasn’t my sparkling best 😁

Honestly, I wasn’t trying to be difficult. Trying to navigate systems that are different to your country can be hard.

It's really usual,lots of people take it and often discussed on MN.

I wonder if pharmacists ever get consulted before it's advertised that "you can now see your pharmacist for x instead of your GP"?

I suspect not. I also suspect that they aren't assisted in any way with this extra burden.

onlinedoctor.boots.com/period-delay

I've ordered from Boots on line service and they've been great OP , I've ordered online and picked up the next day in store.

Were they really rude or did you just not get what you wanted?

You say yourself you were jet lagged. Ime, being tired can often mean your perspective is skewed.

@Trez1510 - I choose a degree that interested me and I enjoyed it. Edification doesn't have to be about getting a high paid job at the end of it.

I worked in a shop when I was a student. I wouldn't mock a customer! I am not responsible for pharmacists leaving the profession.

Have a nice day

I think it was completely unacceptable to put in a complaint about a pharmacist who licked his fingers. You’re not the boss of him. You’re other stuff is irrelevant to your complaint.

If you’d spoken to me like that in my job over something which is about your specific petty likes/dislikes I’d have given you a long hard stare and moved on to the next customer. Then you might have had cause to moan - hopefully however you’d have also learned not to try to boss others around in a situation where you have no authority.

Grow up.

Superdrug has an online prescription service, the medication isn't available over the counter. I think you were confusing the pharmacy but saying it's over the counter, it's not. It's by private prescription only. Plenty of online services or in person in London

DD is a pharmacy assistant and I can confirm that they are incredibly busy. She says that all the pharmacists she works with are lovely and are nice to the customers.

They also get a lot of rude customers, and she gets shouted at a lot on the phone by customers.

I probably did overreact a bit.

Lesson learnt. Make sure I have all the medications I need before travel 🙂

I've never noticed pharmacists being a particularly grumpy group. Everyone in my local chemist is lovely. That said, they always seem to be very busy, I do wonder where they are supposed to get the time to consult on colds and rashes and ingrowing toenails.

I think customer service is generally worse in the Boots/Superdrug chains but they should still be able to give you the advice you need. Norethisterone isn't an obscure drug! I wonder if you managed to speak to an actual pharmacist or just an assistant - maybe try a different branch but specifically ask to speak to the pharmacist.

Also, I've had a good experience with Lloyd's online Dr - you can order norethisterone for same day pick up after filling out an online form. When I used it, it was approved very quickly. It's not NHS so can't see your nationality being a problem.

That's really weird OP. There is no OTC version of this medicine. If you look on the Superdrug website FAQs under norethisterone it clearly says it's a POM. I wonder what happened there.

I suppose a licence might have been granted but then no product actually made (lovely Brexit effect there) but still seems odd.

I've taken Norethisterone several times in the past, with a GP prescription. On one occasion, when for whatever reason I wasn't able to get a repeat prescription/GP appointment in time, I tried to order it via an online pharmacy site only to find (having spent considerable time completing the questionnaire) that my age excluded me from using the online service anyway and was 'referred' back to my own GP. Why age limits couldn't have been highlighted at the start of the process god only knows.

It's interesting to read the article from 2019 in the Independent. I wasn't aware of this but I suspect, if it's accurate, that you'd still be prospectively constrained by various contraindications. In other words, it still wouldn't be OTC for all. I do wonder though if maybe that journalist jumped the gun before the protocol was properly signed off, or, if it's been rescinded since?

Pharmacists are highly trained medical professionals and if you ask them for advice (rather than “request” things) they are always very helpful and professional in my experience

Because it's a hard and stressful job with people being advised to see the pharmacist before trying for GP etc

My best friend is one and she's crippled with stress.

This is the key. you wouldn’t do it. Your approach isn’t however shared by the majority of people and you’re not his boss. You have no right to tell him what to do like he was six. If you did that in front of others in particular then that is out of order.

anyway, completely derailing the OP’s thread..

@Ciri - surely a scientist would know that is not appropriate. The point is that he then humiliated me in front of the other customers. This isn't acceptable.

I asked the pharmacist in a nice polite way. You weren't there - you are assuming I belittled him! I did not!

You sound like a pissed off pharmacist. I'd suggest a career change. You poor thing.

Yes you are derailing OP's post

Partly cut backs and increasing workloads. Where I work they no longer get out of hours time to prepare prescriptions, unpack medication and paperwork. One pharmacist on and 10 people in queue two thirds of day.

No matter what the website says, if they don't stock something, there's no point in pushing the matter further as they can't supply it.

If the person serving you is an assistant, they won't have the same training as a pharmacist, and if they haven't come across an item in their workplace, then they won't have heard of it.

If you need help urgently for a medical issue, might be worth contacting a GP.

The Superdrug link takes you to a Health Clinic service where you can book an appointment for a consultation to get the tablets. You can't just walk in and get them.

I think theIndependent link says similar but I can't read it all.

So you were twattish to them but started a thread about them being grumpy?

Really? You can’t see they probably couldn’t be arsed with your behaviour?

Did you actually have an appointment booked or just walk in? As not every Superdrug pharmacy offers the consultation service.

IME, pharmacists, like doctors don't go to charm school and often fall short on just being polite.