...to want to clout this pharmacist?

[OsbegaEthewulf]

I am currently stricken with thrush so I popped along to local chemist to buy a canesten pessary. I've finished a course of anti-b's a few days ago and I am prone to thrush anyway.

Chap asked me if I'd had thrush in last six months and I replied that I didn't think so and held a fiver out to buy said canesten thingy. Told me he couldn't sell me a pessary as I couldn't prove that I'd been thrush free for last 6 months- not sure how I'd do that other that taking a dated photo everyday of me fan or showing him in person.

I explained about anti biotics, me being experienced sensible 46 yr old etc etc
So I says "can I have some cream instead then"? and again he refused and said I would have to see my doctor. Replied that I needed pessary now and any appointment made now will be for next mid week.

Meanwhile shop fills up with men who all seem agog at pharmacist emphasising thrush every ten seconds.

Ended up with

me are you going to sell me it then?
him: no!

Cue me storming out, trying not to scratch my crotch.

Rang dh , explained and he went to chemist near office, bought one and was out in ten seconds with no questions etc.

I want very badly to get the bloody pessary, bang on the chemist window and wave it at him. May pour some cottage cheese over my flies just to be extra disgusting!

Fellationelson (LOVE the name...) I love the USA too... only been twice... spent half my holiday oohing and ahhing in Walmart meds department and came home with a life time supply of paracetamol (once I'd worked out their name for it) and Ibruprophen.. I couldn't believe they sold in bottles of 500 keeps my family of 6 stocked for a LONG time!

Also Melatonin over the counter.. awesome..has kept my autistic son asleep for years now (at night, not continuously

Now every time anyone I know heads to Disney world they have to bring pills and icebreaker mints back!!

Boffinmum...

Vote with your purse and don't use that pharmacist.

Oh I missed the melatonin. And I'd so love to keep my youngest son asleep for years. It's the first day of the holidays too.....

OK, JOKE, people. Relaaaax. My name is not Karen Matthews.

Might just check out the cheap flights though. Got to be worth it, No? Eight weeks of holidays?

Snurk at fast asleep until September. ( "what did you do in your holidays ? " "ZZZZZZZZ"

my pharmiscist is lovely - he is a huuuage source of helpful advice on all sorts of bits. Always tells you if something prescribed is cheaper to buy direct. Sources in the most random of things - including persecuting lots of people to find out if anywhere in the uk had my preferred brand of spermicide to prevent me having to order it from the usa.

He will pop out and insect all matter of icky child ailments.... and best of all is always handing out those vinyl cool blocks used to transport medicines for mummies to keep in their fridges for bumps and bruises.

This thread has made me realise I should tell him how truely wonderful he is.

oh and yanbu to want to clout ANYONE who will not provide fanjo itch relief for the vile evil menace that is thrush.

My gps automatically prescribes caneston at the same time as antibiotics - tis on my notes now .

inspect - not insect - (unless it is nits )

Poundland sell 3 packs of paracetamol for a quid though, don't they?

Osbega, buy the stuff online.

Kveta, I once got home with a packet of levonelle to fid someone had swiped the bloody pill.
It was friday night and I was cutting it fine anyway.
Got back to the pharmacist monday morn. He said it'd be fine.
(Of course, I love DS2 now he's here)

sorry still ROFLing at the hamster!

Pharmacists are not less qualified than GPs they're differently qualified. My parents are pharmacists and the number of lives they've saved/serious illness by spotting incorrect dosages/strengths/inappropriate medication is quite a few. Not surprisingly they are careful about which GP they see.

Yes there are awkward ones about and mostly in a certain big chain. That is because there is a manual about a foot thick with rules for everything including how long a customer is allowed to be minding their own business browsing before being asked to move on helped by staff; how many searches of the staff lockers and bags they have to do a month oh I could go on.
I'm not disputing they should have handled it better but the number of people who do things like take several anti-histamines (at once), drink alcohol, complain the tablets have made them feel ill - then admit they haven't read the instructions - well you can why they have to be cautious.

Am that people are stealing the drugs out of boxes that appear to be behind the counter! How is that happening? Unless it's the staff? Or how else could it happen?

After I had DS, I was on warfarin for blood clotting problems. I had a hospital prescription but didn't have time to wait for the hospital pharmacy to fill it, so took it to Tesco pharmacy instead. Had DS with me - so they wouldn't fill it before they had phoned someone to check that it was actually ok for me to have warfarin while bf'ing. TBH, I didn't really mind as it educated them as well - and it's better for them to be safe than sorry - but I'd have been LIVID if they had refused it (which they didn't).

I would tend to agree, BelaLugosiNoir. Entrance qualifications for a pharmacy degree are not lower than for medicine. A different type of student tends to apply for pharmacy though.

thumbwitch, technically, they could have refused it as hospital prescriptions are only vaid in the hospital they are issued in. A GP prescription is on a different form to a hospital one. Annoying, yes, but possibly understandable due to a potential difference in the types of drugs that might be prescribed in the two different environments.

Thanks for the replies on the antihistamine question - but if Boots couldn't sell me 30 loratidine without a pharmacist on the premises, why could Sainsbury's sell me 28 loratidine when they never have a pharmacist on the premises? Would Boots have been allowed to sell me four packets of the 7? It all seems rather silly.

Though I suppose I should be used to it by now - when living overseas I used to come back to the UK on holiday and stock up on non-prescription meds to take back with me, and after several frustrating sessions with counter staff asking me about how I planned to use the piles of calpol, nurofen, antihistamines, canesten etc (when I was obviously fairly healthy), I took to doing the rounds of different branches and buying in smaller quantities.

Unseen - twas the same stuff. I get your point - but it was the same packets, same brand, everything.

There are a lot of issues, and believe me, they are v annoying for Pharmacists as well

• Different licensing- medicines are either POM (you need a prescrption), P (can only be sold under the supervision of a pharmacist) and general sale. The same medicine can be sold as general sale in a smaller quantity than a P pack. This is confusing to start with. "Under the supervision of a pharamcist" means the pharamcist must be on the premises at the time of sale. Pharma companies love getting over the counter licenses as it's a big money making opportunity, BUT it means that someone has to police what are often very complicated licenses with a lot of "exceptions".

• Some chains have their own "rules" by which Pharmacists have to comply which may be stricter than the P standards.

• If you go to the pharmacy, chances are your first line person you speak to is not the pharmacist- there is probably only one on the premises and they will probbaly be in the dispensary, so if the counter assistant isnt helping, ask to speak to the pharmacist as the counter person might have just got confused.

• Doctors do make mistakes re the licensing so for some medicines, the licensing restrictions are such that it's P but POM for pregnant women, minors, recurring nature etc. Doctor sends you along to the Pharmacy who has to send you back to the doctor.

• Failure to comply with licensing is a disciplinary/striking off offence for a pharmacist so not surprisingly they are reluctant to go round them, even when they know they are stupid.

I had the citric acid problem in Boots last year, had a big bucket of elderflowers soaking to make cordial and they refused to sell me any, because drug addicts use it to cut the drugs.

Little independent chemist round the corner took one look at me, frazzled with dd in tow and a million carrier bags with all my shopping, and handed me it with a smile, saying "elderflower cordial, right?".

It was delicious!