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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be annoyed at pharmacist?

87 replies

PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 16:36

DS is poorly. Has high fever, limp and really needs some medicine. Saw GP yeterday who gave me a prescription for paracetamol as I am almost out of calpol. Very nice of her, thank you.

I asked her if I could have whatever one it was that was not green/yellow as this makes the children gag and they refuse it, DS in particular being only 2. She said it was whatever the pharmacy have.

So, go to pharmacy today as out of calpol. They have on the shelf Calpol, and some generic stuff. I tell them that he won't take the green stuff, but will take the strawberry one fine (I know they do both of these in generic form, as we have had it before).

She telle me they get it from supplier in whatever form it comes in and I have to have whatever they have available - the other pharmacist assures me it is not the green one, but a pleasant tasting banana flavour one. So she reaches up next to the calpol bottle and decants this generic one.

And it is the bloody green one. I get home, don't need to give kids medicine right away as still covered from last dose. DH goes to work where is now until midnight or so.

I have stinking cold and have put my back out, pushchair is in the back of the car, and I have a poorly child in desperate need of medicine who has just spat the entire syringe of medicine all over me and himself.

Why could she not just give me the bloody calpol in the absence of the generic strawberry flavour! FFS.

I am being unreasonable aren't i? I should not accept a fussy child should I? i should not complain about getting free medicine should i? well i normally buy it, and if I had known it was the green stuff i would have just bought the calpol

OP posts:
Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 16:36

that was a proper rant wasn't it!

OP posts:
Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 16:37

oh, just to clarify, i did not know it was the green one til i gave it to DD aged 5 who is great at taking her medicine and she almost gagged, like she normally does with this one.

OP posts:
lisad123 · 20/12/2011 16:38

yes it was, but you are forgiven as you have a sick kid Grin

jkklpu · 20/12/2011 16:40

Pharmacist can't give you something that wasn't prescribed, ie a branded product (Calpol) instead of the generic one the GP prescribed. YABU but sounds as though you're under a lot of pressure. Hope your lo gets better soon. Ime, brufen is much faster at bringing down a temp than calpol anyway.

Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 16:40

and to top it off i need a wee and ds is finally asleep on me and if i move him he will wake up desperately upset and the poor boy really needs to sleep.

OP posts:
Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 16:42

jkk so i should be annoyed at the GP then? i did tell her that he was a fussy old fuss pot, so she should have prescribed the calpol? ok, i shall blame her then.

The pharmacist should have told me it was indeed the green one though, as I could have gone to another pharmacy to get the strawberry generic one.

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ShatnersBassoon · 20/12/2011 16:42

YABU, you did have the option to buy the pink medicine. But you do have an ill child and these little problems always seem to coincide with bigger problems making them seem worse than they really are.

Have you got red food colouring? You could mix a bit of that in with the medicine you were given to make it less green.

Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 16:42

jkk yes i prefer ibruprofen but just out of that too and gp won't prescribe that for some reason, or at least won't offer it, and I don't like to ask...

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Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 16:43

shatner it is the taste that is the problem. And I tried it. It really is vile! maybe i shall add some sugar to it...

OP posts:
Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 16:44

ok, there we are, i shall add sugar to it. he will take it then i am sure (she says confidently).

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zookeeper · 20/12/2011 16:44

oh dear - could you syringe it down the back of his throat and hold his chin up so he has to swallow it? sounds worse than it is if you do it quickly..

Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 16:45

zookeeper i tried that. he is very good at getting it back out! i got a little down, too much to try again i think, but not enough to be sure it will work.

OP posts:
NeuromanticisedVisionsofXmas · 20/12/2011 16:47

Majorly YABU. "CAn I have the far more expensive one for free because my picky kid won't accept green instead of pink "

Hmm Er, no, you can't. If you want to be choosy you can buy your own, like most people do.

zookeeper · 20/12/2011 16:48

oh dear - can only suggest bribery then - though not sure it will work on a feverish two year old! Good luck.

ShatnersBassoon · 20/12/2011 16:48

It is only paracetamol, so it's not as if his wellbeing is depending on it. Don't worry if you don't manage to get much down him.

Could you bribe him with something 'to take the taste away'? A chocolate or a biscuit?

Feminine · 20/12/2011 16:50

Maybe op is broke?

Neuro eh?

NeuromanticisedVisionsofXmas · 20/12/2011 16:51

then she should be glad she can get free medicine at all. Doesn't matter how broke I am (and I am) I have to buy my own kids medicine.

Kayano · 20/12/2011 16:53

Kids need to know sometimes they need to take medicine and have treatments etc that won't always be nice

Or pleasant and strawberry tasting

So yabu

BalloonSlayer · 20/12/2011 17:00

Gosh my DCs have never been prescribed paracetamol. I thought you were expected to buy that yourself. Not surprised that if you get it on script you get what you're given though.

If it was that important, why didn't you ask to check? (My DCs can't have certain things because of allergies, I NEVER take anyone's word for it, I always check for myself.)

Sorry that it's all difficult for you though. It's shit when little DCs are ill.

Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 17:02

I knew I was being unreasonable really, just needed a rant!

and feminine i quite agree.

I do love the AIBU threads for the vicious ones to get their chance though!

I have now spoken to a lovely friend of mine who will be going to buy me some ibruprofen, then I won't be worried about him already having some (of course, when I say buy, i don't mean pay for me, i mean go to the shops for me as I am unable to move, just in case people think I am scrounging of my mates Wink).

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BartletForAmerica · 20/12/2011 17:02

If the GP prescribed paracetamol liquid, the pharmacist CAN give generic paracetamol OR Calpol. They just get paid for the cheaper one.

If the GP had prescribed Calpol, the pharmacist can ONLY give Calpol.

Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 17:04

balloon I did ask, and was told it was a lovely pleasant banana flavour! ha!

I think that is what I was annoyed about really, if I had known it was the yucky green stuff I would have either bought the calpol with my very own money or gone elsewhere. But I beleived her (she must have had a right chuckle when I left!)

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Shakirasma · 20/12/2011 17:05

YANBU it is not as simple as a kid just being fussy.

If my 8YO DD needs amoxycillin I have to trawl the pharmacies to make sure it is not the sugar free yellow one. As soon as the spoon touches her lips she vomits!

When a child needs meds it is very important that you are able to get them to take it, and children are unable to understand that anything so horrible is going to do them good.

Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 17:05

balloon oh i see what you mean - ask to taste it/check it's colour? yes, should have done but did not think to do that!

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Original poster
PavlovtheCat · 20/12/2011 17:07

shakira is it the sugar free one that is yellow/green then? because the gp can give me the sugared one, she gave me a choice and I said whatever he normally has, as normally he gets the strawberry one, and on the odd occasion he gets the horrid one.

I agree to re forcing yucky medicine. Different with my 5yo as she is learning to accept that it will be over quickly and will make her feel better afterwards. DS has no clue. He thinks I am being mean.

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