to be annoyed at pharmacist?

[PavlovtheCat]

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

Right, well I've learnt something new then

I agree that we should have the cheapest brand of prescribed drug available as a general rule... however sometimes when trying to force the stuff into a reluctant toddler it can be useful to have a brand that child can tolerate.
Otherwise it is just wasted [as I found with the antibiotic my child refused] and then another one is required adding additional cost.

So surely it makes sense to listen to the parent and give whatever child will take? And if this is not possible tell the parent and give them the option to either buy it themselves or request an alternative prescription from the GP.

I never ever said I wanted Calpol instead of generic. I wanted the equivalent of calpol instead of the minging green generic. If it had been the other generic one i would have been fine with it. Had I been told it was the green one, i would have checked another pharmacy or bought it myself. but hey clearly can give the calpol as there was a huge bottle of it next to the generic green shit behind the counter

And...it was Boots. not a small independent pharmacy.

booty yes! that was my view. give me the choice. they could have said 'i dont know' when i asked if it was green!

but hey it is all sorted now, we have bought our own medicine and DS is finally feeling a bit better because he has medicine we can get into him at last.

Agree also with poster up thread who suggested analgesic suppositries as an alternative to oral meds if a small child is unwilling and unable...

However I admit I have no idea of the cost effectiveness of prescribing and dispensing these instead...

Calpol is about 10p a 100ml more expensive and CAN be given - but only the ordinary calpol not the calpol 6+ and others (according to the BNF)

The pharmacist should have told you it was the green stuff and given you the option of using a different pharmacy

The cost and NHS funding is irrelevant. The pharmacist said it wasn't the green one, when it was. I sincerely hope it was an honest mistake, that anyone could have made.

If you really want to bring NHS funding into it, I don't see how wasted green version all over a sick toddler's clothing is benefiting the NHS.

Check the Drug Tariff not the BNF. The BNF is not always accurate with regard to prices and the Drug Tariff clearly shows that no Calpol products can be written on an FP10 - I can't check actual cost prices compared to tariff as I'm not in work today. FWIW Paracetamol 120mg suppositories have a tariff price of 10.49 for 10 which is far higher than any of the suspensions.

True scaryjessie - there is nothing more expensive than a medicine that is not taken.

I still cannot think of a green paracetamol though. Suspensions are usually White, pink or orange and the elixir is a dirty yellow colour.

suppositories are about 5£ for a pack of 10 over the counter.

I'm glad he's better, OP.

I agree that if you ask not to have minging green stuff then the pharmacist should have said That's All We Have In and directed you to a better different pharmacy. Most perople have a couple in their general locale.

lol! my DH went back to gp as DS not better, has an ear infection. GP gave him another prescription for more medicine, and called the pharmacy to see if they have generic strawberry, which they do!!! (same place).

GP said it was essential he had paracetamol as it reduced the pressure in the ear and pointless having any if not going to take it!

So. There. a more sympathetic Gp to many of you lot!