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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be a bit annoyed with the pharmacist..

62 replies

Bobloblaw · 08/03/2012 13:49

I have just collected a prescription for my DD, one of the items had a separate sheet and the pharmacist had written the cost of the medicine, underlined it and put three exclamation marks. It is expensive but it's an emergency medication that we use if she has a seizure lasting longer than 10 minutes. I want to mention it to our community nurse but DP thinks I should leave it....AIBU?

OP posts:

RuleBritannia · 08/03/2012 13:54

Did you have to pay for it?

mopbucket · 08/03/2012 13:55

Dick!!!

Original poster

Bobloblaw · 08/03/2012 13:56

No, we don't have to pay for DDs prescriptions.

OP posts:

knowitallstrikesagain · 08/03/2012 13:57

YANBU. The pharmacist is not paying for it out of his/her own pocket. I would mention it because to me it signals a distrust in the work of the doctor who prescribed the medication, implying that it is not necessary.

This is rude and unprofessional. Mention it to someone.

mousymouseafraidofdogs · 08/03/2012 13:58

yabu - I think it is good to see how much certain medicines cost. some are shockingly expensive, others cost much less than the prescription fee...

scrablet · 08/03/2012 13:58

Why did they do that? To remind you it was pricey so don't waste it? Cheeky arse, I would ask her why it had been marked in this way.
Hope your DD is ok, btw

mousymouseafraidofdogs · 08/03/2012 13:59

but I think the price should be on the pack of all medicines, not just the most expensive ones.

scrablet · 08/03/2012 14:02

mousy, but what good would it do Op to know? Tell her DD not to be ill...? I agree it shouldn't just be thrown about, but a GP says she needs it, so what difference does it make to OP how much it costs? Would knowing the (shocking) cost, 'shock' her DD into being well?

knowitallstrikesagain · 08/03/2012 14:02

mousey I would agree that the prices should be on packets, but the way this was handled was implying that the OP was using more than her fair share of the free prescriptions.
Written the cost, fine. Underlined it and put three exclamation marks, making a point that is not the pharmacist's to make.

TapirBackRider · 08/03/2012 14:05

Some primary care trusts insist on generic prescribing, to cut costs. This can lead to problems with anti seizure meds - and they can be prescribed as a brand name (again, depends on the PCT).

Some patients can insist on brand names however, no matter what the meds, as they believe that the brand is better than the generic. It is possible that the pharmacist meant the note to go to the prescribing dr, but attached it to your bag of meds - I've seen that happen before.

I'd have a word with the pharmacist tbh.

Pixieonthemoor · 08/03/2012 14:05

Absolutely disgraceful. It is none of the pharmacists damn business and
I would certainly be taking it up.

milkysmum · 08/03/2012 14:09

i also think it was meant for the prescriber to see. i have worked on inpatient wards were it was part of pharmacist role to check all precriptions- looking for meds that were felt to be 'too expensive' etc.

CalmaLlamaDown · 08/03/2012 14:11

This must have been a mistake, perhaps they wanted to highlight it to a collegue (sp?) I would forget about it to be honest.

DaisySteiner · 08/03/2012 14:11

I think you need to find out why the pharamcist did that before going in guns blazing. I imagine he/she was flagging it up as a prescribing issue (ie was the dr aware how much it cost, was there a generic version which was cheaper, was it appropriate prescribing etc) rather than having a go at you or your dd personally. You probably weren't even meant to have seen it.

Original poster

Bobloblaw · 08/03/2012 14:31

It was on the repeat prescription slip, that I fill in when we need more of anything, we get one for each med DD is on. DP thinks it was meant for someone else, which would mean the pharmacist was careless as opposed to anything directed at me I suppose.

It was prescribed by a consultant, it appears to be generic, it's certainly not a new drug. It is incredibly expensive and each bottle has 4 doses but it's our last resort and our emergency protocol means we call 999 every time it's used, it's not something we do lightly but they don't know that.

OP posts:

TroublesomeEx · 08/03/2012 14:40

I'd choose to see it as a "blimey, have you seen how much this is?!" kind of exclamation and not a passive aggressive stance towards you.

The cost of some prescriptions is shocking! If your daughter needs it, she needs it. The end.

CalmaLlamaDown · 08/03/2012 14:42

You could always phone the pharmacist to discuss. I can understand why you are upset but this was highly likely not to be directed at you.

bumperella · 08/03/2012 14:43

I do think that anyone should look to minimize wasted money at work, particularly when the money comes from a limited public purse. Some people ARE careless with medicines.
I reckon others above are correct - it was a note meant for the consultant who prescribed the meds, and not aimed at you. Otherwise it's a completley bizare thing for the pharmacist to do.

BigGirlInASmallWorld · 08/03/2012 14:51

Aside from you, who else sees the paper the Pharmacist wrote the exclamation marks on?

bigbluebus · 08/03/2012 14:57

Bobloblaw. My DD needs rescue medication for her seizures. I actually had a pharmacist in our local Boots store say to me once "do you know how much this stuff costs? and proceeded to tell me!!!! I was . I mentioned this to our specialist epilepsy nurse who told me that if this pharmacist (or any other for that matter) said anything like that again to reply "yes, but it is less than the cost of calling an ambulance, taking up at least 2 hrs of paramedics time , plus the time of all the medics in A & E plus an overnight hospital admission - which is what would happen if we didn't have it. Not to mention the danger to DD's life from a prolonged seizure.

The pharmacist was unprofessional to do what they did regardless of who it was aimed at. Your consultant would not have prescribed it if it was not necessary (am guessing it is Midazolam - which is not what my DD has as it didn't work for her - in fact I think what DD has is even more expensive as it is specially made under licence ) Prepare your response for if it happens again - or even go back and point it out to them if you still have the piece of paper. I feel sure they will be embarrassed.

mojitomania · 08/03/2012 15:01

Either the pharmacist has a right cheek or they've written that for a colleague to see in error and would be extremely embarrassed if you said anything . I'd opt for the second suggestion.

bigbluebus · 08/03/2012 15:09

AFAIK the repeat prescription slip is shredded after the order has been fulfilled and is on the pharmacy's computer system. At least that is what they do at our GP's dispensary. Looks like in this case it was handed back to the patient with the order. There is no way this slip works it way back to the prescribing doctor - so the comment was either aimed at the patient or the pharmacist stupidly didn't realise the slip would be handed back with the order.

albertswearengen · 08/03/2012 15:15

I would go back to the pharmacy ask to speak to the pharmacist and ask her as politely as possible why she felt the need to draw your attention to the price of the drug. I would be pissed off too.

Kellamity · 08/03/2012 15:17

How rude and unprofessional.

Original poster

Bobloblaw · 08/03/2012 15:20

I don't know who else sees it, it's attached to DDs meds and they ask me to check it when I pick things up, then I tick off what we need on it and hand it in when we need any more of anything.

I would have been too bigbluebus that's awful. I wish we didn't need these things and I'm sure you do too .

OP posts:

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