It is up to the gp not the pharmacist ??

[Edenviolet]

Dd1 has been unwell for a while.temperature, very sore throat and cough.

Gp took a swab and gave us a prescription for antibiotics and said to get it but not made up and if dd suddenly got worse to start the course immediately otherwise to try and hold off till swab results are back but as they can take a few days just to see what happens.

Went to the pharmacy and asked for the medicine in powder form and was questioned as to why by the pharmacist. She wanted to make the antibiotics up today but as they only last for 7 days once made up and I don't know what day dd may need to start them I said no could I have it unmade. She got quite annoyed with me and started saying about antibiotic resistance etc etc.

I explained again what the gp had said but she was having none of it and wanted to make it up or refuse to do anything.
I also explained to her how poorly dd has been and that I would like the medicine all ready at home in case we need to start it rather than trying to rush and find a pharmacy, especially as my other three dcs and dh have been unwell too and dh has been struggling to even drive so its better if its there's at home to use if need be.

If dd improves and/or the swab is negative obviously I'd return it to be disposed of by the pharmacy.

She was really really off with me. She could have phoned the gp to check but didn't and kept saying it would be made up or not at all.

I then tried to buy two bottles of nurofen and two calpol and two antihistamines and got questioned even more ! I was so angry.

AIBU to think that she should have just done what the gp advised/I'd requested? I had to walk fifteen mins to the next pharmacy to get it and was nearly late for school pick up. Other pharmacy did it no problem at all.

YABU. The pharmacist is responsible for what they dispense.

What a waste of money. Why couldn't you wait?

As pp said, the pharmacist is responsible for the medication they dispense.

YABU. The GP prescribes, the pharmacist dispenses. They cannot change what you want willy nilly.

Yes, what Enpoid said. There is a reason that pharmacists exist separately to doctors, rather than a pharmacy assistant making up all prescriptions. They have specialist training and knowledge and take personal responsibility for the prescriptions they dispense.

I've never heard of a pharmacist dispensing powder to be made up at home -how on earth can they guarantee the concentration if they don't mix it?

I then tried to buy two bottles of nurofen and two calpol and two antihistamines and got questioned even more ! I was so angry.

That's a shit load of medicine ^^ any pharmacist worth their salt would question that.

YABU

YABU. Pharmacists are qualified health professionals and responsible for what they dispense.

And just because you can buy calpol etc over the counter doesn't mean they can just sell it without question. They have a professional responsibility to ensure you understand what you need and why, and how to take it.

I couldn't wait because 1. The gp advised to have the medicine ready at home to give should dd1 get worse or the swab results come back positive and 2. Because say for example she gets worse late at night, dh cannot drive to a pharmacy and then we have to wait hours to start her on the antibiotics.

Sorry, YABU. I've never heard of a GP ever advising to get a medicine un-made - that's outside of their powers as it's not up to them, it's up to the pharmacist. GP's can specify specific doses or brands of medication, but that doesn't mean they can go as far as saying 'Don't make this up, let the patient do it' to the pharmacist, because it's not their call. The pharmacist is responsible for dispensing safely and giving out an unmade medicine is just not safe.

Is it possible you misunderstood and that the GP was giving you the prescription for you to keep hold of and file only if you needed it? I've had that lots of times from GPs and from dentists.

It's not unreasonable that she should have double-checked (GPs do make mistakes, sometimes stupid and sometimes serious) , but as you were asking for what the GP said I don't think she should have refused. Did the GP actually specify in writing that it should be powder form? If not, s/he probably should have.

I did explain why I needed so much (four dcs-all unwell) but she was questioning me about what dosage I give them etc and why I needed the antihistamines etc etc, just a lot of questions to enable me to buy th pe medicines

Yes pharmacists must be responsible in what they dispense.

If your dd is really bad I don't understand why the doc said to wait anyway? And yabu, the pharmacist is responsible for ensuring it's mixed correctly, I've never heard of antibiotics being handed out unmixed

The gp said to get the medicine 'just in case' and I had said to them about it only lasting seven days and that it would be 'off' by the end of the course if dd didn't start it the day we got it and the gp said to ask for it unmade and to do it when we needed it. The gp does know our circumstances are quite difficult and that it may be difficult to get out if we suddenly needed it so was better to just have it at home ready.

YABU - first because it's her responsibility how that powder is made up, so she can't just give it to you, and secondly because it lasts seven days after being made up, so you have a week to start the course and can always get more if necessary. You can't have the powder sitting at home for weeks waiting to use it.

So who would be responsible if you bought all those meds and gave them to DD and the pharmacist hadnt said anything. Pretty certain they would get struck off the register.

I've never heard of a pharmacist dispensing powder to be made up at home -how on earth can they guarantee the concentration if they don't mix it?

Nonsense. GP prescribed powder for DS when we went on holiday abroad for 3 weeks a few years ago. He had had an infection that wasn't looking as if it was clearing up entirely and the prescription was a back-up.

They give you the powder in a standard bottle, you add water and shake ...

Dd has been very unwell but has antibiotics a lot and the gp wants ideally to wait for the swab to know exactly what is wrong that's why we have been holding off on the antibiotics as long as we can so as to have the swab results

Never known a pharmacist to do that. They mix it up they are responsible to ensure its done correctly. You could of held onto prescription to if when needed.

You be surprised amount of times I've been prescribed medicine that wasnt until pharmacist questioned me found out it was not suitable especially being as I'm asthmatic.

YABU. The pharmacist is the person responsible for dispensing, not your GP. If she gave it to you in powder form to make it up at home she would have no idea if you made it up correctly or not.

I think the person being U is your GP. DD either needs antibiotics or she doesn't. They shouldn't be prescribing 'just in case'.

I have regularly been given antibiotics in powdered form to be made up at home as they only last 7 days for dd who has serious chest infection issues. However the pharmacist is responsible for what they dispense. I would have insisted that she contact the doctor to clarify the request.

Sounds like the GP gave you a script to only get made up if the swab came back positive and you misunderstood. Nobody is going to give you powder to make up at .home.

If DD is so ill that a few hours delay on getting antibiotics would make a difference then she should be on hospital.

The reason she couldn't dispense it as a powder, is that if you made up the mixture wrongly and overdosed your child she would be liable. The GP should know that though.
As a compromise you could hold on to the script and collect the medicine (made up) if DD gets worse or if the swab comes back positive. Swab results usually take 48-72 hrs unless they have to culture longer for something more unusual.