To think over ordering prescription medicines is sensible?

[Edenviolet]

I always order more than we need/order more frequently than necessary.

The medication will all be used and it is handy to have extra supplies if needed.
The pharmacist was questioning me today as to why we are going through so many items/medications and seemed to think we should only order what we need when we need it?
I prefer to have a 'stock' of dcs medications etc and think I'm sensible in doing so

AIBU?

It's definitely sensible to have a stock of things like ketone and blood glucose strips but your gp needs to have an idea of how much you're using as it gives them an idea of how often her sugars are so unpredictable that you're using loads of them (though to be fair if her ketones are high and not settling you should be going to hospital to ensure she's not in dka so you shouldn't be needing to check ketones repeatedly really)
What would be sensible if your pharmacist is being difficult would be to have your normal stock for daily use and and a seperate 'emergency' prescription for when she is poorly - you cash that prescription so you have the extra stash, keep those as spares for if she is sick then once they have been used you get another prescription to stock up your stash of spares. Then it means you're only getting as much as you need, there's less wastage and the pharmacist isn't stressing you out!

I over order DS1's salbutamol inhaler - I like to have at least one spare in the cupboard, and there needs to be one in the school office and they've managed to lose a couple so I've had to order more...

When DS1 has an asthma attack, which he did at school last week, he can easily go through an inhaler in a few days as the doctors put him on a high dose 4 hourly regime.

I do the same. I have diabetes and running out of insulin or glucose test strips is terrifying and so stressful. With the amount of mistakes my GP surgery and pharmacy make, I order a new two month supply when I'm down to my last two boxes of strips or bottles of insulin.

I think it's only unreasonable if the stuff is going out of date, or if you have stacks of it sitting in your cupboard but keep on ordering more. I think it is totally reasonable to want a bit of buffer between prescriptions to allow for delays and errors.

I think its ok as long as there is no waste. queenbean if you pay for prescriptions you pay per item not per script. Both dh and I have prescription prepayment certificates. I always time it so I get at least 4 months worth of drugs from a 3 month certificate. I guess I a bvu but it winds me up that some conditions give you free prescriptions but others don't and we both need regular meds for chronic conditions.

Im with you there OP. If it's something that is frequently used as my sons asthma pumps are, he loses them and I make sure we have a stock. Nothing wrong with that.

I think if you are massively stockpiling yabu.

I order ds medicines 2 weeks early just so if we have trouble sourcing any of them (2 can be a pain) we have time to sort it, I am still only ordering monthly just a bit early if that makes sense.

My only exception is I always have 2 spare ventolin, but as he has them stored in 5 different locations that is just so we are always able to replace when they get empty.

It's increasingly common and very good practice for pharmacists to do medication reviews at GP practices, because they are the experts on all aspects of medication. I would suggest you get a medication review at your surgery (you should be having one annually as a minimum, 6 monthly if on complex medication). If you have conditions that require different amounts of meds at different times e.g. brittle asthma, it is really crucial you are on the optimal regime to prevent exacerbations/emergency situations developing, and that prescriptions are reviewed to ensure you are having the most up to date and effective meds. This won't happen unless you cooperate with the HCP's.
Some meds can go out of date/lose efficacy if stored for longer periods (especially in the home where storage conditions may not be optimal), so 'overstocking' can even result in dangerous situation worsening.

Hedgehog, If you are using everything and nothkng is going out of date then you're not over ordering, you're ordering appropriately. The pharmacist is correct to check that you do need everything you're getting but you're also correct to say 'yes, I need it all'

not sure why that posted 3 times
You mentioned diabetes and I would always make sure we were in stock of testing equipment and insulin if needed.
your pharmacist is very knowledgeable and like pp say they probably see your usage easier than a gp. They are generally more up to date with drugs and would be concerned that you need to be on a higher dose or different drug altogether

But you're not over-ordering You're ordering what you will use, with a buffer, that's true, but you're not actually getting through any more supplies than you would if you operated on a just-in-time basis. If your stockpile were getting bigger and bigger, you would be over-ordering and VVU, but from what you say that's not the case.

And for those of you who picked up my point about salbutamol, many many years ago I looked after a young man who died of his asthma partly because he kept getting repeat prescriptions from out of hours centres across the region so no one kept track of just how much he was using so no one knew how bad he really was. Pharmacists and gps checking up on how much medication you're using are trying to prevent situations like these.

I think I probably have about three months worth of 'supplies' including all the bits for her insulin pump as well.
I just know that even if she's got a cold her blood sugar can be all over the place (not to mention a dreaded sickness bug that really is hard to manage). There's also the worry of a pump failure so have all the injection stuff too just in case.

Like I said though, so far, none of it has gone out of date (except for two glucagon injection pens we got when did was first diagnosed)

Having a stock of dcs meds (particularly dd2 for all the reasons I've mentioned) is like a safety net for me and I just feel it's part of trying to be well organised and manage their conditions

Really surprised you can do this as my doctors will not process "early" repeat requests

OP, do you really use all the pens and needles you over-order? I haven't had to have an injection since the first month of having my pump, where my levels were all over the place. Does her pump really fail that often?

3 months supply is way OTT IMO and I can fully understand them questioning that. I am shocked your GP hasn't.

The pharmacist was questioning do we actually need everything and even said regarding dds medications that they needed to check we still need it.... Well, yes, we do as she will always need insulin but still they are insisting on a review??

Depends on what it's for. Life saving stuff or a medication that needs to be maintained, no. Antibiotics - yes.

However, the pharmacy/gp were also not unreasonable to query it. Alongside monitoring any health issues I know that in some areas there is a general refusal to issue test strips on prescription. As you said they're expensive and there's a pretty healthy blackmaket. Other kinds of medication are known to be sold on/sent abroad.

It may be paid for through taxes but the resources have to be distributed properly and fairly. Clinicians and pharmacists are the first line of defence against misuse of resources and they have to question what they perceive as a situation that deviates from what they'd expect.

We have three months supply of pump bits, strips etc.

Penfills we probably have about four vials of each insulin, and approx 3 boxes of needles. Dds pump has failed a few times unfortunately, due to infections and also as she has a genetic condition causing very fragile skin which has caused a few issues with the cannula I think we've had 9 or 10 fails in the year she's had the pump

I have one of everything in hand then reorder when it is opened
I only needed to over order once for this system to work. I don't know why you would need to over order more than once
All our medications last a month so it gives plenty of time. Our chemist often does not have items so this is a good safe guard

It absolutely is the pharmacists job to check your medicine needs, they get paid by the NHS to do this. They are not there just to stick a label on a box so YABU.

I had a woman come in the other day bringing in unused medicines from her mum who had died. She brought back £500 of unused asthma inhalers

The gp seems to have no issue with the number of test strips etc that we use, we've gone through it all with them and they are happy to issue them to us.

There is a difference between having a bit of a buffer, where you have a bit of stuff in hand but will use it all, and stockpiling leading to waste. I have no problem with the former but a big problem with the latter.

Is your DD's medication stable or could it change then you have to discard all you have in hand? I always think it would be interesting to know, if you had to pay for the medication, would you think this is reasonable and do the same? If yes and you would do the same at your own expense, fine. Otherwise, no.

I do the same to an extentusually have a preventer inhaler in hand as I may have to step up my dose but I use them sensibly and have never had one go out of date

Confused by this, how do you just keep getting stuff, don't you need a prescription every time?

mad wow that's madness. Even with the most expensive inhalers that must have been quite a stash!

I'm the first to admit as well that I do have a lot of anxiety surrounding dcs , in particular dd2 hence why we have a stock of insulin etc as I always have that what if in the back of my mind.
Knowing that insulin is all that keeps her alive I really felt the need to have a stock 'just in case' (although I'm hoping there's no huge disaster where I actually have to rely on the stock but it does play on my mind knowing without it she has no chance)