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?

But the pharmacist surely knows that dd will always need insulin and regular bg checks? Yet we get questioned over everything

It is their job, what is difficult to understand about that?

But to the pharmasist it is someone who is going though a lot more medication than they should be - that is right to be flagged and questioned. He wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't.

In the same way they flag up and double check the fact that DS is on medications not licened for his age - again it is their job to do so.

I just find that being repeatedly questioned about our management of our child's condition has worn a little thin.

Flumpty if your DH is using that much ventolin and needing two a month I would politely suggest he does not have good control and needs to see someone to improve his preventer regimen.

Well, don't stockpile 3 months worth of prescriptions then!

I think YANBU

If med needs are unpredictable thenit makes sense to have a supply. If it helps your life be a little less stressful Hedgehog, then I am in favour.

Sidge he is under the care of a top London consultant. He uses Seretide religiously, amongst numerous other things. Yet his asthma is still very brittle. Fact is, not all sufferers of a medical condition react to meds the same. The same condition manifests differently in one person to another. We are not robots, and don't always conform to the textbook. Thankfully, his consultant is wise enough to realise this. Shame the GPs aren't always so wise.

I need that security of knowing that whatever happens I can meet dd2s needs and I don't think three months worth of life saving medication and items to manage her diabetes is excessive.

I think the pharmacist should take a step back and stop aggressively questioning the parent of a child with a serious condition. The fact I had to almost beg once to borrow bg test strips says it all really. The time I enquires as to whether I could get glucose tablets on prescription and was met with "you can but most people buy them " and how they keep reminding me how expensive ketone strips are and telling me I need a review to see If dd still needs all her items on the list.

As soon as another pharmacy does the electronic scheme with my surgery I will be changing pharmacy as I feel I should be supported not questioned and made to feel like I'm doing things wrong

Eh, you're not even willing to consider the other side of the equation. What is the point of these threads?

DS1's currently taking 2 lots of different doses of the same drug, so 2 packets at £60 each per 28 days (the price is barely different between 28 10mg capsules and 28 80mg capsules). He needs 2 packs because 40mg isn't enough, 80mg is far, far too much but the manufacturer doesn't provide anything in between and divided doses are recommended at larger daily doses, anyhow.

I can see it would be wrong if I was stockpiling and having to throw it all away every few months, but I'm not.

It's medication dd will use so what is the difference of it being in the pharmacy or my kitchen ?

Actually OP I do feel for you as a fellow diabetic. When I was diagnosed age 11, the standard number of test strips you got per month was 50.

To the uneducated re diabetes, if you drive you have to test before you set off and every 2 hours. This means just to get to work at just 3 miles each way (I transport heavy tools), I need 40 of those 50 each month. This doesn't include before breakfast/before bed/before lunch etc general bg testing, or longer journeys in the car, additional tests if ill etc etc etc. My prescription as someone who drives long distances regularly is 150 a month, 5 tests a day, set by my GP and diabetes nurse. This gets questioned by the pharmacy EVERY SINGLE TIME! It is frustrating. And they never have them in stock.

I need this stuff to keep me alive, it's not going to go to waste in a cupboard because I feel better today so won't take it...

YANBUif you use them and don't end up throwing them away because it presumably catchs up eventually and I find it hard to believe you have some item a few weeks early costs the NHS anything.
But I also don't think the pharmacist is unreasonable to question it because so much money is wasted on drugs that are thrown away.

I take medication to keep me alive and breathing too. I get that the pharmacist is doing their job when they're checking up on me though. I am polite to them and they are polite back. It's a complete non issue. I don't expect them to treat me any differently because I am educated about my condition and sensible.

Most people with medications that cannot be delayed do keep a small extra supply. It's common sense. What is not common sense is to keep up so much "just in case" because you're anxious. That's concerning and I can see why a pharmacist would query it. It might be a sign that someone is not managing their health.

The pharmacist would be remiss in their duty of care if they did not question situations such as these.

They are under no obligation whatsoever to lend you any item, even test strips, and in some circumstances are actually liable to prosecution for doing so.

It would probably be worth your time finding a different pharmacy, having a private chat with the pharmacist there, and explaining fully your situation. You may find that some pharmacists are more sympathetic to you when they fully understand your motives behind your hoarding and repeat requests.

As a by the by, I work in community pharmacy, and our returned/wasted medicines returns in the last period (6 week cycle) was a whisker under 5k. This is meds returned from patient sources only - one patient had nigh on 2 bin liners full of hoarded items.

Again slightly off topic: Salbutamol (Ventolin) inhalers and other asthma inhalers, are some of the commonest items that are the subject of NHS prescription abuse. Under 16's -no charge, 16-60 NHS charge. So an adult family member/ friend, who should pay for their prescription, gets the doctor to prescribe 'extras' for the child who also has asthma, adult gets it free. Then child has asthma review which shows excessive use of reliever inhaler and gets treatment changed to next step up -or adult relative admits prescription fraud? Or adult should be on next step up treatment regime but isn't, has serious asthma attack, potentially life threatening.
Not being fanciful here - this happens.
2000 asthma deaths a year - not a condition to mess with. Or self medicate for.

Footle
I don't understand your point, can you please explain it ?

I can see exactly why you'd want to have supplies in hand, OP. However 3 months supply is a significant stockpile and I don't think you can blame the pharmacist for doing their job and querying the need for this level of over-ordering.

My DH has to have certain medical supplies for life. He reckons that the safe margin (given that they have to be ordered on prescription then dispensed by a third party and delivered) is a month in hand. His GP agrees that this is a sensible level of stock control but she wouldn't be happy if he started to try and stockpile 3 months worth. To be honest, that's going way beyond careful.

I don't think Hedgehog has picked three months out of thin air, as a suitable stockpile - the impression I get is that the stockpile covers the amounts she knows she can get through very quickly indeed, if her dd gets ill, with a bit of a cushion, in case.

I don't see the point of this asking if you are unreasonable to have this stockpile when you are unwilling to acknowledge any point of view but your own. You have been told repeatedly that 3 months is too long and that the pharmacist is just doing his job but are convinced you know better.

The time I enquires as to whether I could get glucose tablets on prescription and was met with "you can but most people buy them Really?? Dextrosol cost 69p per packet and you want those free on top of the hundreds of pounds of stuff you are stashing?

Deb The NHS gives 28 days supply at a time because evidence has shown that 28-56 days is the optimum for reducing wastage

Threads like this make me despair for the future of the NHS

I agree completely Calm.

In practice, I think anyone who has taken a lot of different medications would probably quietly agree with you, OP. But it's obviously not the accepted wisdom!