Why does being pregnant suddenly make me thick and unable to make decisions about my own body?

[ThatOneHurt]

I was prescribed iron tablets that made me vomit. I knew I was ok with ferrous sulphate (I suffer with anemia pregnant or not) so went to purchase some and they refused to sell them to me.

Today they questioned me buying thrush treatment, I had to tell them that it was for a friend. They told me they were only selling it to me if it wasn't for me .

Same goes for topical steroid cream.

All of these things, I can buy when I am not pregnant to soothe my body.
None of these things have a detrimental effect on my fetus.
None of these things require a prescription.
All of these things can be bought.

Yet, when I am pregnant I am apparently become to fucking thick to have autonomy over my body, and someone else has to decide for me that I am no longer equip to deal with these decisions by myself ergo refuse to sell me the treatment and tell me to see my GP.

YES I know they are "covering their back". But that's a cop out.
It's my body, it isn't harmful to the baby and I should bloody well continue to have autonomy over my body and what I chose to soothe symtoms of various ailments.

I agree. Lying to pharmacists is now second nature to me. It's really annoying. And my (male) partner has never once been questioned when buying thrush cream.

Yanbu. This really pissed me off too. One Time I had a pharmacist refuse to sell me a skin cream which had been recommended to me by my consultant!

Never tell them you're breastfeeding either OP.

I couldn't agree more! I was once refused honey, lemon and glycerin cough syrup by a pharmacy technician on the basis that "you're not allowed to have honey when you're pregnant". Funny how Tesco don't have someone standing guard over the honey aisle isn't it?

I had a pharmacist refuse to dispense a prescription antibiotic this week (bloody UTI), they said it wasn't suitable in pregnancy, NHS guidelines (online) say it's absolutely fine, just if you take it before 12 weeks to take extra folic acid as it can slow absorption (I'm 35 weeks). My doctor spoke to him on the phone and reiterated the above, the pharmacist also called the pharmaceutical advisory people who said the same, yet he still refused and told me I was free to take my prescription elsewhere but he wasn't risking harming my baby!!!!

Funny how Tesco don't have someone standing guard over the honey aisle isn't it?

Please don’t give them ideas.

Some of the advice pregnant women get is so patronising.

I had thrush repeatedly in pregnancy, my midwife was fully supportive of me sending DH to buy over the counter treatments for me to avoid the hassle of getting a GP appointment and the waste of their time.

Aren't you allowed honey during pregnancy?
I'm 32+3 and going through nearly a full Rowse squeezy a week 😳

I was on holiday in another part of the UK when I was in early pregnancy and had thrush. I made the mistake of saying I was pregnant to the pharmacist and they told me to go to my GP. I pointed out that my GP was 300 miles away across the sea, but got no further help in getting local help. So I ended up going to A&E saying I had a bleed (which was true, but I suspected was down to soreness from the thrush and didn't feel concerned that it was more serious), they directed me immediately to the gynae ward. After an hour I was seen and had a scan. I was told that I could have a prescription for Canesten, it would take some time, or I could go to a different pharmacy and omit the pregnancy detail (which wasn't visually obvious)

I went for the omit the detail option.
"Baby" is currently having a good sleep before school in the morning

It is frustrating when expensive and time wasting hurdles (for the NHS as much as the consumer) are put up for products which are "safe" enough to be routinely used when they've been rubber stamped through the official route.

Yanbu, op. I wasn't planning on drinking during pregnancy, but those stupid symbols on beer bottles of a pregnant woman with a line through it made me want to buy a beer and drink it at counter, while pointing at the picture

honey is fine in pregnancy bun don't worry.

You aren't supposed to give it to children under the age of 1 (botulism) but I don't think that starts from in utero.

@MrsStrowman as annoying as it may have been, you have to remember that he was most likely making sure he was covering his own back.

That being said, i was dying (dramatic i know) of heartburn in my 3rd trimester and the pharmacist in boots wouldnt sell it to me even if i said it was for DH. I was internally cross but i understood.
My brother is a pharmacist and he said that some companies (boots/lloyds etc) dont have the license to sell it to pregnant women. He also said he wouldnt sell it me either lol. I still love him though

*wouldnt sell me omeprazolw it should say!

I remember a pharmacist refusing to sell me ranitidine when pregnant. I'd run out and gaviscon was doing nothing. I was so frustrated I almost burst into tears. I asked if she was really doing to make me drive somewhere else 37 weeks pregnant and the horrible cowbag just picked up the packet and dropped it behind the counter.

@Thewheelsarefallingoff you’ve just reminded me, when I was visibly pregnant with my eldest son I was in the queue buying a can of Coke at a Tesco. Woman commented that I shouldn’t be drinking it in my condition to which I quickly replied ‘well I need to mix my vodka with something’!
Can still see the cats bum face she gave me!

Want to point out that was the one and only time in my life I’d ever been that quick witted which is why I remember it so well.

@pastabest
Phew! Thanks 🙏

It’s because the products are not all licensed for use in pregnancy, due to not having been fully tested (as you can imagine, no one wants to test drugs while pregnant) so that is up to the manufacturer of the product, not the pharmacist - they are only doing their job and would be held responsible for selling something that isn’t licensed. Also some conditions can be more difficult to treat during pregnancy and are more likely to cause problems so women are referred back to GP to be monitored.

I was really grateful for the pragmatic pharmacist I saw this summer. I had horrendous hay fever and the nasal sprays just weren't cutting it, but I was still breastfeeding so didn't want to take an antihistamine without advice.

The pharmacist initially told me that I couldn't take the antihistamine that I know works for me whilst I was breastfeeding, but he obviously then took pity on my itchy, snotty state and asked me how old my baby was. When I said that DS was 22 months old, he pointed out that there is an infant antihistamine for children over the age of 2years, and therefore the small amount that may be passed on through breast milk was very unlikely to cause my nearly 2 year old any harm.

@BunsOfAnarchy but I had a prescription from my GP, who then spoke to him on the phone to ask why he was refusing to dispense the prescription and the pharmaceutical licensing body he called also said it was fine, especially if I was over 12 weeks, I'm 36 weeks today and huge. I don't see how he was covering his own back by refusing to dispense a prescription, it's not like it was me just asking for something 🤷

I have to admit that I almost always say it's for my aunt, friend, neighbour whatever......... when I buy anything from the pharmacist. Reason being, I get sick of being grilled by them. If I do say it's for me, I get asked if I am on other meds, and I say no, because I have had times in the past, when they have refused me. So as has been said, you do end up lying to them.

Seems bad, and I know they are 'doing their job' but I have never had any bad effect from mixing shop bought meds with my doctor prescribed ones!

@Thewheelsarefallingoff I used to buy alcohol free beer and drink them whilst gardening heavily pregnant. The concerned looks of the noisy neighbours and my PIL just spurred me on TBH.

Pharmacists are crap though. When I was super pregnant I didn't want to walk to my usual pharmacy so went to a different one slightly closer. They were reluctant to dispense my asthma inhalers! Risk to baby is limited at best given how little medication ends up in the blood stream but baby would sure as hell know about it if I couldn't breath.

I went to get an OTC medication I had used before, leaflet said safe to use during pregnancy/breastfeeding. Pharmacist wasn't sure so said I should get an appointment with the GP first.

So I waited for a GP appointment, waited for a prescription to be written up, took the prescription to the pharmacy and they gave me the exact same tablets I had asked for in the first place.

I had to take my green notes in to prove I had been recommended the 150mg aspirin a day and then they didn’t want to sell me the 100 pack cos it was almost 2 months worth... I said “well I’m going to be pregnant for a bit longer than that so I’ll eventually need them”

Over a pack of OTC 75mg baby aspirin

I cant remember the exact details but I heard a pocast years ago about pharmacy, and a pharmacist gave an example of where a gp had perscribed something that the patient was allergic to. If the pharmacist had dispensee it they would have got 70% of the blame.

But yes vv annoying when youre pg.

I'm 30 weeks an I hear ya! It goes further for me though, almost everyone thinks they have a duty/right to comment on everything you do.

I know they mean well in most cases, but it's annoying!