Should the GP receptionist 'encourage' me to take my prescription

[ZillaPilla]

GP prescribed me some sleeping pills. I have not collected them from the surgery as 1) I had quite an extreme reaction to 1/2 a pill and can only take again when I do not have my young son with me (which is basically never) and 2) I have some MH issues and part of the management is not to have loads of meds at home.

GP is aware of this, but wrote the prescription so it's ready if an opportunity does arrive when DS2 isn't home.

Today I went to collect a different prescription. When I checked, it was actually the sleeping pills. No big deal, I hadn't thought to clarify which one I wanted so apologised and asked to change.

Receptionist then asked if I wanted to take the sleeping pills. I said no, I didn't need them at the moment. I think that this should have been the end of the matter, but then she asked was I sure, to which I said yes, I would like to leave them here.
She then went on to say "well, they're just going to sit here, why don't you take them". To this I just said quite firmly "I don't want to" and then made moves to indicate I was going to leave.

It's not a massive deal, she wasn't too pushy or loud or anything, so my AIBU is really to wonder whether it's her place to keep going on about something when the patient has already given a clear response.

Now if there is a reason they shouldn't sit there (some legal medical thing, or space or whatever) then she could explain that to me and it would be fine.

And it would have been least wasteful of all not to accept a prescription she had no intention of using.

Not really.

They will probably contact her within 2-4 weeks, depending on their system, if they have still not been collected.

If they have still not been collected after the reminder then they will most likely be put back to stock, the prescription returned to the GP marked as uncollected and a note put on her record saying that the item was not collected. There shouldn't be any wastage.
It happens pretty often, no big deal.

A controlled drug script is only valid for one month then it has to be destroyed. It would be removed from your record as not collected and there is no evidence it was issued. Only health board internal audit shows it was there and then removed. Taking uncollected prescriptions off people's records is unnecessary work.

It also always baffles me why people make the effort to speak to a GP over the phone who provides them with an antibiotic script, blood test form or a form and bottle for an urine infection then they don't bother to pick them up. Time wasting.

The appt was for other issues of which sleep problems is one of them, so not unrelated.

I had 1 sleeping pill ages ago. It work TOO WELL. It didn't harm me but it wiped me out for the next day. It also had the benefit of me having lots of sleep (good) and kind of re-setting things. I only feel comfortable taking it when I am not looking after my son. So, it was prescribed knowing it would be an OK thing for me to take - the GP and I talked at length about how lack of sleep doesn't help anything, so if we can tackle that it will help.

I agreed to him prescribing 5 and said I would pick them up if the opportunity arose. This was last week. Today I went to collect a different prescription and they gave me the sleeping pills instead. Head maybe if you read the OP it does explain that. I didn't 'just stand there'.

I'm getting a bit upset now. I don't know why I posted really, I am regretting it. I already said that I have understood the issue.

I will stop reading now - not flouncing off cos you've all said IABU, but just because there is no benefit to me continuing to read.

What does if the opportunity arose mean? I’d say if you were actually standing in the doctor’s surgery the opportunity to pick them up had well and truly arisen?? Am I missing something?

Th opportunity to take a while tablet ie when my son is being looked after by someone else.

Is it me or are people not reading the thread?

*whole

It’s you. You said you would pick them up if the opportunity arose. If you meant something different you should have said something different.

I understand OP. I think the receptionist was a little pushy but she probably was trying to be helpful. If it happens again perhaps try saying "thank you, but the GP is aware of why I only have them on standby here" or similar.

Take care and good luck managing your MH.

Do people really need to pick at her wording?
Shes obviously struggling and doesnt need to go through the grinder.

She appreciates by this point that shes done things different to how many of us would, but that's fine and end of the story.

Ps OP. Was it Zopiclone you were given? It can be excellent. I found I could get 4 hours sleep on it. Weird though how I was waking up pretty much 4 hours later when I was taking it. But it really helped me restart a decent sleep cycle.

HeadintheiClouds I appreciate this is AIBU and therefore a bearpit, but the OP has quite clearly said she is suffering from MH issues for which she sees her GP regularly and the management of which involves not keeping strong meds at home, which suggests suicidal ideation - so maybe think about wording your responses just a little more kindly under the circumstances?

Sorry, op. I only picked at her wording because the wording meant something else entirely. Anyway, yes, I spoke out of turn, apologies

A lot of training for a lot of jobs says to ask the same thing three times.

If a sales person or cold caller is trying to sell you something they will ask if you want it. An initial response is 'no', when they ask a second time you tend to think about it more and the cracks start appearing, you weaken a bit. Asking again gives you the chance to reconsider your answer and say 'oh, go on then, I'll have it'. It is a proven technique in sales, but if you say 'no' three times they tend to know you mean it.

Maybe this technique is used in many other areas, it would make sense for it to be. If you answer 'no' to getting the medication three times the pharmacist knows you definitely don't want it, but if you do want it and haven't taken it for some reason you have a chance to change your mind. If someone asks if you want something only the once and you answer 'no' but really do want it often times you are too embarrassed to turn around and say 'Actually, I will have xyz items' and will walk out without them.

She was probably only trying to make sure you were certain about not having the medication.

In my surgery, we keep paper prescriptions for 4 weeks. After this they are cancelled and shredded.
If we give prescriptions to patients 'just in case', they'd need to take them away to keep them longer than that.
Prescriptions for controlled drugs like zolpidem and zopiclone are only valid for 30 days from the date of issue. Leave it longer and they're completely useless.
For 'just in case' sleeping pill prescriptions we tend to prescribe 3-7 pills to be collected immediately and stored at home.

Sorry valid for 28 days not 30!

OP, is it having the medication itself in the house? If your doctor agrees you could take the green prescription (not the tablets), and take it to a pharmacy when you decide you are ready for them- if they are in stock you would be able to pick them up within 10 minutes or so. She was probably just wrongly not really listening, and didn't understand that you wanted the other item dispensed but not that one; but assumed you'd ordered both and had changed your mind about it. I know things can linger in the mind for a while, but please try not to think about it anymore. It's between you and your doctor what is going to work best for you.

Stripes100 op has very clearly explained WHY she and her DOCTOR have decided this is exactly what should happen (meds held in reserve at pharmacy) - why on EARTH do you think it reasonable her health is risked by her having the meds at home? Have you ANY medical training or expertise in mental health?

Same applies to sidge

A receptionist - who isn't medically trained, clearly doesn't have knowledge of the op's medical history or of their treatment plan - has no business commenting whatsoever! As soon as op gave the first "no" the matter should have ended there.

"And it would have been least wasteful of all not to accept a prescription she had no intention of using." That's NOT what op has said at all! She has said it is a medication she would only use if absolutely necessary in certain circumstances, she's also said - and her DOCTOR (you know the person with actual medical training and who knows her full history) agrees that her having certain meds too easily to hand at home is risky for her.

Disgusted at yet another thread filled with discrimination towards a mentally ill poster who has been made to feel WORSE for simply trying to manage the issues around her illness

Don't worry about it too much I think she just didn't realise what you meant rather than trying to push pills onto you.
What sleeping tablets are they is there another one that you can take that doesn't knock you out the night day?
Dd has to take them and one in particular does that to her so she takes a different one.

@ZillaPilla - your OP was perfectly clear and I understand your reasons for wanting to leave the medication there. I can see that the receptionist thought she was helping, but maybe she needs a little training on the different strategies people use to manage their mental health and accept that she might not be privy to the details of why some people make certain requests but that she should refer any concerns to someone qualified rather than trying to intervene herself.

You are clearly doing an excellent job of managing your mental health and recognising situations which could be detrimental to it, so don't less this situation make you second-guess yourself. You sound like a loving and responsible parent too.

@ Graphista not only do I have ANY training in health. I have a whole professional degree in it thanks. And Meds can’t be held in reserve at the pharmacy. You seem to be confused between a fulfilled and an unfulfilled prescription.

@Graphista I work in primary care and have done for 20 years. Holding meds is not the responsibility of the surgery or the pharmacy.

Where there are concerns for safety in patients with MH issues we can limit prescribing, and liaise with pharmacies regarding dossette boxes, deliveries etc. What we don't do is act as a storage facility for filled prescriptions to make it easier for patients - that is not safe, not good practice and not permissible.

What if the OP decided at midnight that actually she DID want to take one of her tablets, and couldn't because they were locked up elsewhere?

The OP also says I agreed to him prescribing 5 and said I would pick them up if the opportunity arose. This was last week.

What she didn't say was "the GP said I can have the script issued and leave the actual tablets in the pharmacy to collect when I need them" I can't imagine a GP would think that was appropriate.