To expect to be able to leave meds at a chemist for several weeks?

[Letmeoff]

If press rate valid for several months, if the doctor sends direct to pharmacy why can you not leave them for a while? With the way life is and the fact the chemist allows 1 person a time and the queue is always long, I did not pick up my prescribed meds for six or seven weeks. I received a couple of tests- the latest last week saying they were ready. When I wenot to get them they said they’ve put them back on the shelf. So I’m without meds for a few days while I wait for doc to reissue prescription and send to chemist. But now I’ve had time to think - if prescriptions are valid for months why couldn’t they just refill the prescription and give it to me? Why do I need to get a new one - aibu expecting you be able to pick up after weeks 🤔

Op, if this chemist always has a long queue, why not use a different one?

I switched from using the one attached to my doctors surgery who are only open during my working hours, expect you to not pick it up too soon but within two weeks (so basically you need to be unemployed or not working a 9-5 to comply) and are horrible to you.

As everyone has said chemists aren’t storage facilities but do yourself a favour and use one that works for your lifestyle! I now use the one in my local Sainsbury’s which usually has no queue, is open extended hours and I can pick up when I do my shopping.

yes yabu. They couldn't have been that vital if you went without them for weeks - or you had built up a stockpile which also isn't good
You could have asked someone else to collect them for you if you couldn't make it

@SallySolardel that is a bit odd. Scripts are only valid for 6 months and they wouldn’t get paid.

Most pharmacies do not have the space to store them. You should only order them when you need them.

@SteeperThanHell we used to store the medication for a year but send the prescriptions off if the patient was exempt.

YABU. It's not the pharmacys fault that you're disorganized. They aren't a storage company.

YABU. If it’s a new prescription then obviously you need the medication now. If it’s a repeat why would your order then leave it 7 weeks. You order when you need them

That's ridiculous leaving it that long.

@ExclamationPerfume that is fraud. You can’t claim until collected by the patient. If the patient never collects you have claimed money for something that wasn’t supplied.

Yabu.

@steeperthanhell It was a huge chain I used to work for. We always did it that way. The shelves were cleared after 3 months and any remaining uncollected prescriptions were stored in the stockroom. We would record on their record that there was an uncollected prescription.

@ExclamationPerfume big chain or not it is still fraud.

If you can afford to leave your prescription sat on a shelf for 6-7 weeks, why TF did you even order it?

Even if you were self isolating, they would have delivered it for you

YABVVVVVU

But I see that you haven't been back to the thread, presumably because you had your arse handed to you

YABU. I hope they flag it with your prescribing doctor and something gets done about all this time wasting.

I’m confused, why did you request it 7 weeks before you needed it?

You’re being completely unreasonable. Pharmacies are already overstuffed to make sure they have everything people need. If you are ordering it that far in advance you clearly don’t need it immediately, and you are taking up space, time and energy that could be used for someone else. My DSis is a pharmacist and she is run of her feet by people like you thinking her shop is their own personal warehouse.

Thanks all - quite agree it’s unreasonably to leave them there for weeks - my question is if the prescription is still valid why can’t they refill it without needing new one?

@SteeperThanHell

@Letmeoff

Thanks all - quite agree it’s unreasonably to leave them there for weeks - my question is if the prescription is still valid why can’t they refill it without needing new one?

@SteeperThanHell

My guess would be it's because it has been filled and so marked as filled.

my question is if the prescription is still valid why can’t they refill it without needing new one?

I don't work in a pharmacy, so I don't know the system, but from what I've seen online, different pharmacies have different policies. Superdrug allows you two months, Lloyd's seems to allow all six. It might be the case that once it has been filled, it can't be filled again. For clarification, you'd probably need to speak to the pharmacy involved.

Green scripts may have been shredded. Electronic probably returned to spine - these can probably be retrieved if the GP hasn’t cancelled it.

There are other safety and compliance considerations depending on the type of meds. Additionally schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs are only valid for 4 weeks.

YABU. 6 or 7 weeks is far too long to leave it.

Nah m8

I don't understand why you're ordering medication when you don't need it.

@Letmeoff

Thanks all - quite agree it’s unreasonably to leave them there for weeks - my question is if the prescription is still valid why can’t they refill it without needing new one?

@SteeperThanHell

At a guess, because it had been filled and was a "x1".

@CherryValanc
As a pharmacist I’m puzzled by what people mean by this:

“At a guess, because it had been filled and was a "x1”

If the pharmacy has dispensed and claimed then that is fraud. The other main optionA (as 90% of scripts are electronic) are that the pharmacist has marked as not dispensed (hard to retrieve) or returned to spine - easier to retrieve through the tracker, but has some issues if the GP doesn’t cancel (and not retrievable if the GP has cancelled).