To think this GP receptionist was quite rude?

[Wellexcuseyou]

I'm on two medications which I need to take daily in the morning. There has been a change in how repeated prescriptions are dealt with, you have to order them through your local pharmacy who send the request to the doctors office. All fine and no issues up until now.

I put the request in with the pharmacy last Tuesday who sent it off the same day. It usually takes 2 working days but no prescription was approved. I chased up - nothing. By yesterday I had completely ran out of one of my meds, noritryptiline.

The pharmacy called the doctors surgery themselves to find out what had happened. GP surgery said they didn't receive last week's request but said they'll take that call as the request and have a doctor look at it.

I'm starting to feel quite ill at this point and in withdrawal. Noritryptiline should never be stopped cold turkey and I'm on 100mg per day.

I called the GP surgery myself and politely asked whether the prescription will definitely be sent today as I'm feeling really quite ill and am on my own with my baby and toddler and I'm very faint and shaky which is worrying me.

The receptionist said "well you should have ordered the prescription sooner shouldn't you, not waited until the last minute"

Aibu to think that's really bloody rude? Especially after I explained that I had ordered it last week.

It wouldn't have made any difference if OP had requested in 10 days in advance considering they didn't receive the initial request.

OP, yeah she was needlessly rude & cloth-eared, & I imagine that was doubly hard to hear while you're undergoing a totally unscheduled & erroneous withdrawal.

But the main focus now is - when is that prescription going to be filled, & how soon can you pick it up.
This ought to be prioritised, to stop you becoming even more uncomfortable or possibly unwell - I imagine if you were able to ring again, & explain that to somebody else (Practice Manager if you can get hold of her), you will be understood & helped.

Really rude, don't think I would have been able to stop myself setting her straight.

Jeez don't be a dick.

YANBU OP, I would have asked her is she willingly lacking comprehension like this PP ^ or is it something she works hard to perfect.

Op I am on repeat meds and in a similar incident my pharmacist ‘loaned’ me some and when the prescription did come through she took that amount off. No good now to you but maybe if it ever happens again.

A GP surgery isn't a customer service environment @Dacadactyl
It is chock full of upset, scared, unwell people - some off whom are going to occasionally be "off meds" & acting irrationally.
Medical Front of House has no business thowing up its hands & playing the "Not My Fault" card. That attitude can be reserved for commercial entities - there seems plenty of it going around corporations.

If a GP receptionist is unable to cope with a tone of voice (not saying that OP's tone was poor, & not v nice of you to imply it was) without being rude, she's in the wrong job.

When it comes to actively ignoring facts she's been given in that same phone call, & ticking off a patient going into cold turkey off for something they're are not guilty of (late ordering) she needs taking aside by her PM & the riot act read.

I mean, she is wrong though.....

Maybe read posts before commenting eh?

@KettrickenSmiled fair enough, I understand what you're getting at.

I'm just saying...the Receptionist is human too.

The receptionist wouldn't know the full history, also there are numerous patients who state ' I requested this last week'...who in fact didn't.
On the screen it would only show that your RP request was today/yesterday and not the one you placed 10 days ago.

Sure she is, & thousands of them take a remarkable amount of shit from patients. So it's surprising that she wasn't able to consider that 1) this is a minor admin difficulty for me to sort out or refer on & 2) this is NOT minor to the patient, who is now entering withdrawal - she needs urgent assistance, not ignorant pushback.

Blaming OP for it is a bit "computer says no" innit?

Oh! - & thanks for your measured & courteous reply, that was big of you. Whereas I was a snarky git - apologies for that.

I agree with the others suggesting that OP asks her pharmacist for a few days' supply to tide her over. Is that something you can try, @Wellexcuseyou?

My pharmacist has done this for me when there was a (similar sounding) cock up over my thyroid medication. She gave me four days' worth while she sorted it out.

Involuntary withdrawal is no place for the faint-hearted and you deserve some kindness and assistance.

Speak to your pharmacist. Explain the situation they should be able to give you some nortriptyline to tide you over. You'll feel really unwell if you stop from 100mg. Take an old prescription/medication box with you to show them.

I paid £97 for a Private Prescription plus the Consultant fee, never needed to before. Letters copied into the GPs were enough for them to continue prescribing along with yearly blood/ eye tests.

What you rolling your eyes for if you’re ‘sincerely’ apologising? What’s your problem, you were an arse and now you’re rectifying that by being more arsey.

I have a regular repeat and if it's ordered more than a week out of me running out it isn't processed. It does mean that if drs or pharmacy mess up anything it can get a bit touch and go.

This!

Can the pharmacy not issue a couple to you in emergency as it's not your fault. I'm sure I've heard they have done that x

Very rude and unprofessional - a complaint is definately needed here

I've finally got my medication, thank god.

I wasn't aware that pharmacists could issue some to tide you over when a mix up happens. It wasn't offered to me.

I certainly wasn't rude to the receptionist, I was perfectly polite when I called in.

Did she know you had ordered earlier? If not, it would have looked like a same day request.

She sounds a right cf.
I had a run in with a rude receptionist a few years ago, about 2018. I'd ordered inhalers which hadn't arrived at my pharmacy so I popped into the surgery on my way back to politely ask if they'd been ordered so I could order if not. The receptionist looked at my file and then said in a really rude tone 'well if you don't go to your appointments you won't get your medication'.
I'd missed my asthma review as a week prior to it my sister died. They'd called me to book and I advised them of what had happened and the doctor said they would book it anyway but would leave notes to explain what had happened. I was with my parents and couldn't make it so i called them beforehand to say I wouldn't make it - all grand.
I then said to her (loudly so the people behind could hear me) actually if you check my notes you'll see that my sister has just passed suddenly and the doctor is aware and my appointment is due to be re-booked. I've never seen someone go from rude to sheepish so quickly in my life!

Report her to the practice manager, sounds like she’s in the wrong job.