This is a bit of a strange and difficult one

[oldanddone]

I take Tramadol for my back, which I fractured almost 3 years ago. I have really been taking these ever since then. I had noticed that I had been running out of them more quickly and putting in more repeated prescriptions but didn't look into it. The doctor phoned to say that I have had far more than needed and they won't give me another prescription. I take 6 a day. I phoned the pharmacy and they say I received 168 tablets last Friday. I have just checked and I had a box that hadn't been opened together with some other tablets. On the outside of the box it says there are 68 tablets. I have just opened the sealed box and there are 20. I have phoned the pharmacy and they don't believe me. I don't have anyone who could have taken them and anyway, the box was sealed closed. What do I do. I am seeing the pharmacist tomorrow but I only have enough to do me 4 days in total.

Can you go to the surgery with the box as evidence? Sounds like an error in the paperwork either what was prescribed or what the pharmacy gave you

If you GENUINELY believe the pharmacy is short-supplyomg you, you tell the GP ASAP amd be prepared to speak to the police etc. And you change pharmacies.

Do you collect the prescriptions yourself?
Do you live alone and have no one comng in? Or is there someone else ewjommay have had access to them?
Are you sure you don't take more than you say/think you do?

The prescription from last Friday sounds like a clerical error. You will have to take the packaging back to the pharmacy and explain. They should be able to cross-reference their inventory with your script, as otherwise they have 100 tablets unaccounted for.

The more frequent running out and increased repeat prescriptions sounds like a separate issue and will have been flagged automatically as drug-seeking behaviour, I'm afraid. The pills are going somewhere. You might need to have some very difficult conversations about who might have access to them.

Do they post them to you?
I always collect from the pharmacy and open the packaging, count the foils properly and check the expiry dates before walking out of the pharmacy.
I’ve had boxes short before - sometime they label them as so (with pills to follow on X date), sometimes they forget or just don’t fill the boxes.
I’ve also had quite a lot of expired pills given to me, and pills due to expire within the period I was supposed to take them. I know you shouldn’t have to, but if it’s a Boots / Tesco pharmacy, I would absolutely check these things because they are hopeless. Day Lewis are a lot better.

I think you need an urgent appointment with your doctor.

Either the pharmacy are giving you fewer tablets than is on the prescription or you're accidentally taking too many.

It sounds like the former, from what you say. Which would be a police matter.

Regardless, I suspect it would be very bad for you to go from 6 a day to 0, so you'll need support to adjust your dosage.

Are you addicted?

It's no one here. They wouldn't even know where to find them. I haven't taken more than I am supposed to and they say there has been no error at their end. I also take other tablets and actually cut these down myself so not something a person addicted to drugs would do.

No I am not addicted for God sake. I would hardly come on here if I was addicted. I sometimes forget to take them until I feel pain so not chomping at the bit for them.

Who do you live with?

It's so much more likely to be you taking more, or someone else taking them from you, than it is the pharmacy.

There is no point snapping at pp. You will have been flagged for drug-seeking behaviour and every interaction you have with the GP and pharmacist on the subject is going to have the subtext of ‘are you addicted?’. You need to be clear on your numbers so that you can present the situation calmly.

Tramadol is highly addictive though, so I’m not surprised they’re sceptical. You can’t easily prove that you opened the box and only 20 were packed. That’s why it’s easier to prove by unpacking in front of them. They do get very shirty about this (be prepared!) but I’ve had so much bad luck with Boots that I’m prepared to take their snarky comments about their own clerical errors over the inconvenience of not having the right amount of medication!
Good luck.

Totally irrelevant question given the OP

There is a possibility that the pharmacist is monumentally careless and making repeated errors or is stealing medication and is repeatedly targeting your drugs. However that would be incredibly high risk and a stupid way for them to do it. So I think there are more likely explanations to consider first. Are you absolutely certain that no one has any chance if stealing them from you? And are you absolutely certain that you are taking them as directed? I don't want to patronise you with the last question, but this being something happening at the pharmacy over and again of late seems so unlikely. You could always test it by changing to a different one though.

If the new box didn't have the right number in the box go back to the pharmacy.

I had this with the Pill last month. A box should have 3 strips in and only had one. They replaced the other two and said it was a manufacturing error.

I’m afraid the GP will consider it highly relevant. She is probably dependent, which is not the same as addicted but has serious implications for withdrawal.

Not really.

Either:

• there’s been an error at the pharmacy
• someone at the pharmacy has stolen them
• someone else has stolen them
• the OP is abusing tablets and liking for advice to cover that

If you’ve been taking them continuously for 3 years, you are almost certainly addicted to them in the sense that your body will have developed some tolerance to opioids.
You need to go into the pharmacy and speak to them and see what their response is - but it is quite likely that people will try to talk to you about reducing the dose and weaning off them at some point, as there is good evidence for the long term risks of opioids managing chronic pain https://fpm.ac.uk/opioids-aware-clinical-use-opioids/long-term-harms-opioids as well as evidence to suggest it doesn’t really improve pain much in the longer term.

There is absolute no one that could have taken them. For instance I got a new box just before I went on holiday. They say they have been giving me 168 a month which is a full month's supply. At the end of the week I realised I was probably running very low so ordered as soon as I came back. No one but me knew where the tablets were. I can see an error being made once or twice but it just makes no sense. I haven't had any issues until maybe September. I haven't taken too many. In fact for many years I haven't taken the full dose which is probably why I had spare ones. I wasn't narky with the Doctor or the pharmacist. I am not accusing anyone but I am a bit worried about this. I hate taking the tablets but will be in a lot of pain without them. I am going to seriously ration them until I can speak to the doctor or get it sorted at the pharmacy.

No one but me knew where the tablets were

This is so, so unlikely. If you're taking them multiple times a day anyone you live with will have noticed.

I know I will be physically addicted if that makes sense. You can't just stop these tablets but because I have been caught out a few times I have reduced the dose to 2 or 3 a day to make them last. I don't feel any bad effect from this other than pain. I really do not want to take these tablets. If they could give something else I would be happy. I don't want to take tablets at all, I hate it. They certainly don't make me high or crave them. Funnily my mum takes them for arthritis and she says they are coming in strips of 10 rather than 20. I never noticed but maybe someone mis-counted?

It's very obviously the bottom one.

Both myself and DP have had a few errors happen with our prescriptions over the years so mistakes happen. He was dispensed a totally wrong drug once and I mistakenly told him it must just be a generic version. He took it a few days til we realised and the pharmacy admitted the error and investigated.

OP - On a side note. I’ve broken 3 vertebrae so I sympathise. Are you not receiving any treatment to solve the pain issue? I only took tramadol for 4 weeks and later moved to physio and exercises etc long term.

The ones I take during the day are in my handbag. I suppose my husband knows where they are but he collects them for me quite often. The package is completely sealed when I receive them. He really isn't the type but I will of course speak to him when he comes in. Maybe it will work out for the best. I wanted a review anyway but I am worried I will be ill or in serious pain.

Of course you will be addicted to tramadol if you've been taking them for 3 years.

Sadly even if what you say is correct, I doubt anyone will believe you.

How many are in each strip?

68 seems a strange number to have in a box.