To take the meds?

[Medsinbin]

I work as a private housekeeper for an elderly lady who has recently been diagnosed with dementia and will shortly be moving into a nursing home. Unfortunately she has no close family so I've been filling in that sort of area a lot.

She's been on a load of medication like lanprazole, tramadol, codeine, duloxitine, and various blood pressure meds (not all at the same time(. She hasn't been taking them reliably and there's about three boxes of each stacked up, still sealed.

The nursing home have said they can't take them to administer and when I spoke to the pharmacist today she made it clear that while they can take them back, even through they're sealed and in the original packaging, they will be destroyed. It must be hundreds of pounds of meds (there's at least three boxes of each)

I take lansoprazole myself - exactly the same dose and brand. The lady I work for has tried to give her unused ones to me several times but I've refused so far.

Would I be unreasonable to take them so they don't just get thrown away? It would also save me several prescription costs which would be great because I'm looking at not having a job very shortly. (Just to be clear - it's only the lansoprazole I'm considering- I am absolutely 100% not taking any of the painkillers)

I’m in the middle if there is one….no you shouldn’t because they weren’t prescribed to you but you should if it’s the same as yours. I know that obvious contradiction.doesn’t even make sense 😆
I guess this doesn’t help much, sorry!

It’s actually illegal to do so but I’d use them if they’re same dose and unused - you may find when you go to reorder from your own doctor they question why there’s a significant gap.

As an aside look into the prescription payment scheme as it can save money over the year if needing various meds

Go for it.

It's exactly the same medicine that I take.

I feel the same way. As long as you are supposed to be taking them, I would use them.

Thank you. It just seems so wasteful for a perfectly good medicine to go in the bin.

Honestly I've worked for her for about four years now and she's like a second mom to me. We both cried when she was diagnosed and I've been doing everything I can do she can stay at home for as long as possible but it's not safe any longer.

It's the exact same, even down to batch number!

Your GP may question why you don't order them for a while then start ordering them again after a few months

No the risk to future employment if it becomes known that you misappropriation a client's medication and that's before the risk of criminal prosecution for theft of a prescription medication. Honestly it's just not worth the risk.
Have you thought about getting a pre payment certificate they can work out much cheaper than just paying for individual prescriptions if you need multiple items or just 1 or 2 items regularly

I wouldn't touch them because she could easily accuse you of taking them. I thought prescriptions were free if you were unemployed.

If it's the exact same med in the same dose, and you have their permission then I'd take them.

I took some of my nans painkillers after she died as she barely used them and I'm on the exact same one. It came in handy as a few weeks later I dropped my bottle (it was a liquid) and spilled most of it so I was able to use hers and not go without, without having to faff around trying to get a replacement prescription.

My late OH and I were also on a lot of the same meds and would lend each other a tablet if we were late picking up our prescription and I took his inhalers after he died to leave at my mother's house in case I forgot to bring mine on a visit.

Other than being illegal, why would it be wrong?

This is one of those things where you can think critically about the situation at hand. Just because something is 'against the rules' doesn't make it wrong.

I genuinely see no issue with this and would use them. I used to work in a hospital pharmacy and most, if not all, of the staff there would have done the same but obviously cannot advise that to patients. There is nothing worse than sending perfectly good meds for destruction. Especially if unopened!

I wouldn't. You'll risk your job.

My job that's going anyway in a few weeks' time?

The idea of perfectly good stuff going in the bin for no reason makes me a bit angry tbh - both from a waste perspective and a practical one!

Well it's a moot point because her son has been in and taken the lot. It's not the first time he's stolen from her, and I suspect he was more interested in the painkillers than anything else. I've reported it to the police, hope he gets caught. At least it wasn't her purse this time 😡😡😡☹️

Oh blimey, you are right to inform the police. Tramadol and codeine get sold on.

He'll be taking them himself - he's always off his head on something. 😡😡

I wouldn’t think twice. I’d take all the meds

You'd be surprised. My partner was accidentally taking half a dose of his tablets (the dosage on them was worded a bit weird and it's understandable that he got mixed up with it) so was therefore only ordering them half as often as he should. The doctors didn't notice, and this went on for YEARS. He was having seizures when he shouldn't be, he asked them about it, and it STILL didn't click with them what was going on. It was me that noticed in the end as he wasn't well so I was refilling his pill box for him.

I was about to say, from your spelling of mom, if you’re in the US rather than the UK and therefore have really high meds costs, definitely use them. But now I see her son has taken them 😡

My doc almost killed me by overdose - I had oxi after a surgery and it was three times the does I should have had. Luckily the pharmacist caught it!

I use the app with no problems. However the pharmacy never rings me to say they have arrived. I give it three days then call them.