why did i let myself get bullied in to buying a drug i have no intention of taking now

[bananasandwich]

Went to pick up my prescription and got told that my erythromycin (antibiotic) and venlafaxine (effexor) have interactions and was advised to stop taking venlafaxine....first of all NO NO AND NO!!!!!

So I said well I dont want the erythromycin then I will just go back to Drs on Monday. Pharmasist was incistant that I needed it. So he consulted his book more and decided that actually the risk MIGHT not be that bad so I have to try taking them both together and go to my dr if i feel bad.

He started rambling about drug groups and saying that actually they maybe would be ok etc. Ended up paying for them both. Got home and read the note he had put on it said that "Ven and Ery have SERIOUS interactions and he would advise against them" (he put serious in capitals. So if he put that on the box why persuade me to take them both????

There is no way in hell I am going to take the erythromycin now - have googled and its all about the heart and the QT or something, so Im not risking it. I am raging at him for being unclear and also at myself for not standing my ground.

Back to Drs on Monday I guess.

Might as well have thrown £5 out the window, what am I going to do with my huge pack of tabs now doubt the NHS will give me a refund eh

You have every right to go back to the chemist's and ask what exactly he meant- I can't see why he wrote that on the box, other than to cover himself- but if they DO inter-react, why would ge sell them anyway?

he also wrote - for further information see BNF, SPC or orther reference source. This interaction is considered significant according to the datasheet.

NEVER stop taking ADs like Effexor cold turkey.

Phone NHS Direct and ask what to do, you may be able to get something else prescribed by an out of hours doctor.

Pharmacist is covering his arse with the note on the drugs, and would no doubt deny that he said you should be OK to take them together.

He has behaved very unprofessionally.

I agree that you should get further advice - can you phone your OOH doctors' service for telephone advice?

How is raging at the pharmacist in order - surely this is the fault of your GP for prescribing these two drugs?

Agree, call NHS Direct and ask them to help.

biwi i guess your right in a way - but it was his saying yes take them to me, but then putting that he advised NOT to take them on the form, so I am now being told 2 things not just one story.

I am also annoyed at drs yes - it was hosp that wrote a letter to my gp asking her to prescribe the antibiotic, which she did - she should have realised then. Also I spoke to a different GP yesterday as I was unclear as to WHY i had been given an antibiotic because I thought loads of people were carriers of strep b. He had my notes at time and knew I am also on effexor so should have noticed as well.

Ok thanks I will call NHS now.

sometimes benefit outweighs the risk in medicine.

I wasn't suggesting raging at the pharmacist-merely querying it. the point is, drs are in pharmacists hands- they often know more than drs about drugs and often pick things up that drs have missed!

I find this really hard to understand, cos the pharmacist would not be making ££s out of selling you that other drug anyway- they only get a tiny % of the prescription fee.

Could you not pop into another pharmacy such as Boots if you have one, and ask for another opinion?

BTW I have called NHS direct before and found then utterly USELESS! They sit on the fence and after you have spent hours telling them every thing about yourself, they then end up saying "Go back to your GP"- this is a con to try to stop people dashing off to the drs, but the people who man the phones at NHS direct are NOT experts.

Just spoke to a pharmacist on NHS24 (am in scotland) shes listened to all i have said. Was suitably shocked when I said about him advising to stop taking ven while I was on antibiotic.

Shes going to call me back once shes read some books.

Got to go to work in a min, will update later, thanks all.

In fairness to your GP, there are thousands of drugs and even more potential interactions. The interaction you mention is not listed in the BNF, though erythromycin inhibits one of the enzymes which breaks down venlafaxine which could theoretically result in higher levels of venlafaxine. Pharmacists dispense medication so that it can be double checked, and their training is only in medication (not clinical history taking, examination, investigation, diagnosis, practical procedures, etc.). Agree he should've been clearer and must have ended up feeling he hadn't a clue what he was talking about! You can look on BNF.org yourself (you have to register but is v. easy). Agree with you absolutely - don't stop venlafaxine, at pharmacist suggesting you should. And it's not his place to say you "need" erythromycin. And if pharmacist knew his stuff he should have known that suddenly stopping venlafaxine would be worse than taking 2 in combination. (IMO)

Thanks.

She has told me that the serious risk is for people with heart probs. But while I have been on ven I have already had ecgs to check for this and all clear.

So I should be fine.

appreciate the input x