Advice on being prescribed an unsuitable medication by GP please. Should I complain?

[suwoo]

I had a thread running last week after I had been to the doctors with an allergic reaction to the penicillin I'd been prescribed for tonsilitis.

I was prescribed an alternative antibiotic and an antihistamine. I am 17 weeks pregnant and was prescribed clarythromycin and cetirizine.

Luckily I researched them online myself and relised they weren't suitable before I actually took any.

I had my midwife appointment today and asked her advice on whether I should complain. She looked at the computer system and there is no record of the clarythromicin on there , it must have been removed.

So, I assume there is no point complaining now as there is no 'evidence'? I handed the tablets back in to the pharmacist, so no proof there either.

That makes me want to complain more than I did initially .

That is awful. Can't antihistamines cause serious problems? It is truly shocking that the record has been changed, I am very shocked they could do this.

Surely the pharmacist will have a record of dispensing the drug to you?

I would complain.

I would definitely complain.
The pharmacist will have a record of the prescription. I know that anyone can make a mistake, but covering it up looks very, very bad and is incredibly unprofessional.

Sorry been out most of the day. Thanks for your comments. Who should I complain to in the first instance?

Every practice has a complaints procedure. Put what happened into writing and send it to the practice manager; you could copy same letter to the doctor you dealt with.
Depending on how far your complaint goes, it is possible to retrieve deleted computer entries again; you'd need a computer boffin for that.

I am sorry you had a bad experience. If you normally have a good relationship with your GP you may decide to not formalise your complaint, and simply speak to them. This is entirely up to you.

If I was you I would definetely NOT let this go. If nothing else, the practice need to check their systems to make sure this does not happen in the future.

Having said that, human error will never be totally impossible/preventable.

Hi mummy for 3. Yes I do have a good relationship with the whole practice. The GP is female and is the women and children specialist and was fully aware I was pregnant. I think that she was focusing on avoiding the penicillins and 'forgot' I was pregnant when prescribing the alternative, if that makes sense?

Yep, sometimes we need the well-informed vigilant patient to keep us right... and them safe

Being rushed/distracted/a numpty does not excuse mistakes like your prescription but sometimes offers the only explanation.
Personally, I am always keen to speak to anybody who feels the were not treated properly for whatever reason, and offer an apology if appropriate.
Hope you get a satisfactory resolution.

Plus, the pharmacy will have the original prescription - they will probably have it until the end of March.