help please about pharmacists!

[spongesrlovely]

ok im 41 weeks today. Past few days iv developed a dreadful ear infection in both ears its very painful and iv gone quite deaf. I didnt sleep at all last night due to the pain so i rang nhs direct this morning to see if there was anything i could do. After discussing my symptoms they got me an appointment with out of hours gp. He has prescribed antibiotic ear drops that contain steroids as its quite a severe infection. Went to the chemist and the pharmacist has told me he wont give me them till the baby comes out because they'll cause abnormalities such as cleft palate. I would never consider taking anything that would harm my baby but isnt it a tad late on to be worrying about this. Can he really refuse to give me them? Im so desperate and in so much pain. Someone please tell me i can go back and tell him he's gotta give me them im banging my head on the wall its so bloody painful :-(

Go to A&e and get them from there. You will get a more sensible view o things. Also you could try ringing the labour ward and have a whinge and see what they can do.

Poor you!

Nothing worse than ear ache.

I would say follow the pharmacists guidance. They are very very good at knowing the drugs inside out and would never allow you to take something that would risk your baby. Neither Doctors or Pharmacists are perfect, 99.999999% are very good with the what you can and can't take, but I would want an alternative product if they disagree at all.

Give the doc another call and explain, for your problem there are loads of alternatives to take, and it may be worth telling him which pharmacist refused you the drug he prescribed and if he wants he can contact them and discuss directly. They are both caregivers and responsible for your treatment.

Hope you feel better soon.

The pharmacist cannot refuse to dispense your prescription! Go to another pharmacy. The drops can't really cause any abnormalities now that you're 41 weeks. Also, the amount of drugs in the drops will be very small as they work locally in the ear. Get your script dispensed elsewhere and don't worry.

I am a pharmacist so will try an answer your post....

Pharmacists are entitled to refuse to dispense a prescription if they believe it to be in the best interests of the patient. If they believe it is not - in this case because of the potential side effects, they can refuse.

However....
Whenever I have done this I have always contacted the prescriber to discuss my concerns and try to get an alternative solution.
Also in this case I would be interested to know why the pharmacist is concerned. Ear drops act pretty much locally so only a v small amount would get into the mother's blood stream. Don't quite understand where this pharmacist is coming from.

The pharmacist is entitled to refuse and can do this on professional grounds because if the doctor prescribes the wrong dose or strength or something potentially harmful, it is equally the fault of the pharmacist as much as the doctor if the pharmacist authorises it to be dispensed.

In this instance I would go back to the pharmacist and ask them to contact the prescriber for an alternative or to discuss their concerns or I guess just go to another pharmacy...

im just waiting in for my mw at the moment she's supposed to be coming to do a sweep. I dont really wanna go thru the hassle of getting another prescription written out incase another pharmacist refuses to give me them. I just wanna know if a pharmarcist is allowed to over rule a doctor without fully looking at my ears and refusing the drops. Surely a doctor is more qualified and i can go back and demand he give them to me :-(

Cleft palate at 41 weeks? Good grief - the pharmacist doesn't know much about the development of the fetus. What a fool he is. Just trying to be clever, but dangerously ignorant IMO.

I think we may have x-posted so hope my reply answers your query.
A doctor is trained in general medicine with a focus on diagnosis. A pharmacist studies for a 4 year Masters and then a further one year on the job training before they can qualify. the training is focussed on drugs, drug design, the effect of drugs on the body, advising patients and formulating medicines. I often refer patients back to GP if they need a diagnosis as - other than minor ailments - that is more their expertise. I often have GPs phone me to ask advice on drugs and their mode of action, interactions, etc as that is what a pharmacist is expert in. In an ideal world we should be able to work as one team together.

Can you send someone else to a different pharmacy?

ok i had to contact the out of hours gp again and he had to call the pharmacist direct to explain the drops he prescribed are not found to be harmful in late pregnancy and in fact he prescribed these ones as they have the highest success rate in pregnant women with ear ache. Anyway my dp is going down to get the drops now im too embarrased to go near the place now. I have been trying alternatives for the past few days with no relief. Thank you so much for the fast responses.

That's ok. I'm just sorry you had such a bad experience - not all pharmacists are like that!!

agree with 3lf, some pharmacists are great, but that one isn't! When babies are born prematurely, the Mum is given whopping doses of steroid to mature the lungs. The palate is already formed! Did he think that the drug would make it dissolve?

Talking out of his bottom, I'm afraid! If you were a few weeks pg, then he may have a point, but many babies are already out by 41 weeks.

the pharmacist kept the prescription so i couldnt take it elsewhere. I understand there highly qualified and i didnt argue with him i agreed, it wasnt until i got home and broke my heart about the pain i realised maybe he might have been over reacting a tad.

I'm sure he was trying to do the right thing but honestly - how could anything cause cleft palate in a fully formed baby??? The palate develops wrong in babies with CP, it doesn't just split out of nowhere!

its funny how easily you stand like a nodding dog in front of people with white coats on despite knowing there talking rubbish. I really did already know that kat lol i really have no excuses for him it was a really daft thing to say to a about to pop half deaf in pain pregnant brain lady. Iv got no chance trying to refuse induction next week if this baby doesnt get a move on if i cant even speak up to a chemist. :-(

The pharamcist should have called the doctor!

Fact is, pharmacists don't have all the information. I had a very strong painkiller when I was 39 weeks and the pharmacist said she had concerns about what was being prescribed. She said she would call the doctor to discuss, which was extactly right.

I have a severe kidney problem, which is pregnancy is unbearable. THe consultant balanced the potential detriment with my clinical requirements.

Not sure he can keep the prescription though

The pharamcist is an idiot - there is no way on earth anything can cause cleft palate at 41 weeks - honestly the things people say to pregnant women

Please complain about him - both to the pharmacy & your doctor. What he did is actually dangerous - doctors prescribe plenty of drugs to pregnant women which have never (& likely never will be) been proven safe . That why they get the long & specialist training - balance of risks & assessing evidence. I'm absolutely furious on your behalf. Idiot man - if he was worried he should have called the doctor to confirm the prescription.

I take steroids through the embryonic period (up to 8 weeks as the organs form) in my pregnancies & yes there is a very small risk of cleft palate when they are taken at that point but that is weighed against a very high risk of miscarriage due to the condition I have which the steroids treat.