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Prescription chaos

M

Merluza

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Pronouns
He/Him
Sorry, long post that verges on being a rant.

I have an ongoing and possibly worsening problem with my prescriptions. It isn't that I can't get my medication it's that I keep getting too much. In the beginning I would pop into the pharmacy and ask them to order what I needed, it worked fine. Then the GP pharmacist decided that they would arrange for my tablets (2 months worth) to be dispensed automatically. That was ok too, insulin and blood test sticks I requested as needed. At some point I started getting blood test strips when I hadn't asked for them but that was ok for a while, then I kept getting insulin when I didn't need it and I started getting a build up in the fridge. When I started with the Libre2s I checked with the pharmacy that I should order them and they agreed, so I did. I went in to collect and got double my prescription, plus some insulin I didn't need which they said was a gift (?).

I went on today to collect my tablets and asked to see what had been prescribed and it contained everything on my medication list, I only need the tablets at the moment so I rejected everything else.

The problem is I can't find who is responsible, the pharmacy pointed the finger at the GPs for over-prescribing ketone strips when they asked for blood tests and the GP pharmacist blamed me and put a limit on my prescription. I took this amiss as I had never, ever, asked for any. She also accused the pharmacy of ordering things just so they can boost their income. She would fix this she said but I find myself in a situation where the Surgery is happily sending prescriptions for everything. This is all hugely inconvenient and difficult for me and a waste of money, I have blood and ketone strips I will never use and I once had to throw away a whole box of insulin vials as they went out of date.

There are two sets of people who I don't doubt are trying to do the best for me and an automated system or two involved as well, and they are not working. I know I have to make an appointment with the Surgery pharmacist and attempt sort this out, I'm not confident, as well as try to get the Libre2s updated but I just wondered if anyone else has similar problems?
 
Former pharmacy technician here - it is very likely that the pharmacy are over-ordering; this could be an error or it could be because they get payment for every item they dispense. It's interesting that they told you the extra insulin was a 'gift' - once you take it they get paid for the item, but if you refuse it before leaving the pharmacy, they don't. I personally am suspicious.
If I were you, I would change my pharmacy.
Sorry you've been through this, must be greatly frustrating!
 
I order my meds via an app/website connected to my GP @Merluza I tick what I need so there’s a record of what I’ve ordered. I’ve never been given things unless I requested them.

Could you use a similar system to order your prescription items? There are a few and each surgery usually has one particular one you can use.
 
T
Inka said:
I order my meds via an app/website connected to my GP @Merluza I tick what I need so there’s a record of what I’ve ordered. I’ve never been given things unless I requested them.

Could you use a similar system to order your prescription items? There are a few and each surgery usually has one particular one you can use.
Click to expand...
That is what I am going to try to do. I can order through the app.
 
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Lauren said:
Former pharmacy technician here - it is very likely that the pharmacy are over-ordering; this could be an error or it could be because they get payment for every item they dispense. It's interesting that they told you the extra insulin was a 'gift' - once you take it they get paid for the item, but if you refuse it before leaving the pharmacy, they don't. I personally am suspicious.
If I were you, I would change my pharmacy.
Sorry you've been through this, must be greatly frustrating!
Click to expand...
Thanks, for your slightly disturbing rely. I've thought about it, I used to use a different pharmacy but they were so inefficient that I ended up without insulin one weekend so I gave up on them, but I may need to have a rethink.
 
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Read google reviews of local pharmacies, hopefully this will help you find a decent one. There are also online services such as RX Live. Good luck!
 
If they give you extra stuff you don’t have to keep it. Check what’s in the bag and give them back anything that you didn’t ask for. If you do this in front of them before you’ve left the premises they can re-dispense it to someone else so that it isn’t wasted. If you leave the building and then come back later to return things though, they have to dispose of them, because they can’t prove that you haven’t tampered with it (even if the packaging is still sealed).
 
I'm a little jealous. I was put on medicine for high blood pressure in 2007. My surgery would only give 28 days at a time whereas a friend with a neighbouring surgery gets two months supply. I did order electronically for a while but my access failed. I havent yet downloaded the app so post my prescription thru surgery letterbox. I'm on some eyedrops for uveitis that they have kindly put on my repeat but I didn't need any last month so didn't tick the box. Annoyingly I was taken off a diuretic for BP in September but it was reintroduced in January and now is two weeks out of synch. My local pharmacy is Boots and they are good.
 
I know, it seems marvelous to have an endless supply but what you really want is what you need when you need it, no more, no less. When this started happening there was talk in the press about shortages and I thought I was lucky but a fridge full of insulin that is starting to overflow and shelves full of testing stuff that is going to run out of date if you don't rotate it properly really does become a problem. I don't think one is worse than the other, both are bad and don't need to exist.
 
Merluza said:
I know, it seems marvelous to have an endless supply but what you really want is what you need when you need it, no more, no less. When this started happening there was talk in the press about shortages and I thought I was lucky but a fridge full of insulin that is starting to overflow and shelves full of testing stuff that is going to run out of date if you don't rotate it properly really does become a problem. I don't think one is worse than the other, both are bad and don't need to exist.
Click to expand...
Even hospital pharmacies are struggling to obtain certain medications and even liquid nitrogen for the various scanners is in short supply in some areas limiting the appointments for CT and MRIs.
Some pharmacies are actually using dispensing hubs and just receive and dole out the medications rather than inhouse dispensing.
 
@Leadinglights I live in a very small town with one chemist. The surgery sends the prescription to them a d if you live in the town that's where you go. Country folk go to the pharmacy at the surgery. Unless it's an emergency it is effectively dispensed by a hub and delivered to Boots.
 
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