Prescriptions

[Caran]

Went to coop pharmacy again today to get meds. Told sorry pharmacist is not on the premises as his mother has had a stroke and he has had to go to Birmingham.
We are. Not allowed to issue prescriptions when he is not here. We both ran out of pills last Friday. Our fault we should have ordered them sooner.

[Mamyalynne]

Oh dear, they mustn't have had enough time to get an emergency replacement, ring them in the morning.

[Caran]

Also OH wanted a spray for his back as he has put it out and is in pain. They couldn't sell him that either.
Is this a national rule or just a coop one?

[ummmm]

Do you have to get them from the Co-op?

[Caran]

But the prescriptions were already made up Mamya.

[Zacs-Master]

Depends what’s in the back spray.

[Jackdaw33]

I would have asked for the prescription back and taken it to another pharmacy.

[Caran]

Don't have to get them from the coop but doctors had already sent the prescriptions there at our request.

[Zacs-Master]

Looks like you’ve been caught up in red tape and junior staff are, quite understandably, playing by the rules.

[Mamyalynne]

If they are not allowed to issue without a Pharmacist present then they have stuck to the rules, sadly for you.

I have no idea why they couldn't sell a muscle spray, some of those are on supermarket shelves.

[bednobs]

Its country and pharmacy wide - not just the coop.

[THECORBYLOON]

If a pharmacist is not present, whatever the reason, certain items cannot be dispensed.

[tonyav]

All pharmacy's have that rule.

[THECORBYLOON]

I was at the chemists in Asda a few month ago and an elderly bloke was getting vocal because the pharmacist was on her break and whatever it was he wanted couldn't be dispensed.

I stepped in and said it wasn't their fault and the pharmacist was entitled to a break and he could get his messages and come back.

He walked off still muttering but the staff thanked me anyway.

[Jackdaw33]

I learnt never to go to the pharmacy between 1 and 2 p.m. because the chemist was on her lunch. Infuriating, I know, especially when you can see the medication on the shelf but they won't hand it over.

[Buenchico]

Even things which don't require a prescription, but which are still 'pharmacy only' items, can't be sold when no pharmacist is present. Without a pharmacist actually there, the pharmacy becomes 'just another shop'.

So, for example, you can buy several 48-tablet packs of paracetamol (without a prescription) when the pharmacist is present but you can only be sold a total of 32 tablets if the pharmacist is, say, on his/her lunch break. (i.e. the rules that then apply are the same ones that apply at a supermarket checkout).

Similarly, you can't buy antifungal creams like Clotrimazole when the pharmacist isn't there as, even if the person making the purchase is clearly under 60 years of age, the pharmacist is still responsible for checking that the person who'll actually use the cream isn't over 60.

[Jackdaw33]

I've read about this before. What is it about this cream that you can't buy it once you reach 60? If you want it all you have to do is send someone under 60 to buy it.

[Buenchico]

Tony:
Clotrimazole isn't licensed for sale to people over 60. Several sources (such as my quote below) suggest that the reason is linked to possible vaginal problems in older women, with men (who might just have athlete's foot or jock itch) getting caught up in the 'catch all' rules.

Quote (from HealthUnlocked.com - I can't provide a link as you need to be logged into the site to view its content):
"Unfortunately working in pharmacy we get this all the time, no one in any shop not just in a pharmacy's. We are not allowed to sell anyone over 60 or under 16 any Canesten products, as it is not licensed for those age groups. When you are over 60 you can get something called Atrophic vaginitis which mimics thrush it happens to postmenopausal women who's lack of oestrogen reduces vaginal resistance to infection and injury, which can produce similar burning and itching symptoms to thrush, but thrush is uncommon in postmenstrual women. Therefore we can not sell it because it could not be thrush at all"

[Jackdaw33]

Thank you, Chico, but if it only affects women why can't they sell it to men?

[Bazile]

Yep - boots is the same
Even if the script has been dispensed and checked and bagged up; they cannot hand it over if the pharmacist is not there in the shop .

[calmck]

I was at the airport once and wanted to take some kids calpol home. Could only buy one box as per rules so went back three times no questions asked