Prescription Question

sf94117

Hi,

Quick question and I hope you can help. I got a prescription from my GP and it said on it "Issue X 3". I took this to mean it would be issued to me 3 times.

I'm just back from the pharmacy where I got the 3rd issuing of the prescription. I was expecting the pharmacist to tell me that I would need a new script for next time and keep the one I had given in (as they have done in the past). They didn't though, they simply returned the script in the bag with the medicine and said nothing.

Does this mean that I can still get another round on this script? Does "issue X3" mean give once and then repeat X 3?? Did they just make a mistake in the pharmacy? Are they supposed to take the script back once it's complete?

Dont want to make a fool of myself going back into the pharmacy and giving in a completed script!!!

Thanks,
SF

FluffyCat

'Issue x 3' can be taken as 4 times. Eg issued the first time and then 3 more.
For a six month prescription you might see 'Issue x 5'.

You doc might have meant 3 months and should have written 'Issue x 2' if thats the case.

JC06

I have a very similar question. My prescription says 3 THEN repeat by 6 If I have collected 3 times, does this mean I can still use the same prescription to collect 6 more sets of tablets?

FluffyCat

presciptions are valid for 6 months. Depending on the medication the pharmacist may be saving you a trip back to the doctor but really should keep it after its dispensed the stated times

RobFowl

I've discussed this with colleagues and pharmacists locally and the majority view is that repeat x3 means there are 3 issues only on the prescription.

1 GP colleague thinks though that it means the initial issue then 3 more (ie 4 in total) but none of the local pharmacists agree.

Kurtosis

I would say it often comes down to how it is written on the prescription and even down to local doctors and pharmacists working off the same interpretation.

Normally if I saw Issue x 3, I would interpret that as three dispensings total (initial and two repeats). The pharmacy may have contacted the doctor about this when dispensing the prescription or may know that this is how that doctor writes a prescription for four dispensings. Might be worth phoning or calling into the pharmacy to answer your questions.

sf94117

Thanks for the replies all.

FluffyCat - thanks, yeah my doc said 3 months but maybe put down "Issue X3" by mistake?

RobFowl/Penguin88 - thanks for that. That's very interesting about the potential for possible difference in interpretation between GP and pharmacists on the meaning of the repeats! I thought that standard language would be used to avoid mis-interpretations!

Maybe that's what happened with mine? My GP meant for 3 issues only but the pharmacist read it as issue 1 and then repeat by 3. I think I could understand it more if it said "repeat x3" but it said "issue x3" which I would have thought meant you get 3 issues of the medicine only.

Yeah, maybe I might give the pharmacy a call and see,
Could they answer that for me over the phone?? i.e. would they be able to:
1. see how many repeats I had left on their computer system? and
2. would they give this information out over the phone??

FluffyCat

Yeah they can give information over the phone. Might need to ring you back if they are busy but extra repeats on a long term therapy is not unusal. If you doc says x amount of time though, follow that instruction.

sf94117

Great will do, thanks for the help!!

Nonoperational

Issue x3 seems pretty straightforeward - issue the drug 3 times. Repeat by 3 would be to issue it 4 times in total.

Probably just an error giving it back but I'd say they'd give it to you next month again anyway usualy pharmacists arn't too fussy about 1 month if it's a private script. If it was me anyway I'd give it to you for the 4th month because by right you shouldn't have gotten it back!

locum-motion

TBH, "Issue x3" really doesn't mean anything, or at least it didn't until the last couple of years.

It isn't and never was a normal part of Prescription-writing terminology.

It started to appear on prescriptions in Ireland a couple of years ago, and it only appears on prescriptions computer generated by one particular computer programme used by some GP practices.

My own opinion of it is that the computer programmer wasn't familiar with the commonly used terminology (which would be 'Repeat x3'), and programmed the computer to print 'Issue' instead.

Very strictly speaking, it means nothing, as the law specifies what the word 'Repeat' means in terms of prescriptions, and even what the word 'instalment' means, but has nothing whatsoever to say about the word 'Issue'.

Practically speaking, most pharmacists seem to treat it as if the Dr intended to use the word 'Repeat'.

Nonoperational

I wouldn't. I'd treat it as repeat x2. :-)

locum-motion

OK, change "most pharmacists" to "some pharmacists" above!