Dispensing 'Error' by Pharmacy

Michael D Not Higgins

bucketybuck wrote: »

At least you have finally copped onto the business side of the transaction.

Now it seems your complaint is that they didn't second guess the doctor and advise that your prescription be changed. Will a pharmacist ever do that? Will the doctor even react kindly to that? Does that particular pharmacist and the doctor even know each other? Why don't you speak to the doctor yourself? What if the pharmacist already knows that there is no alternative to the prescription?

The pharmacist will usually only get involved when there's a problem with the dosage, interactions with other drugs, not if there's a saving to be made for the customer.

The drug listed is an antibiotic. There's literally dozens of alternatives, but maybe it was prescribed for a reason.

Lastly, the OP doesn't show great command of English and may not have understood or misinterpreted something the pharmacist or doctor said to them.

L1011

There isn't even a suspension for that licenced in Ireland, so they likely had to deal with whatever they could get their hands on from an importer as unlicenced. The UK bottles are 300ml, so you could have had to pay even more.

Unlicenced medicines can only be bought in for the person with a prescription and only sold to them.

12ml is a tiny amount going on the SPC - 28ml would be the smallest dose I can see from there, but I'm not the prescriber obviously!

baifree

bucketybuck wrote: »

At least you have finally copped onto the business side of the transaction.

Now it seems your complaint is that they didn't second guess the doctor and advise that your prescription be changed. Will a pharmacist ever do that? Will the doctor even react kindly to that? Does that particular pharmacist and the doctor even know each other? Why don't you speak to the doctor yourself? What if the pharmacist already knows that there is no alternative to the prescription?

-Will a pharmacist ever do that?- i dont know, i m not a pharmacist.
-Will the doctor even react kindly to that?- i dont know, i m not a doctor.
-Why don't you speak to the doctor yourself?- i definitely will, next time i get a medication.
-What if the pharmacist already knows that there is no alternative to the prescription?-that brings us back to question about informing customer about unnecessary oversupply it comes with.

uck51js9zml2yt

baifree wrote: »

Pay 127 Euro for a 200ml bottle, use 12 ml only and dump the rest(188ml or 119-ish Euro) into bin.

who like that deal?

That's what you were asking the pharmacist to do. Why should he like that deal ?

baifree

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

The pharmacist will usually only get involved when there's a problem with the dosage, interactions with other drugs, not if there's a saving to be made for the customer.

The drug listed is an antibiotic. There's literally dozens of alternatives, but maybe it was prescribed for a reason.

Lastly, the OP doesn't show great command of English and may not have understood or misinterpreted something the pharmacist or doctor said to them.

I am not native english speaker. But lets pretend i dont have any English at all, exept "doctor,pain, medication"words...that will bring me to exact same point i am stressing here...i will be directed into the deal with extra volume of product. Fare deal is i am after.

Let say you are on holidays in Africa for exmpl, in some country nobody speak your language..and it happened you have got an eye infection..you go to doctor, show him/her your eye, doctor gives you a paper and show to the door where you can get this medication...you need two drops in each eye, but they give you half a pint of it...how is that working out as a fare approach to customer service?

baifree

sonny.knowles wrote: »

Failing to see the 'error' or the 'rip off'?

Use the math.

200ml-127 coins (you spend)
12ml- 7.62 coins (you use)

127 - 7.62=119.38 coins (you put in the bin.)

if there is not enough evidence of coins loss, i cant explain any better.

uck51js9zml2yt

baifree wrote: »

Use the math.

200ml-127 coins (you spend)
12ml- 7.62 coins (you use)

127 - 7.62=119.38 coins (you put in the bin.)

if there is not enough evidence of coins loss, i cant explain any better.

You are refusing to see the point here.
Why should the pharmacist loose money on the sale to you?

You have not answered this question !

Oryx

There is no rip off. The pharmacist is only charging for the amount they sell. The issue is that is does not come in smaller quantities, right? So you were forced to buy more than you need, but thats a problem with the way this drug is sold, not a rip off as such. Noone is profiteering.

Tho if you are insisting the pharmacist should have given you only what you required, there are parallels to what they did in other industries; if I want a holiday caravan for one night in July, Ill have to pay for a whole week because generally that's how they are booked.

gctest50

baifree wrote: »

I am not native english speaker. But lets pretend i dont have any English at all
.............

the 12mg is how "strong" it is :

Nitrofurantoin 12mg/5ml oral suspension (Special Order)......................12mg in every 5ml

also comes in :

Nitrofurantoin 25mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free..................... 25mg in every 5ml

and many more probably - dunno , i'm not an apothecary

.

bucketybuck

baifree wrote: »

-Will a pharmacist ever do that?- i dont know, i m not a pharmacist.
-Will the doctor even react kindly to that?- i dont know, i m not a doctor.
-Why don't you speak to the doctor yourself?- i definitely will, next time i get a medication.
-What if the pharmacist already knows that there is no alternative to the prescription?-that brings us back to question about informing customer about unnecessary oversupply it comes with.

So you don't know a thing, yet you feel free to run shouting about rip offs, B.S and poor customer service?

baifree

Emiliano Little Cloverleaf wrote: »

That's what you were asking the pharmacist to do. Why should he like that deal ?

Why should he like that deal ?- my guess is she/he not just like or dislike, they just didnt care...

Stheno

baifree wrote: »

i would gladly use it later, but they don't even get time to get sicker here, as medication have to be disposed after 20 days..time controlled rip-off...it would be nice to have medication with long shelf life , so it can bring some assurances in future that you have a back up plan..and there is no chance of it

Is this even in Ireland?

baifree

gctest50 wrote: »

are you sure its not 12mg or something ????

as in :







.

i am sure. 25mg in 5 ml of suspension. 12 ml requiered. 200ml supplied.

baifree

Stheno wrote: »

Is this even in Ireland?

Oh yes, it is in Ireland..Co.Galway

amdublin

Ok silly question! What's a suspension?? LI'm thinking liquid form? Maybe that's the problem...


OP - it seems this medicine was for a uti? Surely the doctor could have prescribed you another one? Or did it have to come in suspension, maybe that was the problem?


Was it for you or a child?

baifree

Emiliano Little Cloverleaf wrote: »

You are refusing to see the point here.
Why should the pharmacist loose money on the sale to you?

You have not answered this question !

Pharmacist should not,as a business, loose money at all. God prosper the Pharmacy who keep us alive and happy, in fact.

But why should I? that's what bothers me.

Imagine, you have been prescribed to the same medicine i was. Doctor gives you prescription for 15 ml for instance. Will you go and buy this medicine willingly, knowing that you will damp nearly all of it? Will you be happy to pay 127 Euro for something you are going to barely use? I bet after today's discussion you question doctor and pharmacist first...cos they wont tell you.

baifree

amdublin wrote: »

Ok silly question! What's a suspension?? LI'm thinking liquid form? Maybe that's the problem...


OP - it seems this medicine was for a uti? Surely the doctor could have prescribed you another one? Or did it have to come in suspension, maybe that was the problem?


Was it for you or a child?

It was for my daughter, but i was the buyer, as a parent. I pay the money.The line of discussion remain unchanged.

Stheno

baifree wrote: »

It was for my daughter, but i was the buyer, as a parent. I pay the money.The line of discussion remain unchanged.

12ml would only be two and a half teaspoons in total.

How long was she to take it for? And how many times a day?

baifree

amdublin wrote: »

Ok silly question! What's a suspension?? LI'm thinking liquid form? Maybe that's the problem...


OP - it seems this medicine was for a uti? Surely the doctor could have prescribed you another one? Or did it have to come in suspension, maybe that was the problem?


Was it for you or a child?

it was prescribed for my daughter. but i was the buyer. i pay money. the line of discussion remain unchanged.

baifree

Stheno wrote: »

12ml would only be two and a half teaspoons in total.

How long was she to take it for? And how many times a day?

0.6 ml 4 times daily. 5 days in total.

Stheno

baifree wrote: »

0.6 ml 4 times daily. 5 days in total.

Thanks.

I guess in future you'll have to check how much it will cost, and ask the doctor not to prescribe it again if you need more medication for the same illness, ask them for an alternative.

hardCopy

baifree wrote: »

Just went to other Pharmacy and got the same story.

Comparison to coffee was not actual detailed comparison....the bigger picture here is you, as a customer, somehow obliged to pay more for volume you dont need , and in the matter of fact, that amount of suspense wasn't prescribed to you by a GP... its not quiet fare.

Ok, lets try to parallel it with other situation...
You ve stopped at the petrol station and need some petrol. Petrol is not produced in Ireland, as it is imported by thousands of gallons and distributed by trucks to petrol stations. Yet petrol station managing to distribute exact amount you need. they are not selling you a whole truck of it....Why cant pharmacy apply same business practice for dispensing drugs?

My local petrol station won't sell anyone less than 5 litres. It's written on the pump beside the dial. I've seen this all over the country. Minimum order quantities are standard in every business. Just like you can't open a sliced pan and buy a single slice of bread.

uck51js9zml2yt

baifree wrote: »

Pharmacist should not,as a business, loose money at all. God prosper the Pharmacy who keep us alive and happy, in fact.

But why should I? that's what bothers me.

Imagine, you have been prescribed to the same medicine i was. Doctor gives you prescription for 15 ml for instance. Will you go and buy this medicine willingly, knowing that you will damp nearly all of it? Will you be happy to pay 127 Euro for something you are going to barely use? I bet after today's discussion you question doctor and pharmacist first...cos they wont tell you.

While I might not like it, I undersea how a business works.
If they need to buy it in for you and that's the only size available then you need to pay for the full product. They cannot be at a loss.
You seemingly don't accept that.

<SNIP> Medical bits removed

baifree

Stheno wrote: »

Thanks.

I guess in future you'll have to check how much it will cost, and ask the doctor not to prescribe it again if you need more medication for the same illness, ask them for an alternative.

Definitely! its a good lesson to learn. I can only guess how many prescriptions were dispensed like in my case, as 'standart'...cost can go to a lot of zeros accounting...

Stheno

baifree wrote: »

Definitely! its a good lesson to learn. I can only guess how many prescriptions were dispensed like in my case, as 'standart'...cost can go to a lot of zeros accounting...

Yes. I always ask how much a prescription will be before getting the pharmacist to dispense it. If you ask them in future, then if it's too high, you could go back to the doctor and ask for something less expensive.

baifree

Emiliano Little Cloverleaf wrote: »

While I might not like it, I undersea how a business works.
If they need to buy it in for you and that's the only size available then you need to pay for the full product. They cannot be at a loss.
You seemingly don't accept that.

<SNIP>.

0.6 ml 4 times daily. 5 days in total. it is for daughter.

CIARAN_BOYLE

baifree wrote: »

It was for my daughter, but i was the buyer, as a parent. I pay the money.The line of discussion remain unchanged.

The fact that its for daughter is why a liquid suspension was prescribed instead of a tablet/powder form.

I understand that you are annoyed but who do you think is responsible for the rip off?

Your doctor for poor prescribing? Your pharmacy for not alerting you that so much was wasted? The pharmaceutical distributor for not dispensing smaller containers? You for failing to find the right pharmacy where this would not be a special order?

A mixture of the above perhaps?

baifree

hardCopy wrote: »

My local petrol station won't sell anyone less than 5 litres. It's written on the pump beside the dial. I've seen this all over the country. Minimum order quantities are standard in every business. Just like you can't open a sliced pan and buy a single slice of bread.

Minimum order quantities are standard in every business--agreed
You can't open a sliced pan and buy a single slice of bread.--agreed
Be happy with 'Standart' supplying you with things you wont need and wont be able to use---desagree

amdublin

I do understand your frustration op. Trying to think of a solution for you.

The dose seems very low - is your daughter an infant??

angeldelight

I can understand this is frustrating however as everyone else pretty much agrees it's not a rip off. Next time should this arise again (hopefully it won't) ask the gp for a different antibiotic. Also ask the pharmacist how much something will be if it's a new item that you're not aware of