Dispensing 'Error' by Pharmacy

baifree

SillyBeans wrote: »

Did they write on the prescription what the dosage was, or did you work it out yourself?

prescription clime form was on doctors receipt..with drug code, quantity dispensed, and the cost. Cant put it out online now as the issue still debatable and not grabbing straight justice court case......

baifree

baifree wrote: »

prescription clime form was on doctors receipt..with drug code, quantity dispensed, and the cost. Cant put it out online now as the issue still debatable and not grabbing straight justice court case......

the dose was calculated by pharmacy...

Stheno

baifree wrote: »

prescription clime form was on doctors receipt..with drug code, quantity dispensed, and the cost. Cant put it out online now as the issue still debatable and not grabbing straight justice court case......

but you already posted the dosage you are giving which going by official guidelines, appears to be ten time less than what it should be.

Could you read back through the thread and find those relevant posts to give you better understanding?

It appears your child is not getting the right dosage at all?

baifree

baifree wrote: »

the dose was calculated by pharmacy...

Pharmacists aren't infallible!

SillyBeans

Deleted User wrote: »

Pharmacists aren't infallible!

Those decimal points will get ya!

baifree

Stheno wrote: »

Google the drug name and recommended dosage, it's in kilos per mg for your child.

Print out the origianal dosage information

Go back to the pharmacist with that informatino and say my child weighs 30kg, is this the right dosage?

Pharmacist will answer yes or no.

Take information from pharmacist to doctor.

Note: it's the mg strength not the ml strength that's important here.

DONE THAT. ALL GOOD(dosage) ACCORDING TO DOCTOR WHO CALLED TO PHARMACIST, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY VISIT...I WITNESSED IT(OVERHEARD AND PRESUMABLY UNDERSTOOD)...at the end doctor told me to ask pharmacist why did i get this total amount of suspension?....that's where the issue coming from...product of supply is correct ,by the quantity is not...and it seems to be 'OK' with most of the participants in this forum...

Stheno

Deleted User wrote: »

Pharmacists aren't infallible!

On the flip side they can be a serious good friend of a customer. Our favourite pharmacy has two branches, one small one in a local supermarket, the other in a giant shopping centre. They readily work together, tell one branch that you've been dealing with the other and they hold the information they need and they will check it for you.

They are also fantastic if you are on a repeat prescription and run out.

I've also had the experience of being prescribed expensive drugs by my doctor, and my local pharmacist will ring them to discuss a generic alternative.

I've nothing but admiration for most pharmacists I've dealt with here, but am wondering if the doctor made a mistake, if because the child being treated wasn't present to get the script etc that a genuine mistake hasn't been made here or a script misread?

baifree

Stheno wrote: »

On the flip side they can be a serious good friend of a customer. Our favourite pharmacy has two branches, one small one in a local supermarket, the other in a giant shopping centre. They readily work together, tell one branch that you've been dealing with the other and they hold the information they need and they will check it for you.

They are also fantastic if you are on a repeat prescription and run out.

I've also had the experience of being prescribed expensive drugs by my doctor, and my local pharmacist will ring them to discuss a generic alternative.

I've nothing but admiration for most pharmacists I've dealt with here, but am wondering if the doctor made a mistake, if because the child being treated wasn't present to get the script etc that a genuine mistake hasn't been made here or a script misread?

I've also had the experience of being prescribed expensive drugs by my doctor, and my local pharmacist will ring them to discuss a generic alternative.

---

THEY DIDNT.

Stheno

baifree wrote: »

I've also had the experience of being prescribed expensive drugs by my doctor, and my local pharmacist will ring them to discuss a generic alternative.

---

THEY DIDNT.

Question it?

baifree

SillyBeans wrote: »

Those decimal points will get ya!

METRIC MEASURE is not that complicated... drug dose was prescribed for child weight and age ...but the quantity of dispense was 17 times more...why?

baifree

Stheno wrote: »

Question it?

i will question it next time for sure.


Why didn't they question it at the start?...is it not allowed?..is it not in practice? is it normal to push prescribed medications over limit?

i don't have or obliged to ask myself this questions...but i ve presumed Pharmacy should have..

for example:-nobody will dipence 200g class 'A' drugs that easy...why not?..cos its dangerous...in my case it is as lethal as a class 'A' for a child,so why was it ok do dispense it?

baifree

Deleted User wrote: »

Pharmacists aren't infallible!

they do their best, but in some cases it is not in favorable to people/or customers.

SillyBeans

baifree wrote: »

.but the quantity of dispense was 17 times more...why?

This has already been explained to you numerous times now

orthsquel

bailfree you seem to be going around in circles since the start of this thread. You can of course check with your doctor if there is a cheaper alternative to be prescribed than what they intend on prescribing, same if there were known side effects to be avoided or ingredients that cause an allergic reaction. Nobody but your doctor knows why they prescribed that specific medicine. A pharmacist would dispense what is on the prescription in whatever format it comes. Even if they are having to provide you with a product that is from a manufacturer, a pharmacist has no control over the packaging and volume it comes in. They are not going to ring up every GP and check that what is written on the prescription is correct or not, however, if there was an obvious mistake they may question it e.g. a large quantity or a excessive high dose of something that would be outside the norm.

Your issue here isn't your child's health which many seem to be concerned about especially re the dosage. If you are unhappy with your child's health re no sign of improvement perhaps you and your daughter should seek further medical advice from your doctor upon the doctor's examination or contact your doctor further if you have concerns.

However your main issue you come back to is the product size, cost, packaging and trying to blame the pharmacy - I'd also agree that the thread title is wrong as there was no error on behalf of the pharmacy. What you really ought to be doing is getting the leaflet and product information from the product you did purchase and get into contact with the manufacturer and put it to them why they charge so much for a 200ml bottle and why you cannot get it in smaller quantities. Perhaps you should even register a complaint directly with the manufacturer by directly contacting them.

You have to remember that it is not the pharmacy who make up the product and they have no control over what way it is packaged, even if they have expressed issue over size and cost in the past for all any of us know.

But if you have a real issue with paying over €100 for a 200ml bottle which you only need 12ml because that is the only size the product comes in, then you really should be making a direct complaint to the manufacturer of the product. Google "how to make a complaint" but I also recall bbc's watchdog used to have excellent resources for going about making a formal complaint on a product.

L1011

baifree wrote: »

but the quantity of dispense was 17 times more...why?

Because there isn't a smaller pack. As you've been told repeatedly.

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

Michael D Not Higgins

The wrong dosage appears to be the root cause of the issue. Now, we don't know the details nor any other medicines the OP's daughter is taking but there's a serious whiff of wrong decimal point about this story.

OP, I'd suggest getting a second opinion from another doctor.

Oral Surgeon

baifree wrote: »

Medicine calls NITROFURANTOIN. Is there alternative?-most likely, but i am not a doctor or pharmacist to identify one.

The suspension is expensive, the tablets are cheap to the best of my knowledge!! why don't you just get the tablets????

L1011

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

The suspension is expensive, the tablets are cheap to the best of my knowledge!! why don't you just get the tablets????

Patient is a child, can only assume a preference for suspension. The tablets are much, much cheaper.

dudara

Posters - Please do not post medical advice here on Boards. There have been several posts here that could be construed as such, and I have attempted to remove the more descriptive posts, while still allowing concerns to be expressed.

dudara

rubadub

baifree wrote: »

What is the medication? ---NITROFURANTOIN SUSPENSION
What age is your child?---8 YEARS
What is the indication?---25milligrams in 5 ml, sugar free,, 200ml.(as much as i can understand indication)..
Curious as it seems odd dosing unless your child is a neonate.----she is 8 years old.

L1011 wrote: »

Patient is a child, can only assume a preference for suspension. The tablets are much, much cheaper.

The tablets may not be available in this seemingly unusually small size.

2ml is 10mg and the standard tablet size appears to be 100mg, with the smallest I see at 50mg. Which would further lead me to question the dosage.

I would imagine a pharmacist could crush a tablet and divide it up, or mix with other fillers and put in capsules.

If a doctor was giving me such an unusually low dosage I would expect them to say so. I remember doctors telling me antibiotics I got were double the usual strength in case I wondered if it was normal when I got the tablets.

A pharmacist may have seen they were for the OPs daughter and not known that the child was 8, and therefore may not have questioned it as they might think it was for a baby.

quadrifoglio verde

rubadub wrote: »

The tablets may not be available in this seemingly unusually small size.

2ml is 10mg and the standard tablet size appears to be 100mg, with the smallest I see at 50mg. Which would further lead me to question the dosage.

I would imagine a pharmacist could crush a tablet and divide it up, or mix with other fillers and put in capsules.

If a doctor was giving me such an unusually low dosage I would expect them to say so. I remember doctors telling me antibiotics I got were double the usual strength in case I wondered if it was normal when I got the tablets.

A pharmacist may have seen they were for the OPs daughter and not known that the child was 8, and therefore may not have questioned it as they might think it was for a baby.

A script for a child under 12 has to have the age on it. Even if it didn't, at such a low dose, a pharmacist should question it.
As for crushing a tablet up, you've now altered the tablet in such a way that its being used outside of its product authorisation.

As for putting in fillers and then into a capsule....eh it aint the 50s anymore, pharmacists are no longer allowed do that.

Hyzepher

I think I understand the OP issue

1. His doctor prescribed a drug to treat his daughter.
2. The pharmacy told him that the drug was expensive - but didn't tell him that he would need to buy an excessive amount of it as it only comes on 200ml units.
3. OP pays for the drug and then only realises that he has paid for more than he needs.
4. Pharmacy then tell him it only comes in that size
5. OP has had no opportunity to go back to doctor or 2nd pharmacy as drug is already ordered and delivered.

baifree

Hyzepher wrote: »

I think I understand the OP issue

1. ....
2. The pharmacy told him that the drug was expensive - but didn't tell him that he would need to buy an excessive amount of it as it only comes on 200ml units.

That's correct....the issue here is- why pharmacy didn't notify me about excessive amount I am buying?

davo10

baifree wrote: »

That's correct....the issue here is- why pharmacy didn't notify me about excessive amount I am buying?

The issue you seem not to have grasped is that 200ml is the minimum preparation dosage, a fact confirmed by a second pharmacy. Irrespective of whether you needed 5ml, 25ml or 150ml, it comes in 200ml bottles.

Expensive medicine, cheap if it made your daughter healthy again. Not many look at the euro and cents when it comes to our children's health, most would gladly give everything for that.

uck51js9zml2yt

baifree wrote: »

That's correct....the issue here is- why pharmacy didn't notify me about excessive amount I am buying?

You need to ask the pharmacist that question .how can we know !!!

I feel like I've gone round I'm circles the past week:(

sbsquarepants

baifree wrote: »

I undeestand your reason....there is a standards of product production and packaging...there is the law to regulate concentration of different substances in this this volume of product.

its all good.

The question is- why cant make less of the size? and why pharmacy dont ask for less of the size? ... that's the point in this discussion

---

In all things that you buy there is a minimum order quantity - a point at which it just isn't worth the effort of selling a product. For some things that quantity is 1 unit you can for example buy 1 car or 1 apple, for some it could be 100 or 1000 units - for example go to eason and try buy 1 staple or 1 paper clip - they just don't care if you only need 1, they'll sell you a 1000 or they'll sell you none.
For your particular medicine it's 200ml - just get fúcking over it!

Hyzepher

davo10 wrote: »

The issue you seem not to have grasped is that 200ml is the minimum preparation dosage, a fact confirmed by a second pharmacy. Irrespective of whether you needed 5ml, 25ml or 150ml, it comes in 200ml bottles.

Expensive medicine, cheap if it made your daughter healthy again. Not many look at the euro and cents when it comes to our children's health, most would gladly give everything for that.

I think the issue is that the Pharmacy told him it was expensive but not that he'd be paying for more than he needs. had they told him this he may have decided to go back to the doctor before they ordered/dispensed it.

The Pharmacy should have told him.

Oral Surgeon

baifree wrote: »

That's correct....the issue here is- why pharmacy didn't notify me about excessive amount I am buying?

When I have a headache, I buy some paracetamol. I only need 2 tablets but end up buying 20 or more. That's life!!

TheChizler

Is nitrofurantoin available off-prescription?

L1011

TheChizler wrote: »

Is nitrofurantoin available off-prescription?

no

Hyzepher

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

When I have a headache, I buy some paracetamol. I only need 2 tablets but end up buying 20 or more. That's life!!

At least you know you are buying 20 from the outset.