Piggy in the middle

[Gladders]

For a long time I’ve had my Methotrexate in the easy to inject pens or the injector devices which I am able to use quite easily, however this month the pharmacy has sent me the old type pre-loaded syringe, I took them back to the pharmacy and explained my situation due to my now deformed hands but he wouldn’t/couldn’t accept them back to change them as they had left the pharmacy and told me to ask GP for another prescription. Contacted the surgery who refused to issue another prescription and was told to take them back to pharmacy and they ‘should’ exchange them for the correct ones. Where do I go to now as they are both refusing to do what the other one is saying but I am the person in the middle with four weeks supply of medication which I can’t use …… any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

[sylvi]

Don't jobsworths annoy the hell out of you.xxxxx

[Gladders in reply to sylvi]

That’s exactly what I’m thinking, how are you Sylvi I hope you’re getting stronger after your operation and managing to get out and about a little on your scooter, maybe I’ll bump into you sometime up the village .

[sylvi in reply to Gladders]

You will be seeing me about more now darling. My heart has recovered nicely thank you for asking. My RA and its friends are letting me know they are still there. xxxxx

[virtualreality]

What a ridiculous situation, so sorry you've been put in this position of chasing around trying to get this sorted. Been there myself.

If the GP surgery sent the correct prescription, for your usual pre-filled pens, to the pharmacy and they've issued something else then this is their mistake and I'd say it's their responsibility to issue the items actually prescribed. If the prescription was issued incorrectly by the surgery then they should re-issue for your usual pre-filled pens.

This happened to me once with MTX when the GP wrote a prescription for a different (cheaper) injector device and both the pharmacy and rheumatology said it needed to be what they had originally prescribed. So it might be something like that.

I think the pharmacist / pharmacy team at your GP surgery should be getting this sorted out, not leaving you to deal with this. They have access to the necessary records to find out what's gone wrong. If they don't, could you let your rheumatology team know that you've been issued with syringes instead of pre-filled pens and ask for their help? They may even be able to provide an emergency prescription if you're running low, while the pharmacy and GP surgery sort themselves out. Honestly it's so annoying when patients are left to run around trying to fix what is probably a simple mistake for healthcare staff to put right!

[OSTEOARTHRITISRA]

As above reply

also lots of my meds been tampered with for cheaper versions as above ,

I too have had a few issiues over the years

Bit similar different meds

Both have been to blame with myself

sometimes the chemist (moved chemists a few times )and sometimes docs

Sometimes a new prescription is required as well I'd phone chemist this morning

And ask wots on prescription

To see if its the chemist or doc at fault

If chemist insist on exchange

If doc phone them asap and insist a new prescription

Hope you do not get the runaround again

And gets sorted

P, s

Could also phone doc this morning g for an emergency appointment

May get a different doc and all sorted

[medway-lady]

I think it’s the same all over once left the pharmacy medications cannot be returned or exchanged for safety reasons. I mean would you accept a returned medical item as I wouldn’t. I think you could go back to GP and explain that the pharmacy cannot accept an exchange as it is the GP who is responsible for medications on prescription not a dispensing pharmacist. You could try emailing practice manger or speaking to the GP rather than a receptionist. But you could try first saying to the pharmacy that you did not take them from pharmacy as they delivered therefore you are not responsible for any error they made before they left their premises.

[Gladders in reply to medway-lady]

I absolutely agree with not wanting anything that has already been issued to someone but

[Gladders in reply to medway-lady]

oops - finger slipped …. I’m getting frustrated at the pharmacy and GP not trying to resolve it whilst I’m stuck in the middle with something I can’t use.

[medway-lady in reply to Gladders]

I totally understand and its happened to me with the click pen for Etanercept so I swapped for a syringe. I can't push down on the top enough and am cross as that is the only thing with RA I can't do, so it's not as if I ever have any other issues as I don't. But I suppose rules about safety must be paramount. Last year the local pharmacy filled a script from MEDOC for antibiotic: I'd said allergic to Penicillin and on opening the pack on the front Penicillin. Would not take back so I sent in a drug package to Ukraine to a soldier brother of a local girl. At least it wasn't flushed or burnt.

[Neonkittie17]

Hi, I presume rheumatology prescribed the clickpen originally so can the rheumy write/email to say only the clickpen is suitable for your hands? Sorry you are being messed about. Not needed. 🤨 Hugs. 🩷

[Gladders in reply to Neonkittie17]

Thank you for your suggestion, will try contacting the nurse. It’s very rare like most of us on here to say ‘I can’t do something’ but this has really pushed me to the limit.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Gladders]

It’s unfair to add extra stress to you so yes I’d ask the rheumy nurse to help. Good luck.

[rmros]

Oh my goodness. How many of us have been in similar situations where two healthcare providers are arguing the toss over whose responsibility something is and we've been left feeling like the piggy in the middle. Me more than once.

If the GP issued the wrong prescription then they should rectify that. If the pharmacist dispensed the wrong thing, then that's on them. Surely?

They should be able to destroy the syringes and give you the correct thing if they're worried about you having too much methotrexate, or about contamination.

[Knittinggirl]

as short term can you ask pharmacist or Gp to do the injection for you or send district nurse round? That might focus their minds a bit hope you get something sorted these professionals don’t seem to understand how much distress they cause

[oldtimer2]

When there was a dispute between the pharmacy and the surgery about who was responsible for a mixup, I just sat firmly in the pharmacy until they sorted it out between them. It took an hour and a half...but as it is impossible to get either of them to answer the phone, it seemd the only possible solution.

I had already firstly asked the pharmacy who said they had dispensed what had been prescribed. I was then sent to the surgery, who said they had issued the prescriptions and sent them to the pharmacy. The surgery could not issue another prescription. The surgery sent me back to the pharmacy, so I just sat there and suggested that they rang the surgery themselves. Eventually, the pharmacy discovered that one page of the 3 pages of repeat medication had not been dispensed - and did dispense them.

It really should not be up to the patient to sort out a muddle between them. In your case, it's clear that the pharmacy have not dispensed what was prescribed, so it is their loss.

It's unfortunate that when people like us are on multiple medications, or have it delivered, people, like pharmacists or surgery staff, who should be helpful become inflexible and entrenched in their position.

[Gladders in reply to oldtimer2]

Thank you for your reply, that's just what has happened each blaming the other it's been such a frustrating few days but eventually spoke to a different pharmacist at the same shop who sorted it out for me without any fuss.

[Tkat10]

if the gp and the pharmacy are refusing to sort this go back to gp and say in that case you will have to either send out a district nurse to give me the injection until a suitable replacement is provided. Alternatively I can come an£ the nurse can do the injection for the foreseeable future.

Re the actual prescription you should be able to see it on your nhs app under prescriptions, if it is the chemist then you need to challenge them through the gp and put it in writing. Their switch to a cheaper version is discrimination given that they are effectively stopping you being able to do the injection’s yourself. I know that some self injection options have recently become unavailable again as the hospital rang me to say they were not an available again for my abatacept and was this ok. For me yes but obviously not for everyone.

Good luck.

[Gladders in reply to Tkat10]

Thank you for your reply I have managed to sort it now but it’s been very challenging.