I am on Levothyroxine 125mcg and been for my prescription today and got home no Levo. I rang them and they said well you have got it in your bag according to our records but nothingI spoke to my GP and they said we have prescribed it for you so it's pharmacy you need
My neighbour told me to transfer to the pharmacy they use who deliver but this doesn't help me right now.
What do I do next?
i would go back to the pharmacy in person with the bag of items you received/collected (together with any paperwork which may have been in the bag), and insist they double check things in case it was put in two bags and one is still with them.
Thank you. I did that and they still refused implying it's my fault.
I would ask to fill in a complaint form at the pharmacy. This may persuade them to double check.
Oooh thats not good. Im lucky to have a very good local pharmacy…when ive been missing meds before due to a mix up the pharmacist had been able to sort a 2 day supply for me until i got the surgery to reissue a prescription. Sorry im not much help.
Hi Rollercoaster. Thanks for your reply. I have a week supply left of my old prescription. It's just annoying because I have been going there for 15 years and never had problems before I think they have changed staff
I tend to check my bag before leaving chemist now as so many times they give me the wrong brand of Levo even though it’s stated on my repeats I need a certain one due to sensitivity. No excuse really as they are able to get it, it’s on their system. 😡sometimes if I have other things as well they do come in separate bags , there’s a new system that if complete boxes they’re just scanned but if you have odd numbers of pills that have to be counted they go in a different bag, nuts I know but that’s what happens at my chemist.
I know that doesn’t help your problem but may be worth checking your bag before leaving x
A very difficult situation.
Would they be willing to re-dispense in the same way they might if you had done something like drop it all in the cleaner's bucket of floor washing water while you were there? Or some other obvious catastrophic issue. Pharmacists do have a degree of freedom to help in emergency cases.
Do they have any video surveillance system?
If so, put in a formal request for access to relevant footage.
It might be absolutely useless, but there is an outside possibility that it could be obvious the pack couldn't contain the levothyroxine. Especially if any of the footage covers the actual dispensing processes.
And maybe start to suggest that if they have not supplied the levothyroxine, but are putting in a claim for payment to the NHS, that would amount to fraud.
Obviously, you have to be cautious about how you play your hand. And you have to be absolutely solid in your belief as to what really happened.
They are saying they aren't to blame and won't do anything but I am not letting this go because it's lifesaving drug
For the future, open the package at the counter before you leave from now on. I do this now after some issues.
I normally did but I was in a rush but I am moving to a pharmacy close to my house which deliver free.
Can't they do a stock check to see if your levo has actually been taken out of stock?
It looks like they aren't interested
Then you have to insist, kick up a fuss. After all, it's your health at stake!
I fear you will have to ask for a new prescription. I dropped my liquid levo on my drive because they had packed two bottles in a tiny paper bag which slipped out of my hand as there was nothing to grip. Both smashed. My Gp didn’t question replacing them but I moaned at the chemist who was not going to replace them.
My pharmacy did this to me before with my Verapamil to lower my heart rate but that time they just gave me the rest. My fault I should have found another pharmacy but there's one who delivers for free to your home so I am transferring to there
Oh no you would think they'd have just replaced it there and then
the pharmacy in my village is scary how many times they mess up meds - I collected my Carbimazole once and there was one pill in the bottle? They never gave me the brand they were using nor a patient info leaflet so this was the last straw for me. “This is a months supply where’s the rest?” They said they had reconciled my prescription?! Back and fourth walking from gp to pharmacy on a bad leg at the time before the gp said tell them to phone me immediately - gp handed their ass on a plate “you can’t legally mess with a patients prescription! Rectify it!” They were very apologetic and gave me my medication in full but I swapped pharmacies after that as it was dangerous
Your situation sucks - I took photos of mine which is great in hindsight but doesn’t help you now 😭
Is it possible to explain to the pharmacist that you get severe thyroid symptoms if you suddenly stop taking it and don't want to wind up at A&E (it's honestly true in my case as it wouldn't be able to function). They may reconsider thinking that they might be liable if something terrible happens to you? If they won't give you the full prescription, maybe ask for two days to try to get another prescription from your GP (or call around to private clinics for an emergency appointment)? Then, absolutely change pharmacies. What a bunch of jerks!
if you can’t persuade your pharmacy to rectify the problem try the 111 emergency prescriptions service.
Get back down to that pharmacy & tell them they made a mistake & you will need to give me levothyroxine as this lack of medication can lead to serious health problems...still no good? Then either phone or go to your doctors reception & tell them of the situation...
I had this at the surgery’s attached pharmacy (which I don’t even use-was sent in error), they insisted I’d collected it. Surgery said they’d sent it, blah blah. After arguing to and fro, I asked the receptionist if they were going to supply another prescription or not, as I needed it to stay alive. They gave me another script straight away. I had planned next move would be an urgent gp appointment, but didn’t need it in the end.
I'm thinking you must have collected other meds at the same time? That makes it slightly trickier. However ask them why they are implying that you're lying, it has no value to anyone but you, it's not class one or even anything like. If this was the post office they would have to balance their stock and money at the end of every day, it can't be too difficult to check if they have one packet more than their stock versus sales say. If all else fails have a melt down 😉, it's your life saving medicine, why are they denying it to you, you're dependent on it to function etc etc. Other suggestions are available lol.
While its never good to go without Levo, when you have a full body iodine scan you go for 6 weeks without (although 4 weeks on Tertroxin in between) so dont panic if its a couple of days, it has a long half life, but that also means it takes a bit longer to kick back in if you are off it for a while but for just a few days it shouldnt be an issue (ive had a thyroidectomy and am on 150 of levo but currently zero as they wait for my TSH to rocket up for a scan)
I had a similar experience with a pharmacy.I reported them to their governing body.But I went to A&E as Idid not have any levo left.So that is another option.
What a nightmare you could do without. Could you speak with the Pharmacist at your GP’s surgery & ask them to call the Pharmacy on your behalf. May have more clout. If not give 111 a call for advice. They can help sort out medication & may be able to contact your Pharmacy. Good luck.
I had a similar problem with morphine MST. My husband collects all my meds, and has to prove identity for controlled drugs etc. I also have a carrier bag of other meds, but the morphine is kept in separate sealed bag.
He came home without the morphine. I rang the pharmacy and they said the script wasn't sent over from the docs. I phoned the docs who insisted they had sent it. Being a controlled drug makes it very difficult to ask for another prescription, (perhaps they thought I was selling it or abusing it) I was back and forth between docs and pharmacy. Pharmacy then said it had already been collected!
Well, unless it had fallen out of the sealed bag or my husband was taking it secretly, I knew it was definitely missing.
My husband was so cross he demanded to see the blue book which has to be signed for opiates. Yes, it had been signed and collected, but not by him!
The pharmacist did not believe him at first, until my husband asked to see his previous signings and showed the pharmacist the difference in signatures.
Eventually, after much deliberation and awkwardness, I received my morphine. We never did find out who had collected it and the pharmacist was not prepared to say it was his fault.
You have to be thorough and check each collection, it may have been human error on his part, but I have lost confidence in this pharmacy.
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