Baclofen Rationing :(

Everyday living
1

I can’t believe how much of a faff this is.

Boots could never get my repeat prescriptions right; it was no end of hassle.

So a few months ago, at GP’s recommendation, I switched to a smaller, local pharmacy, who offer free delivery.

Within a month, I was having problems with them. My repeat prescription didn’t come, and they kept telling me the surgery hadn’t done it yet, which was odd (surgery usually has a 24-hour turnaround for repeat prescriptions). Turned out the pharmacy had gone into administration, so they didn’t have any money to order my baclofen. They’d been desperately phoning round, trying to fulfil the 'scrip by scraping it together from from other branches…

Well anyway, they were eventually sold as a “going concern”, and the new management seemed quite together, so it looked like my problems were over.

Not so. Ordered the new baclofen a week ago, still not received it. Phoned pharmacy for an ETA. They claim to have asked at the surgery every day this week, but surgery still haven’t done it.

Rang surgery, who flatly contradict this. They say the prescription was done and ready for collection last Friday, but nobody has picked it up.

I’m now caught in the middle, and don’t know who to believe. I won’t have any baclofen for tomorrow, unless I go short today - even though I ordered in plenty of time.

This is so stressful, as I’m really frightened of being without it. I don’t think I’d be able to walk, not to mention the pain, and the threat you might have fits if you stop suddenly.

Tina

2

Thanks Claire,

By coincidence, I have a doc’s appointment anyway, tomorrow afternoon, but by then, I will have run out!

I find baclofen is not “standard stock” at a lot of pharmacies, and they usually have to order it in. I don’t drive, so can’t travel round to the nearest pharmacy that has it.

Despite being adamant it was all ready last Friday, the doc’s surgery have said they will issue a new one “just in case”. But I really don’t know what’s going on here. Someone has slipped up and is fibbing, for sure, but impossible to know who. If it carries on like this, I’ll be having to place the next order when I’ve only just got one, just in case it takes weeks!

Tina

3

Hi Tina, This is very worrying when you know that it can be a problem if you go ‘cold turkey’ on drugs. My surgery will always issue an emergency prescription, on the sand day if this is likely to occur. For example, once my husband left vital drugs on holiday and discovered them missing when we arrived home. The surgery supplied new prescriptions within a couple of hours. It is more difficult though when it is not that easy to lay your hands on Baclofen once you have a prescription. Is it possible to get this sent to you by post as Dicksons in Glasgow send LDN? It was just a thought, I don’t know if it is at all possible. Hope you manage to get hold of some today, Teresa xx

4

Same not sand!

5

Sorry to read this Tina, I have a small pharmacy who also deliver and they are brilliant. Sounds as if someone is not being honest with you.

Wendyx

6

Hello Tina,

I know this won’t solve the issue now but surely there must be a regulatory body that controls phasrmacies and the issue of prescriptions.

Just done a quick google - try http://www.pharmacyregulation.org/

Perhaps try to get your doctopr to issue a prescription that lasts for longer. I take baclofen 2x a day and get 180+ pills a time. Same with Gabapentrin and Detrositol and catheters.

Saves an awful lot of hassle to everyone

Hope it all works out

Patrick

7

Thanks Patrick, I do get several weeks’ (or is it months?) supply at a time, so I don’t think that’s the problem. It’s just that when the time does come to renew it, it never seems to go smoothly.

The pharmacy’s website boasts: “One call does it all!”, whilst a notice in the doctor’s promises 24-hour turnaround for repeat prescriptions.

So in theory, you should be able to ring as little as 48 hours before you need it, but still be OK.

In practice, of course, I never leave it that long, and usually order at least a week ahead, which should leave some margin for error, even if things went wrong.

But it just doesn’t seem to work. I thought last time was an understandable one-off, because the pharmacy chain had gone belly-up.

But that’s all ancient history now, yet I’m still getting this nonsense with the pharmacy claiming to have tried several times, but the surgery not having done it, whilst the surgery say it’s been up there waiting for days!

I don’t know if it’s deliberate dishonesty, or just incompetence. Are the pharmacy genuinely trying to collect, but for some reason surgery staff aren’t finding the prescription, and are telling them it’s not ready?

Or has the pharmacy not even bothered to go up there, but rather than admit it, said: “We keep trying, but it’s never there…”

They don’t claim to have tried just once, but to have been there every day. How can this be, when the surgery say it’s been ready since Friday?

They’re either not going, or not asking the right questions when they get there, otherwise they’d have the prescription.

Tina

8

Is there any chance at all that the pharmacy have been asking for the wrong name in the surgery??

More importantly right now, since they know that you have a prescription coming, the pharmacy should be able to issue with some pills before they get the script. If they don’t have any in stock they can usually get it by the next day so they could have it tomorrow.

In the meantime, you could half one or two doses maybe, so you have a bit to tide you over?

My pharmacy orders my repeat prescriptions every 4 weeks without me telling them to - that way I never run out as they order in when they order the script. Maybe yours could do the same in future?

Good luck!

Karen x

9

Karen,

I have wondered that too - whether the pharmacy have been giving the correct name.

But without publishing it on here, my name is very straightfoward - not foreign, or hard to pronounce or anything. I wouldn’t have thought it a very likely source of confusion.

And yes, I’m having to make do on half doses. Not doing too well with that, as my feet are really crampy. Just as well it’s horrid weather anyway, as I think I’m a bit too stiff to go out for my walk today. :frowning:

T.

x

10

Anywhere that has recently dispensed you a medication and especially one that is obviously longterm can give you up to ten days worth of medicationwithout a script. It does help if you have a recent repeat order slip but not vital. You do not need to go without,just explain you have non left and they will not leave you high and dry.

Pip

11

Hi Tina

I feel for you, these people have no idea how stressful they make things.

I have just spoken to my doctor regarding my repeat prescription for baclofen, as although it

was ordered last Friday, my local chemist says they have not received the script from the dr’s.

Of course, the dr has just told me it was ready and waiting for collection Monday morning.

Perhaps it is something strange with repeat scripts for baclofen, for both you and I to be having

almost the same problem.

Hope yours and mine are both sorted asap, take care.

Pam.

12

Wow, that’s uncannily similar, isn’t it? Surgery say it’s been ready and waiting ages, pharmacy say no it isn’t. When they’re both blaming the other like this, you don’t know who to take it up with. They can’t BOTH be right!

I’m sorry you’re having the same trouble. It’s not really very complicated, is it? What can be the problem?

Tina

x

13

Hi, what a palaver! My GP says she is not allowed to issue scripts for more than 2 months at a time.

I wonder why Patrick`s GP follows different rules.

I have a regualr pharmacy who knows what drugs I get on repeat scripts. Occassionally he has run out of some drug, but always gives me some until more come in. Then one of his assistants brings them, as she lives near me.

I hope you arre able to get the baclofen soon.

luv Polx

14

Thanks Poll,

STOP PRESS: It’s turned up!

But why, oh why, do you have to get on the blower and tell them it’s urgent, and you’re about to run out, before anything happens?

It shouldn’t need the patient to be ringing up in distress, before it gets any priority, should it?

If they can do it the same day, once I’ve had a moan, what’s been the hitch all week?

Tina

x

15

Hi,

“I wonder why Patrick`s GP follows different rules”

I used to work abroad so this avoided me having to stock pile the drugs before I went away

Regards,

Patrick

16

I’m not sure where you GP is, but I recognise the pharmacies you have used!

I’m surprised your GP’s surgery has a 24-hour repeat prescription service. I’ve never heard of that before. My GP has a minimum 48 hours turnaround. I’ve spoken to my boyfiend, who is a pharmacist and has worked in pharmacies around here, and he says that he’s never heard of a 24-hour turn around. The advice I have taken is to leave it 3 working days before I see if my prescription is ready. If I put the request in on Monday I’ll check on Thursday at the earliest. I have a routine that I order my repeats when I start the last strip in a pack. Which is sometimes a month, sometimes two weeks, depending on the tablet that is triggering off my repeat request. I take loads of different tablets so I get all of them at once, which means I have more left of some than others!

17

Hi Ellen,

Yes, it’s the same pharmacy we spoke about before, that went belly-up!

But I thought all that was behind us now, and we should be back to business as usual.

The GP’s notice on the wall does say 24 hrs - I’ve no idea what percentage of the time they actually hit that target. But if their account is true, they did on this occasion, because I phoned it in on the Thursday, and they’re saying it was ready for collection on the Friday. The pharmacy claimed to have tried Friday, Monday and Tuesday, and that it wasn’t there any of those times!

Take your pick who you believe.

Tina

18

So have they delivered it to you then? Hope so.

luv Pollx