Dispensing 'Error' by Pharmacy

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.