Trips To Chemist

[jjbell7]

Has anyone here had any negative experiences when handing your script over for meds?, most of the time it's fine but every now and then the person I hand it to(never the chemist) usually a worker and younger will look at the script then will show either fear, disgust or both. Each time I want to say something like, I'm offended you think i would harm you because I have a mental problem. I'm quiet and polite so why does someone's face change the second they see my meds. Some people are in the wrong job i think.

[piuma]

yes I have had people treat me different, in good and bad ways, i remember one guy taking in a mighty gasp when i said i was on lithium liquid. anyone would have thought i had handed in a prescription for drugs pffft xxx

[donnam]

have to say no, they have always treated me fine, but maybe cos chemist is attached to gps surgery! but have had bad experience with my medical notes been shouted done the corridor in hopsital. obvious dont deserve privacy!

[mjk]

Has anyone here had any negative experiences when handing your script over for meds?, most of the time it's fine but every now and then the person I hand it to(never the chemist) usually a worker and younger will look at the script then will show either fear, disgust or both. Each time I want to say something like, I'm offended you think i would harm you because I have a mental problem. I'm quiet and polite so why does someone's face change the second they see my meds. Some people are in the wrong job i think.

It's a shame you've had that reaction. I always worry that they might think bad of me cos I'm on weekly scripts. Certain members of staff can make you feel like they're being judgemental, but on the whole, the staff in my chemist are great. One lady even picked me up off the motorway when I'd gone AWOL once. Her and her husband were driving past as I was walking along and stopped and wouldn't leave till I got in the car. I was SOOOO embarrassed lol, but nice to know she was looking out for me. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself if you get any grief. xxxx

[*Summer*]

Have to say no too,Like Cadance my chemist is attached to my GP's surgery too,The staff at mine are really nice and i think maybe because they know me now.I think it is awful that you are treated this way.

[SusieQ]

I think maybe you are a little sensitive too. I used to be really self-concious about being on sleeping pills because of how much I felt I looked like a pale-faced insomniac, I would often be looking for a reaction. You've got to remember these people hand out these kind of drugs every day.

[jjbell7]

i know i'm sensitive to people's facial expressions, body language etc. comes with being hypervigilant to threat for 39 years, i also know paranoia is a close companion of depression, but i know fear very well and i can see it a mile off. Like i said it's usually the young and possibly inexperienced workers who are sometimes like this, the vast majority are fine, still annoying though.

[artofdrowning]

never noticed any reaction to any prescription, dont mean to sound harsh but maybe your feeling a little bit paranoid or self concious when going to the pharmacy.

[SusieQ]

i know i'm sensitive to people's facial expressions, body language etc. comes with being hypervigilant to threat for 39 years, i also know paranoia is a close companion of depression, but i know fear very well and i can see it a mile off. Like i said it's usually the young and possibly inexperienced workers who are sometimes like this, the vast majority are fine, still annoying though.

yeah sounds annoying. I guess you just need to detach yourself from these people's reactions. MH problems will always cause some people, particularly the young and inexperienced, to react in a negative way. Although I would still expect most people who work in pharmacys to be more understanding.

[Mole]

I have the same problem with the smaller Chemists - they treat me like i'm a convict

I go into the city centre now and they are a lot more pleasant

[catsmother21]

I can't say I've ever had a problem with my chemist and because I'm in there so often, I've got to know them all and have a laugh with them. I'm sorry that you've been treated this way. Maybe give them a big smile and say morning next time you go in, I don't know if you've tried to engage them before. x :D

[jennyflake]

I work in a chemist, and can honestly tell you that most of the 'young and inexperienced' people you refer to generally do not even know what the drugs you are on are for. If you are on something more unusual then that look, which could appear like fear, or disgust, is almost certainly a look of confusion as they try to decide whether they have something in stock.

I can also reassure you that an amazingly large proportion of prescriptions dispensed contain drugs for mental health conditions.

[lauraw2693]

I think I'm a bit over-sensitive/paranoid sometimes but I have had a couple of bad reactions picking up prescriptions with benzo's, anti-psychotics, mood stabilisers etc.. I talked to the pharmacist about concerns I had with my new med, Naltrexone, which is usually used for alcohol etc withdrawal but that's not what I'm on it for and she thought I was lying :angry:

[sanctuary]

my advice might sound like a cop out but i go in and don't make eye contact.. I know I read faces due to hypersensitivty etc over 34 years so I avoid looking... solves the problem... don;t care if I look wierd.. wouldn't be on the drugs if I wasn;t struggling enough already!! I'm sure no eye contact is a sign to them of something, but all I know it I am trying to rewire my 'threat' response and sometimes, there are judgmental bastards out there hence I avoid looking at them to avoid smacking them in the mouth knowing they what they are thinking by reading their face.

Sorry for the ramble but I am struggling really hard not to pick up on microexpressions at the mo and reminds me of so many occassions I simply ignore faces just to get throught the day :(

[bena.baby]

I work in a chemist, and can honestly tell you that most of the 'young and inexperienced' people you refer to generally do not even know what the drugs you are on are for. If you are on something more unusual then that look, which could appear like fear, or disgust, is almost certainly a look of confusion as they try to decide whether they have something in stock.

I can also reassure you that an amazingly large proportion of prescriptions dispensed contain drugs for mental health conditions.

Was going to say the same thing. I worked in a chemist when I was younger, and also in Boots last year, and I didn't know what any of the drugs were. I'm almost certain that, apart from the person dispensing the drugs, most people in a chemist have no idea about different prescription medication because they're only trained in medicines you can buy over the counter. It could be, as others have said, that you feel bad about it and are expecting bad reactions? I hope you don't think I'm trying to deny your experience, just trying to reassure you.

If they are judging you, I think the best thing to do is just to try and think "well, so what?" I know it's not nice to feel judged, but if someone in a chemist shop thinks badly of you, you don't need to let it impact on you. It's hard for a start, but eventually you can stop worrying about people's negative judgements. I used to be so shy that I hated even going into a shop to buy a paper because I thought everyone in the shop was thinking what an idiot I was and now I don't even think about it. It takes a long time though.

[jjbell7]

hello foreverblue, if a large proportion of scripts are for mental health then how would someone be confused as it's so common, there may be about three or four people in a small chemist and only the dispenser knows what their for? lack of training? why even bother looking at the script then, just hand it to the person to dispense. sorry but i'm not naive not to know there is stigma about mental health even among nurses never mind shop assistants, i'm glad you have give me a little insight though

[jennyflake]

In many chemists, though not all, the people taking in the prescriptions are seperate from the people dispensing them. The people on the front are often trained in how to sell OTC products, and how to recognise a large variety of symptoms that indicate referral to a different Healthcare professional is neccesary.

However, whilst they will recognise the names of many of the drugs, they will not know what they are for. For example, I knew after working for less than a month in a pharmacy that we were very likely to have amitriptyline in stock. However, it was not until much later that I discovered what it was for. And this is from someone who is genuinely interested. Those who are merely doing the job for money will probably never take the time to look into it.

Then there are the vast number of products available. You only have to look at a few posts on here to become aware of the vast number of drugs available. To be quite honest, I would expect someone who has been working in a pharmacy more than a year where I work to know fluoxetine and citalopram are antidepressants. But I sure as hell wouldn't expect them to know that zuclopenthixol is an antipsychotic (and I only used that example because I had to look it up the other day!)

There is a reason that a pharmacy degree takes four years, there is just so much to learn. As a result it is often only the pharmacist that knows what the more obscure drugs are for!

[starryeyesee]

hi

I always go to the same chemist for my drugs. the boss (main dispenser) is , i think , the only one who knows what my drugs are for. If she serves me she always asks how I am which I find quite comforting.

That is my experience anyway

starry x

[jjbell7]

we will just have to agree to disagree because i'm not paranoid 24hours a day, and i know stigma exists, i'm not going to just ignore reality and pretend that people in every profession even caring one's are understanding, i know these examples are the minority and on the whole i don't feel judged, i accept that, please try to accept that there is prejudice, it is getting better in the time i've had problems(roughly 15 years) but it's ongoing and it's going to take a good few years ahead to make people less ignorant, sorry it's how i feel