rikerliker707
Bluelighter
Yesterday I was at an independent chemist in north west England where I am known to the regular staff. I went in and asked one of the assistants if I could speak to the pharmacist and a bespectacled Black man came out the back (the usual one is of Chinese descent and does not wear glasses, so this was either a locum or a new employee.)
He asked me what I was after, I said I was thinking about it and he responded out of the blue, "Co-codamol? Sleeping pills? Painkillers? Methadone?" 8( It was bad enough he'd just rattled off a roll call of 'abused medications' without suggesting that I was somehow expecting him to supply me with methadone when I'd not presented a prescription. So I asked him "What are you talking about?" to which he answered, "Because they're what drug addicts look for. And the only person who goes to a pharmacy and doesn't know what they want is a drug addict."
I was astonished he had 'gone there' so explicitly- some pharmacists will flash suspicious looks at you or ask questions that imply they believe you're a recreational drug user (even as they sell what you've asked for) but never has one burst out with comments like that.
I sat on one of the chairs provided for customers, then told him a few minutes later I'd remembered what I wanted only for him to pipe up again: "Let me guess! Kaolin and Morphine? Codeine? Flunitrazepam? -also known as Rohypnol? This compounded my surprise and anger as I said "You mean that pill known as the date rape drug?" To which he nodded and said "Yes, exactly."
I then informed him that I wouldn't bother telling him what I wanted, because I wasn't going to buy anything after being spoken to like that, and walked out.
I have had the odd problem with pharmacy staff before, from being accused of threatening staff and wanting to steal because I peered under the counter (when I was looking if they had any Gee's Linctus down there, knowing that was where it was kept) to getting ordered out for challenging the lie that Cyclizine is a 'prescription-only medicine'. But never like this.
Apart from the unprofessional disrespect shown to me, I worry about how others may be affected by a pharmacist willing to rush to judgment so vocally. This time he was speaking to an actual experienced hard core aficionado of psychoactive medications... but what if I
a) had a cough/cold with sinus pain and was deciding whether to get a combination product (e.g. Day/Night Nurse) or cheaper decongestant, paracetamol and cough mixture separately
b) was caring for a bedbound elderly relative who had asked me to pick up some eye drops which I'd forgot the name of
c) had been sent in by an embarrassed friend to buy Clamelle (azithromycin for chlamydia) and was myself embarrassed asking while his two female assistants hovered staring at me
d) suffered from a head injury or medical condition that caused intermittent short term memory loss
That's just four I can think of out of dozens or hundreds of reasons why a person might tell a pharmacist they're not sure/can't remember what they want. To assume addiction is the reason and effectively label the patient a drug addict would be extremely insulting to people in such a situation. (Yes, much of that is due to the stigma surrounding 'unapproved' drug use, and one day it may not be such a sharp insult to be called that, but the present reality only makes it more important to avoid this kind of assertion, especially based on 'evidence' that doesn't hold up.)
Is it worth me raising the issue with the regular pharmacist (and, I believe, shop owner) next time I encounter him; responding to the pharmacist concerned by letter or e-mail demanding an apology; encouraging locals to boycott the store; making a formal complaint to the GPhC- or some other (lawful and reasonable) action? I'd like to know what a cross-section of my experiential community broader than those I know in real life thinks, hence posting on here.
respect always
RL
He asked me what I was after, I said I was thinking about it and he responded out of the blue, "Co-codamol? Sleeping pills? Painkillers? Methadone?" 8( It was bad enough he'd just rattled off a roll call of 'abused medications' without suggesting that I was somehow expecting him to supply me with methadone when I'd not presented a prescription. So I asked him "What are you talking about?" to which he answered, "Because they're what drug addicts look for. And the only person who goes to a pharmacy and doesn't know what they want is a drug addict."
I was astonished he had 'gone there' so explicitly- some pharmacists will flash suspicious looks at you or ask questions that imply they believe you're a recreational drug user (even as they sell what you've asked for) but never has one burst out with comments like that.
I sat on one of the chairs provided for customers, then told him a few minutes later I'd remembered what I wanted only for him to pipe up again: "Let me guess! Kaolin and Morphine? Codeine? Flunitrazepam? -also known as Rohypnol? This compounded my surprise and anger as I said "You mean that pill known as the date rape drug?" To which he nodded and said "Yes, exactly."
I then informed him that I wouldn't bother telling him what I wanted, because I wasn't going to buy anything after being spoken to like that, and walked out.
I have had the odd problem with pharmacy staff before, from being accused of threatening staff and wanting to steal because I peered under the counter (when I was looking if they had any Gee's Linctus down there, knowing that was where it was kept) to getting ordered out for challenging the lie that Cyclizine is a 'prescription-only medicine'. But never like this.
Apart from the unprofessional disrespect shown to me, I worry about how others may be affected by a pharmacist willing to rush to judgment so vocally. This time he was speaking to an actual experienced hard core aficionado of psychoactive medications... but what if I
a) had a cough/cold with sinus pain and was deciding whether to get a combination product (e.g. Day/Night Nurse) or cheaper decongestant, paracetamol and cough mixture separately
b) was caring for a bedbound elderly relative who had asked me to pick up some eye drops which I'd forgot the name of
c) had been sent in by an embarrassed friend to buy Clamelle (azithromycin for chlamydia) and was myself embarrassed asking while his two female assistants hovered staring at me
d) suffered from a head injury or medical condition that caused intermittent short term memory loss
That's just four I can think of out of dozens or hundreds of reasons why a person might tell a pharmacist they're not sure/can't remember what they want. To assume addiction is the reason and effectively label the patient a drug addict would be extremely insulting to people in such a situation. (Yes, much of that is due to the stigma surrounding 'unapproved' drug use, and one day it may not be such a sharp insult to be called that, but the present reality only makes it more important to avoid this kind of assertion, especially based on 'evidence' that doesn't hold up.)
Is it worth me raising the issue with the regular pharmacist (and, I believe, shop owner) next time I encounter him; responding to the pharmacist concerned by letter or e-mail demanding an apology; encouraging locals to boycott the store; making a formal complaint to the GPhC- or some other (lawful and reasonable) action? I'd like to know what a cross-section of my experiential community broader than those I know in real life thinks, hence posting on here.
respect always
RL
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
