Just a summary of my treatment. I have a 1 and a half year old daughter, and the pharmacist is aware of this as I often ask advice regarding her health. However I suffer from Crohns disease. This used to be stabalised with azathioprine, which I stopped due to breastfeeding. However my crohns is managed during flare ups with pain relief. In my case 8/500 cocodamols, that I take at night time after her last feed and after I express enough milk for her usual 3am wakeup. My doctor is aware of my pumping schedule, as I use it also when I have to take sumatriptan for migraines as well. On Thursday night I went into your pharmacy to pick up my prescription for cocodamol, however I am very poor until the Friday after next when I get paid, so was wanting to pick up one pack of cocodamol tablets, rather than pay the £8 for two packs. I had my prescription with me. As soon as I walked into the pharmacy, the pharmacist said “I know you, I know you are breastfeeding” in a rather rude and accusatory fashion, then handed me a leaflet regarding cocodamol use in breastfeeding. This is nothing I do not know and is something that has been discussed with my GP, hence the pumping schedule. However they would not listen to this at all and refused to serve me one pack of the tablets for 1.99, instead saying they could only give me the 2 packs at prescription price. I explained that it was the exact same tablets, and I just wanted less than 64 of them, as I do only take them at night during my bad stomach cramps in flare up so I can get some sleep ready for work the next morning. However they were rude, and said I should go elsewhere and find a pharmacist who “didn’t know the regulations” in order to get a prescription that I need, and has been signed off on by my GP, who is better aware of my breastfeeding situation. I was mortified at their manner, I left the pharmacy in tears and doubt I will ever return! I am glad I never went in back when I had PND, or for my azathioprine, as these are delicate situations, and my mental health would have suffered by being made to feel like a terrible mother and person for needing medication for what is a chronic lifelong condition. I ended up walking up to Crosspool, in the sleet, in tears, and had the same conversation with their pharmacist, who was shocked at my treatment. Either they just wanted to get more money from me, or they are just rude and ignorant of the reasons many people are given these medications. I was reduced to tears infront of people, and made to feel like a stupid mother. I do consider the effects of medications on breastfeeding, my own mother is a GP so I get support from such matters from my own GP as well as family, and have a freezer draw full of milk at home, but they would not even let me explain this, just made me feel bad for breastfeeding, and for being sick.
Original Comment Report...

I had to stop using this pharmacy, even though it's the closest because I had panic attacks just at the thought of having to go there. I was on antidepressant and antianxiety medication prescribed by my psychiatrist. But the pharmacist was not satisfied that this was a reason to dispense me the medication I needed. They would ring my GP every single time to query it. They would also ask me very personal questions about my mental state and my self harm, including asking to see it, in front of other pharmacy customers. This was particularly unhelpful given that I was going through a mental health crisis at the time. I really did not need this additional, inappropriate barrier to getting the treatment that I so badly needed.
Original Comment Report...