Shortages are more common than they were, and the reasons are mostly upstream of any pharmacy — manufacturing, import, or a single supplier holding the whole market.
Less than people expect. A pharmacist cannot swap your medicine for a different one, or change the strength, on their own. What we can do is source it from another wholesaler, check our other five branches, or supply a different pack size of the same medicine.
A different drug, a different strength, or a different formulation all need the GP to reissue. We start that conversation ourselves rather than sending you to do it, but the surgery controls the timing.
Occasionally the Department of Health issues a protocol allowing pharmacists to supply an alternative without going back to the prescriber. When one is in force for your medicine, we will use it and tell you what changed and why.
Order a few days before you run out rather than on your last tablet. Tell us if you are going away. And if you have been managing on a reduced supply, say so — that changes how hard we chase it.
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