Prescriptions in France

[Judith]

Following on from the English doctor discussion, and so not to muddy the waters of that posting ...

Why, oh why, don't pharmacists write the dosage instructions on the packet or even the prescription, as they do in the UK ..... ??  The number of times I have got home and thought, now what did he say????  How many per day, for how many days .. and I cannot always read what it says on the prescription (doctor's writing you know!)

And that even when I thought I had perfectly understood during the consultation .... in French, of course!

Discuss [now that might just liven it up as per Chancer's request!]

[EmilyA]

Our doctors put the instructions on and print the prescription. The pharmacists also always write it on if you haven't had the item in question before.

Never experienced anything else round here!

[NormanH]

My Pharmacie is in a very run-down inner city area with lots of people who hardly speak French, so the brother and sister team who run it are always very careful to explain and write down if necessary the doseage and frequence.

In my case I often don't need it as it often concerns repeat precrisptions, but they always ask, so I suppose it is a personal thing rather than a national one.

[alittlebitfrench]

Most do or they certainly ask if you want it written down.

[Chancer]

The pharmacy like most shops around here dont communicate beyond a grunt, they certainly dont explain doseages or anything, they will however peel off the vignettes for me and put them on the feulle de soins as I dont have sticky out finger nails, so as commerciants go around here they are quite sympa but would never give what we would call service with a smile, it would just be seen as a sign pof weakness to exploit.

 

I had some medication after an eye operation, the prescription looked like one and a half tablets X times per day (sorry cannot write fractions) I remember the opthalmo telling me to cut the tablet in half, I had an agonising attack of pain in my waterworks when I tried to pee that night, so bad I had to call SAMU, I recall it well as I couldnt speak French very well and especially while in agony, they actually hung up on me [:'(] I could hear someone screaming in the background, dont know if it was in their locale or on another line but they just left me to my pain which passed after the longest 30 minutes of my life.

 

When I showed the opthalmo his ordonnance that had been copied onto the box by the pharmacist who also thought it was 1.5 tablets he just laughed, when I told him of my bell end pain he thought it was hilarious and had to share the joke at my expense to his colleagues, seemingly it was intended to shrink blood vessels or something.

[andyh4]

So once again we see the regional differences.

The prescription always spells out when medication should be taken and our pharmacy always writes the instructions of one of the boxes.

While we have no doctors who can speak English to any standard, one of the people working in the pharmacy does speak quite well, although he would deny it. The instructions are however always in French - for the same reasons that I intimated that a doctor would be reluctant.

[Judith]

Seems its the usual, depends on where you are.  I would describe our pharmacy as middle of the road ... in my experience they have never written the dosage on the box, though I not asked them to, as most of my prescriptions are repeats .. but it is those which are for "emergency" use, the ones you wouldn't normally take ....

This is actually nothing to do with the language you speak, but rather, I suspect, the more oral tradition down here, where it seems information is passed by word of mouth.

However, when in pain (as dear old Chancer explained) you often do not remember what has been said, and if you cannot read the doctor's (or the pharmacist's) writing, and you realise when you get home that you cannot remember ... what do you do??

Hence why, as a matter of making sure the information is transferred directly, it would seem sensible to write on the box.  I don't use feuille de soins unless the carte vitale doesn't work, so I cannot fall back on that route - nor do I think you should have to.  Just better information all round (even in French - not a problem) would help to ensure instructions are followed.

[Patf]

No problems here - there are about 4 pharmacies in the two market towns near us, and all will give detailed  advice on dosage etc. In french .

They seem more willing to share their knowledge than the average pharmacist in the UK.

[idun]

I cannot remember ever having problems with prescriptions in France and both the GP's in our village wrote very clearly too.

I much much prefer the prescription system in France to that of the UK which I still find very confusing.

[Kong]

No idea if our doctor's writing is legible, he prints his prescriptions from a pc.

[sid]

[quote user="Kong"]No idea if our doctor's writing is legible, he prints his prescriptions from a pc.[/quote]

Same here, and the prescription has a duplicate tear-off part which you keep, and the dosage is on that.

 

[Judith]

[quote user="Patf"]No problems here - there are about 4 pharmacies in the two market towns near us, and all will give detailed  advice on dosage etc. In french .

They seem more willing to share their knowledge than the average pharmacist in the UK.

[/quote]

But Patf, what do you do when it's late at night and you need to take your medication .... as I said, the usual repeat meds are not a problem, they are typed (as others now are) and I know the routine.  It's when there are several handwritten items for an infection or whatever it is that you've gone with, and there are several medications, with different dosages, days to take etc. 

All I am saying is, better to double up with information in this case and be sure, as the doctor does not always prescribe as per the information leaflet ... and getting back to talk to the pharmacist is not always easy or the answer (They have been known not to be able to read the doctor's writing too, in my experience.)

[idun]

I am confused, have you used the emergency doctors service, or simply not checked earlier in the day as to what should be taken and in what order and when exactly and made yourself a clear note, which is exactly what I have to do.

Also the pharmacists often have to check with the GP as to what dose has been prescribed, as what the GP wants a patient to take can differ from the 'norm'.

All this ofcourse must be sorted out during the day when GP's and pharmacists are working, and forget the handwriting, if you can't read it, tell them and then you make your own notes about it all.

[Patf]

Judith - I've had prescriptions like that - I think I wrote about one I had for diarrhoeia.

When the replacement doctor gave it to me she explained about each item and I wrote it in. As Idun says , make your own notes.

[Judith]

"I am confused, have you used the emergency doctors service, or simply

not checked earlier in the day as to what should be taken and in what

order and when exactly and made yourself a clear note, which is exactly

what I have to do."

No, and no. Usually understand at time, but memory is unreliable, espcially when it comes to correct dosage ...

"Also the pharmacists often have to check with

the GP as to what dose has been prescribed, as what the GP wants a

patient to take can differ from the 'norm'."

Not so in my experience ... usually only check with boss pharmacist.

"All this of course

must be sorted out during the day when GP's and pharmacists are working,

and forget the handwriting, if you can't read it, tell them and then

you make your own notes about it all."

I don't usually re-examine the prescription until later. ... tant pis - my argument is that it should never be necessary to do this and it should be clearly typed or written ... without recourse to another consultation, as I am not stupid and can understand if I can read it ... that is, IF it is written properly (And it rarely is, even by pharmacists.) 

"make your own notes."

If only they gave you the time and didn't make you feel as though you were being stupid ... and I could find my pen quickly enough ....

I say again, none of this should or would be necessary, if proper labelling were introduced - now that is a piece of red tape I would happily support.

[idun]

My husband called me last night. He is away doing voluntary work and said he was working with a young fella and how remembered being so 'quick' at everything......including getting up from kneeling.

I remember when I could do three jobs as once, listening to several conversations whilst doing that and being on top of everything.

I can no longer do that. If someone speaks to me whilst I am on the phone I cannot hear the phone conversation.

I have to make sure that I have understood what is being said to me these days, because, I think I will look stupid if I have to call a few days later and ask...........in fact these days, sometimes things have to be gone over a couple of times.

I am getting old, there is no shame in it, it is part of the cycle of life and I try and do it graciously and with good humour when I am soliciting extra help, which I know I would never have needed 20 years ago and maybe even 10 years ago.

Also, most medecines in France have a 'notice' inside with everything written down on them anyway including doses and side effects, is this not the case these days, even in England we get that these days.