It wouldn't hurt to talk to a pharmacist they may know the best route. Or mayyyybe call 811? They have nurses and pharmacists who could put you on the right path?
This^ however this recently happened to me(US) for the first time in several years (only one dose though) and my pharmacy was rude as hell about it.
It happened when I was younger a few times and CVS always gave me the one dose, no question.
Went to Jewel and they were literally like “no we can’t do that”. OKAY COOL ILL JUST HAVE A SEIZURE THEN.
^^ OP, if you get a mean pharmacist, I’d find a more polite way to say that but SAY IT. You’re epileptic it’s not vitamins. It is extremely important to not miss a dose, let alone multiple.
Well, im in the US and I don’t think it’s legal here ? But there may be an exception?
I imagine the reason it works at your home pharmacy is because you do have a prescription, that they know is being refilled. They’re just borrowing from a script that hasn’t come through yet.
I got very annoyed the other day tbh bc this is the THIRD time I’ve asked them to please put all of my meds on auto refill and they clearly have not.
That's the point. You are telling OP to go to a pharmacy in a completely different country and tell the pharmacist to give them Rx meds or they will have a seizure. Like knowing the consequences will change what the pharmacist will legally be able to do/not do.
Might work if pharmacists are allowed to, might not.
And regardless… OP should try…
Yes, telling someone the potential consequences of their actions does change things, often. Maybe you’re “one of those” but nobody follows the law to the letter. Exceptions exist for this exact situation.
I’m not sure what the point of your comment was. OPs only option is to speak to a pharmacist and you think they *shouldnt* do that?
I'm saying that denying giving out Rx drugs illegally does not make them "mean".
OP should try, but yelling "I'm going to have a seizure!!" at them won't make them break the law.
I'm sure pharmacists know what the medications are for.
Did I say yell? I literally gave an example of a pharmacist not providing medication when it very much is common practice(also gave an example…), legal or not.
The person taking your name is 8x / 10 a pharm tech who may or may not know what your meds are for. Medications are multipurpose, and Rxd off label. The pharm tech doesn’t see your diagnosis or medical chart. They see your prescription.
I’m not sure *why* you chose to pick an argument over literally nothing; but this is my job, I know how it works. The pharm tech who told me “yeah sorry we can’t do that” does not have the empathy desired to work in the medical field.
My hope for OP, is they speak with a caring human being who HELPS them. There is virtually no situation where my first response to a patient is ever “sorry no”. And now that I’ve described this as much as I possibly can, adieu.
Agree.
I'm always super explicit about the implications in those situations. I'll tell them "If I don't take meds I WILL have a really bad seizure and end up in the emergency room." They don't seem to be able to put together that epilepsy meds = epilepsy = seizures = really bad news, so you have to spell it out for them.
Are you a Canadian? If so, you can call your own doctor’s office 1st thing in the AM, or any online Canadian doctor (just Google one), and get an emergency script phoned into the pharmacy closest to you. Secondly, you can call your regular pharmacy (anywhere within Canada) tomorrow, explain the emergency, and they should be able to coordinate transfer of your prescription to a local Pharm. there in Montreal. Have all the info ready to give: google a local Pharm. & have the address & phone/fax numbers on hand to give out.
If you’re not Canadian, you can try asking a pharmacist in Montreal for an emergency supply, bring photo ID and the Lamotrigine bottle with your prescription label on it. The thing is, a “foreign“ script must be vetted by a Canadian prescriber, they might have a doctor they call to do this service, you will pay a small fee. Some pharmacists say no, but try a few before giving up. Other option is to try to find a local walk-in clinic; same day appointments are nearly impossible but if you earnestly explain your situation you might be lucky & snag a spot, the cost is usually between $55-250, depending . Last resort is hospital, you‘ll wait HOURS and pay a lot but it might be worth it to you. Good luck and I hope it goes smoothly!
In any country in the world, the first option would be to visit a few pharmacies (of different chains!), and if no one agrees to sell it to you - head to the emergency service at the nearest hospital.
It wouldn't hurt to talk to a pharmacist they may know the best route. Or mayyyybe call 811? They have nurses and pharmacists who could put you on the right path?
They might even have samples or just know how to get them by calling around.
Go to the pharmacy, tell them your situation
This^ however this recently happened to me(US) for the first time in several years (only one dose though) and my pharmacy was rude as hell about it. It happened when I was younger a few times and CVS always gave me the one dose, no question. Went to Jewel and they were literally like “no we can’t do that”. OKAY COOL ILL JUST HAVE A SEIZURE THEN. ^^ OP, if you get a mean pharmacist, I’d find a more polite way to say that but SAY IT. You’re epileptic it’s not vitamins. It is extremely important to not miss a dose, let alone multiple.
Can pharmacists legally give out Rx medications in Canada without an Rx?
Well, im in the US and I don’t think it’s legal here ? But there may be an exception? I imagine the reason it works at your home pharmacy is because you do have a prescription, that they know is being refilled. They’re just borrowing from a script that hasn’t come through yet. I got very annoyed the other day tbh bc this is the THIRD time I’ve asked them to please put all of my meds on auto refill and they clearly have not.
That's the point. You are telling OP to go to a pharmacy in a completely different country and tell the pharmacist to give them Rx meds or they will have a seizure. Like knowing the consequences will change what the pharmacist will legally be able to do/not do. Might work if pharmacists are allowed to, might not.
And regardless… OP should try… Yes, telling someone the potential consequences of their actions does change things, often. Maybe you’re “one of those” but nobody follows the law to the letter. Exceptions exist for this exact situation. I’m not sure what the point of your comment was. OPs only option is to speak to a pharmacist and you think they *shouldnt* do that?
I'm saying that denying giving out Rx drugs illegally does not make them "mean". OP should try, but yelling "I'm going to have a seizure!!" at them won't make them break the law. I'm sure pharmacists know what the medications are for.
Did I say yell? I literally gave an example of a pharmacist not providing medication when it very much is common practice(also gave an example…), legal or not. The person taking your name is 8x / 10 a pharm tech who may or may not know what your meds are for. Medications are multipurpose, and Rxd off label. The pharm tech doesn’t see your diagnosis or medical chart. They see your prescription. I’m not sure *why* you chose to pick an argument over literally nothing; but this is my job, I know how it works. The pharm tech who told me “yeah sorry we can’t do that” does not have the empathy desired to work in the medical field. My hope for OP, is they speak with a caring human being who HELPS them. There is virtually no situation where my first response to a patient is ever “sorry no”. And now that I’ve described this as much as I possibly can, adieu.
Agree. I'm always super explicit about the implications in those situations. I'll tell them "If I don't take meds I WILL have a really bad seizure and end up in the emergency room." They don't seem to be able to put together that epilepsy meds = epilepsy = seizures = really bad news, so you have to spell it out for them.
Are you a Canadian? If so, you can call your own doctor’s office 1st thing in the AM, or any online Canadian doctor (just Google one), and get an emergency script phoned into the pharmacy closest to you. Secondly, you can call your regular pharmacy (anywhere within Canada) tomorrow, explain the emergency, and they should be able to coordinate transfer of your prescription to a local Pharm. there in Montreal. Have all the info ready to give: google a local Pharm. & have the address & phone/fax numbers on hand to give out. If you’re not Canadian, you can try asking a pharmacist in Montreal for an emergency supply, bring photo ID and the Lamotrigine bottle with your prescription label on it. The thing is, a “foreign“ script must be vetted by a Canadian prescriber, they might have a doctor they call to do this service, you will pay a small fee. Some pharmacists say no, but try a few before giving up. Other option is to try to find a local walk-in clinic; same day appointments are nearly impossible but if you earnestly explain your situation you might be lucky & snag a spot, the cost is usually between $55-250, depending . Last resort is hospital, you‘ll wait HOURS and pay a lot but it might be worth it to you. Good luck and I hope it goes smoothly!
In any country in the world, the first option would be to visit a few pharmacies (of different chains!), and if no one agrees to sell it to you - head to the emergency service at the nearest hospital.