amoxicillin susp RX stop date

[pharm00123]

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So two days ago I got an rx for amoxicillin 200/5 and the directions were 6 ml bid #200 ml. No stop date or duration. Would you call or dispense?? I let it go because I was so busy and honestly distracted and didnt even think about it until I got home. Freaking out about it now.

 

[Wheresmyaricept]

Typically I call if it isn't past office hours. If it is, I ask the parents how long the doctor said. If they know, great. If they don't, I tell them to call the office the next day because the last thing I want is a raging parent and a sick kid to miss their medication for a night because of something so tiny like that.

Worst case scenario: no one ever calls and the kid gets 200 ml of medication or whenever it expires...14 days? Not too life threatening.

 

[Dr Wario]

Wow, not to pick on the op but the reaction to this kind of situation is one thing that would differentiate a newly minted from a seasoned pharmacist. As the previous poster stated, the worst case scenario is that the child is still taking the medication 2 days after the 14 day "expiration" date, at which point the dose may be slightly less potent. With oral meds, aside from giving the completely wrong drug, really screwing up the dose, or missing an extremely serious interaction there should be almost nothing you should be "freaking out" over.

 

[BidingMyTime]

I would dispense with a note that the medication expires after 14 days, and if the patient needed it past that day, that you will have to contact the doctor for a refill. (it's not uncommon for surgeons to prescribe continuous antibiotics until the surgery date, so in these situations, if the date hadn't been finalized, the physician may have left the script open-ended for that reason. If you learn from the patient that is the deal and they need 16 days worth of antibiotics, then I would make the quantity 2 bottles, and either dispense 1 and have them come back for the refill, or if co-pay is an issue, dispense both bottles, but send the water to be added separately with the 2nd bottle.)