WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:07.240 I’m 25 years old 2 00:00:07.240 --> 00:00:10.640 and I suffer with chronic illnesses 3 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:12.160 and also mental illness. 4 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:14.920 They have given me a diagnosis 5 00:00:14.920 --> 00:00:17.480 of ME or chronic fatigue syndrome, 6 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:20.040 fibromyalgia, underactive thyroid 7 00:00:20.040 --> 00:00:21.320 and also anxiety. 8 00:00:21.880 --> 00:00:23.880 Because of the nature of my illness 9 00:00:23.880 --> 00:00:26.400 it means I can’t work, unfortunately. 10 00:00:26.560 --> 00:00:28.720 and a lot of the time I’m housebound 11 00:00:29.080 --> 00:00:30.080 and sometimes bedbound 12 00:00:30.080 --> 00:00:31.720 so I don’t get out much. 13 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:40.040 It can be really lonely 14 00:00:40.040 --> 00:00:41.400 and it can be really 15 00:00:42.160 --> 00:00:42.760 hard 16 00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:44.880 because it feels like 17 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:47.560 you’re the only person in the world 18 00:00:48.080 --> 00:00:50.000 who isn’t... 19 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:52.960 out there with other people 20 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:54.040 and... 21 00:00:54.080 --> 00:00:56.720 who can’t join in. 22 00:00:58.160 --> 00:00:59.560 Yeah, it’s very difficult. 23 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:06.840 I suffer from a lot of side effects, 24 00:01:08.240 --> 00:01:10.040 things like constipation, 25 00:01:10.040 --> 00:01:12.720 nausea, dizziness, headaches. 26 00:01:13.440 --> 00:01:14.920 Sometimes I end up not taking 27 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:17.520 those medicines when the side effects 28 00:01:17.520 --> 00:01:18.920 actually get too much for me. 29 00:01:19.560 --> 00:01:21.640 I do also have some concerns 30 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:24.560 about my medicines interacting with one another. 31 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:30.080 I think that some of them do have... 32 00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:32.480 strengthening or weakening effect on each other 33 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:33.800 and sometimes I try and guess 34 00:01:34.280 --> 00:01:39.040 which ones those problematic medicines are 35 00:01:39.160 --> 00:01:40.920 so I can stop taking them, 36 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:41.880 or... 37 00:01:41.880 --> 00:01:44.800 I will take more or less of one or the other. 38 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:51.280 There’s no real... 39 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:54.000 There’s no real communication there 40 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:55.800 between me and the pharmacy 41 00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:59.200 and in the past when I have spoken 42 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:01.240 to the pharmacy workers, 43 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:04.760 occasionally I’ve felt a little bit... 44 00:02:04.760 --> 00:02:09.160 shamed by them with regard to some of my 45 00:02:09.760 --> 00:02:11.480 more stigmatised medicines, 46 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:13.320 my anti-depressants in particular 47 00:02:13.320 --> 00:02:16.240 and also my strong pain medication 48 00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:17.240 like codeine. 49 00:02:17.640 --> 00:02:20.240 There’s been a time when... 50 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:21.560 I think... 51 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:24.280 she kind of was implying I was a junkie 52 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:28.920 which was actually really...hurtful, 53 00:02:28.920 --> 00:02:32.200 really hard, to feel like you’re fighting 54 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:33.960 for your own medications. 55 00:02:34.040 --> 00:02:36.120 and because I rely on them so much 56 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:38.040 to have a good quality of life 57 00:02:38.040 --> 00:02:40.760 it’s...a bit scary 58 00:02:40.760 --> 00:02:43.120 talking to pharmacy workers sometimes. 59 00:02:49.040 --> 00:02:52.840 No, I had no idea what a Medicines Use Review... 60 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:53.840 ...was 61 00:02:54.720 --> 00:02:58.680 and I didn’t know that there was actually... 62 00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:00.120 help that the pharmacy teams 63 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:01.320 could be giving me as well. 64 00:03:02.160 --> 00:03:05.880 I think I was quite surprised learn that... 65 00:03:05.880 --> 00:03:07.920 really, that there was any extra information 66 00:03:07.920 --> 00:03:09.200 or help I could get. 67 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:12.080 I thought that maybe you either get it 68 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:13.480 from the doctor... 69 00:03:13.480 --> 00:03:14.840 or nothing. 70 00:03:15.720 --> 00:03:19.120 But with a pharmacist you have the advantage 71 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.320 of maybe seeing the same person regularly, 72 00:03:22.760 --> 00:03:24.240 seeing them every two to three weeks, 73 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:26.080 whenever you go and pick up your medicines. 74 00:03:26.440 --> 00:03:28.200 I think that I would quiet benefit 75 00:03:28.200 --> 00:03:32.320 from having a more consistent... 76 00:03:32.320 --> 00:03:34.480 base to touch home with every now and then 77 00:03:34.480 --> 00:03:35.480 with my medicines, 78 00:03:36.040 --> 00:03:37.960 but yeah I’d never heard of one before. 79 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:48.480 Asking people who... 80 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:51.160 come in to collect that person’s medication. 81 00:03:51.440 --> 00:03:53.640 Also I think there is a certain amount that you can infer 82 00:03:53.640 --> 00:03:54.880 from the medicine. 83 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:55.560 So... 84 00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:57.720 obviously you shouldn’t make assumptions, 85 00:03:57.920 --> 00:04:00.960 but actually if you have bed sore dressings 86 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:01.800 for example 87 00:04:01.920 --> 00:04:05.280 that might be an indication that that person 88 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:06.800 has to stay in bed a lot, 89 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:09.480 can’t get out as easily as most people can, 90 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:11.800 has problems with mobility. 91 00:04:12.640 --> 00:04:13.760 Those sorts of things 92 00:04:13.760 --> 00:04:16.200 can be an indication to pharmacists. 93 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:23.680 I think I would really benefit 94 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:25.640 from something like a Medicines Use Review 95 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:30.520 even if I maybe said no 96 00:04:30.520 --> 00:04:33.560 the first time it was offered to me from... 97 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:34.560 anxiety, 98 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:37.440 to be offered it again 99 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:38.880 would be really helpful. 100 00:04:39.200 --> 00:04:40.800 I think, you know... 101 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:42.760 don’t give up trying 102 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:44.680 if someone’s turned it down once 103 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:45.760 that doesn’t mean they definitely 104 00:04:45.760 --> 00:04:46.600 don’t want to do it. 105 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:48.440 I think it means that maybe they're... 106 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:50.800 too shy or too anxious 107 00:04:50.840 --> 00:04:52.120 or they don’t know what it is. 108 00:04:52.920 --> 00:04:54.240 I think if... 109 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:56.280 pharmacists can explain what it’s for, 110 00:04:56.440 --> 00:04:58.120 that they’re actually there to help you, 111 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:00.720 not to take your medicines away or punish you 112 00:05:01.760 --> 00:05:04.360 I think that would be a really useful 113 00:05:04.440 --> 00:05:06.160 service for people like me.