Useful information

Is it possible to receive some medicine only in part?

2020/07/01

When you visited a medical institution for some reason such as a cold or low back pain and
had a doctor prescribe medicine for you, then was told that there were multiple kinds of
medicine, might there have been a time when you thought, “I don’t need all of them, so I
want only this medicine and that medicine”?
On such occasions, is it possible to receive only some of the medicines at the pharmacy
rather than all the medicines listed on the prescription?

The prescription content cannot be changed

In brief, it can’t be done.
The Pharmacist Law includes the following rules:

“Pharmacist Law Article 23
Article 23: A pharmacist should not dispense for the purpose of sale or award unless
prescribed by a doctor, dentist, or veterinarian.
2. The pharmacist must not modify the medicines described in the prescription except by
obtaining the consent of the doctor, dentist, or veterinarian who issued the prescription.”

In other words, the pharmacist must dispense based on the doctor’s prescription, and must
not modify the content of the prescription to dispense.
Preparing only part of the medicines written on the prescription (reducing the amount of the
medicines) is also one of the “modifications”, so it is essentially forbidden.

A “questioning inquiry” is required when making changes

However, Article 23-2 of the Pharmacist Law, which stipulates “do not change before
dispensing”, has an annotation stating “except with the consent of a doctor, dentist, or
veterinarian”.
In other words, the pharmacist can contact the doctor and change the prescription if
consent is obtained.
When a pharmacist looks at a prescription and finds something of concern, it is obligatory
to check with the doctor for confirmation. This is called a “questioning inquiry”.
For example, a pharmacist will always make an inquiry when there are multiple
prescriptions with the same medicinal effect, some medications that are difficult to swallow,
or side effects and allergies.

In conclusion, is it possible to receive a partial prescription?

But what about when a patient asks, “Please give me only part of the medicine on the
prescription”?
First, let me ask you the reason. For example, when there are clear reasons such as
“Some medicine has been prescribed before and there is some left over at home,” or “This
medicine has caused side effects before,” then I would make an inquiry to your doctor. And,
with the consent of the doctor who prescribed the drug, it is possible to dispense only part

of the medicines.
On the other hand, if there is no reason, the doctor prescribed it because it is necessary,
and it will be dispensed according to the prescription.

Inquiry waiting time will increase

In other words, it is basically prohibited to say, “Please give me some of the medicines, but
not all of the medicines written on the prescription”. However, in some situations, it is
possible for the pharmacist to ask the prescribing doctor about the concerns and obtain
consent.
However, it is not always possible to contact the doctor immediately, so you will have to
wait during the inquiry.
Therefore, the easiest thing to do is to mention it to your doctor on the spot, with an
explanation such as “I have some of the medicine at home” when the doctor proposes the
medicine. This will reduce the waiting time for the patient.

In some cases, it is possible to “reduce the medicine” without an inquiry.

When some of the prescribed medicines are left over at home (remaining medicines), there
are cases where pharmacists can dispense the medicines without waiting for the inquiry.
That is when the prescription says, “It is possible to report after adjustment of the remaining
drug” or “It is permissible to reduce the drug by subtracting the remaining drug”.
In this case, it is allowed to discuss it with the patient and deduct the remaining medicines
without giving an inquiry to the doctor. For example, if you have been prescribed medicine
for 10 days, but have 3 days’ worth left at home, you can get a 7-day supply.