Can my pharmacist contact my prescriber to obtain a prescription renewal?

Question

My orthopedic surgeon is in Quebec City so I only see him every 4-5 months. He renews my opioid prescription when my pharmacist sends him a fax. Last week, I asked my pharmacy to send a fax, and after having no return, I called my surgeons office to make sure they received it. They had not. My surgeons nurse gave me a new direct number so she could receive it directly. I called my pharmacy to ask them to send it to this number and I was threatened that the pharmacist could refuse sending the fax. I was told to go to a walk in clinic for a paper prescription, but I told them no doctor will want to prescribe opioids to a patient they don’t know (with reason). I was just so rudely spoken to and I want to see if it is true that a pharmacist can refuse to send a renewal fax. I am very unhappy with how I was treated by my pharmacy. Thank you so much for your answer. Additional to the situation I described in my initial post, the employee did not write down the fax number I had given her, so the fax was not even sent to my surgeon’s nurse. I ended up calling the pharmacy again and talking to the pharmacist directly. She apologized for the behaviour of her employee, and ended up sorting out my issue (I did receive my medication in the end). Thanks again for your help, this app is so useful!

Naji-tom Samaha · Accepted Answer

Hello. This is indeed a very sensitive topic. Every decision a pharmacist makes is supposed to be in the patient's best interest. We do not know, according to the information you have provided, whether you spoke to your pharmacist, or someone else. If you have reservations regarding what you were told on the phone, it would be best to communicate directly with the pharmacist so you can both set the record straight with each other. I’m glad the issue was resolved, please do not hesitate if you have other questions Tom Samaha, pharmacist