I was diagnosed with an anal fissure in November 2010 and have been managing things fine with Movicol/Laxido. However, I read that it is on the FDA watch list in the US a while back and decided to try lactulose instead. That went horribly wrong and the fissure returned with a vengeance on Wednesday. I didn't sleep at all the first two nights due to the quite extreme pain. I've had some pain before but nothing like this. It's burning combined with spasms. I got an emergency appointment with the GP yesterday and he prescribed Diltiazem cream. We went to the local Boots, they didn't have it but could get it in for Tuesday. We went to two other local pharmacies and nothing. We went to the nearest city and nothing. We then proceeded to the largest Boots in the next even bigger city. Nothing. They have ordered it for me as the local Boots was closed at that point. They called me today to let me know that it hasn't arrived and will get in touch again on Monday. I'm not happy for obvious reasons as I'm extremely uncomfortable when I sit, stand, walk and lie down.

I'm not British but have lived here for 14 years. I was stunned that pharmacies here don't carry drugs that surely must be prescribed regularly but perhaps not on a weekly basis. Has anyone anywhere else experienced something like this?!

I was very relieved when I'd seen the GP and got the prescription as I hoped things would start to improve soon. I cried in the car after we'd been to the final pharmacy and I'm not a person who cries easily... This has been a slight rant but I had to vent.

I use Anusol cream in the meantime and I've ordered a cream containing lidocaine that should arrive on Monday if the Diltiazem doesn't arrive on Monday. I am back on Movicol, eat plenty of fruit and stay hydrated but every BM is agony. Even peeing hurts as it obviously aggregates things when I sit down.

I'm in Canada (Toronto), and my local pharmacy had to make it (blend the drug with the ointment), so I had to wait until the following day to pick it up. I doubt that any pharmacy, anywhere, keeps it in stock ready to use, because it has to be compounded.