![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 25 of 42. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Gracie2 on October 16, 2001, at 1:39:38
Well I went in to get a refill of my blood pressure medicine and my generic Xanax and the pharmacist told me it was too soon to refill the Xanax and to come back in 10 days. !@#$%&! I told her "Look I went on vacation this summer and ran out of medicine and I had a hell of a time getting a refill. What if I was going out of town, I can never have my prescription filled ahead of time?"
She says, "No, you would have to have your prescription filled wherever it is that you're going."
I said, "What if I'm going to Siberia? You think they have a Walgreen's on every street corner in Siberia? I would be totally screwed."
She says I'm sorry but that's their policy.
Damnation,first we have the HMOs and their primary physicians who have to give you a referral to see a specialist because you're not smart enough to know what kind of doctor you need. Now we have the pharmacies who won't refill a legit prescription one day ahead of time because you might have needed an extra pill every now and then for pain or anxiety. I'm
not talking about blatant abuse, like trying to refill a month's worth of Vicodan every week. I'm referring to
adults who are capable of judging when they need a little extra pain medication, i.e. after aggravating an injury, or another pill or two for anxiety, such as when your in-laws from Hell are in town or you catch your husband in bed with another woman or something like that. I'd say that deserves an extra pill or four and you don't need a doctor to tell you that. Also the last thing you need is to be caught up short on your medication at the end of the month when you're going to divorce court or prison, if you get my meaning.In some people's minds, adjusting their prescribed drug dosage is self-medication and they condemn this practice. I would like to address this issue too but I'll do it in a separate thread to spare the uninterested.
-Gracie
Posted by kazoo on October 16, 2001, at 1:59:20
In reply to Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by Gracie2 on October 16, 2001, at 1:39:38
Gracie, dearie, are you paying for the XANAX with cash, or via an insurance company's co-payment plan?
I use Walgreens to fill my prescriptions and as I was told, it is the insurance companies that dictate when the script should be refilled; i.e., if it's too soon, then the insurance company won't pay for it. Many times I was a few days early with a refill and the insurance company denied paying for it, so I shelled out the bucks myself not to deal with those pencil-pushing asswipes.
The pharmacists couldn't care less about the time schedule (in fact, when I paid for certain prescriptions, I had them double up on them). When the pharmacist processes your order, information is sent to the insurance company you have, and it is THOSE PEOPLE who decide if it's "too soon" to get.
Of course, you shouldn't take the cash-routine to the extreme: if you are given a 30 day supply of something with refills and come back seven days later needing another refill, the pharmacist *may* alert the doctor for authorization (after all, people *do* lose their prescriptions, or they're stolen). If you have a reasonable excuse, such as loss or theft, then they'll fill it.
So don't blame Walgreens or any pharmacist that has to deal with the tyranical insurance companies. This is the way it is.
Loving yours,
kazoo
(Can I tickle you?)
Posted by JohnX on October 16, 2001, at 2:00:07
In reply to Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by Gracie2 on October 16, 2001, at 1:39:38
>
> Well I went in to get a refill of my blood pressure medicine and my generic Xanax and the pharmacist told me it was too soon to refill the Xanax and to come back in 10 days. !@#$%&! I told her "Look I went on vacation this summer and ran out of medicine and I had a hell of a time getting a refill. What if I was going out of town, I can never have my prescription filled ahead of time?"
> She says, "No, you would have to have your prescription filled wherever it is that you're going."
> I said, "What if I'm going to Siberia? You think they have a Walgreen's on every street corner in Siberia? I would be totally screwed."
> She says I'm sorry but that's their policy.
> Damnation,first we have the HMOs and their primary physicians who have to give you a referral to see a specialist because you're not smart enough to know what kind of doctor you need. Now we have the pharmacies who won't refill a legit prescription one day ahead of time because you might have needed an extra pill every now and then for pain or anxiety. I'm
> not talking about blatant abuse, like trying to refill a month's worth of Vicodan every week. I'm referring to
> adults who are capable of judging when they need a little extra pain medication, i.e. after aggravating an injury, or another pill or two for anxiety, such as when your in-laws from Hell are in town or you catch your husband in bed with another woman or something like that. I'd say that deserves an extra pill or four and you don't need a doctor to tell you that. Also the last thing you need is to be caught up short on your medication at the end of the month when you're going to divorce court or prison, if you get my meaning.
>
> In some people's minds, adjusting their prescribed drug dosage is self-medication and they condemn this practice. I would like to address this issue too but I'll do it in a separate thread to spare the uninterested.
> -GracieGracie,
I share your pain, but I didn't even need to
leave the US. Moving back and forth between Tx
and Ca was a disaster. The scripts I had for
refills wouldn't transfer interstate, and no one
in the state would write me a new one without first
seeing me. I.e. I would have to wait weeks to
get a maintanance prescription. This would have
been less of a problem but my pdoc in TX died shortly
after I moved to CA. What's stupid is that I could
transfer the prescription to Ohio where the laws
are loose and it was legal for them to ship the meds
to me anywhere. Now does that sound dumb!Sorry if this should be moved to another
news group thread as you suggested.
Just can't pass a chance to bitch. ;)PS. I have a pharmacist connection. If it
weren't for the a*holes that abuse meds,
flagrantly forge prescriptions, etc
we would not be screwed. This is all about
insurance, the law's that don't protect
physicians, etc. BTW, if you communicate your
position to the pdoc and you really are 1 day
short of the med refill, there's no reason why
he shouldn't call in to the pharmacy to help you.-John
Posted by Emme on October 16, 2001, at 8:13:25
In reply to Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by Gracie2 on October 16, 2001, at 1:39:38
Eew, it's the pits having to go through such a rigid system. I've been luckier with my plan - I seem to have a few days leeway at the end of the prescription so I'm not down to the last pill when I refill. And when I've had upcoming trips and needed to be able to pack a couple of extra weeks' worth, they have *always* been able to get the insurance company to authorize what they called a "vacation override" or something like that so I wouldn't have to worry about refilling in some weird place. I know it's the insurance companies that set the policies, but I've also gotten lots of help from pharmacists who went to bat for me, got on the phone to the insurance company, and explained the need for an override.
Emme
> Well I went in to get a refill of my blood pressure medicine and my generic Xanax and the pharmacist told me it was too soon to refill the Xanax and to come back in 10 days. !@#$%&! I told her "Look I went on vacation this summer and ran out of medicine and I had a hell of a time getting a refill. What if I was going out of town, I can never have my prescription filled ahead of time?"
> She says, "No, you would have to have your prescription filled wherever it is that you're going."
> I said, "What if I'm going to Siberia? You think they have a Walgreen's on every street corner in Siberia? I would be totally screwed."
> She says I'm sorry but that's their policy.
> Damnation,first we have the HMOs and their primary physicians who have to give you a referral to see a specialist because you're not smart enough to know what kind of doctor you need. Now we have the pharmacies who won't refill a legit prescription one day ahead of time because you might have needed an extra pill every now and then for pain or anxiety. I'm
> not talking about blatant abuse, like trying to refill a month's worth of Vicodan every week. I'm referring to
> adults who are capable of judging when they need a little extra pain medication, i.e. after aggravating an injury, or another pill or two for anxiety, such as when your in-laws from Hell are in town or you catch your husband in bed with another woman or something like that. I'd say that deserves an extra pill or four and you don't need a doctor to tell you that. Also the last thing you need is to be caught up short on your medication at the end of the month when you're going to divorce court or prison, if you get my meaning.
>
> In some people's minds, adjusting their prescribed drug dosage is self-medication and they condemn this practice. I would like to address this issue too but I'll do it in a separate thread to spare the uninterested.
> -Gracie
Posted by stjames on October 16, 2001, at 10:18:39
In reply to Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by Gracie2 on October 16, 2001, at 1:39:38
Xanax is a scheduled med, so they are very strict on refills.
Posted by stjames on October 16, 2001, at 10:27:41
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy » Gracie2, posted by Emme on October 16, 2001, at 8:13:25
I've been luckier with my plan - I seem to have a few days leeway at the end of the prescription so I'm not down to the last pill when I refill.
James here....
My HMO allows 5 days early, unless it is a scheduled med, like Xanax or Dexadrine. Then it cannot be refilled early (federal regulations)
james
Posted by Abajo on October 16, 2001, at 13:05:29
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by stjames on October 16, 2001, at 10:27:41
Gracie....Just call your doctor and explain the situation. Be aware however that in some states the pharmacist can refuse to fill the prescription. A few years back I had been having my xanax filled at a Walgreens for 2 years. They hired a new pharmicist and she refused to fill it.
It wasn't an early refill either. My doctor called her and she still refused. She said something about her responsibility and she could be sued or some nonsense. I asked for my prescription back and she wouldn't give it to me. I just left and had my doctor call in a new one at another pharmacy. I frequently am a day or two early on my refills. I asked the phamacist how come they refill controlled substances early and he told me that if there is no insurance issue then they just call my doctor to inform him that I have called in an early refill and he OK's it. They don't bother with that now, they know he will approve it. Some doctors will allow this, others who don't know squat, flip out and refuse the early refill, asuming that you have done yourself in by abusing the amount your supposed to take every day. My doctor just laughs at that. He allows me to refill my xanax up to 3 days early. It is a hassle when pharmacists get involved in overruling your doctors health care, but they have that right in the state I live in.
Posted by Elizabeth on October 16, 2001, at 18:22:15
In reply to Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by Gracie2 on October 16, 2001, at 1:39:38
Argh, I always get crap like that from retail pharmacies too. It's like the pharmacists think that it's their job to wage the war on drugs or something. Sometimes they even claim or imply that something is a law when really it's just the store's policy. Try asking a pharmacist at a different pharmacy the same question -- and start going there instead if they have a more fair and agreeable "policy." (I've often caught pharmacists lying to me about stuff like this. Why can't we have cool pharmacists, like Cam? :-) )
BTW: I'll read the rest of this thread later, but I bet you got flamed for stating your opinion that self-medication is not always a Bad Thing. If you did get flamed, I'm sorry about it; if you didn't, it'll be a pleasant surprise.
-elizabeth
Posted by JohnX on October 16, 2001, at 23:31:30
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy » Gracie2, posted by Elizabeth on October 16, 2001, at 18:22:15
> Argh, I always get crap like that from retail pharmacies too. It's like the pharmacists think that it's their job to wage the war on drugs or something. Sometimes they even claim or imply that something is a law when really it's just the store's policy. Try asking a pharmacist at a different pharmacy the same question -- and start going there instead if they have a more fair and agreeable "policy." (I've often caught pharmacists lying to me about stuff like this. Why can't we have cool pharmacists, like Cam? :-) )
>
> BTW: I'll read the rest of this thread later, but I bet you got flamed for stating your opinion that self-medication is not always a Bad Thing. If you did get flamed, I'm sorry about it; if you didn't, it'll be a pleasant surprise.
>
> -elizabethI have a close acquaintance who is a pharmacist
at a major chain. He told me if he refilled a
prescription for a controlled substance before the
due date and authorization from the doctor that
he could lose his license (this is the law).-john
Posted by kazoo on October 17, 2001, at 2:24:17
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by Abajo on October 16, 2001, at 13:05:29
> I asked for my prescription back and she wouldn't give it to me.
^^^^^^^^^^^
Great Caesar's Ghost! I can't believe this happened and you accepted it. I hoped you called the main office of Walgreens to report this very stupid person! I would have gotten the cops and had that broad arrested for possession of personal property. Now the question is, what did *she* do with *your* script? Fill it herself and take them? This business about "the law" and "losing your license" is baloney. Why is it that pharmacists in Florida can refill your prescription *without* the doctor's consent? Do pharmacists know more than doctors when it comes to drugs? Yes, I believe they do. I was rudefully informed the other day that in Massachusetts, the drug OXYCONTIN cannot be dispensed from the pharmacy itself ... by a newly inacted law, it is to be DELIVERED to the patient.
I say this: give the patient what they want and they'll shut up.
(liberal) kazoo
Posted by Cam W. on October 17, 2001, at 3:28:37
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy » Gracie2, posted by Elizabeth on October 16, 2001, at 18:22:15
Elizabeth - I wish I were a "cool pharmacist". In some cases I will fill controlled drugs early unless the doc absolutely specifies an interval. It basically comes down to common sense and "treating" my "patients" ("customers" buy gum and pop). Some pharmacists are so anal that they follow rules to a tee. Some stores have policies dictating such matters. I think that the "analness" is beaten into pharmacists at school, and they are scared that they will lose their licence if they don't follow the rules "to the T". That is crap, and causes unnecessary anxiety for both the patient and the pharmacist. The trick is to "get to know" your patients.
There are some who abuse drugs, there are others who have had a rough week, and took a couple extra Xanax; big deal. You just get to know which is which (ie who is abusing, and who is medicating responsibly). I will give the patient the benefit of the doubt, as long as they are honest with me. I can usually tell a if someone is feeding me a line of crap, or if they are being sincere.
Also, a pharmacist must make a point of getting to know the doctors, including their preferences, and their policies. If someone is constantly coming in early for an abusable drug, I will consult with the doctor to see if a change in dosing is appropriate. If the patient is abusing for "escape from life" purposes, I will control the use of that drug; but only with the doc's authorization. I will also counsel the patient (again with the doc's blessing) on how to control their use of certain drugs. There are many nondrug ways to control anxiety, and I will point these out to the patient. In benzodiazepine overuse (which seems to be the most common form of abuse - especially in self-induced anxiety cases; I find that most people, especially those with bipolar disorder, do not abuse benzos), I can usually tell if the overuse is legimate or escapism.
I think that being a good pharmacist comes down to common sense. Sometimes it is not in the best interest of the patient to give out prescriptions early. It comes down to the individual case, at that particular time. Like I said, I will give the patient the benefit of the doubt, but if you screw me over and lie to me too often, you will be controlled; but this control will not be imposed by me; it will be imposed by the treating physician.
Now, that said. I do not fill my own prescriptions. Since I do not work in the city where I live, I have my prescriptions filled where I live (and I also get Air Miles on the total bill, even though I have 80% coverage). My doc had increased my Effexor dose, so I went in to the pharmacy with a new prescription (with a new prescription for my Dexedrine, as well - Effexor bogs me down until about noon, and I find that the Dexedrine Spansules cut throught the fog so that I can actually be productive without being wired or dragging my ass). I was a week early on my Dexedrine, but I thought I'd just pick it up at the same time. The pharmacist gave me a song and dance on how the computer wouldn't let her fill my prescription a for a controlled substance a week early. I know that this was a lie because I have used the same computer system. I told her that my cat ate them and that I needed them now, because I was going to a concert that night. You should have saw her face. I took my Effexor and left.
I evened out my prescriptions by getting samples from my doc the next month and told him what had happened. I think he did ruin everything by phoning the pharmacy and telling the pharmacist who I was.
The next time I went in, she was really overly polite and said that I had gave a lecture to her class in third year. She was ever so nice. The next month I thought I'd see if the computer would "control" my prescription again, so I purposely went in a week early to get both prescriptions. Surprizingly, I got both prescriptions and not a word was said about it. She did ask me about what to do in a case of Paxil withdrawl that one of her other customers (I don't think that she has any patients). Sometimes you just have to shake your head. - Cam
Posted by Abajo on October 17, 2001, at 5:25:35
In reply to Re: Big Sissy At The Pharmacy » Abajo, posted by kazoo on October 17, 2001, at 2:24:17
kazoo....In my state a pharmacist can refuse to fill a script. There is a lot more to the story than I revealed because it wasn't pertinant to the final outcome. Trust me, my doctor had words with her and I had a yelling match with her. There were other patrons in the store so in the interest of civility I decided to leave. I knew my pdoc would call in another script at another pharmacy so really the whole issue of me getting my script was never out of my hands. I never considered that she might use them for herself. I hope she enjoyed them if she did. I'm kind of curious about your heading for your post. What did you want me to do, jump over the counter and fill the script myself. I did talk with her supervisor and he said he would not overrule her decision. I just viewed it as another learning experience.
Posted by Poppy on October 17, 2001, at 9:02:10
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy » Elizabeth, posted by Cam W. on October 17, 2001, at 3:28:37
I just realised recently how lucky I was. I live in australia and after reading many posts regarding difficulty in getting prescriptions and the cost of some, and the trouubles in refilling early, I cant even imagine the extra stress thta actually aquiring the medication would put on people. I pay $3.50, around 1.75 for a script of effexor xr 150mg, and recently because i was on such a high dose i was eligable to recieve twlo scripts (56 tabs) for the $3.50, and I dont have any trouble getting extra scripts to save time, or if I am going away( i am a student so I have a health crae card for these benifits). I just took all this for granted. I wish everyone the best of luck in getting their medication. My meds are a neccessity and I cant imagine how it would feel to have to pay so much for them. So good luck, I hope everyone who has trouble getting their meds finds that things get easier, take care of yourself.
Posted by Wendy B. on October 17, 2001, at 11:30:15
In reply to Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by Gracie2 on October 16, 2001, at 1:39:38
Hello, fellow sufferers,
It's amazing that things like this happen. I have a relationship with my pharmacy like the one Cam describes, they all know me, they've seen me come in with red, puffy eyes from crying for an hour, immediately after therapy, scrip in hand for years.
xanax,
zoloft,
efexxor,
wellbutrin,
neurontin,
(think that's it.)As I say, when I've called in a refill (or do it online, RiteAid uses drugstore.com), or the pdoc calls it in, I walk down the pharmacy aisle, they go and reach for the filled scrip under B. I haven't needed to tell them my last name for a couple of years. They already know it and know me. When I had a bad mix-up on a neurontin scrip, the pharmacist just upped the amount without even calling the doctor.
As for a controlled substance like xanax: most of the time, my pdoc prescribes way over the amount I might need. For ex: she gives me 30 X 1 mg a month. I may need half that (I take it on an as-needed basis). So I never get a hassle when I need more. Wouldn't that be a solution for some of you, having the doctor prescribe *over* the amount you actually need, so you never run out. Explain the situation to the doctor, they should be able to do this for you, if they know and trust you, and if there aren't any issues with suicidal ideation, or attempts, etc.
With Xanax I have to have a *written* scrip, in triplicate, and physically take it to the pharmacy. Doesn't everyone else? The scrip says specifically, NO REFILLS. i.e., the doc has to *write* a new one whenever I need one. So I don't understand the question about refills. My doc cannot call in a refill on xanax. It has to be a brand-new scrip, as with valium, and other regulated drugs. Are there different regulations in different states? (I'm in New York)
Just wondering...
Wendy
Posted by Ted on October 17, 2001, at 13:14:31
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by JohnX on October 16, 2001, at 23:31:30
I, like Gracie, have to get my refills on schedule. However, I found that if I go to the pharmacy *BEFORE* I leave on vacation, my insurance will authorize a "vacation advance" of my meds. They will provide enough to cover my absence plus a couple of days. I then have to get the remainder of my refill when I return.
Try it -- you might have the same undocumented benefit. If your pharmacy says 'no', then ask them to actually call the HMO for permission.
Another option many HMOs offer is mailorder prescription refills. You get a 90-day supply instead of a 30-day supply. They usually also give a discounted copayment. Of course this is not a good idea if your meds change often.
BTW: I use Walgreens too.
Ted
Posted by susan C on October 17, 2001, at 20:57:58
In reply to Re: Big Bro At The Pharmacy -- Vacation Advance, posted by Ted on October 17, 2001, at 13:14:31
Another thing to keep in mind is Emergency Preparedness...having a two week supply of essential meds on hand. You can slowly accumulate these over time...keeping two weeks ahead of yourself so to speak.
I keep all my meds in a bag, with a list with my doctors names and phone numbers and addresses. Also, even though I am big on this it has been taking me years to get to the point to be actually prepared. The water from 2000/Millenium is still in the closet. I keep a supply of prepackaged food that we like and now there is my collection of medication.
I live in the NW, so everyone here knows the BIG ONE is due any time, which would mean/could be up to two weeks of regional shut down.
We all know about what happened Sept 11.
We all know about the hurricanes in the south.
Just a note to keep in mind, we can all do little things in advance that help ourselves.
Mighty Mouse on the Microphone
susan C
Posted by Gracie2 on October 18, 2001, at 2:42:17
In reply to Re: Big INSURANCE dictates to The Pharmacy » Gracie2, posted by kazoo on October 16, 2001, at 1:59:20
I went to the doctor today to complain about the pharmacist's treatment. The doctor was disgusted, said that the pharmacy should have called him and he would have okayed the early refill. He had precribed only one 0.5 mg pill of Xanax a day,
not knowing my tolerance for it, but he knows I'm having personal problems at home right now and I'm kind of brittle. He tripled my prescription (after I promised to see a psychiatrist) and suggested I might try another pharmacy for a refill. So Walgreens is history - I'm tired of their crap.
I went directly to another, smaller pharmacy and was treated with the utmost courtesy instead of suspicion and disrespect. What a difference!Happier now-
Gracie
Posted by Ted on October 18, 2001, at 10:47:28
In reply to Update on Big Brother, posted by Gracie2 on October 18, 2001, at 2:42:17
Good for you, Gracie!!
> So Walgreens is history - I'm tired of their crap.
Funny! I dropped Long's Drugs in favor of Walgreens. Long's was making me c-r-a-z-y! They wanted ID to sell ibuprofen (generic advil)! It was *very* difficult to get them to actually *sell* prescriptions to me. Walgreens has been the greatest for me.
> I went directly to another, smaller pharmacy and was treated with the utmost courtesy instead of suspicion and disrespect. What a difference!
Well, of course! Small places are usually the best for service. This is true not only of pharmacies.
Ted
Posted by NikkiT2 on October 19, 2001, at 11:54:39
In reply to Update on Big Brother, posted by Gracie2 on October 18, 2001, at 2:42:17
I lways use smaller independent pharmacies!! I like giving my money to people that need it rather than corporations!!! and they're so nice at the one nearest me :o)
I;m pleased you found somewhere you like
Nikki
>
> I went to the doctor today to complain about the pharmacist's treatment. The doctor was disgusted, said that the pharmacy should have called him and he would have okayed the early refill. He had precribed only one 0.5 mg pill of Xanax a day,
> not knowing my tolerance for it, but he knows I'm having personal problems at home right now and I'm kind of brittle. He tripled my prescription (after I promised to see a psychiatrist) and suggested I might try another pharmacy for a refill. So Walgreens is history - I'm tired of their crap.
> I went directly to another, smaller pharmacy and was treated with the utmost courtesy instead of suspicion and disrespect. What a difference!
>
> Happier now-
> Gracie
Posted by stjames on October 19, 2001, at 14:18:12
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy » Elizabeth, posted by Cam W. on October 17, 2001, at 3:28:37
> Elizabeth - I wish I were a "cool pharmacist". In some cases I will fill controlled drugs early unless the doc absolutely specifies an interval.
James here....
This is my experence, too. I get my Dex at the same place every time. I can fill it a little early. I find that when one takes Scheduled meds
it really helps to go to the same place, so they get to know you. One time I by mistake handed the
tech 3 months scripts and he filled all of them !james
Posted by Gracie2 on October 19, 2001, at 15:58:42
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by stjames on October 19, 2001, at 14:18:12
I think that a small pharmacy is the definate answer, where you are treated like a patient instead of a customer (or a criminal) like Cam said. It would be nice to see the same pharmacist all the time and have him get to know you. I never saw the same pharmacist at Walgreens. I also believe that it's better to give your business to a small locally-owned establishment where your business is important to them. The pharmacist at the small place was so nice, he chatted with me, told me not to drink grapefruit juice with my Xanax, all kinds of stuff...I was very greatful to be treated so well instead of looking over my shoulder for the cops-the way I felt like doing at Walgreens, as if I had walked in there with a script for 2 pounds of morphine.
Support the small business owner!
-Gracie
Posted by Neal on October 20, 2001, at 0:36:23
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by Gracie2 on October 19, 2001, at 15:58:42
Yes, I go to a small local pharmacy. It's great. No waiting in lines. They know me by name and get my medicine off the shelf as I approach the counter. They help as much as possible with the insurance beauracracy. If I'm short a few pills with the weekend coming on, I ask them if they'll give me ten or so, and they do. I didn't find this kind of service at the big pharmacies.
Posted by Elizabeth on October 22, 2001, at 10:53:38
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by Gracie2 on October 19, 2001, at 15:58:42
> It would be nice to see the same pharmacist all the time and have him get to know you.
When I was in MA, I always went to the same pharmacy, a KMart in South Boston (the only place in town that took my out-of-state insurance). There were two pharmacists working there. One of them was always nice to me, knew that I was a student and what classes I was taking (seriously!), knew that I take 20mg/night of Ambien and that the buprenorphine was for depression (and that I'm not a drug addict), trusted me when I said stuff like "yes, my doctor did prescribe amoxapine and Parnate together and it's okay," etc. The other fellow treated me like a number rather than like a person, and he gave me a hard time every time I brought in one of my left-field prescriptions. He would do stuff like insist on calling my doctor about anything slightly out of the ordinary, even when it was something that he'd filled for me dozens of times before (like the Ambien #60). It took about 45 minutes for me to get to that pharmacy from Cambridge, so I didn't want to just leave a script there and then come pick it up later or the next day. But often that guy would make me wait for an hour or more because he insisted on talking to my doctor before filling a prescription.
Cam seems to treat patients as individuals -- and that's what I meant by "cool."
> ...I was very greatful to be treated so well instead of looking over my shoulder for the cops-the way I felt like doing at Walgreens, as if I had walked in there with a script for 2 pounds of morphine.
I think it would probably be a script for 1000 grams of morphine (1,000,000 mg, or about 33,333 MSIR 30mg tabs -- yeah, I guess that is a bit much).
-elizabeth
Posted by Gracie2 on October 23, 2001, at 17:44:56
In reply to Re: Big Brother At The Pharmacy » Gracie2, posted by Elizabeth on October 22, 2001, at 10:53:38
Elizabeth-
The referral to morphine comes from a real story.
I worked for a doctor who did his residency in the
"combat zone" - a welfare hospital in a tough part of the city. One day he got a call from the hospital pharmacy - they said, "We have a prescription here with your name on it and we're not quite sure if it's legit - would you come on down here and take a look at it?"
So the doctor goes down to the pharmacy and they handed him a script that said:
MOFINE, 2 LBS.
They all started laughing so hard, they were gasping for air and nearly in tears.
The doctor loved that story.
-Gracie
Posted by allisonm on October 23, 2001, at 18:39:26
In reply to Big Brother At The Pharmacy, posted by Gracie2 on October 16, 2001, at 1:39:38
I got a call last month from my drug store chain saying that my scripts hadn't been refilled and wouldn't I want to have them refilled, and they could put in the order right there electronically while we were on the phone so it would be ready today... I'm on Wellbutrin and Serzone.
(My pdoc and I had been testing a different Serzone dose, and he had been giving me samples of said drug in a different dose to see if it would help.)
I told the guy I'd do it myself when I needed to, thanks, bye.
Talk about Big Brother...
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