So very angry......

I have to tell you what happened to me today.
I am so angry I can't see strieght!
My regular pharmacy did not have my prescription that I have filled every month so I took my presciption to Publix to have it filled as they did have them , my pharmacist called them for me.
So I get there and I give her my prescription and she ask for my ID and I realize I have lost it and she says I can't fill this without a valid ID. I understand completely I say no problem and I then go to the DMV and wait and wait and finally get a copy of my lisence and I then go back. She then states I can not fill this presciption! I said well why not I went and got a copy of my ID as that is what you said you needed! She said well I can't verify it with the doctor. I said well why not? Can't you call them? So she says she will call. I immediately call them while standing there as by then it was 4:45 and I spoke with my doctor and told him what happened and he said he spoke to her already so I should be good to go now. WRONG! She waited 30 more minutes making the total time I have tried to get it filled now 4 and a half hours and she tells me I can NOT fill this. By then I am livid! I lose my temper and say why not! You tell me I need a valid ID so I spend two hours getting that and come back and then you say you need verification which I KNOW you got so now whats the problem? She states I don't feel comfortable filling it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She had NO INTENTION of filling it to begin with she just made me run around and waste my time and now I can't have it filled until wednesday because another pharmacy will need verification and the doctors are now closed until then.
I am so mad and I will do what ever I can to make sure she gets what she deserves! I will call her boss and the bosses boss and so on and the pharmacy licence and tell them about her poor behavior and professionalism.
Any thoughts of any other steps I can take to make sure she does not do this to someone else?

[Ella789]

  There was no reason for her to not fill your prescription other than some pharmacists do not want to fill certain medications.  They are paranoid nowdays because of the drug laws too.  Still, she should have filled it with your proper ID.  I would be livivd too!
Ella

[ChronicPain1]

I would call and complain sandee, that's unacceptable.

I'm very glad I haven't encountered this yet, I'd end up snapping.

[catwoman64]

i dont know what peoples problems are today but its like they just dont want to do their job  and or they just dont care and want to make it hard on everyone.  for the past 3-4 years i have always had trouble getting my pain medicine for some reason or another and its all bull....!  i just reported a lady the other day for not wanting to do her job and write a appeal letter to my insurance company... she was very rude to me and she always has been and i decided not to take anymore of it and i went over her head and reported her.  i treat people the way i like to be treated but here lately im actually getting tired of kissing ...!  there is always someone above them!  and sandee i would not let her get by with that ... she puposely made it hard on you and still didnt do her job!!  it was a script from your doctor and she was to fill it but she didnt do her job... did she??
these so called companies .. they dont care about the customer anymore its what they want to do or should i say what they dont want to do!!  give 'em hell sandee!!

[sandee1818]

She really had no intentions of filling it to begin with I don't think.
This is just one more thing we legitimate Pt's have to deal with because of the scum that abuses and deceives doctors and pharmacist! I know I always rant about that but it infuriates me to think she thought I was a common junkie just because I was needing to have my medication filled!
There has to be some kind of penalty here and I will not quit until I find a way to make sure she does Not do this to some other poor unsuspecting Pt trying to have their legitimate presciption filled.
As you know my son is a manager at a huge dept store that also has a pharmacy and he told me he would have fired her on the spot for what she did to me. Not because I am his Mom but because she was so unprofessional and she lied to her customer more than once. He was livid too, he was going up there to give her a piece of his mind too but they were closed anyways by that time and I do NOT want him to get into any trouble over it.
I do feel bad because I did get very rude after the third time she told me she was not filling it after she had my ID and doctors verification because I just don't usually act like that in public. I raised my voice and told her how unprofessional she was and that she was just plain cruel to me having me do all the things she ask of me only to turn me away in the end when she planned it all along I think!
I should have kept my composure but I just snapped!
It is such a sad situation that when you have a great doctor who knows your pain and tries to treat it only to find out you can't even have the medication filled the doctor ordered for you.
Yes ,a very sad situation.
My son is taking off for my birthday ( and he NEVER takes off from work even when he is sick) to take me somewhere and now I will be having so much pain because I will be out of medication by then.  I am so sad and angry and hurt and frustrated I just do not know what to do:(

[Red931]

How long is it going to take for your regular pharmacy to get it in? It usually doesn't take more than two days for me here if they have to order it.

Can't you go back to your regular pharmacy where they know who you are and ask them to order it for you?

[sandee1818]

I did call them and they are going to try and get it soon as they can but with the holiday weekend it will take longer than usual.

[ChronicPain1]

Don't beat yourself up for losing it sandee, you had every right to. Sometimes being civil and quiet is not enough.

This issue was something I hadn't seen much of, except hearing about pharmacies denying women birth control, and now here about denying pain meds.

It's disgusting, and they HAVE to give you what you're prescribed. Personal feelings should not come into play for a pharmacist, it's a business, and it's not their job to judge you, or wonder if you're a drug seeker. If the doctor has prescribed them, they have to honor their wishes.

I honestly would've lost it big time, I hate when I'm forced to go to another pharmacy when mine doesn't have what I need. It's never a comfortable feeling. We're forced to live with a stigma and feel like addicts when we're not, they have no right to pull this ****.

[Ghilly]

ChronicPain1 is absolutely correct.  A pharmacist has NO RIGHT to refuse to fill a prescription IF they have gotten a valid ID from the customer and they have verified that prescription with the doctor.  They are NOT there to second guess the doctors, they are there to do a job, and refusing to fill a prescription EVEN AFTER verifying it with the doctor who wrote it is NOT doing their job.

If this was a chain pharmacy, contact their headquarters, give them the name of that pharmacist, and tell them you want action taken against her.  Tell them that if action is not taken against her, you will go as far as you have to to make sure that nobody you know ever goes into their store again.  For anything.  Tell them you will contact the BBB and then do it.  Also, I would find out if there is a pharmacists association or something, like the doctors have the AMA, and I would report this pharmacist to that organization.  I wouldn't stop until she was flipping burgers for a living.  Make sure they know that because of her, she has now put you into a position of having to go through withdrawal, all because she decided to play God back there behind the pharmacy counter.

I'm so sorry this happened to you, Sandee.  

Ghilly

[Ghilly]

What holiday is it?  This is only the 15th.  Memorial Day isn't for another week or two.  Is there a holiday I forgot?

Ghilly

[sandee1818]

Thank you all for your support. I have gotten my weeks mixed up memorial day weekend IS next weekend:)
It is just so infuriating that these pharmacist play god with us and it is so unfair.

[Mollyrae]

Sandee:

Why is your Doctors office closed until Wensday? That is a long time. It is Saturday and your there are many different Pharms out there. Why can't you use a different one.

This all doesn't add up. If you have a scrip in your hand, you should be able to fill it anywhere. Why just the two Pharms....go somewhere completely different.

Try Walgreens or something.....

[Mollyrae]

PS- Go to your Sons Pharmacy...He is the Manager and it's a legit script right??

[sandee1818]

Mollyrae,
Yes my son is the manager at walmart but I do not use him in that way. I would rather my medication history remain private and everyone knows I am his Mom and I would just rather remain private where thats concerned.
What is it that does not add up? My pharmacy is out and any pharmacy you go to with this kind of presciption they always want to verify it with the doctor. I am sure your aware of this. I have no problem with that I think it is great it cuts down on fraudulent prescriptions.I will check a couple more but honestly I do not want a repeat of yesterday.
We all know how we are viewed when we bring in prescriptions like we have to take and I hate to deal with that!
My doctor is on a mini vacation and will return on Wednesday.

My presciption IS a legal presciption and I resent the innuendos' you have made in your post.

[Mollyrae]

I didn't mean not adding up in the way that you took it. I meant that any Pharm should be able to fill it even without the Doctors approval. Can you call a Doctor on call that works with your clinic. Doctors always have someone on call that can verify your script.

If your in a real spot then your Son won't mind having the Monthly script filled for you. I realize that you like confidentiallity but I'm sure that your Son is aware that you take pain meds. Am I right??

There is always a way to fix problems like this when it's time for a monthly refill. If you were to be refilling it early then yes, you may have a problem

[Mollyrae]

I mean, if you have taken this long enough, they will not want you to start w/d's and so you should contact a Doctor on call and have then contact the Pharm...

[Mollyrae]

Just a thought.......A hospital will fill it if it is due...They will not ask questions.

[sandee1818]

Thanks Mollyrae.
I will try a hospitial.

[MontanaGurl]

I didn't even think about a hospital, but, yes now I remember that some of the larger hospitals do have pharmacies right in the hospital and they usually do have a stock / supply of meds, cause that is where the hospital get's the meds to use on patients in their facility, (inpatient or ER).

That is a good idea.  It is so embarrasing when a pharmacy does that to you.  I was having my scripts filled at a pharmacy in the town where I see the doctor's at but, it was a hassle as sometimes my meds arn't due yet and than a week later we would have to make a special trip over there to pick up my meds.  So, I had all of my meds / scripts transfered to the town where my hubby works, so that way he could just swing in on a break and pick them up for me.  I thought it was gonna work out good, I told my doc that I changed pharmacies and the first time he went in with my script for my pain medicine and to pick other meds up that were due at the same time, the pharmacist just treated my hubby awful, called the doctor, called the othe pharmacy and asked if it was normal for my hubby to pick them up and if it was ok with the doc and called me at home and said - "Hi Lillian, this is Ron from so and so and I have a man in here claiming to be your husband and he is trying to pick up your prescriptions and I don't know if I should trust him and give them to him."  

Well, cripe!! I told the pharmacist that 1st of all he was my hubby cause otherwise, how the heck would he get my prescriptions and my insurance card and if he was a druggie why the heck would he be trying to pick up not only my pain medication but also my vitamins and stoole softener medicine.  I told him to give it to him.  He was really rude to me also.  My hubby said that he took forever to fill them and when he got paged over the loud speaker, even though he was sitting not 3 feet from the counter, the pharmacist told him - now you know that it is illegal and you could get into trouble by taking any medicine's that are not prescribed to you right?  My hubby said he almost drug him over the counter and put the boots to him but, he just told him - what do you think I am a dummy or a druggie.  

So needless to say, the very next day I had to undo everything that I had done and now we dont complain when we make the treck to get my medicine.

It is senseless and mean and belittleing when you get treated like that.  It's not like we don't have our own issues with our medicines but, to be stereotyped like that should be wrong, or at least, you would think that with the education they have to receive to become a pharmacist that they would know better - well obviously NOT.

anywho - have a good day and I hope that you can get your meds filled at the hospital pharmacy.  I am crossing every body part that can be crossed - for ya.

til next time
montanagurl

[nick30]

usually a phonecall fixes everything. can't believe they thought they had the right to make a decision on this. it's out of thier hands. if the script is legit and you are the person it's written for(and can prove it)then that's all there is to it.
I wouldn't stop till that person loses their job.
Make sure your Dr knows. Pharmacies need to be in Dr's good books otherwise Dr's can easily tell patients to avoid certain phamacies.
Make them apologise in front of a store load of customers. that'd be funny.
I wouldn't settle for anything less.

[sandee1818]

You know I called the manager over there well assistant manager and told him everything that happened and he said I can't do anything about it! I said oh yes you can you are the manager in charge here right? I even ask my son who is a manager at Walmart and he said yes the manager has authority over the pharmacy too.
I am still so outraged this even happened! A legitimate presciption and a valid ID and a verification from the doctor I mean what in the heck else could I possibly provide?
I did call my pharmacist today and told him what happened and was outraged as well and told me he would expedite my order as fast as he could. he did also tell me that by law the pharmacist does have the last word on filling a controlled substance presciption but that there should have been no problem. He said he knows that druggies really do not have a specific look about them but that looking at me he can never think someone would assume that about me. he offered to call over there for me to tell them I was a legitimate Pt and that I DO normally fill my prescriptions there but he was out at the time. He also said from now on he will make sure he has a supply in stock for me to call him a couple days before my appointment and he would make sure I was always taken care of. that was nice of him.
I also want to apoligize to Mollyrae, I mistook your post and I am sorry. With this happening and then worrying that I will run out of my medications has gotten me out of sorts. If I filled my medications on each doctors visit I would have plenty left over every month to keep as a safety net but I do not do this. I do not take all that my doc prescribes me usually and so I wait until I am almost out to have them filled. From now on I will fill them every month when I see the doctor so if this was to ever happen again I would still have plenty of medication. Most contracts state that you should not hoard your medications and I suppose I would be doing that if I fill my prescriptions every time I see the doctor so I will discuss it with my doc when I see him again.
Thank you all so much!  I tell new members here all the time about the great support here and I have gotten that here and it means so much to me and helped me more than you all know so thanks again to each and everyone of you:)

[Tuckamore]

Just another example of what CP sufferers face across the nation on a daily basis. I am very sorry that it happened to you.

Do not just report this pharmacist to her superior, if she even has one; report her to the Florida Board of Pharmacy . Website follows:

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/pharmacy/

Stop her from ever doing this to someone else again. Yes she does have the right to verify your identity and the perscription but after she has completed those step I don't beleive she has a right to refuse to fill your perscription. I have no time for liars and that is basically what she did if she had no intention of filling your perscription. She owed it to you to be honest from the very beginning.

Please go after this pharmaist for all of the chronic pain sufferers out there.

[nick30]

It's absolutely disgraceful behaviour. If she had no intentions on filling it she should have said so and given you the reason. To make you run around is just apalling behaviour. I wouldn't have done that. I won't tell you what i would've done either. Maybe you could name the pharmacy so that CP sufferers can avoid it as they obviously don't need our type there. I would definately be going back there asking for a very public apology(during thier busiest time of day). Don't let them get away with it.

Nick.

[sandee1818]

Nick,
The pharmacy was Publix. Your right that it would be nice to help another CP Pt avoid the pharmacies and pharmacist that do treat us so badly.
Any ideas on how we could do this. To warn other Pt's of the pharmacies that do treat us badly so that they do not get our business.
With so many different ones to choose from these days there are too many to have to settle and be treated badly by a pharmacy or pharmacist.
I know I would like to know if a pharmacy treated another CP Pt badly because I would not give them my business and I think we all feel this way.

[sandee1818]

Hi everyone:)
   It seems that my post here and what I have said that happened has been questioned whether it is truth and have been told I contradicted myself.
I take much pride in my work here and I would never want anyone here to feel I have mislead them in any way so please allow me to clear up a couple things.
First of all the fact that this even happened is unreal because it is so unprofessional of the pharmacist who treated me this way and we tend to believe that all pharmacist are professional and would never do this to anyone but I assure you it did happen and it happened just as I said it did.
I few post down I say that "my pharmacist" would call the pharmacist at publix and explain that yes I do get my medications there every month but that he was just out and that is why I came to their pharmacy to have my presciption filled.
I was told that I contradicted myself by saying the pharmacist did call the doctor but I say later ( in the post I mentioned) that he "would call".
I was talking about my own personal pharmacist at that point and not the pharmacist at publix where all this occurred.
I really value everyone's opinions here and I would never want anyone to believe I mislead them in any way. I hope this will clear up any questions that anyone had.
If not please post them and I will gladly answer any questions you may have.
As I said I take a lot of pride in everything I do and especially here because I consider this job very important. We are dealing with peoples life and how they live it with pain and I take that very seriously as it is very serious and want to help as much as I possibly can.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to what I have to say and as I said I hope this clears things up.

[ChasingMyLife]

Omg I just read your post and I agree, that pharmacist should be fired. Get her or his name and call the corporate office and rip them a new one. I'm so sorry that happened to you and can feel your pain! I'm here in Vegas and had my script and not only did my reg. Pharmacy who I've filled at for years say they no longer had, I called 35 different places finally finding one across town in the nick of time. But even in the town of voices I got from these different bit$&es that I thought were serving me, geese! What gives them that right. I hope everything works out for u in the future ;)

[marycarmel]

I just wanted to point out the post you've commented on is quite old.  It happens often here and sometimes people don't realize it.