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Pain meds
I can tell you for a fact that walgreens tries to play doctor when you get your Rx filled. I'm disabled and am on methadone and generic percocet ( oxycodone) walgreens will call your doctor and ask questions like what are your plans on detoxing this person along with other things that are not their business and they are normally out of your medications anyway. Walmart has now got my meds split up on different days when 3 of my RX's were all on the same day and the tech could not give me an answer, I said is it because you were out of my meds last month and i had to wait until you got the meds in again her answer was "I don't know" so if they are out of your meds and you have to wait 31-32-33 days and you are going through withdrawals along with your pain level going through the roof they don't care. I am on long term pain care for the rest of my life because of 2 failed back surgeries. My insurance has told me if 3/4 of the 30 day supply has passed it can be refiled but the earliest I take my Rx in is 2 days early and walmart still screws that up because the kids they hire as techs can not count, if there is 31 days in a month they think there is only 30 and you have to tell them to look at a calendar and count the days, trying to fill your prescriptions has turned into a joke. when you don't drive and have to count on other people to drive you to the store and they have your prescriptions messed up you feel like an *** wasting a friends time to take you to the drugstore just for it not to be ready plus the $ 5 or $ 10 in gas money I can't afford to give them to drive me back the next day or sometimes the day after that and that is after calling them to make sure my prescription is done but when you get there it isn't.
I believe that pharmacists do play an important role in things what I don't think is they have the right to talk down to you or treat you like a dirtbag when they really don't know you your circumstances or anything other than the stigma that the meds have . I am in chronic pain everyday not tottaly debilitating but enough to ruin your day and your life because I choose to take these pills just to function and there are days when the pain escalates to unbearable because of work activities. I believe people on multiple scripts for pain meds from several different doctors should be scrutinized a little but I take 1 script 30 mg oxycodone and before that was hydrocodne but never together and never any other narcotic to go with it and had the Walgreen's pharmacist screaming at me that I was red tagged and could nolonger fill my scripts there because my script was to high or what ever I have never had anybody talk to me like that so called the corporate number and was basically told because of there fines and misdoings in Florida they changed there policy's and tough luck there needs to be some common sense put in here somewhere other wise I see a lot of very unhappy and miserable people having to live that way for no reason.
You're very welcome. You are a wealth of knowledge and I do read everything you post. You've taught me so much. I want to thank you for being there for me and all of the other pain patients on this forum.
That's so great that you found a private owned pharmacy. They are still around but sometimes hard to find.
I go the same pharmacy and they're always very nice to me. I live in the country though so maybe that makes a difference?
No, I don't think any of us that are in chronic pain wants to have to take medication. We would love to have our lives back without living in pain. And now, with these new laws things have drastically changed. It's making it so hard on chronic pain patients.
I go the same pharmacy and they're always very nice to me. I live in the country though so maybe that makes a difference?
No, I don't think any of us that are in chronic pain wants to have to take medication. We would love to have our lives back without living in pain. And now, with these new laws things have drastically changed. It's making it so hard on chronic pain patients.
It makes a big difference when you deal with a professional pharmacist. It lowers stress, and therefore lowers pain.
We have a hard enough time getting our Rx written every month -- we don't need the hassle in filling them.
We have a hard enough time getting our Rx written every month -- we don't need the hassle in filling them.
I stopped going to WalMart because they where rude and treated me like a drug addict I didn't choice this chronic pain I pray every night that,my pain levels will go down and I didn't have to depend on pain meds to have a quality of life I,now goto a private owned pharmacy and they treat me with respect and don't make me feel,horrible for having to take my pain medication
Thanks for your kind remarks, remar.
Pharmacists are highly trained medical pros, and know more about medications (pharmacology), why and how they work, and how they can interact than most physicians.
Many pharmacists these days are in themselves, doctors (of pharmacy.)
While some are real jerks about dispensing controlled substances, most are there to help their patients. They protect a patient from the practice of "polypharmacy" which occurs when more than one doctor prescribe that patient's medication.
Polypharmacy is common in the senior population, for example, because we older Americans have multiple doctors who treat different systems, and may not know about each other, our other medications and doses, and sometimes may not know about our other diagnoses.
The unfortunate fact is that most Americans are highly ignorant when it comes to medical care. They know nothing about their body and how it works. (Sometime, ask 10 random people to point out the location of their liver.)
When it comes to medication, these people don't know why they take them (other than the doctor said so), the names and doses of the medication they take. They sound like children when they tell you: "I take the red one in the morning, the little yellow pill at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the big green one at night."
The pharmacist sits at the center of this conundrum, monitoring medical treatment from multiple doctors, and dealing with the ignorance of the average chronic patient.
Yes I get angry when I have to wait an extra couple of days for my pain medication because I used them up too soon, and I have put up with more than my share of pharmacist whom it seems would be better suited working than a prison guard rather than a health care provider. Of course, every chronic pain patient has experienced this kind of professional arrogance behind the apothecary counter.
A pharmacist plays an important role -- especially for those who take no responsibility for their own health care.
Perhaps we need to have a "be kind to your pharmacist day" in America. It might greatly help the patient / pharmacist relationship.
Maybe we could wear little white bows on our lapels, to increase awareness in the plight of the poor pharmacist?
What do you think?
:#)
Pharmacists are highly trained medical pros, and know more about medications (pharmacology), why and how they work, and how they can interact than most physicians.
Many pharmacists these days are in themselves, doctors (of pharmacy.)
While some are real jerks about dispensing controlled substances, most are there to help their patients. They protect a patient from the practice of "polypharmacy" which occurs when more than one doctor prescribe that patient's medication.
Polypharmacy is common in the senior population, for example, because we older Americans have multiple doctors who treat different systems, and may not know about each other, our other medications and doses, and sometimes may not know about our other diagnoses.
The unfortunate fact is that most Americans are highly ignorant when it comes to medical care. They know nothing about their body and how it works. (Sometime, ask 10 random people to point out the location of their liver.)
When it comes to medication, these people don't know why they take them (other than the doctor said so), the names and doses of the medication they take. They sound like children when they tell you: "I take the red one in the morning, the little yellow pill at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the big green one at night."
The pharmacist sits at the center of this conundrum, monitoring medical treatment from multiple doctors, and dealing with the ignorance of the average chronic patient.
Yes I get angry when I have to wait an extra couple of days for my pain medication because I used them up too soon, and I have put up with more than my share of pharmacist whom it seems would be better suited working than a prison guard rather than a health care provider. Of course, every chronic pain patient has experienced this kind of professional arrogance behind the apothecary counter.
A pharmacist plays an important role -- especially for those who take no responsibility for their own health care.
Perhaps we need to have a "be kind to your pharmacist day" in America. It might greatly help the patient / pharmacist relationship.
Maybe we could wear little white bows on our lapels, to increase awareness in the plight of the poor pharmacist?
What do you think?
:#)
You always give such great advice. I did not this about Walgreens.
I would be very upset too if a pharmacy asked what my medical condition was. I do understand they're not only looking out for themselves, but also for the patients. Asking about when you plan to come off the medications is way over stepping the line in my opinion.
Some of the smaller towns still have independent pharmacies and I've found them to be very nice and caring without stepping over the line.
Hopefully this poster can get things straightened out very soon.
I would be very upset too if a pharmacy asked what my medical condition was. I do understand they're not only looking out for themselves, but also for the patients. Asking about when you plan to come off the medications is way over stepping the line in my opinion.
Some of the smaller towns still have independent pharmacies and I've found them to be very nice and caring without stepping over the line.
Hopefully this poster can get things straightened out very soon.
Yep, remar is right. Walgreens gets a lot of complaints about their opiophobia.
However, they have a reason for it -- they had to pay a huge fine in 2012 for losing controlled medications in Florida. So their policies around controlled substances are very strict.
Personally, I've used Walgreens for many years and like them because they usually have my meds in stock, but I hear you.
They are very fussy about asking for a diagnosis for your CII script. Many people take this personally. It's simply their protocol. However, if they're asking medical questions about when you're going to detox, then they're overstepping the line between doctor and pharmacist.
Try to remember that pharmacists are there to make sure your doctor doesn't kill you.
Try another pharmacy if you don't like Walgreen's service. If you can, find an independent -- there are so few these days.
However, they have a reason for it -- they had to pay a huge fine in 2012 for losing controlled medications in Florida. So their policies around controlled substances are very strict.
Personally, I've used Walgreens for many years and like them because they usually have my meds in stock, but I hear you.
They are very fussy about asking for a diagnosis for your CII script. Many people take this personally. It's simply their protocol. However, if they're asking medical questions about when you're going to detox, then they're overstepping the line between doctor and pharmacist.
Try to remember that pharmacists are there to make sure your doctor doesn't kill you.
Try another pharmacy if you don't like Walgreen's service. If you can, find an independent -- there are so few these days.
Is your Dr prescribing a certain amount of pills per month? If so, then that's why they are only filling enough to last 30 days and not 31. They go by how many you're prescribed per day.
It sounds like you need to talk to your Dr about adjusting your dose depending on how many days are in that month.
Try different pharmacies. Believe me, not all of them are the same.
It sounds like you need to talk to your Dr about adjusting your dose depending on how many days are in that month.
Try different pharmacies. Believe me, not all of them are the same.
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