my husband wants to know what i did to make the pharmacists hate me

ok I made the pharmacist mad when I questioned the generic of oxycontin is oxycodone. he insisted it was the same I told him it wasn't and I was in withdrawl he got mad and then got snippy with me. so I APOLOGIZED TO HIM! I was too embarrassed to go back so I gave my husband my February prescription to take to the pharmacy I used to use that he still goes to. I quit going there because they gave me a hard time, lost my discount card, forgot to order my meds, told me I was too early to pick up scrips when she made a mistake about the date and had to give them to me, before I became familiar with the prior auth route they never told me why I would get declined. I think they would think it was funny to deny my meds on Friday so I would suffer all weekend, AND THE BIGGEST JOKE OF ALL, I was the bartender back in the day at a bar that her husband frequented and she accused me of knowing her husband was cheating and not telling her. this is a very small town. oops I digress. he dropped off my scrip and told them I would pick it up they said good we will have it ready when she gets here. I went in a few hours later. " oh we don't have anything for you did your doctor call this in"???????? then they "found it" not filled. I said oh good I want to make sure I don't get generic I want the name brand. holy crap you would think I asked to borrow money. you know that cost $100.00. I told her I don't care that's fine. then i asked her if my fentanyl patches that they shorted me on Friday came in she said why are you out of the other box already? I said no I just don't want to make another trip because its going to be 20 below this week. what business is it of hers if I was out already??? she told me no they weren't in and policy is they will call me when they do get in. I was doing my shopping to get laundry stuff so I didn't have to leave my house again and it takes me forever to walk across the store. 30 minutes later she calls me and tells me my patches are ready!!!! I said I haven't left the store yet!! she made me show my ID again made a copy of it and then gave me my patches...I WANTED TO SCREAM YOU B#$@& you thought I was home and would have to come back. I really hate it here and I hate being on pain meds and I hate being at peoples mercy!!!! I have lived here for 33 years and I am still an outsider!! if anyone could stay awake thru this rant thank you

Unfortunately, anyone on pain meds is subject to labeling and snap judgements these days.

As far as I know, there IS no generic of Oxycontin. Oxycontin is oxycodone. However, Oxycontin is a formulation in which the pill has a slow release mechanism and that makes them vastly different pills. So I can see the misunderstanding there.

It sounds like you're better off going back to the first pharmacy. The one you were too embarrassed to go back to. Misunderstandings happen every day. Hopefully the pharmacist was having a crappy day, last time and it's all just water under the bridge.

I have had a pharmacist scream at me over the phone and refuse to fill a valid new perscrition. I was 2 days short on my norco. I went to the doctor and told them about the shortage because it had been rainy ( RA / OA/FM ) he gave me am ankle and hip injection with steroids, and my new script for the month. I could go anywhere cvs is my preferred insurance tho I pay $2 for cvs and $ 10-14 other places. Cvs has a drive thru it seemed like the best option. Since i was broke .Since walking I was very sore from injections. I have had many problems at cvs before I actually had 99% moved to costco I went to the tech girl she is very nice and professional , she knows what this pharmacist $&@@& does to me. I asked her will you be able to fill this ? If not it's ok I can go somewhere else . She looks at the paper mumbles " don't see why not" she took it over to her magisty of pharmacology and then she nodded at it checked something in the computer and said yes. But I had to give them 2-3 hours because they were very busy short staffed ( this was obvious I Stood in line 35 min) I said ok I will call to see if it's ready . 3 hours pass I made a call. The same sweet girl I felt with earlier said it not ready sorry one more hour .... This is 7p ... I call at 815p is it ready yet no but I'm going to have the pharmacist do it now so give us 15 min . Ok it takes about that long to drive there. 830 my home phone rings , I say hello this is she and the pharmacist yells at me . No kidding like I am her explicative child. I am not going to break the law. Yeah it's against our policy and against the law what are doing filling it early. You I have two days left I check with other pharmacy ( here she thinks she is smarter than I am I am well aware of the data base that can be reviewed if need be.) you are breaking the law she is screaming still. I say my doctor knows it's two days early but he wrote one for my pain. She still yelling .. Doctor don't know law I know the law you are doing felony I can report you. I had to use everything I had to stay calm. I said I am coming down there and you are going to give me back my paper. Or you are breaking the law. I go get the the paper by now is 845p most other pharmacy are closed. And I am in pain. The techs who work there keep their heads down no one can meet my eyes fine I don't care. And yes tears fell silently evey few minutes but it hurt to walk. I have never heard good things about walgreens but it was a shot in the dark. I got to their counter 855p five minutes to closing they filled it for me in 3 min and never heard of this breaking the law. We get treated really bad like we are not people anymore. I am sorry for you because they really made me feel low I'm sure they wouldn't treat their family that way .

OMG pptrsha1!
It didn't feel like you were ranting and raving, the more I was reading the more I wanted to slap the s*#$ out of that employee. That is "harassment" at it's best and who the hay do these people think they are? It's just ridiculous that something so simple as filling a prescription (buying a product) can become such a challenge!
I am fortunate that I do not have to use one of the bigger chain pharmacies but rather a grocery store one. I have never had a problem nor do any of the people there give me problems, they are always very helpful and courteous. I get fentanyl patches, oxycodone, zanaflex plus my other routine meds and have never been questioned. I am truly fortunate I guess.
But I have to say that I have read many many horror stories about this very same thing and my sister has succumb to being interrogated by her pharmacy as well. How sad this all this and then we have to deal with our pain and limitations as well.
I really hope you switch or find another smaller pharmacy that will treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve! Kudos for keeping your cool!

Pam

AngelLisa, that's the way my CVS pharmacy is. I'm treated so well there that I actually don't mind having to go. I don't think that it's just because I have Cancer, my wife is CP as well as CD and she gets the red carpet too. . . Q

Hi pptrsha,
I just wish that HUMANA would treat me as well as my pharmacy. After being Rxed Fentora for 4 years at around $12,000 a month they cut me off. So my enraged Dr. Tried to get a PA but nothing doing. She switched me to OxyContin and they still denied it even though it would save them $11,000 a month. We are noe going through the PA attempt again.

We CPs have 3 hurdles to jump to get our meds;1 our needs have to be quantifiable to qualify for the Rx 2 our Drs. Have to agree with the findings and write the RX and be willing to fight for a PA if needed 3 our pharmacy has to allow us to purchase the med even though we have jumped hurdles 1 & 2. This is ridiculous . . . Q

quincy I had fentora for 4 years too I had 600mcg 2 times a day except for the last 3 or 4 days of the month unless I could save back 4 pills since I could only get 2 boxes and 28 pills per box. I used to schedule my work around the pills. it made my life acceptable. in august my pharmacy said they weren't going to order it anymore and at the same time insurance said I couldn't have it anymore. I jumped thru my PA hoops too. oxycontin helps some but NOTHING is as good as fentora. pain relief without being high loopy goofy. I got subsys 30 free pills for the first 30 days it worked but it had side effects. unfortunately the co pay is $7000.00. (not a mistake) I am back on fentanyl patch and trying to adjust I feel crappy I am groggy pukey loopy crampy my legs feel heavy going back to sleep again thanks all for being there love to all of you

Pptrsha
We love you too. we all have to stick together cuz we are the ones who have to go through this explicative red tape. And I know it's wrong but you pharmacist and the evil one I dealt with will one day need the very same thing we needed

Compassion.

pam I would like to find out more about that. I think its time for some action. I am tired of being embarrassed for something I have no control over.

There are several but I did sign everyone I could find.y congress woman sent a generic letter stating it was her goal to fight drug addiction and " accidental overdose " ( I really don't think that is really an accident even the celebs who did it took a combination of drugs that clearly on the label don't take some of this and some of that more of this etc I just don't see the " epidemic" ) and still let ligitimate patients have access to perscrition medicine.
" AYE! Here is the rub" we have access to it now as it is ... The problem that politians and law makers DONT see is this = if the local shady guy who sells drugs won't judge his customers NEITHER should the pharmacist!!!! Ahah makes me want to scream. If pharmacists want to practice medicine then they should go to med school if not just do your job and fill the script that the person who did finish med school wrote!!!

I wanted to follow up on a previous post I made regarding issues that chronic pain sufferers are dealing with and the impacts of the pharmacies. One of the sites that I was referring to was: "First Do No Harm: The DEA targets Physicians who treat their patients pain". Just goggle that and it will bring you to the site and then you can read the stories people have wrote and the some of the emails that have sent to congress.
It is truly a horrendous problem with pain prescriptions and the pharmacies.
If you are interested in any other reading or petitions that are headed out on behalf of the patients, just google "chronic pain sufferers against Walgreen's and pharmacies" and you will see listing after listing regarding the DEA intervention as well.
It brings tears to my eyes to read it because now I live within this world of chronic pain.
Pam