Pharmacy gave to many pills

Just a question of honesty.  I went to pick my prescription up from my pharmacy as i do every month with the same pharmacy i have been using for 3 yrs.  Got home and went about my business.  I counted my meds as i usually do a few days after i got them.  Something was not right but in my favor.  I got 30 extra oxycodone 15mg pills.  My script is for 90 and I got 120.  I debated what to do.  Leave it alone, take them back, call the pharmacy.  I thought about how they really keep track of these meds and that how someone could really get in trouble for something I could fix.  I decided to call them.  I called and the pharmacist said all was ok on their end.  I was like OK whatever and said if something came up to call me.  Sure enough about 4 hrs later the pharmacist called and told me they were  30 short and that if I think i got to many i could bring them back but did not have to cause they could not prove it (keep in mind i never told them how many extra just extra).  Anyway, I took them back and the pharmacist was sooooooooooooooooooo happy , he said no one has ever done that and that i saved alot of headaches not to mention someone possible getting fired.  I thought i would share this with you to see if any of you have been put in this situation or if you were put in this situation would you call back or just keep them and keep your mouth shut.  In my case I knew someone could possible get fired so I could not live with myself if I did not take them back.  I am also the type of person that if i accidently walked out of a store with a penny candy i would be back to pay for it.  Make a thread out of this and dont worry i wont judge anyone for their responses.  THanks

Shaw,
I would have done the right thing, although I confess I rarely count my meds. There are too many in that bottle! I do notice if a bottle might look odd - that is, bigger than usual, more full than usual, or the reverse. I might count them then.

My cousin is a pharmacist and she has told me what she has to go through when she's made an error. They have a number of inventory systems, most of which are computerized, so most errors are found, and then traced back to the person who filled the script. On the rare occasion when this has happened to her (she said it happens to all pharmacists occasionally as they're only human) she has to go through all kinds of paperwork to document the error, let alone follow up with the patient. Now she works in a hospital setting, but for the outpatient section of the pharmacy.

I would do just as you did, especially knowing both someone could get fired (or maybe in some cases should if they're making frequent errors, so you might just help save a life - think of it that way, too!) and as well with our pain meds that if we don't say something and they find out, well, the doctor may be notified, and we likely may not be trusted in the future.

On the other hand, you have probably cemented your trust with this pharmacy for the rest of your life!

PaLady

 

 

   I don't count.

 

 

*huggs*

dani

Hi Shaw:

I would have done what you did as well. I was in an office supply store and bought several pgks. of pens that were on sale for $1.00. When I got outside I found that one pkg. was under their weekly advertisement circular in the back of the cart and I had not paid for it. I brought it back into the store & told the cashier what happened and she was shocked by my honesty.

I did think twice before doing going back into the store, but only because I was afraid that they would accuse me of intentionally trying to steal them, but I knew if I didn't do it, my conscience would bother me greatly. I also had my children with me and I wanted to set the right example for them.

Lorie

Sometimes its reversed. I received a call one day from my pharmacy telling me that they had given me too many oxycontin, I said I dont take oxycontin I take oxycodone (percocet), she went on to tell me that I had picked them up a few hours ago and that they needed the extra twenty they gave me returned. I said to her (she was not nice!) that I didn't take that prescription and that I hadn't been at the pharmacy for two weeks, she did everything but flat out call me a liar, then I got phone calls from there corporate office requesting, in fact demanding , I return them. I went through it all again, then I heard from their legal department, I was getting scared because I had no idea what they were talking about an no one was listening to me. To make this long stor short, the pharmacist was steeling the scripts and had been doing so in other peoples names for over six months. I was called and apologized too and had the corporate office's vice president write me a personal letter with an apology. I think what finally helped was my asking them if they viewed the tapes and after I said that they hung up and I didn't hear anything for two days then I called them back because I was nervous about what was going on. So sometimes things are going on without you knowing it, not in your case it sounds, but not everyone who works at a pharmacy is honest ya know!! Happy Sunday to everyone and hope your day is pain free!

I want to clear something up for some of you that may be taking this the wrong way.  I am by no means saying all people working in pharmacies are angels.  Some of them are stealing meds yes but I think for the most part they are honest.  When these mistakes happen with medications I think mostly it is in error.  There are thiefs on both sides of the pharmacy counter.  I just want you all to know that I am not saying we (pain patients) are to blame for these error all the time but sometimes we are just as I think the pharmacies are probably at fault most of time whether they know it or not.  Anyway this is good debate.

Once...had hubby pick up my script of 30 hydrocodone...and then bro picked it up for me too. Ended up sending the second batch back...'cause that was just weird.

I would return them also. I am just one of those way honest people - my conscience wouldn't let me keep the extra pills. Whenever I have had an opportunity to steal, cheat, whatever, I have always thought to myself that even if no one knew about it or caught me, I would know - and that's enough to keep me honest.

 

I wanted to add my 2 cents about counting pills. The pharmacy I go to has a sign that says to count your pills before you leave because they are not responsible once you leave the store. Ok, I get that. Well the other day, there was a woman in there who picked up 4 prescriptions - all pain meds. She went to the little side counter and proceeded to count out one-by-one each of her scrips - 240 percocet, 120 oxycodone, 90 oxycontin, and a box of fentanyl patches. I remember what they were and the amounts because she (loudly) repeated the info several times during the process of counting them. She lost count more than a few times - I left for a bit, came back, and she was still counting! It was a little bizarre. Now I have to add, I make it a point to never "pre-judge" someone - I know very well that many of us have "invisible pain". But am I the only one who thinks that is a whole lot of pain medication for one person? I saw no signs at all of any discomfort, injury, or bandages on this lady. Aside from the strange counting thing, she looked totally healthy, mobile, and agile. You would think if she had a condition that required that much pain relief, there would be some kind of sign of pain or discomfort. Oh well, sorry I digressed a little!

I hear you. I know how pain can be unseen - no one who looks at me would know that I have debilitating chronic pain. I just thought that was an awful large amount of pain medication, epecially since the oxycontin is controlled release and the fentanyl patches are more or less constant. I am in no way judging her, I just had never seen one person taking so much (they called out, "4 prescriptons for *Mary Jones*). And there are so many problems with prescription drug abuse here in Florida, it makes it hard for legitimate patients to get help. But again, I don't know this woman and I don't know her story.

 

Joie, I read your other post - I wish I had an answer for you. I know about the feelings of anger, rage, and hopelessness. I know what it's like to want to hit something, put a fist through a wall (or a doctor). We want answers that no one can give us. There are days that I live one minute at a time. I have no great words of wisdom. I know a punching bag helps me sometimes - but of course the pain in my gut stops me before I can get all the rage out. And then I usually throw my neck out. I am not trying to make light of your feelings; I just try to use humor in my own life to get through.

This pharmacy is pretty "strict" too. They now have a guard posted outside because they started having a problem with people doing actual drug deals right in the parking lot - right outside the door! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. I watched someone get their prescription, walk outside and up to a car that had pulled up. I couldn't see exactly what happened, but it was obvious the passenger handed the guy on the outside something and he received something in return! This is in a nice neighborhood, too. The next time I went, the guard was there. The upside is, I sure feel safe picking up my prescriptions!

I kinda agree with PA. There have been people even on this Forum who have posted that they were overmedicated. Some doctors just keep adding more & more medications, rather than replacing one with another. That's what happened with a good friend of mine when she got cancer. The doctor who was first treating her was an idiot & when she would complain that the meds were not cutting it, the doctor would just add on another one. Eventually, my friend hardly knew who she was. Finally, she switched to my PM & things got much better for her. She was put on a morphine pain pump & while there were side effect like sleepiness from that, it was 100% better than the crazy routine she had been put on before. I honestly have to wonder whether that wasn't this lady's deal -- that she was so heavily medicated that she could hardly count. I don't know, but I can't imagine a drug diverter caring that much about the exact number of pills in there. They could easily enough tell that there were a huge amount of meds that they were picking up & more likely would want to seem confident, like PA says.

But as a separate issue, we had the same deal at the pharmacy I go to. People dealing out in the parking lot. Now the police circulate there all the time & there are additional cameras & 2 blue lights out in the parking lot. I've never seen people get violent or anything, I think the police do it more to keep drug activity under control. What a crazy world we live in, right? I just don't even understand why anyone would want to feel out-of-it on purpose. What a horrible side effect! How many times do we have posts on here about people trying to figure out how to be MORE alert & focused. I guess I'll never understand.

wishing you all a happy day,
Frances

Just had to add my 2 cents in about the lady with all the pain meds.  240 percocet, 120 oxycodone, 90 oxycontin and box of fent patches.  This to me as should be to anyone some sort of red flag whether its legitimate or not.  If she was picking all these up for herself and another then yes I can see it but I would not think one doc would write all of this.  I say its not all for her because there are repeats here.  The percocet and oxycodone are the same (b/t or immediate release meds).  Why two of the same (exept of course for the tylenol in the percocet) for the same person.  Does not make sense to me.  I get 90 oxycontin and 90 oxycodone a month.  THats it.  I have been having really bad anxiety lately and the only thing that has worked and worked well for me in the past is klonopin but my PM doc will not prescribe it because of adverse reactions with the pain meds I am taking.  I dont know.  I sometimes dont understand when I see all these meds docs are prescribing.  Maybe they are all needed I dont know. 

Wow!!!  I hope that lady isn't browsing the web and happens upon our site...she would be upset that people are judging her because they think she takes too many pain meds...

Me.