Why do Pharmacists see me as the enemy?

Every single month I wonder what weird situation is going to happen to prevent me from getting my prescription for Norco. I have never been a junkie. I am dependent on it of course because I've been taking it for five years. I have more medical problems than I even care to list but the short list is.....ulcerative colitis, diabetes, multiple pelvic floor reconstructions, I'm currently on my third ileostomy because my colon and rectum were removed, I have degenerative disc problems and my neck is basically vaporized, etc....

In order for me to have a life where I can be with my children, participate in regular activities and get out of bed, I have to have a little help. I don't get "high" off my meds. I've been taking these sorts of meds since I was 12. I am now in my late 30's. I'm not a dopehead. Last month I went to the pharmacy and I was right on time. I usually pick up my script at day 27-28. No problem. Well, if they don't feel comfortable with that, cool, I can wait to 30, just don't LIE TO ME about it. I pulled up to pick it up and the pharm tech said that the pill delivery wasn't there yet and if I came back at 10pm that it would be ready for me. Well, I didn't feel like doing that so I just told him I would come back the following morning. I showed up the following morning and the woman said it wasn't ready yet but the pill delivery came and they were just unloading, etc.

So, I left again and decided to call before I left again. I called that afternoon. Guess what? That person told me that they hadn't received a shipment and started treating me like a nut case. I just sat there. She then said, "ok, we will give you a partial fill, the pharmacist just told me that was fine and to come get them later." I was like ummm ok and went to pick the meds up, Guess what? The pharmacist proceeded to berate me for suggesting that they would give me a partial on narcotics and that is illegal so I obviously made it up. I saw the girl i talked to in the pharmacy because she is Asian.

I said "she told me". She rolled her eyes and walked off. I asked them if they were ever planning on filling it and if the truck came or not, etc.. They all acted like I was being silly and drug seeking. I gave up. It was now past day 30 and I was out. I went to another chain and transferred it. They managed to push it off for another day making it day 32 but I was finally given my meds. Well, it came time for me to refill this month. I have been terrified to even request my refill. I know it will be something else. Well, this time the pharmacist is telling me that she won't refill my script until the calendar month day. So, in other words, the doc gives me a 30 day supply but they are refuses to follow his instructions.

Instead of giving me the med on day 30 which is today, they won't fill it until Friday, which is 34. That's actually LONGER than a calendar month. I have never hounded pharmacies for my meds. I have never begged for early refills. I have always been very laid back and it makes no difference. They still treat me like a creepy drug addict and it embarrasses me. I am very ill. I am in constant pain and on top of that, I have to deal with these horrible people who like to dangle my potential good memories with my children in front of me. Like it's fun to tease the sick woman or something. I have got to the point where it is so bad that I wonder if I should just stay in pain and in bed just to avoid further humiliation.

I honestly believe that some of them get some sort of sick kick out of toying with people. My husband is about ready to report them but I know it wouldn't even make a difference. At times I want to go in there and drop my pants and show them all my hanging medical equipment and scars since I look like Frankenstein under my clothes and see if they would shut up and just treat me with some respect.

Anyway, don't these people have to fill my script on the 30th day? Would they do that with my insulin? Hell no. Docs don't want gaps in between meds. Yes, I am very frustrated. I could write a book with all I have gone through. I saw a website where the pharmacists were complaining about this and that and telling all their "junkie" excuses. Well, I think I have just as many lies and misdeeds from them. Makes me so upset!

Post Edited By Moderator (Blessedx8) : 11/20/2012 9:15:37 AM (GMT-7)

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles with the Pharmacy...

The only other thing that I can think of is that they are calculating all the days month after month.

So if you have been filling the meds lets say for the last 6 months at the 27 or 28th day....then by now you would have a lot of days extra of medication.

In 42 states there is what is called the Prescription Monitoring Program...this is where any Pharmacy (that you are choosing to use) or any Dr. you go to, can pull up a list of all controlled substances and see exactly when you fill each prescription every month.

I don't think it has to do with chain or mom and pop.

The absolute best thing you can do is find one Pharmacy and get to know the head Pharmacist and the staff. Just like you would your DR....By developing a relationship with them...when there is a glitch like the delivery of medication...(which most Pharmacies get only once a week for opiates)...then they will be more apt to work with you and really help you out.

I've been going to my Sam's Club for 11 years now. There have a been a few issues with devliery or accidental mistakes on their end over the years but they always bend over backwards to make sure I get my medication. A few months ago they switched manufacturers for one of the generic meds I get....when I showed up to pay (I pay cash as I don't have insurance), it was more expensive than I anticipated....The Pharmacist felt bad for me so he said "don't worry about it" and wrote off the $22 without batting an eye!

So...obviously I agree that you shouldn't be treated poorly by anyone no matter what the situation....I think that once you find a Pharmacy that you like and they get to know you well...things like this shouldn't happen again.

The only thing to caution is what I mentioned earlier in keeping track of the days as a "running" calendar month to month based on when you pick up the medication...

Good luck..

Twinkle, I think it is bs that you were treated in that way - and you are right, if it was your insulin (or bp meds, or whatever) it would not have been an issue, even if you had been filling it early in previous months (and therefore 'should' have extra doses). If it is ok with your doctor and all are acting within the parameters of the law and professional guidelines, the pharmacy needs to fill the darn script. I am SO incredibly sick of people being treated like second-class, druggie citizens just because they are taking " narcotics " in order to live some semblance of a normal life. AARGHHH! Ok, I feel better now.

One thing I would certainly do is the next time you see your doctor is to tell them the problems you have been having getting your scripts filled.

I don't know what the deal with Walgreen's is any more but I have been hearing more and more problems with the filling medications. I had used them for years but several months ago I stopped having my pain meds filled there because I was always being put off for one reason or another, usually being told they were out of stock. I switched to CVS and so far have never had a problem nor have I gotten any snide remarks or even looks from them. (The town I live in we only have 4 choices in pharmacies. The two mentioned, Wal Mart, and the hospital pharmacy). Last month I switched all of my scripts to CVS because Walgreens totally screwed up several of my other scripts by either saying I had requested refills too soon causing me to run out or shorting me on the ones they did fill.

PS I did share this with my doc. He was not happy at all. Problem is, my doc is 1000 miles away. I can't wait to go back home at this point. He told me to tell them if they have such a problem that they can call him and he would tell them to get over it.

I've been looking today. There are hundreds of pharmacies in Houston but I'm trying to find one locally. Houston is HUGE and it takes over an hour to travel across the city. I live on the outskirts. When I am especially ill I am not able to travel and depend on my husband to drive me around. He works a lot of hours so that limits me in many ways. That's one bad thing about small pharmacies. They close early and are closed before he gets off work. We do have great insurance and I have Medicare secondary so the insurance is not a problem. I am not physically capable of going on a safari for an understanding pharmacist. I wish I did have that kind of energy. I'll just keep on trying.

If your insurance covers a smaller pharmacy, go with it. They may not have the most convenient hours or a drive through window, but you will always have the same 1 or 2 people behind the counter who will get to know you. And will take care of you.

3 examples, same pharmacy. I once had my insurance cajole me into the 90 day prescription by mail thing, but it was a higher copay. Makes sense, but you have to pay less of them per year, right? Except, 2 of my meds could not be dispensed at 90 day supplies, per state law. They would mail me a 30 day supply, but with the same higher copay. So I called my old pharmacist, and got him on a 3 way call with a supervisor from the mail pharmacy. Long story short, after he got through with them, I got all my meds transferred back to my locally owned, 3rd generation pharmacy, the insurance company waived the copay for ALL of my meds for the rest of the year, about 4 months worth, and I got a big fat apology letter from the mail order company.

I stuck with that guy because about a year before, I had left about a half a scrip of mobic in a hotel room, and didn't realize until I got home. I didn't call him for the lortab, or the flexaril, I called him for the NSAID, and asked what I could do to get through the month. The dude called a couple of local doctors, until he found free sample packs to last me until my next refill, picked them up for me, and didn't charge me a cent.

When my wife had gastric bypass surgery, then developed complications and was unable to drive, he did not have a delivery service, but he knew her situation, because he talked to his customers, so he would swing by our place after he closed up shop and drop off her meds since I worked a job that had me driving all over, and couldn't always get back into town to pick them up before closing time. And this is in Birmingham AL. Not exactly a small town.

If he wasn't 7+ hours and 2 states away from me now, I'd still be using him.

Don't apologize for getting upset and needing to vent as much if not more than needing a workable solution. I understand how that goes as well if not better than most.

People like to say when life hands you a bag of lemons you should make lemonade. What many do not understand is that those of us with chronic health issues do that day after day when things are going right just to get through the day and when things go wrong it is like someone dumping a truck load of over ripe lemons on our heads and then stealing our juicer.

This is just terrible to have to go through this to get medications that you really need to have some quality of life. I have been very lucky that I have never had a problem with my pharmacy. My doctor writes my scripts for three months as refills because with the pain meds I can't get the three months all at once. What she does though is that when she writes the scripts, she writes on there to dispense them every 25 days even though there are enough for 30 days at a time just in case I had to take a couple extra one day or whatever. This makes is so much easier to pick up my meds just in case I can't pick them up exactly on the 30th day there is a 5 day leeway and they don't give me any hassle because of how my doctor writes it.

It is just so sad that those that really need these medications have to be treated this way. We shouldn't be treated as criminals looking for a fix. So sorry that you are going through this and hopefully you will find a better solution soon.

RJBeck, I would love to have that form. Do you still know the website? That would help a great deal.

I'm aware that it's not always the pharmacists faults. Bad things happen to all of us but after spending some time over on the angry pharmacists forum, I believe that there are a lot more of them that hate pain pill takers than I ever imagined before. They seem to be quite bitter and just plain mean. I think that maybe they got into the wrong business.

Well, that's just criminal. In fact it may be. Get in touch with the store manager, and let him know what happened. At a minimum, it seems like fraud, since the store was paid, but the goods were not delivered, maybe even malpractice. If the store manager can't help you go to the district or regional manager, and keep escalating it. That dude does not belong behind the prescription counter anywhere.

And you can ask for his certification or license number (It's a matter of public record), and maybe do some research on your own with the help of the 'net, to see if there have been other complaints about him with your state board of Pharmacy. They don't want people like that aroundeither. They can suspend his license or place him on probation, or any number of things. But make sure your complaint is registered, not just with the store, but with the state board.

Hello, I am so sorry you have to go thru all that in order to have a quality of life.  I feel so priviledged to have the same pharmacists for the last almost 20 years.  I have never had a problem having my meds filled.

If it is possible you should go to the same pharmacy all the time, as I dont know what you situation is I dont know if you can do that.  My PM dr's appt. are approx. 28 days apart.  an example this month it was on the 14 of Nov. I went to my pharmacy and they filled it no problem,  my next appt is on Dec 12., as that is how it works out.  I will not have any problem getting them filled on that date.

I am not sure what insurance you have but my pharmacy provider has a 10 day window, in other words they can be filled  as much as 10 days early. I never have had to fill them 10 days early as my appointments are very regular.

This is one reason among many  I have much to be thankful for this thanksgiving and I am thankful all the time when I see what other people who are in desperate pain have to go thru.

Good luck to you,

Kathy