Some people think that pharmacists are assholes. Funny how these are the same people who want their 30 day supply of Vicodin filled after 10 days. I’ll just give you all at home an insight as to why we are the way we are. If you’re a pharmacist at home (or play one on TV) comment and help me out. 
– What makes us angry –
We’re lied to almost all day. My medication got lost/stolen/flushed/eaten/left on vacation/etc. The list goes on and on and on. So when you come and want an early refill for your pain medication and give us that excuse; unless you can prove otherwise (first time its happened, you get 30 other maintenance meds at our place, we /know/ you), we’re going to think you are full of shit. Thats just the way it goes. You think we get smoke blown up our asses every day of work and aren’t jaded because of it?
We are people to. We like to be talked to, to asked how we are doing. All day I get screamed at because the doctor didn’t okay pain pills or soma. You reap what you sow, and if you throw shit in my face then i’m going to throw it right back.
If you /only/ pick up vicodin/soma/valium at my store (like 5 years going back of nothing but vicodin/soma/etc. You all at home know those kind of profiles), we’re going to give you looks when you come in. We’re also going to have assumptions when this is the 4th month in a row you need them early because of some bizarre excuse. We understand shit happens, but if you’re telling us the truth, then I dont want you in the store because a meteor is going to land on you. Oh, did I mention that we also know you pick up your hypertension meds at another pharmacy?
If you are going to sell your fucking vicodin, dont leave it in the fucking bottle you picked it up in for the police to see. We dont like seeing policemen walk in holding our vial saying “Did this person pick this up here? Heres a subpoena, have a nice day.”
If you have the balls to pick up your soma, turn around and hand 2 pills to each of your friends IN THE STORE, we’re going to boot you. Plain and simple. Diversion is always assumed but extremely hard to prove except if you are a fucking idiot.
When I have to tell you 10 fucking times that your pain pills are EARLY because you are too stupid to divide 90 by 3 to find out WHEN they are due. Then argue with me about it!
Notice a trend here? All deal with narcotics. Think about that. Now:
– What makes us Happy –
When you bring in that Rx for Vicodin, and you tell US right off the bat “please put this on file, i’ll pick it up when its due on the xth”.
When you are a true chronic pain patient who comes in on the day that he/she is due (or maybe a few days late) with a new Rx, waits patiently, and never ever asks for anything early. If there is a snag with your insurance/work comp; you are very polite and helpful to get it resolved.
When you treat us like human beings who care for you and not a licensed dope dealer who you can swear at when things go your way.
When you get your pain pills changed, and you bring back THE OLD ONES for destruction and to pick up the new strength.
So really, it boils down to honesty and taking medication how its prescribed.
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 31st, 2007 at 11:32 pm
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Lies: I caught a patient red-faced lying to us once. We had “Stadol Lady” come in every week or so to get her Stadol fix. She was always two weeks early and she always had a different excuse. She would always go to the clinic downstairs first and bug the doctors until they wrote her a new script just to get her the hell out of thier office. She came in one day, just like clockwork.
I ask the tech, “What’s the excuse this time?”
The tech says, “She says her daughter stole it”
I decided to call the clinic, since I figured she went there first. “What excuse did she give to why she needed another early fill?” The clinic – “She said that she was moving, and she packed it acidentally with her clothes.”
I denied to fill the prescription due to her conflicting story. I was working in a military pharmacy at the time. She knew some admiral somewhere, so she complained and my spineless pharmacist-in-charge had it filled by someone else. Oh well, at least I did the right thing, no matter what the final outcome.
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Not forgetting the classics-
“It said 30 on the prescription, but when I got outside and counted them there were only 29/28/15/choose as necessary, in the container”
“Can I double-check the methadone mixture quantity when you measure it so I know that you aren’t ripping me off?”
“I am going on holiday for THREE weeks and need three repeats of my weekly prescription” Same guy, same story the next month.
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Or how about this? “Sir the prescription is for 2 tablets 3 times per day.” Patient X answers “But my doctor said if I needed to I could take more, so I did…” Have to love the people who dont think it through then think mentioning the D word (doctor) will make it all okay.
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Yes!!!!
Just had one yesterday.
Suboxone….The excuse…the doctor up’d the dosage…NOT!!!!–I was shorted some pills…NOT!!!!
So I called the Dr. for approval of early refill and a reason why early…The “nurse” told me because they took more than they were supposed to!!! You know if the patient just told me the TRUTH at the start, no big deal-I would have just called the Doctor at the start…Just cut out the bullshit!!!
So angrypharmacist, what is your view of Suboxone???
I know you have an opinion on this drug…
Enjoy!!!
Gravelpit
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if I had a nickel for every time I was told “I’m Going on Vacation”…. I’d be making a pharmacists salary.
Now, In my little technician mind.. i would think that if you were “going away on vacation” and I refilled your Lortab 1 week early… then your next refill would be around 1 week late, because you would have the extra pills on hand.
but, alas… the next refill request comes less than 1 month after the “vacation refill”… that magical period where “too soon” becomes that “few days in advance, for pharmacist courtesy”
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Let me just first say I love reading this. I’m a freshman in prepharmacy courses in college and I’ve worked in a pharmacy for two years. It’s interesting to know that pretty much all pharmacies are the same.
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I’m a pharmacist, and I play one on TV!…well maybe not ‘national TV’…
Anyway, I concur with Angry on this one. We’re looked at as the drug nazi’s or drug policeman by everyone. And’s that really because we are! We have to be, that’s what the law says, our licenses are on the line if we decide to just go ahead and ignore the law for you. Your situation is definitely NOT worth my losing my livelihood and license over! Period! Granted, I haven’t worked in retail in years, but the story NEVER changes!
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We had one woman complain that we shorted her every single time, so finally when she’d come for her narcs, we’d take her to the counselling room, count them RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER, and make her sign the Rx so she couldn’t try that excuse anymore.
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I love my pharmacist and the techs. They do everything they can to help me and make my life easier.
I hate my insurance company. They do everything possible to make a dime off me and the pharmacy. They stay up nights trying to think of new ways to make getting meds and paying for them more difficult.
That’s my view.
PS> I haven’t taken pain meds in over 10 yrs (C-sect.)
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I always wonder how the idjit on oxycontin who gets it paid for by welfare is ALWAYS travelling. “oh I’m going away. Fill it early”. Ummm, no. Get your doctor to write you a note. No, I will not call your doctor to request this. You want it early, you are on welfare, what else have you got to do??? And where are they getting the money to do all this “travelling”? Oh yeah, they’re selling their pills….
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Not that anyone asked me, personally, but I noticed in reading the comments that someone brought up Suboxone…. My feeling on Suboxone is that it’s a good thing. Methadone has so many restrictions on its use, that it is prohibitive for many abusers to seek/get treatment. I’d rather they be on Suboxone then shooting up heroine with a dirty, disease-infested needle…. And it has naloxone in it too boot (as opposed to Subutex). There is a huge stigma with the methadone treatment programs and methadone itself is probably a worse drug to get someone hooked on than even heroine. So, that’s my take on that….
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i am a resident at a large chain in Boston… a patient came to me with their Adderall and before i could say anything, she said i’m going to pay cash for this… being sketched out, i put it through her medicaid (go figure) and it came up refill to soon… i say i have to call to check on the prescription… as i am on the phone i am watching over pick-up… when i turn around, she was gone… HAH
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Vacation supply…How about the ones that come in late on a Friday night needing their Vicos early-Saying they are leaving early Saturday, tomorrow, Morning—only to see them that
Monday afternoon at the front counter buying cigs??? I asked one once…I thought you were going on Vacation?? Only to get the blank stare and the UB-DAh UB-DAh response
Gravelpit
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im just curious how much it would cost the dea if we were not doing their jobs. i’m on the ed side of it (my doc is out of town/its friday night/my dog/gerbil/snake ate them/cant you give me some samples doc?). methinks we should just give up, leave a bowl of vicoden at the entrance, ya get a handful each day and let the dea pick up the addicts as they leave. it sure would relieve the gumming up of the system with imagined/contrived/malingering.
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Now that I’ve jumped off the retail pharmacy hell train, I have hospital stories to tell. Our state has that narcotic reporting system now – you know the one where you can get a list of all the narcs a patient got, the pharmacy where they were filled and the numbnut doctors you prescribed them?
We had one of those losers in our ER who fit the profile of someone to check. Oh, I dont know, maybe it was the way he asked for Vicodins (plural) or how he said he couldnt take injections: the pills are the only thing that works! Or maybe it was the way he had this shooting pain in his shoulder but for some reason nothing shows up on the MRI? I happened to be in the trauma room next to him and after he would get done with the sob story to the nurses, he would f-bomb them behind their backs when they left. I told the ER doc when she was ordering this guy�s next dose of Morphine, that maybe she should recognize the red flags of deceit. We ran his narcotic report and hit the motherload. Usually these reports are a page or two long. His was 10 pages! I think he went to every doctor and pharmacy in the friggin state. He tried to come up with some excuse for why Toradol or Ultram wouldnt work for him.
These people are losers and they are not only killing themselves, they are making it harder on the legit patients. Like you said with Oxycontin. This is a great drug but now the doctors are scared to prescribe it.
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I have never worked in a pharmacy, so I have to ask…
Are there really THAT MANY people who are “strung out” on Vicodin (and other opioids)? Judging by what I’ve read on this board, it sounds like Vicodin prescriptions make up like 75% of all the Rxs filled! Is it really this big of a problem? Soma, too?
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You say that your patients/clients can return unused medications to be destroyed, do most pharmacies do this? If not, what is the best way to dispose of old medication? Sorry for the questions, my grandmother died in April and my family hasn’t done anything with all her medicine yet.
Thanks.
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I get a kick out of ferreting out an abuser. Anyone else with me on that?
Lady comes in a few weeks ago and wants a fill for her Adderall 20mg, legit script and all.. so I run it through while she waits and surprise, insurance rejects, RTS. “Oh that’s fine, I’ll pay cash for it.” Strike one. The dosage is three in the morning and two at noon, for a grand total of 100mg a day by lunchtime. Strike two. So the pharmacy manager and I check her profile, see that she’s got two current different doctors (and a couple more she was no longer seeing), tell her that we don’t have enough on hand but our order was coming in the next day so we could fill it then, and we’ll hold onto the script. She accepts that, and we use the time we bought to call both of the current doctors and make sure they’re aware of the situation. They both are.. AND ARE FINE WITH IT!!! WTF?! The second guy tells us she’s coming in a few days later for an appt and he was going to “make her sign a contract to only go to one doctor and one pharmacy.” Yeah, right. She comes back the next morning, we tell her we can’t fill her script in good faith, and she asks for the script back, MENTIONING THAT SHE WAS GOING TO ANOTHER NEARBY PHARMACY. Steeeerike three, you’re a junkie. Needless to say, we called them and clued them in. I think she eventually got it filled because she’s rich and the docs didn’t give a shit. Oh well, our asses are covered and she’s got her fix, everybody’s happy.
Idiot junkies make this job both a lot more and a lot less fun than it should be.. but it’s patients like that last group, that treat you respectfully and logically that really keep you sane and make the whole thing worthwhile.
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At the VA Medical Center I once worked at, we double-counted all controlled-drug Rx, then covered the vial caps with red tamper-evident tape. That way, any vial returned to us with a questioned amount would be questioned right back if th tape seal was broken.
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Please visit my site. You inspired me to start my own.
http://farmacyisfun.blogspot.com
I just wrote a blog and my last sentence relates to this topic. Of course you have samples of the other script, you just want the hydrocodone, right? Riiiigggghhhht.
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I can understand why it would be frustrating to have people making up stories for their controlled substances. I’m just glad that it didn’t make the pharmacist too jaded to help out when we went to another state and my husband left his nitroglycerin tablets at home. After the prescription expired. On Thanksgiving weekend. All for about $.90
I know it cost more in long distance charges, not to mention the pharmacist’s time, for that one. So no, I don’t think pharmacists are assholes – except for one and I don’t think she’s still got her license. That didn’t have anything to do with narcotics, either.
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You bring up something I have been wanting to ask but didn’t want to broach…
Now that I am minus a brain tumor, I am off all of my pain meds [Fentanyl and Morphine]. What do I do with the extra patches? I haven’t known who to trust to hand them over, and you know why.
Should I turn them in to the pharmacist, really? (Not questioning your judgement, just asking for reassurance)
Lisa
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I agree with all above. We are jaded. So many interesting stories though. Wink, wink. It is always interesting how the chronic pain pts almost never ask for meds early (except maybe once a year for a REAL vacation).
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The best lie I’ve heard for an early vicodin refill is “I broke my boob and had to take more.” WTF, how do you break your boob? If your gonna lie to my face, at least make it interesting.
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My favorite is when a parent and child both come in with prescriptions for oxycodone AND oxycontin. The family that gets high together stays together, I guess. It’s even worse when a suspected addict’s child comes in with narcotic prescriptions that you’re pretty sure the kid is never going to use. We’ve even got a “Pain Clinic” near our pharmacy that pumps out oxycodone and vicodin prescriptions like they’re candy. The best part is the majority of these are medicaid patients. Nice to see my tax dollars hard at work.
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Dear Dr. RX,
Are you brainwashed.
Giving an addict Suboxone so they won’t use Heroin/Oxcodone. Is like giving a Pedaphile a 10 year old instead of a 3 year old, because they’ll put up more of a fight.
In both cases the addiction gets satisfied without the addict dealing with the real thing that is causing their addiction…THEMSELVES.
That’s right, it’s not the drug that makes them addicted…It’s the fact that when they look in the mirror all they say is I’m Great and the rest of me I can’t deal with so I do something to forget about it.
So, everyone should stop their bleeding hearts for the “poor” addict–it’s not their fault…because an addict won’t get better until they start dealing with themselves and that happens when they either hit rock bottom or die…until then they’re a slowly sinking ship…and Suboxone is like the Titanic, It’s supposed to keep them from sinking but in the end they wind up at the bottom of the ocean…only slower
Gravelpit
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Let me throw a question into the mix: What happens when a legitimate patient with pain and a script for Vicodin comes in to get his script refilled early, because the dosage he was given was inadequate? I notice there is a lot of mention of scripts for â30 Vicodin.â You do realize that those scripts usually say âtake every 4-6 hours for painâ and not âtake once a day for pain, and suffer the rest of the time.â Now, maybe I was taught a different form of math than doctors or pharmacists, but a months supply of a med taken every 4-6 hours adds up to anywhere from 120 to 180 pills, not 30. If the patient actually takes this script as directed, he will run out in less than a week. Why is it therefore some kind of crime for him to show up looking for an âearlyâ refill? Do you expect everyone to understand that these scripts can only be filled every 30 days, when other scripts can be refilled sooner? Why donât you scream at the doctor for not writing an adequate script in the first place instead of accusing the patient of being a drug seeker? Could it be you get a little thrill out of being able to abuse people whose onlly âcrimeâ is that theyâre in pain and want to not be in pain? Naaaaaaah.
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Hey Redhawk,
Not only are we pharmacists able to count by fives, but we can also take the number of tablets and divide it by the number directed by the prescriber per day to find a fancy number called the Days Supply. So in your example 30/6 per day equals a 5 day supply. So yeah, we’d expect the patient back in a minimum of 5 days. But the same directions with 180 tablets? Not so much.
Besides unless you want to blow out our liver on acetaminophen you should talk to your doctor about a stronger pain med instead of taking more per day.
I wish I could practice pharmacy instead of being treated like an idiot by people who would ask God himself for an early refill because their cat knocked their pills down the garbage disposal – and turned the disposal on! Twice!
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Redhawk – Anon is correct and the responsibilty for talking to the doctor rest with you not the pharmacist. If you run out after a week and think you need more then take charge and talk with the Dr. about you’re treatment plan and prognosis. Ask if there is a better medication to treat you with, something that will hold you for a month (provided you follow the directions for use)so you won’t need to run the gauntlet at the pharmacy.
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I am just a pharmacy patient, not a tech or pharmacist but I find the blog really interesting. I am sorta young (early 30′s) and unfortunately have some chronic pain due to a car accident about 9 years ago. Something that anon said got to me…
” Besides unless you want to blow out our liver on acetaminophen you should talk to your doctor about a stronger pain med instead of taking more per day.”
Well, I had a family dr for the better part of 13 years (so before this accident). Anyway, he gave me a script for Vicodin 5/500 about a year and a half ago when the pain got worse. I then started to tell him it wasn’t working well, and some days I was up to 6/day and I still had pain of 6 or 7 out of 10. He would just tell me to take more…he couldn’t prescribe anything different, just take more. It wasn’t until about 4 months ago that I got fed up and switched dr’s. Well the new dr couldn’t believe how much I was on…and not to mention that I want to start trying to get pregnant within the next year. So, we switched the meds a bit, and now I am down to maybe 1-2 a week. Of course, I never went into the phramacy to get my meds early…I just dealt with the pain as best I could, took less on the days I could and more on the days I needed it. And despite my pain etc. I try to be the best patient I can…but when they say the refill will be ready in 2 hours, and it still isn’t, well I’m sure you can appreciate why I might get a little pissed. (Tell me 3 hours…I don’t care, but I don’t want to call it in & give adequate time then still have to wait!)
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wow,i didnt know you guys had that much bullshit going on behind the counter!seriously,i would like to say sorry for all the folks that gives you and your industry a hard time.with that said,i am a CHRONIC PAIN person.
i used to run marathons and live a very active lifestyle,one day some one took that all away from me.
i am very sick and tired of the way doctors and pharmacists treat me.
not to say that all pharmacists and doc’s have been bad,but there are maybe,5 people that i have encountered,that genuinly care to help.
i take 3 vicodin a day.no more,no less,even though my doctor scripts it like this(#100,every 4-6hrs,10/500).
the pharmacists just shakes his head when i come in every month(30 days).luckily i am not having any problems at this point but, i do remeber all the hassle i went thru when this first started after my accident.
i think it is horrible the way most doctors and pharmacists think and the way they demean us patients.
do you think i wanted to get into a car accident?
do you think i wanted to loose most of the quality of life i used to live?
come on now,noone plans for stuff to happen,but yet shit does happen.
i have tried all the meds for treating pain,not even gonna waist your time listing them.
there is no way i can help that my body and chemical make up respond best with vicodin for the pain.just no way can i control that,so when i walk in to the doctors office or pharmacy and get shot down,almost immediately when that word “vicodin” comes up.
holy crap, you would have thought i literaly dropped a bomb in the place.i recently moved 5 hours from home and needed to set up new health care here.
small town,every body knows everybody.
for all the other fools out there,you truly have killed this medicine and the way it is used!
for folks like me,honest,hard working,faithful,and trying to live a good life,we get pushed to the side,degraded,labeled,lack of privacy,all of it.for what???
i wonder if there will be a day when these opiod medicnes wont carry such a stigmata with them?
if there is a medicine that helps people have quality of life,why is it under lock and key all the time?why do true chronic pain patients have to practicly grovel to get some releif and maybe an ounce of respect?
maybe some out here will know the answers to my questions,for i dont.
do i deserve the treatment i have gotten? no way,i am human not a dog nor a snake.i am your average person next door who didnt expect to be a chronic pain patient
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It cuts both ways, angry pharmacists. I went in to my pharmacy on Sunday at 4:30 PM to order refills on my controlled substances (because they are invariably screwed up as a result of whoever fills them not knowing the difference between “brand” and “generic”). Both prescriptions were filled on 7/9 (Monday), but one had to be re-done when I went to pick them up on 7/10 because I was given generic and had requested name brand. Let’s just focus on the first one. I’m told by the pharmacist that controlled substance prescriptions can’t be refilled until 28 days after the last fill (in the case of a 30 day supply). I say “I know, which is why I’m ordering it now, 30 minutes before you close, so I can pick it up tomorrow, the 28th day after the last fill, and to make sure you give me the right meds this time.” I’m told that Monday is still too early, and that the Rx can’t be filled until the 28th day (Tuesday), which is really the 29th day. The pharmacist gets out a calculator and somehow confirms that 8/7 is 28 days away from 7/9 (remember, there are 31 days in July). I don’t really have much at stake (since I always make my 30 day supplies last longer than 30 days to guard against contingencies like this), but at this point it’s a matter of principle. So I say “Try this; there are 7 days in a week. 4 times 7 is 28. Therefore, if the prescription was initially filled on a Monday, 28 days after must fall on the same day of the week, which is Monday, which is tomorrow.” The pharmacist remains unconvinced, insists that the 28th day is Tuesday, and I’m reminded of the line from the movie “Best in Show”: “You know what, you’re just gonna have to let this one go.”
Furthermore, why do you guys use The Controlled Substances Act, which was enacted as law under a lying, conniving president (Nixon) as the template for judging the moral worth of people? Some doctors really don’t give a shit about fighting the war on drugs (with all the collateral damage it entails) and resent in the extreme the substitution of the “imperatives” of law enforcement for their own medical judgement in the dispensation of medication to their patients. It’s hard to believe that some of you care about anything more than punishing people because you consider them to be your moral inferiors. I’d be really careful about passing judgements like that based simply on the chemicals that one ingests. If my doctor prescribes Lipitor, are you gonna give me that “look” that you reserve for suspected gluttons?
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What is wrong with treating sick people with compassion? What good does it do to be judgemental? Does it make you feel superior? I guess I was mistaken that medical professionals were there to help and be compassionate. I am so dissapointed in all of you. I work everyday in an enviroment where I am disrespected by the people I serve, but I am there to help and be patient, compassionate. That is what gets through, not being judgemental. I am sorry for you all.
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confessions of an early filler:
Having been the patient that hoped to have something filled early, might I offer my perspective (and I can only speak of my experience, I dont presume that mine is shared by all). When I first discovered that I could live a pain free life with medication it seemed almost too good to be true. I could finally do the many things that I love but had been unable to do because of the pain, most notably play with my kids again, carry them on my shoulders, bend over and pick them up when they were hurt, etc. As time went on it was clear that tolerance was becoming a problem so the dose went up. And so began the vicious cycle. The problem escalated when I couldnt take them as needed, as noted on the prescription, because to do so would induce withdrawals. So I became accustomed to taking them regularly whether I needed them at that moment or not, to continue to live something of a normal life. Then, eventually it became Ill just take one extra to get through this meeting, or this plane flight, or this trip to disneyworld. This, done too often, of course further increases the tolerance and before you know it you are early and in deep shit because the only thing worse than the pain is pain+withdrawls.
I dont know if any of you have ever experienced the withdrawals associated with opiate based pain medication but its absolutely terrible. The reason, I suspect, that people get so upset when their little plans fail to fill early is because you are sentencing them to this fate. Pain, diarrhea, depression, intense mood swings, cold sweats, stomach pain the list goes on. There have been times when I have legitimately lost my medication or was taking an extended business trip and needed an early fill to cover these circumstances, but there have also been other times when I just simply took too many, too recklessly to get through events like those mentioned above.
Ive been the recipient of the looks and judgments you are describing and, for what its worth, they are not helpful in any way. You talk about how you arent stupid, well neither thats a two way street. Again and again Ive read here about patient care. How does all of the happiness you gain from fingering an early filler jive with patient care. How about smoothening like this, you know, I know you are taking more than prescribed and/or getting more of this elsewhere. This is really bad for you. I understand that you have a legitimate reason for taking this, but you need to consider the consequences of your current actions. This will only get worse, not better. Here are some options for you (treatment centers, different doctors, alternative medicine??? I dont know what they are because nobody has cared enough for this patient to do anything but the things youve described here; knowing glances, sarcasm, judgment, etc).
Maybe this approach only has an effect on 1 out of 10, but wouldnt that be worth it? You are asking for the patients to simply offer you respect and compassion and yet you are not offering the same in return. To quote the original post, we are people too. Just my 1/50 of a dollar.
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I love the vacation excuse considering I work in an area where 80% of my crackpots are on welfare – it’s amazing how they always have the cash to pay for a vacation, oh yeah, and to pay cash for their early Xanax since state welfare doesn’t allow for vacation overrides!
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Okay, my script was giving to me on the 26th with the instructions to take 1 immediately. I was only gave 20 pills but the bottle says must last thirty days….even though it says take 1 per day. Okay heres what im concerned about, i have to work saturday which would be the 25 and wont be able to make it to the pharmacy before 3 and the place is closed on Sunday. Do you think it would be a big deal for me to pick them up on Friday?
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You guys are all Assholes. You’re cruel, and you think addiction is funny. Its people like you and you’re psychotic delusion that everyone who takes pain medication is an addict. So people who suffer in chronic pain and are truly in need can’t get the care and medication they need. If this is how you really feel you shouldn’t be allowed to interact with people at all. I see all the horrible comments you make about people, and don’t worry, even us non-addicts who have legit conditions and take our medication like we should think the same things about you. I don’t know if this will be posted cause this looks like a one sided blog.
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I love the people who are always “going on vacation” or “out of town”. They have pharmacies “out of town”. We have a customer who tells me this every week, every week I tell them they cannot have their meds early. Then the next week I see them in the store. So I ask “oh, I thought you were going out of town?”, and somehow the trip always gets postponed.
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None of you have obviously been afflicted with chronic pain, nor do you have sympathy for those who have. Some dr.’s understand that there is not an exact formula or dosage as to what treats the symptoms. I understand your “ethical” responsibilities as it pertains to your job and I also understand what it means to practice “professional skepticism”, however, you are not doctors and do not have any insight into what is going on. Your decisions often affect many others “good and bad”. Not trying to bash anyone, just stating a different point of view from the other side. I do understand that alot of people abuse these drugs, and most of you feel this your job to monitor. I feel this is the doctors responsibility and some these remarks (listed here) are just not right. You job as a pharmacist should be to fill the prescriptions and do as the dr. perscribes. If the insurance will not allow this refill, then it is out of your hands.
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being a pharmacy tech, it is interesting to interact with pharmacists and patients in these situations dealing with chronic pain patients. Everyone just has to understand that there are good and bad pharmacists, as there are good and bad chronic pain patients (the bad not being chronic pain patients at all).
A pharmacist’s job is not just filling prescriptions and doing what the doc says. I have run into many situations (just as a tech, not including what the pharmacist has encountered!)where if the pharmacist did not call the doc to clarify and correct the dosage/strength/drug, and “just did what the dr said,” the patient would have undoubtedly been seriously hurt, or would even have DIED.
I can understand why it would feel good to catch an abuser, and see justice served. Take the average day of any pharmacist (being lied to, cursed at, threatened to be sued, etc.) I see it first hand, and it’s bullshit. Being able to see something done about something that is truly wrong is rewarding for everyone, is it not? Especially if these are the same people who badger you day in and day out about their narcotics. It is our job (techs and pharmacists) to maintain good pharmacy ethics, and to fill rxs,and provide drug therapy to our patients. Pharmacists, as mentioned before, HAVE to be suspicious of ALL rx’s. Why else would every rx have to be checked thoroughly by the pharmacist, even just for medications like lisinopril or allegra. You can thank the abusers all over the country for how hard it is to get the meds you need. Don’t blame us.
and Carly, you obviously dont work in a pharmacy, and never have. we don’t think every patient with a narcotic is an addict. patients DO get the healthcare they need, as long as it is legit. If they didn’t, doctors wouldn’t even bother anymore. If it is a narcotic, don’t expect to get a refill early without fighting tooth and nail for it, because although you may really be going on vacation, how can we, or the insurance, be sure? If a fraudulent rx goes out, and is found out, the rph’s initials are on that bottle, and they WILL be getting a phone call, along with a complimentary appointment with the State Board of Pharmacy, possibly to have their license revoked. Like getting fired, except worse, because you can’t just be a pharmacist somewhere else.
for john: wtf do you mean “have no insight into what is going on?” How ignorant can you be? Do you think pharmacists are just grunts who are paid to hand you drugs? How can they practice “professional skepticism,” which is their job, if they “have no insight?” Maybe you should read up on what a Pharmacist actually does and what schooling is required to even be a registered pharmacist.
Furthermore, if your pharmacist doesn’t know what’s going on with your health, that is YOUR fault, and could be a fatal mistake on your part. The pharmacist is not stupid. If you explain your situation, any pharmacist knows it is not only right, but it is their duty to make sure you get the therapy you need. That is why they will call YOUR insurance plan to get an override, get it paid for, and get you on your way. You may not have the luxury of traveling freely and thus having your prescriptions filled 5 or more days early. But we are not the ones to talk to about that. you need to talk to your BCs (benefit coordinators) about that. Speaking of that, how many patients do you think just accept the fact that since it is rejected by a third party (insurance), that it is “out of our hands?” Some of my worst days at work have been caused by this very problem, and im sure many others (if not the entire pharmacy community) can relate. Pharmacists are health care professionals as well.
I sympathize with chronic pain patients, i really do, and i do everything in my power to make sure they get the medication they need. But alas, I’m only a tech, so i can only do so much. So you shouldn’t be so quick to insult and belittle your most accessible health professional. They will help you, you just have to be willing to help yourself.
If you look like a junkie, act like a junkie, talk like a junkie, and (God forbid) smell like a junkie, then common sense would dictate that in fact yes, you are a junkie.
And one last note, since i ramble……….
Telling us to $%&# off is not going to help your situation, in a pharmacy or anywhere else for that matter.
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To the pharmacists who use this forum to let off professional steam because they are often pawns in the game of addiction, I understand your plight and hope you find comfort and empathy in colleague stories.
To those that make light of, make fun of and derive a cruel pleasure of making fun of people with addictions, you should sign your posts with your REAL NAMES so your certification boards, licensing states AND your patients can decide if you have crossed the legal line.
We know you’ve crossed the ethical one.
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I appreciate this forum greatly. I am a chronic pain patient as well. I have at times taken more than the prescribed dose, that is because the Dr has given me permission to do so. When i have needed to do this i have ALWAYS let the DR know, (She asks that i fax her information for my file)I have always been honest with my Dr and my Pharmacist. I have always made sure i use only ONE pharmacy and i ask my Dr and Pharmacist to speak with each other on a regular basis so that there is never any doubt as to the legit nature of my situation. To date i have had no problems, if i am going away on vacation or a business trip, i plan in advance and let the pharmacy know and the DR know as well. again, everyone is in the loop and everyone is happy. By the way, i take a large quantity of pain meds, have for the past 12 years. My tolerance has maxed out at a certain level and i have not raised dosage in a year, I also change meds every six months or so to allow the specific receptors to “cool off” and then i take a smaller dose of another medication. All seems so simple huh……But i will tell you this. it only works because i have a Pharmacist who trust me, a Dr who trusts me and i have not violated that trust, same applies to marriage, life, business….if you are honest and up front. things are usually alright. Thanks for listening
Ciao
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There are those who start pain meds, with a legit need for pain control,who end up being drug addicted! It is an unfortunate outcome of narcotic use, that those who choose to medicate will become dependant over time. The problem the pharmacist faces, is that they have to negotiate/deal with customers who, by drug dependance, have an altered personality. The medication often makes the addict unreasonable,obsessive, abusive and beligerant! It becomes hard for me,to be compassionate to customers who don’t respect themselves or others. The frequency of customer interaction gone bad makes me bitter.
I consider myself a compassionate individual, but years of abuse by druggies has sucked all compassion out of me! But I still try…
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I have never been an addict or a chronic pain patient but some of your views are pitiful. I have been working as a nurse for 20 years and saw first hand Dr’s prescribing pain meds unnecessarily. The unsuspecting people who later became addicted had no idea what they were getting into. That little label on the bottle ‘may be habit forming’ is bull. Opiates ARE habit forming. The Dr’s give no warning. If you take an opiate as prescribed, say three a day, for several months you WILL have withdrawal. Dr’s don’t seem to want to tell people exactly how habit forming opiates are.
Then I see people here that are crying about Suboxone. Methadone works for some but is too dangerous and causes more problems than good. Suboxone is a drug that they can’t shoot, has less OD rates and has an ingredient that will make a person sick if they use an opiate. Much like Anabuse for an alcoholic. These are the same docs writing prescriptions for 80mg Oxicontin to people that have a kidney stone or sprained ankle. These dr’s are the ones that should be looked into more often. A lot of you here seems to think the addict somehow chose to be an addict. I do, however, feel no sympathy for the ones that don’t seek help and come in there with fake scripts and lies over and over for years and years. But please at least respect the ones that are trying to do something with their lives.
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100% WRONG Nurse Jes which isn’t to unusual… a nurse being wrong. Suboxone doesn’t have an ingredient in it that makes people sick if they use another opiate. It has naltrexone which will precipitate withdrawal if shot up. When taking Suboxone by mouth the naltrexone isn’t absorbed. The buprenorphine in Suboxone has some antagonist activity but can easily be overcome with higher doses of stronger opiates. Suboxone is not Anabuse for opiates. Regular naltrexone is somewhat Anabuse for opiates.
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I think this site is so sad. I am a chronic pain patient I have been to the different pharmacys who do not carry certain meds so thay fill one and you have to go to another place to fill another and when you do they llok at each other and you with a knowing look, next thing you know your doctor gets a letter from your medical saying your are using different pharmacies and sure sometimes we have early requests we are in pain constant agony why do you expect us to hold that extra pill in our pocketbook for 24 hours while we are hurting. because we are told so if we take a extra one when we need it which can be often because most people in chronic pain are undertreated the doctors are constantly tilterating the dose so meanwhile we are the ones hurting looking for ways to find relief. we have enough to deal with the doctors, dea the last thing we need is a pharmasist with a God complex don’t judge me you do not walk in my shoes and be glad you hopefully will never have to..Rita
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In the fall of 2003, I had a head on collision with a semi and sustained life threatening injuries – injuries that would leave me with chronic pain. I was referred to a pain management clinic at a local (and very well-known) teaching hospital; a place where interns doing their anesthesiology rotations would write patient prescriptions. These rx’s were always on pads with the clinic information on the top, complete with fax number, phone number, address…all the whistles and bells. I never, ever asked to fill early, I never pitched a fit in the store, and when my meds were changed I took what ‘old’ meds I had in my posession to the pharmacy and asked them to dispose of them for me. I always, always used the same pharmacy and did so somewhat uneventfully for over a year and a half. Then a new pharmacist and a new tech took over, and things changed. Suddenly I was treated like a drug-seeking junkie. The pharmacy tech treated me so badly one day that I asked to speak to the pharmacist, and when he sauntered over he made a HUGE deal out of the fact that a different physician had signed my prescriptions for the past 2 months. It didn’t matter that the rx is question was for gabapentin and NOT a narc, it didn’t matter that the prescription was from the same clinic and HAD been from the same clinic for the past 18 months, and it also didn’t matter that I religiously used the same pharmacy for ALL my meds, not just those from the pain management clinic….oh no, those were just insignificant details to this jackass. He loudly berated me in front of his staff and other customers and treated me like I was a drug-seeking-doctor-shopping-junkie instead of a patient or a human being. I left the store in tears and called my pain management clinic to tell them what he had done. The nurse I spoke to was furious, made arrangements for me fill the prescription at another pharmacy and then proceeded to call the pharmacy I’d just left, hooking me into the three-way conversation. The pharmacist told her that I had gone in looking ‘strung out’, that I ‘reeked of alcohol’ and that I ‘threw a tantrum’ when he questioned my gabapentin rx. When the lies starting flowing like wine I walked back into the store, still on my cell phone, listening to the conversation. I walked up to the drop off window that was next to where he was standing and told him I didn’t appreciate him lying about me. I truly wish I had a camera on me, because the look on his face was priceless.
I guess the point to my very long story is that just as not every pharmacist is a lying arsehole, so not every patient with a prescription for narcotics is a junkie. I don’t take narcotics anymore, btw. I had a revision surgery and some radio-frequency nerve ablation procedures and am now pain-free and working as a paramedic. I see my fair share of junkies and drug-seekers, but I will never, ever treat them the way that pharmacist and his tech treated me.
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I knew this is how pharmacists and some doctors talk about patients in pain. My brother-in-law is a doctor and he makes fun of people. I was also in car crash and had a few ruptured discs. Had surgery couple times. I was given pain meds in my early 20′s. No one told me they were addictive. I had never been on meds before for anything really. This was before all the news about controlled substances. I thought they were just like antibiotics. So, I probably am addicted to them now. However, they work and give me some kind of quality of life. Why should we feel so guilty for taking them?
I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve had pharmacist give me a good talking to…in front of other customers which is a violation of HIPPA laws. They think because I was so young that there’s no way I should need them. I had several who would make me wait past 30 days…when the prescription was totally out. The DEA rules say controlled substances can be filled 3 days early. On principle, I started making them fill mine 3 days early even though I had been waiting till just 1 day before they ran out…again, they would often make me wait till 31st day when totally out.
I actually had this one pharmacist who sounded right out of college call me at home. He told me they were going to ruin my liver and that I should take Tylenol. I told him it is the Tylenol in drugs like Vicodin and Lorcet that could be dangerous. I told him he didn’t have any credibility for telling me to switch to plain Tylenol. He even called my doctor demanding I be put on plain Tylenol. My doctor told him to do his job and he’ll do his.
I finally got a friendly pharmacy that was sympathetic to pain patients and tried not to judge and would go by the rules. They told me I could get them filled every 4th Friday (so happened to be the day they were first filled). Well, a new pharmacist came in and said because February is short month, I would have to wait 2 extra days. I got them filled Friday, Feb 8th. They were due nex time Friday, March 7th. This new person was saying that was still too early. I said Friday in Feb to that Friday in March was 28 days….short month didn’t change that fact. It just changed the number of the day. If you count up days, it is still the same number. However, you debate these things and you are called “difficult” and “addict”. I’m sick of it.
They all need education on pain meds. If they are going to prescribe, then doctors need to know that your body will need more over time. This is just a fact of the drug. By the way, don’t tell me pharmacists don’t short pills. I count mine always and I’ve been shorted at least 10 times. I didn’t say anything because I was afraid I would be called liar. I’m not sure if just mistake or pharmacist or tech is taking some for themselves. Just look on web for states pharm board. There are always cases of pharmacists taking drugs. I did get like 10 pills extra one time and I returned. I don’t think that helped me though.
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Of course, there’s probably an argument to be made here that humans ought to have the ability to direct their own destinies, decide what to put into their bodies, and so on. This happens every day at liquor stores across the country and world.
No issue here last time I checked and I’m confident a bottle Jack can do more damage in under thirty minutes than most of the stuff you hand out as if you were Christ.
You’re not. Get over it.
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I would just like to appoligize for treating you with such DisHonesty and BullShit, Yeah,its an addicton ,plain and clear.I sure do wish there was a simpler, more cost efficent way to get thru the withdrawal and terrible discommfort that comes with running out.Please try to have some compassion and Kindness,and,(love) for those like myself that have gotten int this Hell, okay? than Tea with me? john : )
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I stumbled across this site and it looks as if it stops in October 2008. Can anyone link me with a current blog?
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You know, I can’t always make it to the pharmacy on day 30 (or actually day 31 for most of you douchebag pharms). I have shit going on you know? Work, kids, etc. So, quit being a bitch just because I want my tramadol 2 days early.
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Now look here…I have an extremely chronic illiness that I will always have and I am in terrible pain every single day..my dr. only gives me so many pain pills a month, even though I could use twice the amount..It is not my fault my dr is an idiot, It is not my fault my insurance won’t pay for another dr to treat my condition until I break complete ties with this quack for 30 days, which means going WITHOUT my pain meds for that long. It is not my fault I can’t work, and it is not my fault I can barely get out of bed in the morning to take care of my kid..I understand there are some people getting nacotics when they don’t really need them, and acting stupid with them. but, you should not treat everyone like shit that needs there pills early some months… some of us are in EXTREME PAIN, and have IDIOTS for dr in which we in some cases are STUCK for now… GIVE US A BREAK! We are the ones in pain, not your stupid, burnt out ass….Maybe you should get more training on bedside manner and weeding out the drug addicts instead of treating everyone like shit,, Maybe you should break every bone in your body and your dr only give you 15 vocodin a month and see how you would change your mind..I am sure you would wait patiently for the whole 30 days, huhL.. you are a moron!, COME ON!
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And, by the way, I have to get 6 of my meds filled at one pharmacy, my narcotic filled at another {because no pharmacy in my area carries it} and one of my muscle relaxers filled 20 miles the other direction because that is the ONLY pharmacy that carries that med…… what the hell is up? if they want all your drugs filled at one pharmacy, than the dr and pharmacies need to get together…I really don’t think that helps my pliet with my pain meds…but, as I said my dr is stupid! I know my dr and pharmacy think I’m a junkie just because of that!
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you’re still a pack of fucking cunts. go count your pills, you bitter, sad little people.
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How sad and unfortunate that some of you pharmacists feel so self-righteous and superior to others. You should be deeply ashamed of yourselves. This site was a real eye opener. Frankly I’m shocked. It’s obvious that sensitivity training is severely needed for both pharmacists and techs.
Addiction is not a moral failing. It is an illness, and it can happen to anyone.
You are health care workers. If you wanted to be prosecutors you should have studied law. I am really dissapointed and upset by what I’ve seen here.
And it just isn’t about addicts either, the disparaging comments made about suspected or confirmed welfare recipients are also appalling.
This all amounts to a despicable bigotry, and I think we need to know just how pervasive this problem is. I think a copy of this page needs to be circulated to pharmacy boards in every state. I hope they take some type of corrective action.
It probably wouldn’t hurt for the media to see this as well. People should be warned that if they are placed on narcotics by their physician that they may well face discrimination from those who are supposed to be good faith partners in the interdisciplinary team.
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Most of the pharmacists and pharm-techs here confirm the point:
That they are ASSHOLES.
That any of these so-called medical professionals still have their licenses is a travesty.
No respect, no compassion.
Quit talking about your clients and CUSTOMERS like we are vermin.
WE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU DEPEND ON FOR YOUR LIVELIHOOD.
After being married for over 30 years, raising a family, devoting my life to educating children and helping elders learn to cope with deteriorating health and other late life-challenges, I just LOVE being looked suspiciously and treated like I’m a lower life-form by some self-righteous zealot in a polyeaster barber’s smock because I need his “permission” to obtain medication that is freely available, over-the-counter, in most Western European nations.
Snap-out-of-it, your sound a bunch of couldn’t-quite-get-through-med-school jerks.
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My favorite is the ones who bring in a florida prescription with a north carolina license, or a new york prescription with a missouri license and I explain “I will need to call and verify the Dr’s DEA and information” what? what? you can’t fill it? what? what are you talking about? i just want my medicine? im in a lot of pain? its just 200 hydromorphone, its a legitimate prescription….then you call the dr and he says oh yeah he was supposed to see me last week/today/etc….I continue to explain to the patient that its the law that i call and verify CII scripts. what is so hard about that, a 2 minute phone call, what is the deal with these people? you go to a dr in florida and live here? why didn’t you get it filled there? i hope these people wake up….realize im not out to get them, just do my job….i want to comply with the law, not be a drug enforcement agent….lol
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what about dickhead pharmacist that short change me for 9 perts now he saying he got to go back and recount and its gonna take him over a week but when its my other medicine that miss counted he goes head and give it to me right away. my heart medicine had more gone then my pain medicine. why dont you write
about drugout pharmacists butthead!thank god i have a doctor that trust me and wrote me anotherrx for something else.
i think they need to drug screen pharmacists and people on welfare too .yeah i dont like paying for people on welfare medicine either but you dont here me bitching about it.
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I’m ashamed of myself. I was in a car accident last year and sustained some heavy injuries. I am currently recovering from surgery #3 and have been taking Lortab 10/500 for about 15 months now. Reading through some of the pharmacist’s posts I see myself, ex. early refill for vacations that “never were,” lost or stolen meds, etc. I’ve known in my heart for a long time now that I have a problem, but I’m too afraid of the withdrawal symptoms that are bound to hit me upon stopping. I can honestly say that I have never reacted ugly towards one of my pharmacists though. Anytime that I’ve mistakenly calculated the wrong refill date(lord knows I usually run out way ahead of time) and called too early, I’ve been so embarrassed that I just hung up the phone. The looks from the pharmacists are the worst but only because I know I’m addicted and they know it as well. I need help but where do I go?
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