night_shade
Threadhead
Reged: 08/26/03
Posts: 907
Loc: The State of Hockey
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Tell your pharmacy to ID anyone who attempts to pick up your monthly narcotic prescriptions! Because of the following incident, I have instructed my regular pharmacy not to dispense ANY of my or my childrens' medications to anyone other than myself or my ex. I use Walgreens and they will make a notation in your account to ID and dispense only to approved people.
I know a few other people who are suffering chronic, intractable pain and with whom I meet in a support group at least once a week. One particular friend who was on OxyContin and Vicodin after a near-fatal motorcycle crash (he fractured his neck and spine, almost lost a leg when he suffered a compound fracture of his femur and developed an infection, a broken pelvis and collapsed lung with several broken ribs..talk about SERIOUS PAIN!) had to stop taking it when he lost his health insurance and could no longer afford the cost of the medication (there was a problem with his auto insurance as his vehicle was registered in a different state than the insurance was written through--a loophole that allowed them not to cover this accident, incidentally.) Recently, he received a phone call from the pharmacy that said "I'm sorry, Mr. XXXXX, but if you need a refill of your OxyContin, you will have to see your doctor." He was mystified as he hadn't been taking it for well over 6 months. Evidently someone called the pharmacy using his name and requested the refill. His doctor's office also called him and said the same thing about the refill. He explained to his physician's office that he still couldn't afford the medication and was doing OK without it and he had not called to request the refill in the first place. The pharmacy did not disclose to him if the person attempted to call it in or pick it up in person. But he did tell them not to dispense any medication in his name to anyone other than himself with a valid driver's license.
It had to have been someone in the support group or someone else who knew him well enough to have known the med he was on and the dosage, as well as the name of his doctor. Seeing as we are all very open about our pain and treatments in this group, it very well could have been someone there. Imagine if he had still been on that medication and someone had successfully managed to steal his monthly supply! He would have had to suffer withdrawal AND severe pain due to someone's addiction and greed. It's sickening. And it's a warning to everyone to tell you pharmacy to never dispense your meds to unapproved people and ask for an ID.
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
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Trampy
Oracle
Reged: 04/03/02
Posts: 1737
Loc: Southwest U.S.
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Oxycontin is C-II so there are no refills, under federal law. Maybe someone else picked up his hydrocodone refills but it shouldn't have been his Oxy.
Trampy
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Your mileage may vary ...
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Janbo
Newbie
Reged: 02/03/04
Posts: 25
Loc: Northeast, USA
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Quote:
Evidently someone called the pharmacy using his name and requested the refill. His doctor's office also called him and said the same thing about the refill. He explained to his physician's office that he still couldn't afford the medication and was doing OK without it and he had not called to request the refill in the first place....
It had to have been someone in the support group or someone else who knew him well enough to have known the med he was on and the dosage, as well as the name of his doctor.
While this attempted "drug appropriation" is bad enough, even more damaging, IMHO, is the harm this is going to bring to the trust between the members of your support group.
There is another possibility which I hope your friend will consider. Whoever called in the refill may have found an empty bottle in the trash and decided to help himself to the next refill by using the prescription number and information on the old container.
JB
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JB
Not really invisible - it just seems that way
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night_shade
Threadhead
Reged: 08/26/03
Posts: 907
Loc: The State of Hockey
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I am aware of that. The attempt was not to get a "refill" per se, but whomever called/came in had to have some knowledge of the approximate time of the month my friend got his OC "refilled." (The same as my monthly methadone--the prescriptions are mailed to the pharmacy on the same date every month...)
To the other response--good point about destroying old medication bottles. I will do so as well. And there has been some distrust amongst members of our support group. We no longer specify personal details about our meds for protection. But, long term, I believe the person who attempted this will either stop attending or be found out because that behavior will end up getting them in trouble at some point.
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
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BriarRoseCO
Member
Reged: 02/10/04
Posts: 101
Loc: Foothills of the Rockies (for ...
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Having worked in an Orthopedic office for 2 years, I know all too well about patients (or others) coming in to pick up "so and so's" written script for OC and the like. About 1 year into my employment, they implemented a rule that not only did the person picking up ANYTHING at the front desk have to show ID, but if it was a medication prescription, then we had to have written confirmation from the patient themselves that this person may, at some time, pick up a prescription for them and would have to show ID. This form would have to be signed by both the patient and the person specified to pick up the written script. It was a lot to go through, but after explaining the types of fraud that happen, most new patients didn't mind having people or relatives sign the form. We even allowed them to take it home, get it signed and they could mail it back to our office where it was then placed in the patient's chart. Right on top so we could easily check if this person had "written" permission to pick something up for the patient. The part about taking it home sort of bothered me, because we weren't required to match signatures or anything like that... just ID. So, the patient could go home and figure out who might be picking something up for them and sign the form themselves and then mail it back. But, still, if a certain person was not "on the list" then NO GO. They got nothing!!
And boy, did it P*SS some people off. But I never EVER gave anyone anything that they didn't show ID for. Even if it was just a copy of a medical form or paperwork... nothing!!!
If your medical records get into the wrong hands, then the kind of thing mentioned above can happen all the time. And it will ruin the pharmacy's trust in you, the doctor's trust in you... blah blah blah... and it wouldn't even be your fault.
I was glad they started asking for ID all the time. And each time someone would get mad, I would explain a situation like the above... and suddenly, they were MORE THAN HAPPY to show their ID. 
Just my two cents.
~~Briar
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Greycie
Old Hand
Reged: 07/08/03
Posts: 480
Loc: Pacific NorthWest
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*I* can't pick up my narcotics from my pharmacy (which, being Kaiser, is in the same location and office as my doctor) without showing ID and signing for them.
I guess I wasn't aware it was different anywhere. It shouldn't be. My sis asked me to pick up her thyroid meds for her when I went to get my last perc. Rx, I laughed and told her I would have had her pick up mine, but they ask for my DL and I must sign and we don't look enough alike 
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"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire
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Thanatopium
Member
Reged: 04/22/04
Posts: 118
Loc: The Howling Wastes
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With pain clinics dealing with schedule II's it is not uncommon for the prescribing doctor to simply write 3 prescriptions, two of which are potdates by the doc. It essentially works outtoa refill, and I too have heard of people "lifting" the numbers and stealing the peoples scripts...
My neighbors are horrific crack heads and needles freaks (God, I NEED to move, the minute I get home from work they slither up around my car and look in the indows for change. If I pop the trunk, I have seen these lowlifes run to get a chnace to see if there is anything in there worth drilling the lock for.
One friend I made in theare had his windsheild smashed in for 37 cents in his console. In pennies...
They will go throhg your trash to see if youmay have a bottle with a refil on it (in poor neighborhoods, medication runs like water... Sedate and shove in a corner is the maerican way). They will alter their own scripts, and I have seen a man slam his head through a plate glass window to get narcs... 10 percodan... 73 stitches...
It is scary out there...
For all the people that were worried about my dental work, perhaps this will let you see why it is NOT high on my list...
I want out.
Noticed "Crip" grafitti on my garage. Fresh paint, 5 AM...
I am normal build, pale blond, tall, and wear dockers to and dress shirts to work. Short hair, go to my car with a 150,000 volt stun baton after dark...
NEVER, EVER move to a new city and rent a place after 10 minutes of looing at it... It was 4 pm, and th "hood" was quiet with lots of trees...
Theyw were all asleep...
The ones that were up had probably been up for days...
Amazing what yoiu miss with ADD...
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dsack
Veteran
Reged: 01/20/02
Posts: 571
Loc: midwest
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Dude, you're right. You gotta move! Your ADD meds(Dexadrine,Adderral)would probably bring a nice profit to one of those crackheads. Watch yourself, brother!
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tb1218
Member
Reged: 09/19/02
Posts: 183
Loc: indiana
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It must be CIIs that attrack more attention because after I was released from the hospital after having surgery, I went straight home and my friend picked up my script for Vicodin but she did have my insurance card too so maybe that helped. So I could see how finding a bottle with a label because they usually have a date they were filled so you could really figure by the dosage when the refill was due. I think my future scripts, I'll peel off the labels and destroy before throwing the bottle out.
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Greycie
Old Hand
Reged: 07/08/03
Posts: 480
Loc: Pacific NorthWest
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I think it depends more on where you're located (geographically) *or* the facility. When I was getting 5mg hydro pills, I had to go through the same thing- they wouldn't let me have the script without showing my ID and also signing for it. Again, could be it's just Kaisers policy, I dunno. I just know that's how it is there.
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"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire
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Sweetz
Diamond Mind
Reged: 05/11/02
Posts: 896
Loc: Texas!
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Here is TX, you're supposed to show ID to pick up any controlled med. Some pharmacies are strict, others very lax. Luckily, I go to the same one all the time, so they know me. If a new girl is checking me out, I just get the pharmacist to vouch for me since they all know me by name, voice, meds, etc.
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night_shade
Threadhead
Reged: 08/26/03
Posts: 907
Loc: The State of Hockey
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There are signs posted in every big-name pharmacy here in MN, too, that say "positive ID required for all controlled substances" but they NEVER, NEVER ask for my ID!
So, I have told Walgreens to note it in my records that I want an ID checked when picking up meds. Now, with the "drive thru" pharmacy service they offer, they SHOULD be checking IDs anyway! Go figure.
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
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