kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
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This might should go under the LE section.
I use the pharmacy at my doctor's clinic (it is owned by a separate company but is attached to his clinic) for my class 2 pain killer Avinza since it does not allow for refills and it is handy.
Today, I was counting how many Avinza (time release morphine) that I had. I had been given 29 capsules instead of the prescribed 30. It is NOT my imagination or that I took an extra one by mistake.
The pharmacist that is usually there was on vacation and another one was taking his place.
This was the second time that I was shortchanged.
The first time that I know of was that I got a script for 120 hydro's. When I got home I counted them for some reason. I was short 1 pill. This time, the prescription was filled by the regular pharmacist. Since it was for 120 hydros, one could have rolled under the kitchen counter-but I looked everywhere and there was no pill.
I use this pharmacy only when I have a prescription that has no refills because it is quick.
But there have been other occasions that it seemed like I ran out of meds a little quick but I had not bothered to count the pills these times.
I have not had this problem with Walgreens which I use when I have refills.
Frankly, I don't know what to do. I re-scheduled my doctors appointment a day early to coincide with the number of pills I have left.
Should I tell him about the pharmacy?
Things are shaky between the doctor and me as it is if you read my thread about the mistakenly sent patient termination letter a couple of months ago.
I am going to count my pills in front of the pharmacist in the future.
My doctor already thinks I am 'over medicating' when in fact I may be always getting shortchanged.
Any ideas or suggestions?
I know of stories pharmacists shortchanging people with controlled drugs.
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johng
Board Addict
Reged: 02/13/03
Posts: 351
Loc: great lakes
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from now on count them infront of the phamiscist. I was shorted once from an osco. I was 13 short out of 90. I made the mistake of not counting right away. I complained to the district office. after that my meds were counted by 2 phrmisict. i dont mind the look I want to get what I need. bcause 13 pills was almost 4 days of a 30 day cycle. always count either at home asap or right there. they may be annoyed but it is better then causing issues with your doc. if they tell your doc that you are counting pills. that then would be a good time to say to the MD whay your were worrued about consupmtion and it WASN'T you. goes to your crediblity in fromt of the doc
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Ask and it will be given to you Matthew 7:7
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johng
Board Addict
Reged: 02/13/03
Posts: 351
Loc: great lakes
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from now on count them infront of the phamiscist. I was shorted once from an local rx store. I was 13 short out of 90. I made the mistake of not counting right away. I complained to the district office. after that my meds were counted by 2 phrmisict. i dont mind the look I want to get what I need. bcause 13 pills was almost 4 days of a 30 day cycle. always count either at home asap or right there. they may be annoyed but it is better then causing issues with your doc. if they tell your doc that you are counting pills. that then would be a good time to say to the MD whay your were worrued about consupmtion and it WASN'T you. goes to your crediblity in fromt of the doc
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Ask and it will be given to you Matthew 7:7
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zippy66
Enthusiast
Reged: 09/17/04
Posts: 213
Loc: The Spine
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I can't stop laughing! LOL, Standing in line at the cashier in front of all the other impatient customers counting off the little jelly bean pills as they roll all over the place and the insulted Pharmacist watching over his bifocals. Hee hee hee. 1..2..3..4..5..uuumm .. where was I? Oh, heck, lets start again 1..2...3..4 whoops, can you grab that one for me. I think it rolled under your foot. Thanks. Now where was I, oh yeah, 2..3..4...
I'm not being sarcastic it just struck me on the phunny bone.
Zip66
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ML63
Member
Reged: 02/08/03
Posts: 172
Loc: Upstate New York
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In my pre-OP days I was shorted by Eckerds to the tune of 5 pills on two scripts. Not the end of the world, but because both scripts were for pain meds I figured that there was no way Eckerds would hand over the missing pills. I instead simply registered a complaint with the store manager and the home office. In fact, I made a point of saying that I wasn't looking for replacement pills as much as I wanted them to know that someone had shorted me twice in one month. The way I figure it, especially when it comes to controlled substances and being shorted by even one pill, you should take the time to at least inform someone in authority. It was only 5 pills with me, but multiply that over a year and dozens of customers and there you are. I never did find out if I had any effect, but I have to imagine that whatever the cause of the missing tabs the folks doing the filling probably policed things better. After all, who wants to fall under suspicion because a coworker's either stealing or just doing a poor job of counting? As for after I went OP, not only have I never been shorted by the pharmacy (UnitedRX) but I've received no less than 10 extra pills from them! One script alone had 4 extra. Ya know, I wonder what I'd have done if United had called and asked for them back?
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kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
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After I posted this thread, I called the pharmacy. It is run by one guy. The time I got the Avinza filled last time, he was on vacation but I did talk to the regular guy there and told him about the shortage and the fact that I don't want to lose credibility infront of the doctor. He already thinks he writes me to many pain meds when I am truly barely medicated as it is.
The pharmacist had a so what this happens and the doctor will understand attitude which pissed me off. The least he could have said was sorry this happened.
I also mentioned that I have been short one hydro a few months ago because of his attitude. I was not going to mention this was the second shortage that I know of.
I told him that I WILL count pills in front of him in the future if I use the pharmacy.
This pharmacy has no one waiting in line. But if it did, so what? Better to be a pain at the pharmacy than be discredit in the eyes of your doctor .
Sympathetic doctors are rare-pharmacies are a dime a dozen.
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Paranoia is just hightened awareness.
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pwptds
Journeyman
Reged: 09/02/04
Posts: 88
Loc: Highway to Heaven
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Definatley count your pills before paying for them! A while back a CVS in my area busted a pharmacy technician for stealing pain pills from people's bottles. He took a couple at a time, so it just looked like a simple mistake, and he only took from 90+ rx's. Once I filled a presc. there and was short 4 pills and called and they said that it was impossible...because the narcotics are double checked when they're filled. I told them 'well, maybe you need to triple check!" And in the next month or so, read in the paper about that dude stealing them.
Probally never had any pain stronger than a headache!
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kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
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The regular pharmacist admitted that they count the meds out by hand which is very old fashioned.
But pain killers are to hard to get and doctors willing to prescribe them to hard to find to risk losing your credibility.
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