Well you and I both know that they have NO RIGHT what-so -ever to hold on to your script and not give it back. The Doc gave you the RX and its between you and the doc about when you can fill it (with cash if the ins wont pay for it at that time) its none of their business. I have done that before ( paid with cash) and she said Im going to call your doc- I said please DO and then she said Oh yeah, your doc said to FILL IT! Yeah I know lady... I felt like saying something about how that made me feel but I was so tired... I let it go. They just dont like to admit when their wrong or they want to feel like they have all the power - I have no clue.

Im glad you got your script back- they cannot do that - its YOURS and you have the right to go down to another place and fill it if you so choose.

When you went to the second pharmacy I am wondering why in the world they wouldnt let you pay cash JUST because the insurance co said it was too soon? The insurance company should not even think for a minute that they know better than your doc about what you need at that time. Maybe your doc increased your dosage over the last week therefore you ran out early... they wouldnt know that... but your doc WOULD, and that is why you may need to fill your script "early" etc etc... they are not to dictate because they have no idea what is going on between you and your doc and what the treatment plan is...

As far as the system thingy goes... I dont know, but it sounds like maybe there is, and she wrote something in there. I have heard SOMETHING like that wait in fact now that I think about it ... I was talking to the pharmacy tech the other day and she mentioned I had a refill recently through some "mail in place" I said WHAT? I have no clue what you are talking about ...I get EVERYTHING here! SO they have some kind of record that shows where you get your meds etc. It also shows that we need to be on top of things because she had the wrong info about me- I have no idea what a mail in pharmacy place IS!

We dont deserve to be treated this way... I hope someone can answer your question better than I ... I have been right there before and its not right.

Take care, LFH

I have had this happen. I now have a private pharmacy, meaning it is an independent pharmacies. I would NEVER use WalMart, Target, Walgreens or CVS or any of the chains again. Their pharmacists are usually opiaphobes, and they get a kick out of saying "no" to people in pain.

The pharmacy I use is a pharmacy which works with hospices, nursing homes and chronic pain patients, and WHEN I do occasionally have to pay cash, it IS more expensive than the chains, but the pharmacist KNOWS me, he respects me and I don't get bullshit from them like I used to get from the chain pharmacies.

Is there a small pharmacy, NOT a chain in your area? Get to know the pharmacist, be honest with him, fill ALL you meds there and you will have a good situation.

Dox, Where ya been girl ?? Now about the douch pharmacists or the over inflated importance they assign themselves. It's like THE DR. writes the script, now its YOUR job to COUNT the pills and put them in the bottle. BUT unfortunately it is a global situation that we cannot change. They count the days and figure out HOW much medication you should have on hand !! I don't know anyway to get around it. Its like the database they talk about is already in operation ! I tell ya my nerves are so effin bad today I can't eat and also the effects of this are really bad, really bad !!! Yuck, BUT LOTS of HUGS, Deb

Oh contrare to them NOT giving the script back. About a year ago my EX husband, God Bless him, WAS DYING of cancer, I took the script to WALGREENSwhere he ALWAYS got his meds filled. He was on Medicaid which would not COVER the script I had submitted.... 2 Hours later I go back to WALGREENS to pick up the script. Well one of the Nazi PILL COUNTERS said in such a snotty way I could have decked her goes (after I asked for the script back to take BACK to the ONCOLOGIST. She goes in a really superior manner, YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS to ANOTHER PHARMACY " oh F yourself, but I said I'M TAKING it BACK to the DR." DUHR. What a bunch of HAGS, OK sorry for the rant. Love and Hugs, Deb

I used to be a pharmacist, so I guess I'm the enemy here.

In Canada, the prescription system depends on which province you live in. In British Columbia, where I practised, they have a system called Pharmanet which tracks ALL of the prescriptions you've had filled in the province, no matter where. I don't know what system there is in your state but I wouldn't be surprised if they had a similar system because the technology's been around for at least 10 years.

If you came to me with an original prescription from your doctor, I would fill it - because I would assume, if the same doctor wrote your last prescription, that he/she is aware that your meds are a little early. If you had a script from a DIFFERENT doctor, I would call him/her and just make sure that he/she was aware that you'd had a script from someone else last time and that you were a little early. Having said that, 3 days is really NOT a big deal. I would assume that you had some reason for getting your meds early, eg. you're not able to come back in 3 days, you've just had a flare-up so you needed to take a little extra, etc. If I had any serious doubts, eg. if you habitually pick up your meds early, I would call and check with your doctor.

Having said that, from reading all the posts here, it sounds like pharmacists and doctors in the US are way more uptight about pain medication than we are here in Canada. We're not part of your "War on Drugs". BUT I too have gotten my fair share of suspicious looks when I've gotten my pain meds filled. I know how insulting and hurtful it is!

The problem is that pharmacists get very little training in pain management. I learned ZERO about pain when I was in university. We are required to do continuing education courses all the time but frankly, most pharmacists just do whatever courses they get sent to them for free. Really good pharmacists try to learn as much as they can about everything - and I would agree with PGell that you are better off at an independent pharmacy. When I was working it was well known that all the best pharmacists worked for independent pharmacies or for pharmacy-alone stores (ie not Walmart, Costco, etc). There ARE good pharmacists at the big-box stores - but just be careful.

The other problem is that pharmacists are trained to be the guardians of narcotics. We are taught to look at these prescriptions suspiciously because, sadly, we get a constant stream of prescriptions that have been forged, or altered, or photocopied, etc. It's almost a daily occurence in some stores. Your best defense is to stick to a single pharmacy and get to know the pharmacy staff. Tell them what's wrong with you - because often we have no idea, we just see these vials of narcotics goinug out.


Anyway: I APOLOGISE ON BEHALF OF ALL PHARMACISTS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Freidy, YOU are not the enemy, you have changed teams and we LOVE you for it !!! I was a Hairstylist but I don't take responsibility for all the effed up haircuts, colors and perms I see walking around !! WE LOVE our OWN Pharmacist !!!!!! You are one of the nice ones !!!!!!!!! Hugs, Deb

PS - sorry I got carried away there and forgot some things:
Here in Canada by law you MUST return a written prescription to a patient if requested - even it's the most obvious bald-faced forgery (and if it is even than all you're allowed to do is stamp it with your store stamp somewhere - to give the next pharmacy the heads-up to be careful - before giving it back).

The whole thing with your insurance sounds like BS to me. I suspect that what they really meant was that they felt uncomfortable filling the script early and just used your insurance company as an excuse. Here, the general rule with insurance is that once you've used up 80% of your last supply you're allowed to get it filled again. So if you got a 3 month supply last time, you can get it again roughly 2 weeks before you run out. The insurance companies don't care whether it's a narcotic or controlled drug or anything else.

The ONLY reason to refuse to fill your prescription in your case would be if the pharmacist felt uncomfortable filling it. If that's the case the pharmacist, not the technician, should explain this to you.

If you were my patient and I knew you, even if the script was early and written by a different doctor, I would give you enough medication to tide you over until I could get a hold of the doctor.

Refusing to fill it and giving you crap about it is WRONG!

Thank you Debala!

Thanks everyone ...."Hi" Deb! Iam working now so when Iam not working Iam in bed it is so sad that I work only two days a week but that two days sends me to bed the other five to recouperate! my fibro is really bad do not know if it is the heat where I live or just getting older? but thanks for missing me:)

to everyone else I just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your support!

I get dizzy just thinking about everything I went through yesterday just to get my efffing medication!

I had a script from my dr and I see no reason why I could not just pay cash regardless if it was too soon through my ins or not! that has absolutely nothing to do with paying cash IMHO but whatever...

Iam going to take PGell's advice and go back to the little mom and pop pharmacy I used to use one time I didnt get my medication in time the pharmacy closed for the weekend and the pharmacist let me come to her house to pick it up since she knew me so well!

I stopped going there because two of the medications I take my ins wont cover ( my fentanyl patches and my oxycodone liquid) the little mom and pop charge so much more than walgreens or target but I do not get the crap like PGell said!

Iam DONE with all of the crap I will just pay more and go where Iam treated with the respect I deserve!
Again thank you to all of you for your support I really appreciate it!:)

Doxy:)





A

Holy moly! I'd be so pissed if a pharmacist did that to me!! I usually get my meds from Costco and as some of you may know you have to drudge thru the entire store to get your script and when your in pain and can't walk thats tough! So a couple times I have gone to QFC and just paid cash because they have the oh so wonderful drive thru.. Neither pharms have ever given me any grief over it. My insurance only allows me to fill at costco so that why I would have to pay cash at QFC. It really sucks but it is what it is. I can't believe they tried to with hold your rx- wow! So sorry you had to go thru that. I used to work for a GP and every once in awhile we'd get a fax from walgreens or whomever stating one of our patients was having multiple scripts filled at other pharms and wanted to know if we still wanted to fill it. These were patients that were paying cash so I assume maybe they do have some kind of universal tracking somehow. I'm not sure. Were you able to get your meds or did you have to suffer?

~hugs

Hello Friends ~

Friedalina, it is great to see a fellow Canadian on the board! You are certainly not the enemy, it is great to have advice from those that know the other side of things. I believe it is the same in the province that I live in Saskatchewan, our meds are tracked via computer no matter where they are filled in our province. I worked as a cashier/book keeper at one of the 'big box' supermarkets that has a Pharmacy for over 20 years, so I know several of the Pharmacists personally, I have had the insurance company kick back prescriptions for my stomach medication just because I was 3-4 days early! I never offered to pay cash as an alternative though so I am unsure what would happen in that case.

I too use a privately owned pharmacy for my Methadone scripts, in our province Methadone is not covered under any type of insurance unless you are 'end stage' in your illness and even then only if death is imminent. The only way Methadone is covered is if you are an inmate in a correctional facility or on the Methadone program for Heroin withdrawal. So my husband, who has been a Corrections Officer for over 20 years, takes the inmates on his unit for their Methadone treatment every day which they swig back for free while his wife is at home having to pay for my prescription every month...what a crock that is! The reason I use the smaller pharmacy is because they are a compounding pharmacy and they will make capsules for me instead of me having to take the liquid which is all the other pharmacies in our city carry.

Crafty

Thanks crafty!

I was not able to get my script filled!
I was going to try going to a different pharmacy but then they are going to ask " have you ever had a rx filled her before"? then when I say no they will be suspicious and not fill it MORE THAN LIKELY!

Iam just so tired of all the crap-.....Iam going to call the mail order pharmacy that ran it thtough my ins and try to get it released since they never sent it to me....

if not I only have to wait until tue to be able to get my ins to pay for it anyway.....

Iam just so sick of this kind of treatment....in the future Iam doing two things and I suggest all of you think about this too..

Iam going to keep extra medication on hand at least two weeks worth so this will not happen again and I suffer because of it!

Also Iam going ot use ONE pharmacy and that is it!

The reason I was using a few different pharmacies is because my patches are 60.00 cheaper at target at walgreens they are 206.00 at target they are 140.00...

walgreens is the only place I could find my oxycodone liquid so I got that there...see the trend I would go where I could save money if i was to go just to one place I would have to pay so much more money but I guess it is better than being treated like a druggie

another problem is that my ins refuses to pay for my medications because my dr is not board certified pain management ( he is working on that right now)

ahhh I could go on forever but whats the use

thanks again for all of the help and support I really appreciate it!

Doxy:)

Doxy:
My advise, and exactly what I would do: Go to another Pharmacy, make sure it is an unrelated drug store. The best one to go to would be a small, privately owned Pharmacy. Hand them your prescription, when they ask for your Insurance; simply say that you are a cash pay.
They may ask you where you usually go, be prepared for the question but the best thing to do is not to be chatty. The reason you are having your problem is because the Govt. has clamped down hard on controlled substances and they are going by the date on the prescription. If you have a "Pain Nazi" behind the counter you are at their mercy because literally they don't have to fill it until the exact day that it is due according to the instructions on the prescription.
The problem is that it can be as simple as not knowing when the actual fill date is. If it say "One tablet four times per day as needed for pain" versus "One tablet every four hours if needed" versus "One to two tablets three times per day as needed" you have different interpretations of when the prescription can be refilled.
A large percentage of the medical community either has very little knowledge of the treatment of chronic pain and are not interested in learning or are so paranoid about prescribing (or filling in this case) because of the threat of being criminalized or scrutinized etc. that they have a gross overreaction in this area.
The person behind the counter at that Pharmacy has been educated about "drug seeking behavior" and as embarrassing as that thought is, there are people out there that are doing exactly that.
It is very difficult to be a Pain patient. That is the bottom line. And because of the efforts on the part of the Government to micromanage every aspect of controlled substances it is also very difficult to be a Doctor who treats us. It is a very controversial area and my guess is that most of the folks on this list have run into this before in one form or another.
Additionally, throw in the random element of the person standing behind the counter. If they are sympathetic to people being treated for chronic pain the results are going to be much different than if you encounter someone who has strong opinions and no experience either first hand or knowing someone who has chronic pain.
I guess I will step off my soap box, but I am one person who understands how you feel and how difficult it is to be patient and "nice" when you have run out of your medication and are being told that you can come back tomorrow, or in three days or on some days for me, even hours can feel like an eternity. It hurts plain and simple. I hope my advise is of some help, it may not be but I have been in your shoes and I am so sorry you are having a bad few days.
Remember when you read this that I am a patient like you and this is just my opinion based on personal and family experience.
Binker59

I I got my medication!

They were setting on the shelf of the mail order pharmacy and they did not even have the courtesy to let me know my dr approved them!

Needless to say they are fired as my pharmacy!

As far as the issue at Target pharmacy and the rude control freak tech...lol

this is the way i see it:....I had $500.00 on me to pay cash for the two scripts my dr gave me that my ins wont cover...."YES" I have to pay between 500.00 and 1000.00 a month for my medications! I have ins but they wont cover them!

if the tech has been professional and used her brains she would have realized that 500.00 is a LOT of money to pay for medications and she would have tried to do whatever she could to help me!

The economy is in BAD shape and companies need money!..... take a look at what target just lost because someone that works for them has control issues! how sad for target!

I also know that most likely a lot of people do abuse narcotic prescriptions but Iam not one of them and Iam not going to let anyone treat me like that again!

If they( any other pharmacy) start their crap ever again....I will announce how it is their loss and be on my way!

If they do not want my money that is their loss & that is fine with me eventually I will get my medications I always do,,,,but from now on the ones that will get my business will earn it or I will say bye bye now!

I guess in a way iam glad this happened because Iam not going to ever allowe to happen again.....another important thing for ALL of us to keep in mind ( including myself) is to have exrra medication on hand at all times

the dr I used to have ( and retired ) used to always tell his patients this...and now I see why...if I had stayed on top of my meds and had spare pills for instances just like this it would not have bothered me like it did!

Silly ol me.....will always have spare medications!

TY to all of you for your support through this difficult issue XO
Doxy

Go Doxy !!! Give em hell girl !!! I was thinking as I was reading the latest posts that by the time you get put thru the ringer, your "date" would have come to get your meds. I don't think I would like the mail order deal, but I guess its cheaper.
To Bink : Its so true and sad what you posted. The PILL NAZI's with their over inflated ego. Hugs, Deb