My College daughter has had multiple surgeries for a nasty tumor. Had to share this with you This just happened tonight and yes I did call cvs I still despise them they were just closest at the time As a former CVS employee I have to share my experience with the CVS I went to in Miami just a little while ago. I took three rx’s in-2 antibiotics and one for Vicodin. I’m also a pharmacist so this makes my blood boil even more. My daughter just had invasive oral surgery on the roof of her mouth for a tumor that keeps coming back . The technician took that rx to the pharmacist immediately and came back with the “we don’t have that in stock”“generic response. Hell, I used to tell that to people I thought were seekers. But I had 2 abx rx’s from a reputable surgeon at UM hospital. Furthermore, wtf was I going to do with 12 tabs??? They both gave me the visual once over and trust me: After sitting in a surgical waiting room for 7 hours I was not a pretty sight. They said there were several other CVS pharmacies in Miami and I could try any of them. I politely explained to them that I’m not familiar with the area and I’m really uncomfortable driving around here because of the heavy traffic all the time and I don’t know my way around. I asked if they could recommend other pharmacies close by and neither one would. I even told the pharmacist that I too was a pharmacist and I understood what he was doing and asked if he could please call the other CVS to save me the trip and to keep me from getting lost. He proceeded to tell me that he couldn’t, he was an allowed. OK so the pendulum has swung completely in the wrong direction. is this how we are going to treat people with legitimate prescriptions now, just refuse to fill everything? I’m disappointed, disgusted, and appalled as to what has become of my profession. And you best believe I am contacting CVS and telling them everything. I strongly encourage people to stay away from any CVS Pharmacy. If I would’ve been home I would’ve gone to my local small independent pharmacy who appreciates our business. I would’ve been happy to go to one in Miami but I had no idea where to go. Moral of the story is do not pre judge every hydrocodone rx you get. Refusing to help legitimate patients borders on malpractice. I refuse to be a party to that. Thank you to the Walgreens pharmacist who quickly filled all 3 rx’s.
Filed under: General Problems
I wish I didn’t have to use CVS. Unfortunately that is where my prescription plan makes me go. That or unreliable mail order. Thankfully I am not stuck with them for my pain medication prescriptions. I use PMC Pharmacy. They are licensed in PA, NJ, and DE. You can find their information on the internet. They work directly with your pain medication pharmacist. They started as a pain medication only pharmacy, they have expanded from there. Medication is delivered to your home, or place of business if that’s what you need. Someone over 18 has to sign for it. They are kind, caring, and professional.
They helped me promote the September Don’t Punish Pain Rally in Philadelphia, and will be doing so again for the upcoming January Rally. I wish I could get all of my medication from them.
I’m so sorry you have had to face this. Virginia will not let me fill my meds because I got flagged for being ‘over the limit’ of some number the head of the pharmacy board pulled out of his a**. My pain doc has had to switch me to injectables ordered from a pharmacy in Florida.
It is clear, not a conspiracy ,that at least CVS is “in on” the plan from dot/gov to decrease opiate medication prescriptions even if prescribed from legitimate, known physicians through lying, trickery, and the dependence on the fact that patients are not knowledgeable enough to know when we are getting jerked around for no reason. Simply because a pain relieving medication has been written in even a minute quantity that will help manage pain for a known pain generating procedure. HOW is a patient going to abuse, or divert a very small amount of pain medication. Maybe the patient will become addicted to 12 oral pain tablets. I’ll give you an example of CVS interference in an established patient that needs pain management medication. My 81 year old Mother has severe arthritis so bad that she can not stand for 5 MINUTES without the pain becoming so severe that she is almost in tears. Upon going to CVS to have her medication for pain management filled from the local hospice/palliative care department of the local hospice organization I was very shocked to see that her medication used for some years now was cut in half, milligram wise with the CVS pharmacist citing that her doctor had ordered the reduction. I do not believe it. I made her an appointment immediately to see if her doctor of over 15 years ordered the pharmacists to reduce her medication. EVEN if he did,I think it would be a patient/doctor decision to do so and the doctor should have at least advised my Mom his reasoning to do so. The pain management specialist that I have seen for the last 9 years told me of the CVS “policy” to begin screening, denying ALL opiate medication prescriptions to patients and to also refuse filling the prescriptions for no valid reason.Is this not a pharmacy directive to practice medicine? WHY does this not encroach upon the hippa laws of this country? So now, she is forced to “adjust” to a giant pharmacy “policy” or a mandate to reduce legitimate opiate medication prescriptions? Two months ago, my Mom fell, received injuries and after an ambulance trip to the ER she was x-rayed and it revealed a broken hip. She was NOT given ANYTHING, opiate or otherwise for severe pain in an ER setting.Not so much as an aspirin. She was advised to follow up with her physician, sent home to endure horrible pain with no medication, no positive support, and left to fend for herself until she could manage to get to her physician. I called the hospital administrator and what I got was a very insincere “apology” for the way she was treated…..or untreated for a broken hip? I have contacted a malpractice attorney and advised that this particular firm could not help with the situation. Even our attorneys KNOW not to interfere with the dot/gov mandate to eliminate medication, pain medication even in an emergency situation. The next mandate to opiate prescribing doctors and facilities for those of us that have lifetime, intractable pain has to be the expediting of assisted suicide facilities instead of looking at hard evidence, documentation of beneficial results of moderate use of opiate medication for those of us with “opiate use disorders” I suppose. My last note; my pain management doctor put up a sign in his office waiting room cautioning his patients to avoid CVS as their common practice is to QUESTION every opiate medication prescription and to deny medication whenever possible. With a network to deny medication on any grounds possible in conjunction with the CDC “guideline” of pre-judgement of any patient that has a prescription for pain management medication regardless of history of use, the need for the medication and overall hypocritical thinking has gone nuclear and we are all in danger of corporate “authority” as partners with dot/gov that there is an “opioid crisis” and prescribed medication is the sole reason for substance abuse overdose. WHAT is in it for CVS? A kick back? It does not make sense for CVS, in the business to fill medication including opiate medication to stop filling it unless under the possibility of dot/gov pressure to stop regardless of the need and even if it causes inhuman pain endurance in the vain attempt to “save” those that choose to escape reality through opiate medication use. I am sorry to be long winded but the 2016 CDC “guideline” is so harmful to innocent people that are being denied effective care with opiate medication that has proven to be effective for years and decades with the national “opioid crisis”. Substance abuse overdose numbers have not nor will be lowered through medication denial and involuntary medication reduction.
Terrible. I’m sorry you had to endure this, and your daughter as well. Praying she makes a full and permanent recovery.
You’re right about independent pharmacies. I love mine. Been to many big chains, some required by insurers. No comparison.
Really sorry to see this happen to you. This is where we have come now. Oh, what a world.