PHARMACIST STEVE

Walgreens did the same to me even worse they made me give back my Xanax in order to fill my Norco prescription. This was about a year ago. I’m 70 years old I just had serious shoulder and arm surgery it was the same day I came out of the hospital they would not fill my prescription unless I was present with my ID I went through the drive-thru my friend drove me I was in a great deal of pain you could see it on my face and that pharmacist was a dog to me I willingly gave them my Xanax which was I feel full prescription just to get my pain pills because that’s how much pain I was in. Thank God I found a pharmacist that delivers to me and doesn’t give me any trouble I don’t know what this world is coming too

The above was posted – as a comment – on my blog yesterday. Unless they have changed some major rule/law that I am not aware of… IT IS ILLEGAL for any healthcare professional to take/accept – be in the possession of –  controlled medication from a pt… even it is for the intent of them being destroyed.

Many pharmacies have installed “drop boxes” for pts to use to send their unused/unwanted meds out for destruction.

This issue being a year ago and this pt posted this statement anonymously leaving neither a email nor a name.. it  would be sort of hard for the board of pharmacy to follow up on.  Because my blog is ran under WORDPRESS… this pt’s post has the IP address displayed with the comment to the administrator of the blog … so I know which state she was in at the time of making the comment.

Pharmacists and Rx dept staff are not immune to having substance abuse problems. I had my own independent pharmacy for 20 yrs and we discovered one employee Pharmacists that was “shooting up” on the job and another had a spouse that had a substance abuse problem. I am aware of a local pharmacist that didn’t have a substance abuse problem but was caught stealing/selling Norco’s because she like to patronize a nearby CASINO.

The DEA has apparently came this medical determination that the two medications (opiate & benzo) has no valid medical use and no pt should be prescribed these two medications together.  Of course, it would appear, to me, that the DEA has come to this conclusion because those people who like to abuse certain substances will take both a opiate and a benzo together and in very high doses … TO GET HIGH…

This, of course, has no relationship with the appropriate prescribing and dosing of these two meds to pts who have a valid medical necessity for them and who take them as prescribed.

Filed under: General Problems