PHARMACIST STEVE

Three days ago I had an appointment with my pain doctor. He prescribed me hydrocodone. He has periodically prescribed this when my pain levels have increased. Normally I take tramadol but sometimes it requires a stronger hydrocodone. The last time I had been prescribed one was eight weeks earlier.  I’ve never had a problem with him prescribing both. I have been advised by both the doctor and my previous pharmacist to never take the two together which I am well aware . normally I take the tramadol but if my pain levels increase I switch and I take the hydrocodone in place of the tramadol until I feel like I can go back to the tramadol . I do this deliberately because I do not want to stay on hydrocodone every day but I need something so I prefer the lesser. 

 

So I go to the doctor and things have changed and he needs to now do a facet Rhizotomy of my L5 right side due the spinal stenosis. He prescribed me some hydrocodone and my appointment is December 19 . I take it to the Walgreens pharmacy where I always gone and a new pharmacist says that she doesn’t feel comfortable filling it.

 

First she said that about the mix of the two and I told her I have been advised by the previous pharmacist as well as my doctor never to take together… then she stated that she felt because I had tram on hand that I should just take that and not the hydrocodone and I told her I have a need for the hydrocodone and then she just flat out said she wasn’t comfortable with it.

 

I am not Dr shopping, I am not pharmacy shopping. I deliberately make sure my pain doctor fills both prescriptions and I go to the same pharmacy and I have been for a year and a half for both prescription . I do not fill these regularly ,sometimes I have anywhere from 7 to 12 weeks in between prescriptions. And I don’t want to try to go to a different pharmacy because I don’t want to be accused of pharmacy shopping.

 

I’ve had four surgeries in the last three years and I do have chronic pain however sometimes I don’t need hydrocodone. But when I do need it I don’t understand why her personal feelings have a right to tell me I can’t when my physician feels that it’s necessary.

 

I also am on permanent disability as a result of my condition.

 

I see that I can file a complaint but I don’t know whether what she did falls under the category. I know that she can refuse for specific reasons but she did say verbatim “I just don’t feel comfortable with it” she said this at least three times.

 

This morning I’m going in again which will be my fourth morning in a row and I’m sure she’s going to refuse it again. And I’m just wondering what I can tell her in response regarding the Legality of the of this refusal.

One of the recommendation for pts is to always use the SAME PHARMACY… many pts believe that if they go to the same “physical pharmacy” each month that they are going to the SAME PHARMACY..

However, especially in chain stores… one or more of the pharmacists that are in charge of the Rx dept may have changed in the interim month…  and along with that change can come a new pharmacist with a change in experience level, opinions, biases, phobias.. basically “there is a new sheriff in town”

But there are some 22,000 independent pharmacies out there.. where you will be dealing with the Pharmacist/owner… and generally they don’t change “sheriffs” randomly… and unlike their chain counterparts.. they only get paid when they fill legit/on time/medically necessary prescriptions…  and tend to not “play games” with the pt’s necessary medications.

Here is a link that can help anyone find a independent pharmacy by zip code.

http://www.ncpanet.org/home/find-your-local-pharmacy 

More and more pts are discovering that trying to “buck the system” typically does not get them very far. We have a serious – and growing – pharmacist SURPLUS.. and if the chain pharmacies were not happy with their pharmacists turning down controlled prescriptions and denying care to pt with legit/on time/medically necessary prescriptions… they would BE REPLACING THEM… since they are not … it would appear that they could care less about those pts that are thrown into cold turkey withdrawal or denied timely access to their medically necessary medication.

Filed under: General Problems