Another Vent & Heads up

[Tom-H]

After following Eddy-Smiles posting about his medical related saga I though I'd better alert you all to a problem that you all may have and not even know it. I'm talking about your prescriptions that you may have filled through one of the various mail order pharmacies. Do you ever count the pills? I started to several years ago. I get 90 Celebrix pills and some other pills (90) for diabetes. The Celebrix pills are very expensive and the diabetes pills are free. For the past several prescriptions I have been shorted by 2 to 6 Celebrix pills. Never shorted with the free pills. Spent three days tracking down a real live person to talk to. They said, "cannot happen, pills are machine counted, then verified by weight". But they do have a policy of sending out any pills you say you were shorted. I guess we had all better count the pills we receive. This shortage, on any scale, could represent a huge rip off of the insurance companies and the government.

[DiLeon]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

Wow that sucks!!

[tomrsey]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

I have been shorted pills from our local pharmacy that sends them through a counting machine. They were good about making up the shortage, but admitted sometimes the things cause the machine to make errors. I frequently get prescriptions with the label stamped "double counted".

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

Happened to me also, more then once!

[carver6]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

Dern, now ya'll are going to cause me to start counting all the stinkin' pills I have to take. Won't have time to do any carvin'. Oh woe is me!!!!!!!
Garon

[Nancy-G]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

Well - I just counted some very expensive stuff .... one short for the month.
Is everyone being shorted?

[Riverman]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

Thanks Tom for the info, I will start counting!
Bob

[Tom-H]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

Nancy, When you use the word everyone, it gets kinda scary. Consider if everyone that takes one of the expensive pills ($10 to $20 per) gets shorted 4 pills per year. Yikes! Someone is making lots of $$$$.

Tom H

[oldbearx2]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

I had used a mail order pharmacy with no problems in fact some months I got 1 or 2 extra. Since I had to go back to my local pharmacy, three out of the five months I have been shorted on two presciptions. Amazingly like Tom says it's always on the most expensive one. They do make up the difference the next time. Makes you wonder.

[Eddy-Smiles]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

Thanks Tom! We've never gone to the trouble to count a 90-day supply but now that you mention it we have come up short once or twice which left us scratching our heads. Duh! I guess If the perscription doesn't come in it's original sealed container then we'll start counting it. Just for kicks and gigles I think I'll start counting my VA meds too!

[Nancy-G]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

What timing .... yesterday the head nurse of the neuro dept of Barnes Jewish Hospital - where my prescription is written - phoned to ask me if I had asked the pharmacist I used to change my prescription to generic. Yikes!
Of course I hadn't done that..... with this drug Barnes is picky about 'real' - not not generic.
She said the local drug store had phoned them saying I had asked to change to generic.
Since 1993 this place had been asking me to change to generic and I've always refused so they call the hospital and tell them I had.

[Tommy Taylor]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

I know the cost reflects their pride in Plavix . I heard from my doctor a generic would possibly be available this summer and that means a lot when prescriptions take over 25% of what you have but I guess it could always be 150% of what you have too. Haven't played a guitar in a while so I think I'll carve something.

[medicinedog]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

Did you ever buy wood by the board feet and feel you paid for more than you received? How about fast food...seems like if I don't check it they forget something. Nothing like getting all the way home and !!no fries!! What is this world coming to.Lar

[OldNineFingers]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

I have to order my pills 10 at a time because that's all the toes I have.

R

[woodsman1st]

Re: Another Vent & Heads up

Contact your state pharamcy board if you are missing meds, especially narcotics. They will take swift action on your behalf. I have made 3 formal complaints over the years and if every case, termination and prosecution was the result; however, my missing pills were still not given to me. COUNT ALL YOUR NARCOTICS EVERY TIME!