Pharmacy Shorted Me
I take 300 10 mg Oxycodone pain pills a month and have for close to 4 years. Over the past few months I have been running out of my pills sooner than I'm supposed and been scratching my head trying to figure out why. Duh - This past week after picking up my refill, I brought the bottle home and counted them. Guess what, short 25 pills! i called the pharmacy immediately and they acted like I'm the problem. They refuse to acknowledge that through their checks and balances it's impossible to have a mistake. They implied that someone at my home is diverting the pills and absolutely refused to accept responsibility.
I went in and spoke to the pharmacist two days later and asked what if I had counted the pills in front of him and was short. He said we would handle this the exact same way - they would report the shortage to DEA (drug enforcement agency) as they are required to do and actually did and then go back to the manufacturer and report the shortage but basically even if I showed him 275 pills instead of 300, he would NOT replace the missing pills. I am furious! I did not get what I paid for AND I'm certain this has been happening pretty regularly. He did try to assure me that if at the end of my 30 days my insurance will not refill early, he will speak with my insurer and figure out a solution, but still that is small consolation.
Anyway, today I called my local DEA office and spoke to an officer - I explained the situation and he's going to forward my complaint to an officer who deals with pharmacies. I look forward to hearing back from them.
I just want to alert others that while this is just my experience, I hope others do not or have not encountered something similar and for those who deal with large quantities, especially of controlled substances, COUNT YOUR MEDS!
Thanks
Amy
Comments
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I am glad you called the DEA, something is not right. If they pharmacist even saw you count the pills and it is wrong, then something is wrong somewhere if you are not getting your medications.
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Here are some additional resources to help you realize you're not alone:
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That is definitely suspicious, and not fair that you are the one to suffer because of it. All my oxycodone, oxycontin come in sealed blister packs, so easy to see if they have been tampered with.
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Bet someone at the pharmacy is diverting them and selling them on the street…or is addicted him-or-herself. Good move calling the DEA. I would also involve local law enforcement. And even if other customers behind you complain, count your pills before you leave the store. The last thing the pharmacy would want would be to raise suspicion among other customers.
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I am happy I called DEA. Depending on what they say, I may or may not report it to the police. If there have been other complaints about this same pharmacy, then I will go on record with my local police.
I see others have had similar complaints (via google) which I am not surprised. My message to my fellow BC survivors and especially MBC us Stage IV survivors, we often times have extreme pain due to our cancer and to be called in question for missing pills is a travesty. We are suffering at the hands of a dishonest employee somewhere, be it the pharmacy or the supplier.
My pills come in a large bottle and are not in blister packs, unfortunately. Sandy, as you read, even if I counted the pills in front of the pharmacist, he would not make up the difference. What sense does that make???
What I want is to get a solid answer from DEA on this matter - not excuses from the pharmacy. I will keep you all posted.
Thanks!
Amy
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It may be the Pharmcist you talked to. Change pharmacy
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I'm with Beatmom. I know it might be a struggle changing pharmacies, since the one you're currently using knows you, has your insurance information, is familiar with your pain management needs. But someone in your prescription supply chain at your current pharmacy is a thief.
A scumbag who steals pain meds from a cancer patient is among the scummiest.
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I googled "pharmacy shorted me pills oxycodone" and what you went through seems to happen a lot:
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Not narcotics, but my bff ( who is a nurse) came down with the flu yesterday. Her hubs picked up her medicines at pharmacy....it included 2 inhalers instead of 1 inhaler and a medrol dose pack. The tech tried to argue with her that she didn't know what the prescriptions read. Big mistake. She is reporting them to pharmacy board. I think you should definitely call the pharmacy board.
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This happened to me with my pain meds. I seem to fall short a few every other month. I never thought to count them.
So last month I took my dd3 with me to pick up meds. She is a pharmacist. We counted them right there. short 5. The pharmacist came out and said they have a check and balance system. But saw they were short. My daughter told her to check the initials on the bottle, because her check and balance failed.
My dd3 told me to call the local police so we could file the police report right then on the spot.
Amazingly, they replaced the missing meds immediately. We called the DEA to file a complaint. I've had to change pharmacy locations, as I'm not comfortable with them anymore.
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Good catch!!! Somebody probably pocketing them and making a few bucks on the side!
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Sometimes it can be helpful to ask that meds be dispensed in manufacturer-sealed packaging. That can allow you to be certain that your pharmacy is giving you what the manufacturer supplied to them.
It doesn't always work (when the quantities you're prescribed don't match the way the manufacturer packages them, for example), but it's surprising how often it does work. If the number you're prescribed doesn't match the manufacturer's packaging numbers, you can often get most of the quantity in manufacturer's packaging, and the balance in pharmacy vials, which would limit the number of doses you'd need to count at the counter.
HTH,
LisaAlissa
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Thank you for your really informative posts. I would never had thought to count pills but this issue seems to be happening at more than one pharmacy.
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Spoke to the investigating DEA officer today. She listened carefully and obviously took notes as she went back to clarify some of my statements. She's going to do some more digging and will get back to me. She did say I will never get those missing pills back so not to expect it. She also recommended I report this incident to the board of pharmacy.
I have an outstanding Rx for Fentanyl at this same pharmacy bc I am missing my insurance card and don't want to try to get this filled without it, but I guarantee this is my LAST fill there -
After I get my Rx, I'll report them to the Board of Pharmacy and see what they say, if anything.
Take care and I'm happy this post will help others, at least warn them that this can happen. Still irritates me to no end since I end up suffering with the shortage of pills.
Amy
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By “count the pills before you leave the store” I mean count them right then and there when they hand you the bottle (preferably with a witness). If you are prescribed 300 pills and the bottle contains any fewer, there is no way the pharmacist can lawfully deny you the missing pills without effectively “outing” her/himself as a thief. What is (s)he gonna say, “what do you believe—me or your lyin’ eyes?” ?????
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Not to be cynical, but there are other ways to steal pain meds. Lots of pills look similar, and drugs that aren't monitored like narcotics and other controlled substances aren't counted as carefully. It wouldn't take a lot of sleight-of-hand for a thief who works in a pharmacy to replace a small number of oxycodone tablets with a different medicine whose tablet looks similar. Probably no one in a pharmacy would notice that a few penicillin or whatever are missing.
If you're going to count pills at the pharmacy before accepting them, take note of specific shape, size, and markings on the tablets. They should all match.
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Hi Sandy,
I understand what you are saying and this is the exact scenario I proposed to the pharmacist who said, it wouldn't make a difference - insert smack my head or his! He said when the pharmacist signs off on the quantity, it cannot be refuted. He would contact DEA and report the shortage but I would have to accept the meds.
Because I am done dealing with this pharmacy as soon as they fill my fentanyl, I will never be put in this situation again, at least there.. If I were to face it elsewhere however I would refuse to accept a partial quantity and put the onus on them.
I'm happy I have an open investigation with DEA and will be anxious to see what, if anything they find.
Thanks ladies for your input - I do appreciate it.
Amy
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This happened to me a while ago. I was shorted 21 oxycodone as I always count them when I get home. I called and they made it sound like I did something illegal (this was a CVS by the way and I have since switched to Walgreens and have not had this problem) instead of their mistake OR worse, theft of my drug.
Just an fyi, if you are ever missing a single pill or two, it could be a simple mistake. I copied and will paste something on a website written by a Pharm Tech. so you can see why. BUT, 25 is theft or a HUGE blunder. Hoping this does not happen to you again. I would be screwed cause have been on this med for 6 years for chronic condition.
Here is what the Pharmacy Tech said -
"I was not shorted but I wanted to chime in..I am a previous Manager of a well known Pharmacy and also am nationally certified as a Pharmacy tech...I can't tell you how many times we would go home to find unidentified pills in our uniform pockets because they had fallen in throughout the day."
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I was a pharmacy tech for a short time. The procedure in filling a prescription was to always count the pills twice. Hard to imagine how someone could be "accidentally" shorted
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I was a pharmacy tech in college. Yes, we always did two counts so it's pretty hard to say that more than one or two could have dropped on the floor. Or in a pocket either.
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Not the same thing at all, but we get our prescriptions through the mail from Express Scripts, and I always count them when a new bottle arrives. So far they have shorted me two out of five times on the anastrazole. 89 instead of 90. I really can't imagine there would be any profit in it for them on pills that cost about 20 cents each. But depending on the scale... probably carelessness rather than fraud, but who knows?
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I switched my mother's pharmacy from CVS to our local grocery chain (where I've known the pharmacists for 20 years) after CVS shorted her blood pressure medications multiple times. They said I must be messing up filling her pill boxes and that was why I kept running short. Finally I counted the prescription right away when I got it, before we'd taken any out, and sure enough, short three pills. Generic blood pressure medications can't be worth that much, so it's hard to imagine they were stealing them. It seemed more like they just couldn't count and poor oversight. I sure wasn't going to trust people who can't even count to fill my prescriptions correctly in other ways!
The pharmacist in your case sounds so defensive, I'm wondering if he knows who the culprit is.
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I can see a shortage of 5 or less. But 25? Especially controlled substances. Cubbie2015 I agree. How can you trust them, if they consistently can't count? Or have the oversight to get it right?
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Given that I have run out of my pain pills close to 5 days each over the past four to five months, I am convinced of theft. Don't know if it's in the supply chain or at the pharmacy but the DEA agents said these narcotics go for up to $50 each so that's a nice little black market profit.
I agree a shortage of 1 or 2 is most likely a mistake, 25 is deliberate.
Still waiting to hear from DEA on their investigation. Moving to Fentanyl patches so this doesn't happen again plus hopefully better pain relief.
Amy
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I had a problem with a whole 4 weeks script for my ADD meds (controlled substance) last month being stolen through the USPS. I've been taking the same med for years and it has always been sent through the mail - I have to sign for it and name/signature confirmed. Well, a couple of Sat ago, I was expecting it but was out of town - no buggy, when I'm not home when delivered a slip in the mail box (locked) and I go the post office the next day to pick up. When they hadn't shown up in a week (usually the 2nd day after I call for them they come) I called my DR's RN. She checked to be sure it had been filled and sent - it had and supposedly I signed for it on that Sat (when it should have been here). Surprisingly, 'I' had signed for it. Well, I was over 300 miles away in another state on that date on a bus trip with my Church when 'somebody' signed my name and got my meds.
I went to the PO first and it was like talking to a rock. The pharmacy told me to file a Police Report which I did. When I got the copy basically it says that I 'claimed' I was in another state, I 'claimed' what the meds are and 'claimed' how many I would get. The Officer states on the report that he talked to the PO driver and PO driver says he gave them to a "40-ish woman' so he didn't bother to Confirm name or ID but let her sign MY name. So basically at this time, the Police Report is calling me a liar.
Well - I am not 40-ish, I'm 70. The only other person who lives in our house is Hubby (he was at work) and he certainly isn't a " 40-ish woman". I am collecting statements from those who were on the bus trip and everything else I can think of and when I have all my 'stuff' together to prove my statements - not 'claims', I going back to the Police with the proof of what they were told.
I never thought about contacting DEA but will tomorrow as my med is a controlled substance.
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Kicks, twice I've had packages from FedEx go missing, and when I traced them the website showed them as “delivered to front door." Now, parcel theft is a problem on the N. Side of town, so when I am expecting a package, I stay home in the front of the house and even look out the window from time to time to look for a delivery truck. Both times, no truck showed up, I heard nobody coming up my wooden front stairs onto my wooden porch or using the LOUD brass door-knocker. Yet both times the driver e-notified FedEx of the exact time & location of delivery. First time (a pair of speakers) it turns out the driver was lazy and didn't want to leave his truck on a subzero day and haul a large heavy box through the snow, so he simply lied and took them back to the warehouse, where they were redelivered once the snow melted and the weather was warmer. Second time (some expensive food items that were quite perishable and overnighted by the vendor), same story—“delivered to front door." FedEx was completely uncooperative, but the vendor made good on the order and sent a new shipment. Turns out that two blocks south of me (on a street whose name was in no way similar to mine), a young couple came home from a trip and discovered the package in the vestibule of their apartment building (my house is single-family). They brought it over…three days after it was delivered. Of course, I had to discard it—one item had already started to get moldy and the others were not safe to eat.
I’ve had decent luck with the USPS, though—except when we get a dyslexic substitute carrier and I have to take misdelivered mail down the street or even to the next block.
Amy, hope that they didn’t have the chutzpah to charge you for the pills you were shorted. Keep pursuing the claim.
When I go to the pharmacy, I sometimes watch others’ prescriptions get filled—the pills are fed from the stock bottle directly into a counting trough that ends with a chute that goes directly into the prescription bottle. Kind of tough to believe pills get dropped on the floor. One way to minimize getting shorted is to insist on a sealed stock bottle, which is how three of my ‘scripts are dispensed.
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I can't get ups to either here or the studio unless the package is very light. he drops it off at my helper's (okay) or the post office. fed ex won't deliver u nless I'm here or there to get it in person
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abigail, perhaps some day mini-drones will change that. Imagine being able to have everything delivered to your door no matter how remote your home!
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there was a pharmacist around here that was actually watering down cancer chemo. not for sale on the black market, but to decrease his costs. he was found out and punished.
sometimes I wonder, I take 3 Lasix a day, and some days I am not running to the restroom.
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and who knows what adgenda or conflict of interests the drs have or the technitions who test the samples
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