I Hate Dialysis Message Board

Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: karen547 on September 09, 2007, 03:00:06 PM

Title: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: karen547 on September 09, 2007, 03:00:06 PM
I go to two Pharmacies , one I love and the other I can barely tolerate. The one closest to me is great, and the Pharmacist there is so nice, and caring. I hardly ever wait there and the pharmacst knows me by name .


The other one makes me want to scream! They hardly ever have all my prescriptions, and then blame me when they clearly are supposed to notify the doctor and me when a script is running out, they even have a sign that states just that! :banghead;  I dont like the area and since the pharmacy I like dosn't carry some of my things I need, I have to go there and usually it's like pulling teeth. GRRR
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: paris on September 09, 2007, 03:15:48 PM
I do all my meds through a mail pharmacy.  Insurance sets it up for a 3 month supply with a much lower co-pay.  The doctor and pharmacy seem to work well together. Meds come quickly and I manage my account online.  I've called a couple of times and immediately have talked to a real person.  Very pleased with the system. If I do need a new, short term prescription, my local pharmacy takes care of it.  Hope you can resolve the situation. It is frustrating to deal with the whole presecribtion stuff.
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: angela515 on September 09, 2007, 03:22:01 PM
I also love my local pharmacy. I live in a very small town so the pharmacist knows me by name and every med I am on and so forth.. especially since I am the only transplant patient he has so I have all the expensive meds,  :lol;

Good luck hun  :cuddle;
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: karen547 on September 09, 2007, 03:29:31 PM
Yea my meds cost a lot as well so I would rather give business to a pharmacy that knows which end is up
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: goofynina on September 09, 2007, 03:58:48 PM
The only peeve i have about my pharmacy is if i forget to pick up some meds they dont call before they re-stock it, i know i know, my fault for forgetting but geeeze, you would think they would help the patients any way they can, a simple phone call is all i ask for, but other than that, they are nice and friendly  :2thumbsup;
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: Ohio Buckeye on September 09, 2007, 04:10:15 PM
I've been getting some of my prescriptions lately at the Giant Eage
grocery store.  They built a new one very close to me.  They have a drive-thru
window.  Also some of the generics there now are $4 or so.
That is a lot less than other places I've used.  Usually a refill can be ready the
next day, but if you need it in a hurry they will have it the same day.  Only 1
item I need they usually have to order so I get it at Wallgreens.
So I am pretty happy with them.  The phosphorus binders order is so large that I
get them thru the mail in a 3 mo. supply. 
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: paddbear0000 on September 09, 2007, 04:53:33 PM
I dont like the area and since the pharmacy I like doesn't carry some of my things I need, I have to go there and usually it's like pulling teeth. GRRR

Do you mean they don't carry certain drugs?! Why can't the pharmacy you like just order the stuff you need? Try asking them. I use a small, local chain pharmacy (which doesn't sell everything under the sun like CVS or Walgreens), but they are happy to order things for me. They want to keep me as a customer, especially since I'm there like every week getting more Rx's!
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: Roxy on September 09, 2007, 10:19:13 PM
Is there a way to find out which pharmacy's have cheaper prices on medications???? Besides just going to each single one and asking. My doctor told me to start researching to find a pharmacy with cheaper prices and then negotiate co-pays with them if it ever comes down to not having insurance or something (i'm covered for quite a while, but it's good to know).
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: keefer51 on September 10, 2007, 02:45:31 AM
Love my pharmacy. After three years they have bent over backwards to help me. They are a few times they had to order but always gave me a few until then. Plus mine has a few pharmacist that are hot.
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: KICKSTART on September 10, 2007, 03:12:27 AM
Bit of a different system here , when you want your tablets you order from the doctors then they send the 'script' to the chemists and you go pick it up. In the chemists there are several young women behind the counter serving , who are more interested in the latest gossip. Twice i have been given the wrong tablets .. good job i know what i am supposed to be taking. I should complain i suppose , but doubt it would get me anywhere. One time i was even given somebody elses tablets ! So now i check it all before i accept it.
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: KT0930 on September 10, 2007, 05:43:17 AM
KS, I was given the wrong med one time too, but dummy me didn't double and triple-check, and wound up in the hospital TWICE b/c of it. The 'script had been written for a BP med and I was given an anti-seizure med instead...at the dosage that the BP med had been written for. We figured it out because the admit clerk in the hospital insisted on seeing the bottles of meds, not just taking my word for it that that's what I took ~ thank goodness she was doing her job well!!! I later spoke to a friend who's a Physician's Assistant and has epilepsy, so is aware of the meds, said that at the dose I got, I was lucky to be alive (I was 120 lbs at the time and was given a dose for a 250 lb man). Needless to say, I switched pharmacies. No, I didn't sue. We looked into, but you have to prove INTENT. We couldn't do that, could only assume that because the names were similar, someone made a mistake.

Another town, several years later, I switched from Walgreen's to CVS b/c WG told us that they couldn't guarantee that they could get my son's ADHD meds in for at least a month because it was a new med. Went across the street to CVS and they got a shipment the next day. I haven't looked back.
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: skyedogrocks on September 10, 2007, 10:18:11 AM
I go to two Pharmacies , one I love and the other I can barely tolerate. The one closest to me is great, and the Pharmacist there is so nice, and caring. I hardly ever wait there and the pharmacst knows me by name .


The other one makes me want to scream! They hardly ever have all my prescriptions, and then blame me when they clearly are supposed to notify the doctor and me when a script is running out, they even have a sign that states just that! :banghead;  I dont like the area and since the pharmacy I like dosn't carry some of my things I need, I have to go there and usually it's like pulling teeth. GRRR

Sorry, but you should know when your script is running out.  It clearly states on the bottle how many refills you have. 
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: karen547 on September 10, 2007, 10:39:58 AM
Sky- yes i know how many refills i have but the PEOPLE WHO WORK at the pharmacy are borderline boneheads, and screw with me any chance they get, I mean I'M a GOLD MINE, my meds cost a lot of money so they should do better at their jobs, since I am a good customer
Title: Re: Pharmacy Rant
Post by: BigSteve on September 11, 2007, 03:39:25 PM
Karen: I'm not criticizing you, but I try to give the pharmacy (Long's Drugs) at
least a week before the pills run out. The pharmacy is not that large so
they often have to order from their supply warehouse. Some of my meds
they didn't stock they now do since they know I will be reordering.
With a week's headstart I have time to go to another pharmacy if
Longs can't get it in time.