Walgreens Bashing FOOL - UPDATED!

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Doctors, Education, Errors, Patient Education, Stupid People

I recently got this crackpot email from a certifiably insane man by the name of Leroy Jacobs (leroyjacobs@mail.com). It was long, full of colorful text, and lots of space. What was it about? It was about how Walgreens Co. is directly responsible for the deaths of many citizens — it listed their names, the lawsuit number (where the person’s family sued — NOT criminal charges, mind you). It even listed exact numbers on how many people Walgreens killed during the last 4 years with the ominous words, “ARE YOU NEXT?” printed under it. Since it is so long, I have saved the document as a PDF. You can open the document here. You can visit the website LEROY claims to own HERE

Before I give my view on this, let me say this: I do NOT work for Walgreens. I worked for Walgreens for one (1) semester in college, and I quit because I did not have enough time to work at the time. If anything, I hate Walgreens. I believe that this adds more weight to my beliefs in that Leroy Jacobs is a crazy asshole with a vendetta.

This guy has sent me stuff like this before. In the past, I just deleted it as it is asinine. This time, I called him out on it. Here’s my initial reply:

Leroy,
I’m not sure what your vendetta is against Walgreens, but I do not agree
with the way you are going about this at all. Every pharmacist in America has
had a misfill happened to them. Some of us have been responsible for this misfill
making someone sick — some have even killed a person as a direct result of
the misfill. It is always regrettable — whether someone is injured or not.

However, you CANNOT blame this on Walgreens entirely. Pharmacists
are ultimately responsible for what goes out the door, not the corporate
entity. Walgreens may be responsible for having understaffed stores and
making workflow too fast for some pharmacists — but the pharmacist is
charged with working at the speed they feel comfortable…even if that means
a 2 hour wait. It is not the fault of the corporation, and I’m sorry that you do
not completely understand that.

I also think that you are making a huge deal out of a small number of
bad instances. While one misfill is too many (especially one that kills a
person or animal), we fill more than 3-4 BILLION prescriptions each year
in the USA. I want you to impartially look at these posts then reanalyze what
you are trying to accomplish with these smear campaigns.

http://www.theangriestpharmacist.com/2008/02/26/the-real-numbers/
http://www.theangriestpharmacist.com/2008/02/26/my-letter-to-the-usa-today-journalists/

I can’t believe defending a business that I absolutely loathe (and quit working
for after one semester in pharmacy school), but I do not agree with your tactics.

So, I feel like I made some valid points in my email. I mean, this guy is blaming Walgreens, the Corporation, for the misfills a pharmacist is responsible for letting out the door.

Note: I am not trying to invalidate the death of the people listed below. I am not trying to say that their life is worth any less than anyone else’s life. I am merely trying to show that it is the responsibility of the pharmacist to ensure that people achieve the best results from their medicines, and that it is the pharmacist that is responsible for the medicine that leaves the pharmacy — ensuring that it is the right med, right person, right dose, right strength, et al. I’m merely trying to show that it is NOT the fault of the pharmacy owners or corporate entity.

Let’s take a look at the merit of these cases:
1. Leonard Kulisek died Nov 2002 of MENTAL ANGUISH AND DISFIGUREMENT.
- I was not aware that someone could die of mental anguish and/or disfigurement. His FAMILY was awarded 31 MILLION dollars. A Google search says that the man was given Diabetes Medication instead of Gout Medication and died of renal failure — after already being on the brink of death it seems. While the names of the medications are unknown, Allopurinol could exacerbate hepatic and/or renal failure (monitoring and dosage reductions are needed for both). Colchicine is metabolized by the liver and eliminated 10-20% unchanged by the kidneys. It’s not unreasonable to think that EITHER of these medications could cause problems in an ill person — especially Colchicine due to the incidence of blood dysgrasias — which shouldn’t have been given to him anyway.

2. Patricia Rees died May 2006 after “SKIN FELL OFF.”
- I was not aware that one’s skin could just fall off. Mine is pretty well attached. No information could be found on this case via Google search. Maybe her name is misspelled; maybe this is entirely made up. Who knows? I bet LEROY JACOBS DOES!

3. Beth Hippely died Jan 2007 of BREAST CANCER.
- I’m not sure how Walgreens is responsible for someone dying of Breast Cancer. Women (and men) have been dying of cancer in the breast forever. Google search turned up that she was given a Coumadin dose 10-times more than was intended. ABC News pins this on a 19-year old pharmacy technician. Well, that’s fucking bullshit. It is not the job or purpose of the pharmacy technician to prevent errors getting out the door. It is the pharmacist’s job to verify that the right drug, right dose, right everything get to the right person. While the techs play a role in this system, the burden is not on their shoulders. How DARE anyone lay this on the shoulders of a mere college freshman. Anyway, the high dose cause her to have a massive stroke (I think hemorrhage would be a more appropriate word, but that’s semantics). This incident cause her doctor’s to discontinue her chemotherapy causing her breast cancer to ultimately kill her. Well, that’s a hell of a line of thought to blame Walgreens, now isn’t it. Why don’t we blame Anheuiser Busch In-Bev for the deaths of thousands? Someone gets drunk, drives, and hits a bicyclist who dies. It’s the same train of thought this jury had. Sad? Yes. Fault of pharmacist? Yes. Fault of Walgreens? No.

4. Alexandra Gerhke suffered PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE at 7 months old.
- Pharmacist dispensed Glipizide tablets instead of Phenobarbital tablets. First off, these two drugs are nowhere near each other when stored in the pharmacy. Secondly, how in the fuck did they give tablets to a baby? Obviously, the pharmacist compounded this — Making this misfill even more eggregous. Nonetheless, it was the fault of the PHARMACIST — not the fault of Walgreens Co.

5. Eric Warren died Dec 2002 from “POISONOUS DRUGS INTERACTION TRAMADOL & METHADONE”
- For such heinous accusations, the guy has poor grammar and no concept of medicine. Firstly, why was the man given methadone — what is it usually given for? Opiate Addition? Ding! Ding! Ding! So, you’re telling me this guy was addicted to Tramadol, given Methadone to get off the tramadol, then died from the combination? I get it. Do you see the problem? He’s a fucking addict — he could have died from either one alone. Should he have been educated about the combination? Yes. However, I contend that if you take one of each, or even two of each, you will not die. Especially if you have an opiate tolerance built up as would someone on Methadone. This guy took a handful of each and died of the subsequent respiratory depression. He should have had some ownership of his own medical therapy. This death cannot be entirely the fault of the non-educating pharmacist…and it sure as shit isn’t the fault of Walgreens Corporation.

6. Chanda Givens (baby) died April 2007 after mother was given “potent chemotherapy drug instead of Materna, a prenatal vitamin“.
- She was given Matulane (Procarbazine) instead. There’s no reason for this. For fuck’s sake, I’d never even heard of Matulane, but I sure as shit can tell the difference between the two. This makes me wonder, however, if perhaps the doctor’s handwriting fucking sucked.

7. Terry Paul Smith died July 2001 of METHADONE POISONING.
- This is another case where I believe patient’s must play a role in their healthcare. USA Today says that Smith took 22 pills over a day and a half’s time (after trying and failing various other painkillers like NEURONTIN and oxycontin — yes, USA Today called Neurontin a painkiller). Why? Because the directions said “Take 4 tablets by mouth twice daily as needed” instead of “Take 4 tablets by mouth twice daily.” — The OBRA-90 requirements were met as testified by the patient. So, the words AS NEEDED (which are always on pain medicine prescriptions) are the reason for the overdose — whereas they are usually the reason people DO NOT OD. I don’t fucking get it. We put as needed, people OD because it means they can take it whenever the fuck they want. We don’t put as needed, people OD because it means they can take it whenever the fuck they want. You can’t have both sides of the road sue-happy Americans. You’re not cyclists.

8. Devon J Alvarez (toddler) died October 2001.
- The cause of death was dextromethorphan intoxication. This one proves that this fucking prick, Leroy Jacobs, is merely out to get Walgreens. This child’s parents took him to the doctor. The doctor told them to get some OTC Infant Cough and Cold Product. Mommy followed the directions the doctor gave her — and gave the child the suggested amount. Devon’s body could simply not metabolize dextromethorphan for whatever reason. He died because of a physiological insufficiency — not because ANYTHING Walgreens pharmacists, technicians, cashiers, maintenance men, shelf stockers, or managers did. Fuck, for all we know, they didn’t even buy the medicine at WAG! This is pure libel — and this dickhead is peddling it around the internet as fact.

Now, as you see, I have debunked several of these little Walgreens-Induced-Deaths. I have proven that Leroy Jacobs is a dumbass. I have proven that he has a vendetta — I assume because they refused to fill is Vicodin and Soma early. What does he have to say about all this?

~lj

and subsequently:

So, I replied with the names of those I’ve conversed with on the blogosphere and would consider respectable pharmacist/colleagues. I merely assumed that they would side with me — I also made fun of his name via a World of Warcraft Video from a few years ago:

The Angry Pharmacist, Pharmacy God, Jim Plagakis, Paul
Trusten (The Ole Apothecary), Pharmacy Chick, and everyone
else out there in the pharmacy blogosphere.

You see, we pharmacists have common sense. We don’t approve
of today’s sue-happy mentality of today’s society — which is exactly
what you are promoting.

Every other pharmacist in the free world would see right through
what you are attempting to do.

LEEEEROOOOYYYY JEEEEENKIIIINNSSSS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkCNJRfSZBU

He didn’t quite enjoy my reply I assume — based on his curt reply:

~lj

Well, Leroy, they’ve seen it now. I’m sure they’ll enjoy reading this note. I’m positive that all my fellow pharmacy bloggers and the readers of this site will chime in with some biting comments towards what you’re doing — analyzing your motives along with my valid, cited explanations. Perhaps next time, you’ll review what your sending out, include a few sources, or think about trying this one: SHUT THE FUCK UP!

People like Leroy Jacobs and those he inspires are the reason healthcare costs are so high in America. He’s pretty much instructing people to sue — “LOOK HOW MUCH MONEY THESE PEOPLE MADE OFF WALGREENS! YOU CAN GET A PIECE OF THE PIE — AND MOVE TO A DELUXE APARTMENT IN THE SKY!”

What I don’t get is, why Walgreens? Every chain has misfills. I’d bet every chain has killed someone because of a misfill. I wonder what Walgreens did to LJ — shit in his cornflakes? More importantly, I wonder where LJ plans on getting his child’s prescriptions filled.

UPDATE

I’ve discovered the vendetta. See this link: http://www.pharmacychoice.com/News/article.cfm?Article_ID=48931 — It would seem that ‘Leroy Jacobs’ could be an alias for Bruce Johnson, 44, who sued WALGREENS for racial discrimination in February 2007. In the suit, 4 men claimed that a WALGREENS photo lab clerk shouted a racial slur at them, slammed a door (OOOHHH THAT BIGOT!), and denied them service after they complained about the quality of their photos in 2003.

The jury deliberated for less than an hour before ruling for WAG after suffering through 7 days of this baseless testimony.  Their lawyer was quoted as saying they would accept $1 as justice served but deserved millions. Wow - millions for being called a racial slur. I just heard Chris Rock say it on television 250 times in a one-hour special…and these guys wanted millions? Fucking sue-happy society — just as they are trying achieve with their libel against WAG. They didn’t win their case, so they want to make damn sure WAG has the worst image possible — so someone else sues and wins the battle that they tried to fight and lost (cause their case had no merit).

Johnson, a gospel singer, said pursuit of justice in the case became his calling and he launched a Web site, stopalldiscrimination.com, to help others facing a similar plight.

“Every time somebody has a bad experience, you can’t sue. Every time somebody does something you don’t like, you can’t sue and try to turn it into money,” Clark Vellis, atty for WAG said in his closing argument.

Leroy has replied to my email — after he crawled out of his hole of course:

~lj

So, angry from lack of sleep, pissed from his non-existant rebuttal, I tore into Leroy with a vengeance.

I don’t care about this case — you lost. What difference does it make? Your allegations were bogus, and the jury saw through your shit.

You need to reevaluate what your goal is with all this. You also need to look at your methods and whom they may hurt.

You are presenting this as if Walgreens is the only enemy on your radar. If you are going to talk about misfills spread it around. Everyone does it. I don’t care that you make a big deal out of it. I wish there was a public education campaign, but, there’s not. Maybe you can serve as that outlet - but you need to shift gears
a bit. You have a chubby to make WAG look bad, and that’s bullshit. It’s the PHARMACIST’S fault for these misfills. You think I’m sticking up for my colleagues? No way — throw them under the truck when they make an atrocious mistake due to their ineptitude.

I’m glad you finally said your against WAG, but the point is, you are blaming WAG for something that is NOT THEIR FUCKING FAULT.

Motherfucker’s like you sue the  company, the man, some other coworker just because, the mcdonalds down the street, and the grocery store the plantiff frequents. You are the lowest common denominator. You can’t even respond eloquently to my posts or thoughts. You have replied with single sentences — yet to explain yourself except with the PDF of your putrid case.

Don’t fucking email me ever again. I don’t even want to hear from you.
You’re dead to me, Leroy Jacobs. DEAD!

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