The crap people send me…
I got the following email from "Pat" concerning a "pain contrtact." One side of me wants to say, you're an addict and you need help from a few different doctors. One side of me wants to say this poor woman's pain is being under treated by her physician. Still yet, one side, the prevailing side, doesn't give a flying fuck. I present this email for your amusement. Readers, please tell her what you think. I get so many emails/contact notes from folks like this, that I no longer take the time to respond. It is up to this community to cull its nuts.
From: pat <d********y@yahoo.com>
Subject: Pain Contrtact
Title: Technician
Message Body:
Dear Sir,
it is with deep shame, and not a little fear, that I compose this message. I'm a woman in her late thirties, and I'm a Pharmacy Tech. I also suffer agonizing migraines. I have a PCP that I see, weekly, and I receive Rxs for #14, 40mg. Oxycontin, and #42, 20mg. Roxicodone, for BT pain. My visits are always EIGHT days apart, NOT seven. But, no matter how many times I explain the numbers to my M.D., she won't up the Script #. Tonight, I found a several months old Rx for "Percocet", 5/325, literally in a cookie jar. I KNEW it was wrong, as I have an Iron-Clad contract w/ my doc, but I did it anyway. I went to a NEW Phramacy, paid cash, and got the script. I feel like even lower dirt, b/c the RPh was SO nice and understanding; I felt like a heel misleading him. I have a question for you, sir: will this Rx show up on my profile at my reg. Pharmacy, since I didn't use my usual insurance? I asked my DAd, who is an RPH, and couldn't get a straight answer (he refuses to touch, or even discuss my meds). If my doc finds out, she'll kick me out of her practice-- and narcotic meds are the ONLY thing that make life bearable for me right now. I KNOW I should have thought of that BEFORE I did this, but, now, I need a truthful answer from someone I truly respect. Am I in horrible trouble? I am SO SCARED.
Thank You, PAt
How to comment
I'm tired of randos coming to my website and submitting bullshit comments to various posts. I've got better things to do than delete 3-5 comments per day calling me an asshole, a meany head, or questioning my professionalism/ethics (and then banning the user)...as if you reading a vague story about a drug seeker / drug shopper compromises THEIR privacy. As if ANYONE reading these stories can find out what state I'm even in -- much less a patient's name. That's just not possible. Considering that I'm not a complete idiot, I change facts, details, and other things to keep the backbone of the story without making it so obvious as to the subject and subject matter. The person fingered in the story wouldn't even know they are the subject matter in 9 of 10 posts.
I get talked to like I'm a piece of shit all day. I'll be damned if I'm gonna come home and take e-shit from some nameless fuck over the internet (I do realize the hypocrisy of using the term 'nameless fuck' as I am one). But, what I mean is, people stumble upon this site and give me shit -- non-pharmacists, non-healthcare workers, nobodys. I'm not that bad. I'm not a horrible person. Some of this is a joke. It's an act. It's a persona in some ways.
I do (or envision and reimagine) the things that you want to do but can't. A favorite comment from these nameless fucks is that I would/should be fired in their business for doing X or saying Y. Who are they to judge me or question what I do.
I can't fully express how much this pisses me off. Nor can I adequately express how some of these hatred and anger is misplaced. I'm not a bad guy. I'm not an unethical dick. 'You' just don't like THAT post.
Now, don't get me wrong -- I'm not deleting these comments because they person questions my judgment or doesn't like what I did. I can handle a dissenting opinion. That's not the issue. I would be FINE with that. But, I've yet to have a dissenting opinion posed in a professional manner worthy of being posts. For instance, in response to, "Unfortunately, this is a true story" I got the following comment:
"This was written in a humorous way I’ll give you that.. Guy sure was stupid LOL!! I would fire you ASAP but I suspect you probably own or manage the pharmacy in the story, which is even more repulsive. You sir sicken me, and should be ashamed of your profession."
Now, do you see how that has no point? That serves no purpose other than to push me down (as well as the profession of pharmacy. Now, I can accept that this situation could have been handled a different way. But, unless you present a clear and concise rebuttal without resorting to belittling me or our pharmacy, I don't give a fuck what you have to say. Now, you don't have to be a kissass, but you can bring about a different POV without being a prick. Here's what you could say:
"While I agree that was frustrating, you handled it dead wrong. You're a pharmacist and obviously have some education. Not everyone in the world is a smart as you. Some people need things spelled out to them. Some people have learning disabilities. Did you ever things of that? Did you do what they taught you in school and ask him to show you how he will use the inhaler after you educated him? Oh, I forgot, you barely did educate him. This situation is nothing but a failure of a pharmacist to counsel a patient effectively.
See how that works? With a little cunning, you can tell me I'm wrong, pose your opinion, maybe even take a jab at me, have your comment posted, and not get permanently banned from my site WITHOUT BEING A SNIVELING PRICK. I'm not saying you can't swear. I'm not saying you can't question me or what I did. Just don't be a jerk. Don't attack me -- unless it is REALLY fucking funny and REALLY fucking good.
So, how do I remedy this? I thought about deleting all comments and blocking all future comments/discussion, but I value that input from fellow pharmacists and technicians. Instead, I've decided to require registration. That means that initial registration will require a name, verified email address, and maybe some other information as I see fit (such as an acceptance of terms of service). Then you can post comments on the site. After a certain number of approved comments, you will get the ability to post comments that skip my moderation -- after earning trust so to speak.
http://www.theangriestpharmacist.com/wp-login.php?action=register
We'll see how this goes for a while. Maybe a little bothersome registration will prevent assholes from doing what they do best.
Doctor shopping and insurance fraud and asshat patients — OH MY!
Man, these folks are coming out of the woodwork!
Had a lady call me for a refill (on we'll say 3/19) on her (surprise) Norco 10/325 last week because she was (surprise) going out of town. It had been 9 days since we had refilled it. The prescription was for 50 tablets taken every 6 hours. I put it in as a 13 day supply. I told her that it would be "a few more days" before it could be filled. She, of course, did not agree with me. She tried to tell me that it was a 12-day supply and we, meaning my pharmacy, "always fill it three days early." Well, she's wrong...maybe two days early...on a 30 day supply...if the patient isn't a problem....
The fact that she argued with me about filling it early, about it being a 12 day supply versus a 13 day supply, and told me what MY pharmacy always does got me interested in her profile.
I booted up my trusted internet browser and navigated to my state's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, plugged in her information, and I was quite shocked at what I found.
Date Drug Qty/Days Prescriber Filled by:
3-14 Hydrocodone/APAP 10/325 90/30 J. Smith CVS
3-14 Alprazolam 1mg 90/30 J. Smith CVS
3-10 Hydrocodone/APAP 7.5/325 50/13 B. Jones MY PCY
3-10 Alprazolam 0.5mg 30/10 B. Jones MY PCY
And this shit continued for the last 3 months or so. Let me share the most SHOCKING piece of information -- there was another column titled "Payee" which will say Medicaid, Commercial, or CASH. Usually, we would expect this to say CASH at one pharmacy and COMMERCIAL or MEDICAID at the other when we encounter doctor shoppers. In this instance, THEY ALL SAID COMMERCIAL!!!
This lady was doctor shopping using her insurance card...from her benefits at work! WOW! I can only assume the insurance company didn't catch it because the strengths had different NDC -- maybe even different manufacturers? Not sure....
I called and confirmed all of this with my friend Remy at CVS, and we each canceled all of her refills. I then printed all of this out and faxed it to the physicians involved (and every pharmacy in town). I heard back from both offices very quickly -- and they were pissed. They canceled the refills (of course) and each fired her as a patient.
When she called back the next day, it was precious. She said, "Well, will it go through today? It's been 10 days and it's a 12 day supply." I said, "No, it's still a 13 day supply, and it has come to our attention that you have been getting the same drugs in different strengths at CVS."
"That's just not true!"
"Oh, yes it is. And this has been going on for several months now."
"Well.......(long, awkward pause)......how do I fix this? I'm not sure I know what's going on...."
"Well.......yesterday, I fixed it by faxing this information to both doctors and every pharmacy in town. The doctors then called me back and canceled all remaining refills and wanted me to let you know you were released as a patient. Now, what they are going to do? I don't know. For your sake, I would hope they don't call the police because it appears crimes have been committed here..."
"Eck..." [Really odd sound she made here. I'd say it was the sound of disbelief.]
"If you really and truly have no idea what's going on, you need to call and talk to CVS and both of these doctors immediately...." [I said this in a really shitass tone]
"Okay. Thank you very much!" [Being nice...praying *I* don't call the police]
I’d rather have…
New t-shirt design inspired by a comment. The commenter suggested a shirt saying something to the effect of "SUPPORT INDEPENDENT PHARMACY." While this shirt doesn't necessarily say that, I believe the concept is similar. For those of you in retail, take no offense. It's a joke...where do you think I work now? To see the image in a better detail, check out the image on ZAZZLE.
If you want to see the entire gallery of shirts, you can click the Zazzle link in the frame to the right. The CafePress link has a wider selection of the shirts bearing the same images/sayings/logos if you want something exotic (like hoodies, underwear, or girly spaghetti strap shirts)
Have a suggestion? (other than me going to hell and/or shutting the fuck up) Contact me.
^ Use this image to advertise this site! ^