I wish I could ban people...

[reirei]

Hello every one! Welcome back to the hellish world of a big box store pharmacy! Be glad you are only having a glimpse into our world. Some of us are stuck here.

God save me from idiots

A lady comes up to the intake window while I am working at it with two bottles of vitamins that are the same thing, only one has a new packaging design.

SC: Are these the same thing?
Me: Yes ma'am, as you can see by the name on the label, they are.
SC: Are you sure?
Me: Yes.
SC: How can you be sure? They look different?
Me: *points out that they have the exact same name and same mg size*
SC: Well the bottle is differnt, how can you be sure.
Me: It is the same thing, I promise you.
SC: Can I open the bottle to be sure.
Me: No ma'am. We would have to throw out the bottle if you decided you did not want it.
SC: But how am I supposed to know it's the same?
Me *Flips over both of the bottles so that the UPC's are showing* You see the numbers here ma'am? They match, that means they are the same thing.
SC: Are you sure?
Me: Yes.
SC: Well, I'll buy them then. But if they are the wrong ones, I am going to return them and you will hear about it young lady.
Me: Have a nice day ma'am.

Leave me alone, seriously

There is a customer that someday I am going to devote an entire thread to her vile pesonality. She generally likes to come on the days when she knows we have to close for lunch because we only have one pharmacist on duty. She really love to come just a few minutes before we close just to make our day just wonderful. And she for some reason, just has to be waited on by me. I don't know why.

Today I was was filling a party-pack when I hear:

SC: YOU! The tall girl! *I'm 5'10"* Roberta? Rebecca? Reirei? You better get over here and fix this!
ME: *looks up to God and asks why before turning around with my "I hate this customer" smile on my face* Good afternoon Mrs. Evilcow. What seems to be the trouble? *I walk up to the counter where she is simmering*
SC: *tosses her perscription bag at me* This is outrageous what you are charging me for this!! I have never paid $40 for one perscription in my life!
ME: * still firmly entrenched on my face* Well ma'am let me check for you...*looks up fill history for said script and finds that she has paid $40, every single time that she has picked up this one script, for the past year just like every other script price she tries and contest* Ma'am it appears that you have paid that amount everytime you got it.
*My pharmacist is in range to step in to help as I watch Mrs. Evilcow's face turn magenta*
SC: ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR!
ME: No ma'am, maybe you got two scripts mixed up?
SC: NO!! This is NOT the price I have ever paid for this script!
ME: *selects print on the screen of the fill history for the script and then moves back to her profile* Well ma'am, what is the price you think you paid the last time you got it?
SC: $10!
ME: *Looking through her profile* The only medicine that you get for that ammount is a generic. The one in question is a name brand, and the co-pay for it is $40. *I reach into the printing tray and pull out the fresh copy of the script fill history*
SC: Well, I think I should pay that for all of my drugs.
ME: Well ma'am, you are going to have to take that up with you insurance company, because they are the ones who decide that you pay the forty dollars you have paid every time for the script. *I hand her the fill history and she stares at it stupified* We are closing for lunch now, but will reopen in an hour if you need any more scripts. *I close the barrier and she says nothing, for once, lol. It's nice to win every once and a while*

A fake, is a fake, is a fake

I am on the intake window when a sketchy looking man hands me a perscription for methadone.

SC: I really really really need that right now, like in ten minutes.
Me: *Notice the rx looks odd* Well sir, we have a standard forty-five minute wait for controls
SC: *Looks to the equally as sketchy looking lady behind him, who nods* Okay, but I am gonna pay cash, don't put it through my insurence.
Me: Okay. *Big smile, as soon as they walk away I hurry over to the pharmacist*
That guy just gave me this script, it doesn't look right.
Pharmacist: *does some tests to it, it was definatly a copy and not the real deal, and calls the insurence company, he had allready filled this same perscription at another pharmacy and picked it up. She then got a hold of mangament who gave her the go a head to call the cops*

Office plain clothes shows up and goes to the intake window. They wanted to get him for the big charges so we had to "fill" the script and sell it to him. He then would be arrested. Officer plain clothes sets himself looking at some of the stuff as the skechy couple came back. The clerk sold him the script, Officer plain clothes followed them outside where his partner was waiting, and on went the cuffs. Officer plain clothes came back later to follow up with my pharmacist and our asst. manager, and told them that the guy had a pocket full of the fake scripts.

[fireheart]

God save me from idiots

Wonder what she's like when companies like Kelloggs and that change their packaging, or stores change their logos?

Leave me alone, seriously

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Although, what is a party-pack?

A fake, is a fake, is a fake

Hehe, PWNED!!!!!!!!

Mr. Methadone Addict, meet Mr. Plainclothes.

[PepperElf]

The one in question is a name brand, and the co-pay for it is $40.

And to be honest... that's not bad... cos there's been recent medical reports that some of the generics have had questionable sources for ingredients. at least that's what mom said cos she watches that stuff on the news.

and... i haven't purchased scripts yet, but ... what do they normally go for if you get the brand names?

[radiocerk]

insurance companies

If you're lucky, you'll pay a really high copay for anything that has a generic available that you want brand on. But several insurance companies just won't cover brand name medications.

I always hate when we get those "I'm allergic to all generic meds" people, and we have to explain that the companies just don't make a medication in brand anymore.
"Why not?"
"Well, this medication went generic 20 years ago, so the company decided there was no money in manufacturing the brand."
"What do I do?"

My recommendation: love your generics. I know one or two companies have had problems, but a lot of generics are made by divisions of the same companies that make the brand name drugs. Find out which companies have problems, and ask your pharmacy who the manufacturer is. They will tell you. I know we do.

[Pagan]

Well ma'am let me check for you...*looks up fill history for said script and finds that she has paid $40, every single time that she has picked up this one script, for the past year just like every other script price she tries and contest* Ma'am it appears that you have paid that amount everytime you got it.
*My pharmacist is in range to step in to help as I watch Mrs. Evilcow's face turn magenta*
SC: ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR!

Don't you just love doing that?

I had some jackass picking up his wife's scripts yesterday that started getting all bent out of shape when I asked for a name and month and day of birthday. Well, how the hell else do you expect me to look it up? Then he didn't want to sign for his insurance and was insisting that we were going to disseminate his information to all and sundry. What the notification on the pinpad says is that we are only going to share the information with his insurance company. I did offer to switch it to cash if he didn't want to go through the insurance, I think it would have been around $150 cash. Of course, he's going to "check" with his insurance company about signing for the insurance. Then he's going to sue us.

Although, what is a party-pack?

Probably a huge-ass bunch of drugs for one person....like the 14 we had the other night.

and... i haven't purchased scripts yet, but ... what do they normally go for if you get the brand names?

Depends on the drug, how much everyone's trying to make, and how much you're getting.

[wagegoth]

The one problem I've had with generics was that the tablets contained an ingredient that gave me terrible gastrointestinal problems. My insurance requires that if a generic is available I have to use it unless there is a problem, but so far we've managed to get around it with finding medications that are in capsule or liquid form.

[Pagan]

The one problem I've had with generics was that the tablets contained an ingredient that gave me terrible gastrointestinal problems.

Yeah, whatever they use for filler would be the problem. There's the drug and then they have to have something else to mix it with to hold it together so that the tablets can be punched.

[Golden Phoenix]

Annoyingly there's one particular generic version of an anti-allergy medication that i can't take, ironically because i'm allergic to it.

One of the fillers in it triggers anaphylactic shock in me adn the anti-histamine dose int he medication itself isn't high enough to counter the effects.

Try telling your bos you were off work due to an allergy to anti-allergy meds....took a long time to explain properly.

[Naaman]

Wagegoth and Golden Phoenix, do you know which part of 'those' generics you're allergic to?

In the UK you can look up what each medicine contains on it's SPC (specification of Product Characteristics) at the Electronic Medicines Compendium, and I'm sure there's an equivalent site for any country you care to mention (Queue pharmacist in 5...4....)

Another thing to consider, if you have an allergic reaction to an excipient it's probably worth the cash now to have it checked by a professional. If you can show your pharmacy and have it entered in the notes that you're allergic to X, please check tablet formulation - better yet your doctor could shift you to a capsule verion where appropriate.

[wagegoth]

Thanks for the info, Naaman. I've had trouble with generics of Vicodin and Zithromax.

[Seshat]

Keep track of which generics you have trouble with. Your pharmacist can (probably) look up the fillers of each generic you have problems with, and identify what the common element is.

(I am not a pharmacist, but I would imagine this would be important information for pharmacists to have available to them.)

[Hyndis]

If you're lucky, you'll pay a really high copay for anything that has a generic available that you want brand on. But several insurance companies just won't cover brand name medications.

I always hate when we get those "I'm allergic to all generic meds" people, and we have to explain that the companies just don't make a medication in brand anymore.
"Why not?"
"Well, this medication went generic 20 years ago, so the company decided there was no money in manufacturing the brand."
"What do I do?"

My recommendation: love your generics. I know one or two companies have had problems, but a lot of generics are made by divisions of the same companies that make the brand name drugs. Find out which companies have problems, and ask your pharmacy who the manufacturer is. They will tell you. I know we do.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was made in the same factory.

Seriously, a lot of generic brands are made in the exact same factory that the big name brands are made in. For example, Safeway does not have its own factory to produce its generic brand products, which are clones of the far more expensive big brand stuff. They just hire out those exact same factories to have them produce the exact same food items, just with different packaging.

[Golden Phoenix]

I've got the name of the problem one and the ingredient written down on a card in my wallet, It's already in my notes at the doctor's so i just double check when i get the meds.

I went for sensitivity testing following the bad reaction that put me in hospital (third time i'd reacted badly i think) thing is since they're antihistmaines i dread to think how severe the reaction would be if it was say an analgesic or something that didn't partially treat the reaction.

[Naaman]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was made in the same factory.

Seriously, a lot of generic brands are made in the exact same factory that the big name brands are made in. For example, Safeway does not have its own factory to produce its generic brand products, which are clones of the far more expensive big brand stuff. They just hire out those exact same factories to have them produce the exact same food items, just with different packaging.

Once again in the UK (and probably EU), the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) that you get with your medications is required to have all the normal warnings and dosage instructions on it. At the bottom it will also have the name and trading address of the manufacturer.


And yeah, things get re-branded all the time, if you're shopping at Safeway you expect to see "Safeway Aspirin", picking up a box with Abbot Labs or Apotex on the side causes confusion and brand dilution. That said over here there are probably 30-40 companies, at least, that manufacture generics. Some only sell to distributors and the bigger ones will sell product and re-brand to the larger wholesalers.