Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Rite Aid sucks
So I got my correct prescription today, along with a scolding from the Rite Aid pharmacist. She showed me her list which she thought proved she was right. I explained that I believed her that the list said so, but it is NOT the same thing but she told me that the list said it was.
Aren't pharmacists supposed to be educated? Shouldn't she have grasped the concept?
So here's the whole story...
From the years 1998 - 2004 I had 5 surgeries and lost one ovary due to endometriosis. This is a condition that is often treated with hormone manipulation because estrogen is the enemy. One way they manipulate the hormones is with the use of birth control pills. When I was going through all of this at first, we tried several different pills to find one that worked for me. Some birth control pills are monophasic and some are triphasic-- in other words, some give a continuous dose of the hormone the entire 21 days, and some change the dosage each week.
Hormones are a pretty delicate thing, and you can really screw someone up with them. I tried triphasic ones and I was a basket case on them, plus it made my endo worse. Finally, we found one that worked, one that is monphasic. It is really is crucial for me to keep my levels even to keep the endo at bay.
So I was on a monophasic for many many years. In 2007 I lost my health insurance and wasn't in a relationship and I was completely pain free from the endo so I decided to go off the hormones.
After the last few months I decided that in order to keep the endo at bay, it was time to go back on. I got the doctor to call in the exact monophasic pill I had been on for many many many years.
I picked up my pills yesterday and it was a triphasic one. I explained this to the pharmacist and she insisted that because it was on the list, it was the same thing.
I called the hospital pharmacy because I thought maybe I was nuts. That I might have somehow forgotten the name of a pill I took forever and knew was a monophasic. She looked it up, I was right, it was a monophasic, and the substitution that Rite Aid gave me was definitely a triphasic, and definitely not the same medication in generic form.
And yet, this pharmacist at Rite Aid swears that because it was on the list, that it was. She was not open or caring enough about the health and well being of her customers to accept the fact that the list might be mistaken. I explained to her the difference between monophasic and triphasic pills (shouldn't the pharmacist be explaining this to me??) and that the list is not accurate and I said that I had concerns that other patients might be given the wrong pill too. She told me to worry about myself and not others.
So someone else might end up having their hormones completely thrown out of wack, causing who knows what problems because of something a list says.
If she were a proactive, thoughtful pharmacist, she would have investigated, realized the discrepancy, and contacted the authors of said list to get it straightened out.
I am pretty sure that I will be switching pharmacies.
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I didn't know that about monophasic and triphasic pills. I've had to go off the pill because I was totally insane on them. Out of my mind crazy as a loon. It's been about 12 years since I was on them. I don't think I'll start them again, but it's still very good info that I won't forget.
One reason why there are class action lawsuits is because one problem affected many. Good for you for speaking up!! I think your pharmacist is relying a little too heavily on the degree on the wall and not the brain in skull.
I know this post is so old news, but I had a similar experience with Rite Aid!! My birth control is Nuvaring - the vaginal ring, which has to be refrigerated until use. Yet every time I would go to pick up my ultra pricey BC (which my insurance wouldn't cover by the way) the pharmacist would hand me a packet straight from the hanging rack -- that had been hanging there ever since they filled the prescription! God only knew how long that was because the box was room temperature. When I asked for a refrigerated box, the pharmacist looked down her nose at me and asked why I felt it was important. Um, how about the company's instructions on the side of the box?? Or my doctor's instructions?? Despite having this argument several times, they still insisted on trying to give me the freakin' box from the shelf instead of the refrigerated one. So I switched to my insurance's home delivery service. Not only do I get a discount for ordering in bulk (3 months at a time) BUT it arrives ON ICE every single time. Amazing, eh??
VERY glad you persisted and trusted your own knowledge base and didn't let them give you a med that makes you feel looney! You really do have to be your own medical expert, advocate, lawyer, etc. anymore :-(