CVS Pharmacist is refusing to fill my full prescription

[tmarquez]

I guess this is just a vent, because I am switching pharmacies and while not convenient, that will solve my problem.

This is a non-narcotic migraine medication (generic Imitrex). Previously, my insurance would pay for 4 pills per copay refillable weekly. I got a new insurance last year and my Dr. decided she would write the prescription for 20 pills refillable monthly to save me a bunch on copays. The insurance company paid...no problems.

Well my CVS hired a new pharmacist and I got a note on my medication saying the pharmacist would only give me 9 pills per month as that is what the manufacturer recommends. What?! My Dr. thinks it is ok, and my insurance thinks it is ok, but you won’t fill it as written?

I called and talked to the pharmacist. She told me if I took too many I would get a “drug induced migraine” and that is a “chemical fact”. Listen lady, I go to actual Dr.’s who are specialists in their fields, I have had the same migraine’s since I was a child, I think we can manage my care.

Oh well whatever, I should have moved all of our prescriptions to the locally owned family pharmacy a long time ago anyway.

I was talking to a co-worker and she said her neighbor broke his ankle and the same CVS wouldn't fill his prescription because it was a narcotic.

 

[happygirl]

I guess this is just a vent, because I am switching pharmacies and while not convenient, that will solve my problem.

This is a non-narcotic migraine medication (generic Imitrex). Previously, my insurance would pay for 4 pills per copay refillable weekly. I got a new insurance last year and my Dr. decided she would write the prescription for 20 pills refillable monthly to save me a bunch on copays. The insurance company paid...no problems.

Well my CVS hired a new pharmacist and I got a note on my medication saying the pharmacist would only give me 9 pills per month as that is what the manufacturer recommends. What?! My Dr. thinks it is ok, and my insurance thinks it is ok, but you won’t fill it as written?

I called and talked to the pharmacist. She told me if I took too many I would get a “drug induced migraine” and that is a “chemical fact”. Listen lady, I go to actual Dr.’s who are specialists in their fields, I have had the same migraine’s since I was a child, I think we can manage my care.

Oh well whatever, I should have moved all of our prescriptions to the locally owned family pharmacy a long time ago anyway.

I was talking to a co-worker and she said her neighbor broke his ankle and the same CVS wouldn't fill his prescription because it was a narcotic.

She has her rules to follow as well.

 

[luvmy3]

She has her rules to follow as well.

Is that actually one of her rules though, or just something she feels is the right thing to do?

I'd be livid OP, if my doc wants me to have XYZ, and my insurance agrees to pay for it who is the pharmacist to tell me I can't have it? Me thinks someone has MD envy

 

[Heidict]

She has her rules to follow as well.

Rules? It doesn't sound like a rule. The other pharmacist did it with no problem and she said it was based on the manufactures recommendation, not the rules or policy of the store.

If her doctor felt it was appropriate to write a script for that quantity, then the pharmacist needs to do their job and fill it.

I have run into some problems with our local CVS also. Refusing to fill prescriptions for reasons never made any sense and I just took the script to another pharmacy and got it filled with no problem.

We switched pharmacies, now we have no problems. I'm sure my few scripts a year won't put them out of business, but if they keep doing this type of thing, they are going to run off their customers.

 

[happygirl]

Is that actually one of her rules though, or just something she feels is the right thing to do?

I'd be livid OP, if my doc wants me to have XYZ, and my insurance agrees to pay for it who is the pharmacist to tell me I can't have it? Me thinks someone has MD envy

i would think it an CVS rule. If not I don't think she will be keeping her job very long

 

[Heidict]

i would think it an CVS rule. If not I don't think she will be keeping her job very long

Then how come the other CVS pharmacist did it with no problem?

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

If the pharmacist truly had a problem dispensing the prescription as written, he/she should have called the doctor's office to clarify that's how it was to be filled. The pharmacist should not have taken it upon himself/herself to practice medicine and change the script.

 

[babyrich]

Why not just have the doctor call the pharmacist and say its ok?

 

[Hannathy]

I'm curious how you are getting 20? As far as I know it comes in blister packs of 9. Is that the problem? They have no way of giving you 20.

I've never gotten this in anything but the blister packs of 9

 

[cmwade77]

We have had issues with CVS's pharmacy, as well as Walgreens but have never had an issue with Target, so I definitely think you need to find the right pharmacy to fit your needs. In our case, it boils down to cost of my Wife's medicine, as she gets health care at here school, but it doesn't cover medicine. So Target offers the best deals on the medicine that she takes.

Again, it's got to be what works for you and your family and even with insurance, some pharmacies will try to say that there aren't generics available of certain medicines when another pharmacy will say there is or say the insurance won't cover it, etc. You have to find one that is honest as well.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I had a CVS Pharmacist give me the incorrect amount of pills that were prescribed and then she charged me 10 times more than it was supposed to cost, so I called and she was really nasty and basically called me a drug addict, it was a medication that you couldn't get addicted to anyway.

Come to find out, she was just filling in at that location. I called the store manager and discussed it with her, it was escalated to the District manager, because she wasn't even supposed to be in any of the CVS Pharmacies in his district. I don't know what she had done, but that manager was livid.

Now, I use Publix pharmacy when I need something right away, I use the mail order pharmacy, because most of my prescriptions are free that way (Tricare).

 

[Nette]

I'm curious how you are getting 20? As far as I know it comes in blister packs of 9. Is that the problem? They have no way of giving you 20.

I've never gotten this in anything but the blister packs of 9

The generic is not sold in blister packs.

CVS and some other pharmacies are being shut down as some sort of "drug crackdown". So she was probably told not to fill "unusual" prescriptions.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303302504577325750218701694.html

Still, I'd be moving my scripts too.

 

[tmarquez]

i would think it an CVS rule. If not I don't think she will be keeping her job very long

It is her own personal rule. She did fill it as written, if that was some sort of "rule" she couldn't have done that...but the note said next refill I would only get 9

I'm curious how you are getting 20? As far as I know it comes in blister packs of 9. Is that the problem? They have no way of giving you 20.

I've never gotten this in anything but the blister packs of 9

I don't know, they are loose not in a blister pack. These are the generic, maybe that is why?

 

[bumcat]

If the pharmacist truly had a problem dispensing the prescription as written, he/she should have called the doctor's office to clarify that's how it was to be filled. The pharmacist should not have taken it upon himself/herself to practice medicine and change the script.

Exactly! I take an insane amount of neurontin and express script had to call my Dr to get it approve. I did have another pharmacist express her concern but she did not interfere.

 

[Princess Dolly]

The generic is not sold in blister packs.

CVS and some other pharmacies are being shut down as some sort of "drug crackdown". So she was probably told not to fill "unusual" prescriptions.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303302504577325750218701694.html

Still, I'd be moving my scripts too.

I was going to post about that. Yep. CVS is under the miscroscope.

 

[Hannathy]

The generic is not sold in blister packs.

.

Actually they are. I have some right here and have been getting them like that for 2 years. I wish they weren't because they are a pia to get out when you have a migraine.

 

[Nette]

Actually they are. I have some right here and have been getting them like that for 2 years. I wish they weren't because they are a pia to get out when you have a migraine.

Weird. The ones I get are not in a blister pack but a regular brown bottle.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

We have had similar problems with a local CVS. My DH is on a prescription narcotic pain meds. He is disabled and has been for years. So knowing that he needs his meds and doesn't want anyone to think he is doing anything hinky, we maintain the same doctor. This might not sound like an issue but he isn't local. The doctor knows my husband and his needs... Also, only one doctor ever shows up on the prescriptions so there is no inkling of doctor shopping.

Anyway, same doctor for past 18 years. He goes every 3 months to Dr. for checkup. Picks up a hard copy prescription with the doctor's real signature every month. This is not refillable without it. Insurance company has no problem paying, every 25 days, doctor has no problem writing it. New CVS pharmacist called the doctor and questioned him telling him that my DH was filling the prescription early. Dr. told him that DH had to physically pick up the prescriptions so he knew he wasn't filling them any earlier and the insurance company wouldn't pay for them if filled too early. So, thank you very much for calling but I (the dr.) have it under control. Guess the pharmacist didn't like the doctor's response. Told my DH that the state changed the law and he could only fill every 28 days. DH said okay. Went one month to fill it at another CVS location because we were moving and he spoke to the pharmacist there. Guy looked at my DH like he was crazy and then researched it for him. Told DH that the other pharmacist lied to him outright. No new state regs and no new insurance regs. Who the hell do these people think they are?????

 

[Thumper_Man]

I guess this is just a vent, because I am switching pharmacies and while not convenient, that will solve my problem.

This is a non-narcotic migraine medication (generic Imitrex). Previously, my insurance would pay for 4 pills per copay refillable weekly. I got a new insurance last year and my Dr. decided she would write the prescription for 20 pills refillable monthly to save me a bunch on copays. The insurance company paid...no problems.

Well my CVS hired a new pharmacist and I got a note on my medication saying the pharmacist would only give me 9 pills per month as that is what the manufacturer recommends. What?! My Dr. thinks it is ok, and my insurance thinks it is ok, but you won’t fill it as written?

I called and talked to the pharmacist. She told me if I took too many I would get a “drug induced migraine” and that is a “chemical fact”. Listen lady, I go to actual Dr.’s who are specialists in their fields, I have had the same migraine’s since I was a child, I think we can manage my care.

Oh well whatever, I should have moved all of our prescriptions to the locally owned family pharmacy a long time ago anyway.

I was talking to a co-worker and she said her neighbor broke his ankle and the same CVS wouldn't fill his prescription because it was a narcotic.

As far I know, most (if not most, all) states have some type of government agency, usually a Pharmacy Board, that oversees the licensing of pharmacists and enforces the rules & regulations of dispensing prescriptions. A lot of times, you can also file complaints against a particular pharmacist and/or pharmacy with this board. I would contact them to find out what the regulations are for you particular state and see if the pharmacist was within his/her rights to limit the amount of pills that could be dispensed; or if they first have to verify with the patient's doctor on the amount prescribed.

 

[rgf207]

CVS makes me mad. I'm not sure this is just a CVS thing or if all pharmacies do this. I was on a medication and took 1 pill per day. I used to get a 90 days supply for 90 dollars. The last time I was there my dr. said I only have to take 1/2 a pill per day. Well the next time I went to pick up my prescription, I only had 45 pills in there but still got charged the same amount. I asked why I didn't get 90 pills and the pharmacist said because I only had to take 1/2 pill per day it was still a 90 day supply. So effectively i got 1/2 the medication for the same price