I just want what I paid for!
Do you have regular prescription medication that you have to get each month? If so, do you ever get down to the end of that bottle and realize you were cheated out of a pill or two? This seems to happen to me every single freaking month.
I have some medication where two pills are taken each day, which means that 60 pills are in a bottle for one month. Apparently people employed in pharmacies do not know how to count all the way up to 60. I know, it is a big number and they do not have that many fingers and toes, so maybe it is a bit much to ask. There have been countless months when I have gotten down and only had one little pill left. And at that point you can’t go back and complain. Besides, from what I have read about similar experiences from other bloggers they just treat you like a druggie - like you are lying and just want more pills without paying for them. Idiots.
And counting out 60 pills at the counter before leaving is not exactly practical. However, when my Cobra insurance is up and I have to pay for those per pill I just might take to counting them out.
The first time it happened was at a CVS pharmacy. It was annoying, but I chalked it up to a mistake. This was my first time at this pharmacy though, so who knows. When it happened again the next month I switched to a Target pharmacy. It’s happened there too. And there is a limit on how many times you can transfer your prescription (why?) in this state so I am stuck.
Is it too much to ask for what I paid for from the pharmacy? I’ve just been getting the prescription filled a day early so that I would not go without. And wouldn’t you know that the uneven number of pills had evened out. Till now. I am supposed to have 4 days left but I am one pill short - again. Thank you Target pharmacy.
May 10th, 2008 at 11:03 am
This might be the most ridiculous thing to suggest - but I’ve also been in your position where my medications were lacking a couple pills. I generally notice when it’s supposed to be an even number and it’s an odd number. Anyway, my pharmacy isn’t so bad about it - but they’re not a chain. I think that they care more about keeping your business?
Anyway, what I was going to suggest is again, a little silly, but probably less bothersome than counting all the pills. Assuming you can actually get a prescription that has the correct amount of pills in it (and that they consistently give you the same packaging for the pills) that you might consider getting them to weigh it in front of you. Because they do have scales that will show small differences - it would probably be off if the correct amount of pills weren’t in there.
It does seem a little far fetched, but it’s your money and your medication and you deserve to be getting what you paid for, and to be getting the amount of medication that you were prescribed. The only time it should ever be off is when they don’t have enough pills to fill it that day, in which case they should give you what they have, make a note of it, and either tell you when you can pick up the difference or have them call you when they have the difference ready. I get quite frustrated when medical health professionals of any sorts take advantage of people. Oh, and if it is ever just one pharmacy that is continually doing this and you have confronted them about it - you may consider reporting them. For a lot of medications, there is simply no reason to be concerned about stepping up and saying - I didn’t get what my doctor prescribed - I’m missing x number of pills. If it is less than five, they really shouldn’t be looking at you like you are an addict, if it is more than five - well then they really need to learn how to count.
Sorry, that was rather long winded of me..