The pharmacists at a San Francisco Walgreens store wouldn’t speak on camera, but told KPIX 5’s Cate Cauguiran they are so strapped for the prescription medication Promethazine, which contains codeine, that they have been rationing it out to patients…
Day: 02/02/2015
5/15/2011, Will the family doctor replace bin Laden on the FBI’s most wanted list?
Prescription Painkillers: The Dream Police Return
The federal government now has a comprehensive strategy, focusing on the abuse of opioids such as oxycodone and morphine, and aspiring to reduce such drug abuse by 15% in the next 5 years…
10/13/2013, Backlash Against Walgreens’ Painkiller Crackdown
US Representative Michelle L. Grisham, a Democrat from New Mexico and a former secretary of health in that state, is also worried that the Walgreens’ policy “is endangering the health and safety of patients by delaying the filling of opiate prescriptions.” The policy may force patients “to go to multiple pharmacies to fill prescriptions, which could put patients in jeopardy with state Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, she said in a letter (link is external) to the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy.
In a telephone conversation, Grisham went further: Walgreens “policy is very over-reaching..[they] are vilifying the patient, which is outrageous.”
12/22/2014, Walgreens Expands Its “Good Faith Dispensing” Policy
http://blog.massmed.org/index.php/2014/12/walgreens-expands-its-good-faith-dispensing-policy/
The DEA has also been visiting states nationwide and presenting an intense power point lecture to help train pharmacists and remind them of their corresponding duty under federal regulations to ensure that each prescription for a controlled substance is issued for a legitimate medical purpose by each individual prescriber. In response, Walgreens revised its policy on good faith dispensing of controlled substances, using in part “red flags” as determined by the DEA…
Red Flags of Illicit Use, Doctor Shopping, and Diversion of Controlled Substances…
If you or your patients have difficulties filling prescriptions for controlled substances at any pharmacy please contact the MMS Physician Practice Resource Center at (781)434-7702 or pprc@mms.org.
10/21/2014, Has Walgreens changed prescription policy for some? (FL)
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/health/2014/10/21/walgreens-prescription-policy/17681239/
Greenberg said the pharmacist told her she needs a script from a psychiatrist. The question is why? “I am just an adult with ADHD trying to get my medication,” she said.
Ricketson uses another Walgreens pharmacy. Seven days ago he tried to get his pain prescription filled, and it was put on hold… He said he has been a Walgreens customer 15 years and has never had this happened before…
4/22/2013, Treated like a criminal at Pharmacy
http://walgreens.pissedconsumer.com/treated-like-a-criminal-at-pharmacy-20130422402537.html
She failed to explain to me clearly as to why I was being treated like a criminal and banned from Walgreens for life apparently. When asked for further explanation, she said that new state enforcement rules prevent me from filling that script at this time. I asked if there was anything I can do or anyone I can contact to resolve the issue. I was told there was nothing I can do…
Save yourself a headache and use a Pharmacy other than Walgreens. In Colorado, I recommend King Soopers, Safeway or Rite-Aid.Thanks for taking the time to read my post.
marcat929 Nov 16, 2013 Loveland, Colorado
I had this very thing happen to me in augustaugust at walgreens, so I went to king soopers as you did. Had no problems until today, November 16, I was told by kingsooper pharmacist that they would no longer fill my prescriptions because my diagnosis didn’t warrant the use of the narcotics I was prescribed!
1/8/2015, Robber threatens pharmacist with gun, demands pain pills (IA)
According to the police report, the Walgreens Pharmacy has been robbed several times within the past six months.
CVS/caremark will manage prescriptions in 2015
CVS/caremark replaces Express Scripts… To make the transition as easy as possible, CVS/caremark and GEHA will be sending important information in the mail on how to transition your current maintenance medications over to CVS/caremark…
Physician Suicide
http://www.idealmedicalcare.org/blog/physician-suicide-101-secrets-lies-solutions/
The fact is each year we lose over 400 doctors to suicide—that’s like an entire medical school gone. I lost both men I dated in med school to suicide. In my town, in just over a year, we lost 3 doctors to suicide. One doc in town lost 7 colleagues to suicide! (In what other profession, can you lose 7 colleagues to suicide?!) This year over 1 million Americans will lose their doctors to suicide…
Greg was the only one in his family who struggled with anxiety, depression, and alcohol. After an outpatient program his third year of med school, he was sober until his second year of residency. A brilliant clinician, never impaired at work, but a Physicians Health Program (PHP) mandated a 90-day treatment facility 300 miles away, where Greg felt marginalized, belittled and was 3 months behind in completing residency. He felt if he were a banker or lawyer he wouldn’t have this forced upon him. He hid his depression and substance abuse and carried a lot of shame. Just 24 hours before his death (he had relapsed), he met with his psychiatrist who arranged admission at a local rehab facility. Greg notified the PHP who held the keys to his license. They disagreed with his psychiatrist’s safety plan. Greg felt humiliated, cornered, and killed himself…
Project ECHO in Arizona
http://www.ipcaz.org/long-term-effects-untreated-chronic-pain/
The Long-Term Effects of Untreated Chronic Pain
After a while, pain wears a person down, draining their energy and sapping their motivation. They sometimes attempt to limit social contact in an effort to reduce stress and to decrease the amount of energy they have to spend reacting to their environment. Eventually, many people with chronic pain develop depression-like symptoms: lack of interpersonal interaction, difficulty concentrating on simple tasks, and the desire to simplify their life as much as possible, which often manifests as seeking isolation and quiet. Sleeping often makes the pain less intrusive, and that combined with the exhaustion that pain induces means that it isn’t uncommon for a person to start sleeping upwards of ten hours a day.
Sounds like heaven.
Some recent studies have also shown that chronic pain can actually affect a person’s brain chemistry and even change the wiring of the nervous system. Cells in the spinal cord and brain of a person with chronic pain, especially in the section of the brain that processes emotion, deteriorate more quickly than normal, exacerbating many of the depression-like symptoms. It becomes physically more difficult for people with chronic pain to process multiple things at once and react to ongoing changes in their environment, limiting their ability to focus even more. Sleep also becomes difficult, because the section of the brain that regulates sense-data also regulates the sleep cycle. This regulator becomes smaller from reacting to the pain, making falling asleep more difficult for people with chronic pain…
Voices of patients
http://www.medschat.com/Discuss/Oxycodone/
I have caught cvs and other pharmacies lying about not having oxycodone is stock, shortage 2012: Well today I officially caught a cvs here in Ga lie to me. A friend of mine filled his Meds yesterday. I go in, having a history with cvs, a recent one, and am immediately lied to. The pharmacist comes over and tells me they haven’t had them in stock for months, without looking at his book or computer…
doctors who prescribe oxycodone in long island: I had a dr who was prescribing me 150 30mg roxycodone every month. He decided the past month that he no longer is writing them and is only writing subs…
Walgreens And Cvs Are Not Carrying Oxycodone 30 Mg In Tampa Fl Pharmacys Filling Them For Cash Arrghhh: Walgreens and Cvs in Tampa FL are not carrying oxycodone or dilaudid. Most pharmacys will fill for cash. I am disgusted. ## Walgreens pharmacy manager just told me that they will only fill opiate perscriptions from pain management dr’s for a maximum of 6 months…
Doctors Willing To Prescribe Heavy Pain Medication In Colorado: I have a serious problem. My dr. had two patients start dr. shopping and has decided it is too big of a pain in his butt to continue prescribing, even though I have gotten MRIs and Xrays to prove my problems…
MaC686 Says: The last pain management doc that I went into said right off the bat “Oh you’re way too young to be on this stuff, you need to get on Suboxone to get off of this stuff.”
Pharmacy to fill 30mg oxycodone in/near Los Angeles: Hi, I’m a chronic pain patient and have been taking this medication for about 4 months, but this last time I have not been able to find any pharmacy to fill my prescription at. Is there anyone who knows a pharmacy in or around los angeles or neighboring cities that will fill an rx for 60 30mg oxycodone? I can’t drive around and shop store to store since the pain I am in prohibits me from doing so. I’ve been to about 20 places without luck. Any help would be very much appreciated, thank you! ## I need a pain doctor in Phoenix. I just found out all the pain. management places are really rehab’s so I don’t go to them. I’m not a criminal, I’ve been a regular patient for 4 years. My pain med doc just up and dumped me…
It looks like doctors are beginning to choose Suboxone to treat pain… (See “What does the future look like for pain patients?”)
All Things Chronic 