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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Rob L. on February 14, 2003, at 0:53:44
I have to get this off of my chest. My doctor started me on adderall 10mg 2 times a day two months ago. I go to get my third script today and decided that I didn't need to count them right away, afterall, they havn't messed up a script in the last 8 years I had been filling them there. Well I counted them but several hours after I got home(I will always count them in the parking lot of the pharmacy from now on) and this time they shorted me five and I decided to call the pharmacy. I thought they would simply be able to count their stock and realize that there were five more there than supposed to be. Well, they said that that wouldn't work for whatever reason. I talked to them with upmost caution and courtesy(knowing that many people might do this to scam the pharmacy)letting them know the best that I could that I didn't want them unless they could verify it. They told me that the pharmacist that filled them wouldn't be in until tomorrow and I would have to talk to him to see if he remembers anything or something. Sorry this is so long winded, probably an indication of my anxiety that I could have avoided just by letting the missing five go. You see, now I am afraid that by being so overally friendly and cautious about this that I have raised the pharmacy's eyebrows and they might call my doctor, this would be the worst. Also, the other pharmacist might call my house and inadvertently make significant others aware that I am taking this medication of which they are strongly against(they think that this practice by doctors is wrong). Maybe he won't call at all and this leaves me to question wether I should leave it alone at that point or not. If I do, will he call my house or my doctor at a later point? I am just kind of nervous about all this. Any comments, suggestions, reassurances, or anti-reassurances welcome.
Also, how do I let my doctor know that 10mg twice a day is not strong enough without any drug seeking stigma attached?
Thnaks much for any input,
Rob
Posted by viridis on February 14, 2003, at 3:46:27
In reply to Pharmacist miscounts Adderall; makes me nervous, posted by Rob L. on February 14, 2003, at 0:53:44
In my experience, miscounting of pills by pharmacists is quite common -- it's happened to me (in both directions) several times, and I rarely even bother to check. The best thing to do is to say when you fill the prescription that you'd like them to count the pills in front of you -- that keeps them on their toes.
BTW, you also have to watch for accidental substitution -- a friend of mine got 90 Xanax in place of 90 Xantac (for stomach problems). She was thrilled, since she has an undermedicated anxiety disorder. She (apparently) refused to return the Xanax, but got the Xantac for free anyway.
I don't trust pharmacists' counts completely, although I must say that since I've gone to mail-order, things have become much more reliable.
Posted by Phil on February 14, 2003, at 6:21:44
In reply to Re: Pharmacist miscounts Adderall; makes me nervou, posted by viridis on February 14, 2003, at 3:46:27
Schedule II drugs are closely monitored and inventoried often. Pharmacists are responsible for every pill.
If you are ever short on S II they should let you know they don't have enough because you can't just go pick up the rest. If that was the case, of course.
If you know you are right, contact the area mgr for pharmacy. They'll have loss prevention there before you can say I lost my license.Phil
Posted by jane d on February 14, 2003, at 12:22:43
In reply to Pharmacist miscounts Adderall; makes me nervous, posted by Rob L. on February 14, 2003, at 0:53:44
> I have to get this off of my chest. My doctor started me on adderall 10mg 2 times a day two months ago. I go to get my third script today and decided that I didn't need to count them right away, afterall, they havn't messed up a script in the last 8 years I had been filling them there. Well I counted them but several hours after I got home(I will always count them in the parking lot of the pharmacy from now on) and this time they shorted me five and I decided to call the pharmacy. I thought they would simply be able to count their stock and realize that there were five more there than supposed to be. Well, they said that that wouldn't work for whatever reason. I talked to them with upmost caution and courtesy(knowing that many people might do this to scam the pharmacy)letting them know the best that I could that I didn't want them unless they could verify it. They told me that the pharmacist that filled them wouldn't be in until tomorrow and I would have to talk to him to see if he remembers anything or something. Sorry this is so long winded, probably an indication of my anxiety that I could have avoided just by letting the missing five go. You see, now I am afraid that by being so overally friendly and cautious about this that I have raised the pharmacy's eyebrows and they might call my doctor, this would be the worst. Also, the other pharmacist might call my house and inadvertently make significant others aware that I am taking this medication of which they are strongly against(they think that this practice by doctors is wrong). Maybe he won't call at all and this leaves me to question wether I should leave it alone at that point or not. If I do, will he call my house or my doctor at a later point? I am just kind of nervous about all this. Any comments, suggestions, reassurances, or anti-reassurances welcome.
>
> Also, how do I let my doctor know that 10mg twice a day is not strong enough without any drug seeking stigma attached?
>
> Thnaks much for any input,
> RobRob,
What are you taking the Adderall for? Does it work well but wear off too soon or do you have the feeling that it's not working as well as it should? In either case I would think your doctor would be willing to try a higher dosage (30 mg per day is not that high) or try a different stimulant. Has this doctor given you any reason to believe he is not comfortable prescribing stimulants to you or that he would not believe you when you said the pharmacy miscounted? I know that when I got my first prescription for a scheduled drug (which was also Adderall) I was very nervous about it - after a few months I figured out that the doctor viewed it as a bit of a nuisance to do the paperwork but nothing else. He wasn't expecting me to turn around and start partying on the stuff.
I used to count pills. After years of dealing with the same pharmacy with no problems I stopped. I think they use a machine to do the counting anyway. But if you are going to start counting your drugs again don't do it in the parking lot - do it at the counter. This will not make you popular by the way. Better yet, if you really think that this could happen again at that drug store, find another store. Phil is right about the close tabs they keep on scheduled substances. If you are absolutely sure the count was wrong, and the pharmacist doesn't have an explanation when he calls, then you can report it.
Good luck with your significant other's views. You may find those views changing if you are dramatically improved by being on the medication. I think I singlehandledly converted a whole slew of people into believers when I started taking drugs.
Jane
Posted by djmmm on February 14, 2003, at 14:50:07
In reply to Pharmacist miscounts Adderall; makes me nervous, posted by Rob L. on February 14, 2003, at 0:53:44
Sounds like one of the pharm techs is skimming some pills...Im not surprised, it is adderall afterall.
Posted by noa on February 14, 2003, at 19:20:48
In reply to Re: Pharmacist miscounts Adderall; makes me nervous, posted by djmmm on February 14, 2003, at 14:50:07
My first thought was whether someone was skimming the adderalls to sell them "on the street", so to speak. Or it could be a simple counting error. I think that you probably cannot get those 5 pills this time, because you left the store. If you do count the pills, do so in the store in front of the staff, or like someone here already said, ask them to count it in front of you. And you could speak with the head pharmacist about this, to alert him/her to the problem, both for their benefit and yours. The pharmacy needs to keep better track of this med, because if you report some missing and they cannot account for the missing pills, they are in deep dooddoo. I am sure they don't want you reporting them to the pharmacy board or FDA or whoever it is that reports need to go to, and therefore, would want to get it right.
Posted by Phil on February 14, 2003, at 21:38:09
In reply to Re: Pharmacist miscounts Adderall; makes me nervous, posted by noa on February 14, 2003, at 19:20:48
It could be a counting error but I wouldn't count on it. They have a handful of drugs that 'have' to be counted right. Be a bad place to make a mistake.
So many drugs are automatically dispensed by pushing a button. Or, if all your scripts come in huge containers, they are being pulled by a robot. Life's getting weird.
It could be a mistake though. One pharmacist in Austin gave a young lady the wrong pills in the right container, the patient lost her sight. She wasn't having eye problems or even a serious health problem. Know what your pills look like and if you have any doubt..ask!
Posted by Ritch on February 14, 2003, at 23:05:18
In reply to Re: Pharmacist miscounts Adderall; makes me nervous, posted by Phil on February 14, 2003, at 21:38:09
> It could be a counting error but I wouldn't count on it. They have a handful of drugs that 'have' to be counted right. Be a bad place to make a mistake.
> So many drugs are automatically dispensed by pushing a button. Or, if all your scripts come in huge containers, they are being pulled by a robot. Life's getting weird.
> It could be a mistake though. One pharmacist in Austin gave a young lady the wrong pills in the right container, the patient lost her sight. She wasn't having eye problems or even a serious health problem. Know what your pills look like and if you have any doubt..ask!Phil, I refilled my clonazepam (generic) yesterday, and it was written for .5mg tabs 3x daily (90qty.). I only take one of those at bedtime so I don't refill it very often. Anyhow, they changed bottles and had a new labeling system that shows the pill on the side of the bottle with a description (as part of the label). Anyhow, instead of .5mg tabs I got 1.0mg tabs instead! The manufacturer is "Caraco" instead of "Mylan". They are light blue and scored with a #1 on one side and #274 on the other. Are those the right ones? I thought perhaps they ran out of the .5mg and instead of hassle with ordering cheap meds and they just gave me the 1mg instead (qty. 45). But.. they gave me a full 90 of the 1mg tabs instead. Whatever! I guess I got away with twice the medication for the same price-I ain't saying anything, but I wonder if you or anybody else can confirm these are 1mg generic clonazepam tabs? Thanks for any help!
Posted by viridis on February 15, 2003, at 1:28:25
In reply to Re: Pharmacist bungles clonazepam » Phil, posted by Ritch on February 14, 2003, at 23:05:18
Another anecdote re: pharmacy errors: a few months ago I filled a prescription for 90 Neurontin, to be taken 3X/day for 1 month. The prescription was written quite clearly, and N is not an especially controlled drug. When I got home, I found that I had 9 pills = 3 day supply (for my copay of $25). I went back to the pharmacy and pointed out the error. There was no question, because their records included all the information: 1 month supply; t.id. (= 3X/day), 90 pills prescribed; 9 pills dispensed.
They apologized and gave me the rest, but it just shows that human error can and does occur, so be vigilant.
Posted by Phil on February 15, 2003, at 14:50:44
In reply to Re: Pharmacist bungles clonazepam » Phil, posted by Ritch on February 14, 2003, at 23:05:18
I was looking for an answer to your question and went to this site. Click on mfg and check out the drug coating machine and other marvels. Really interesting.
On your question, I'd call another pharmacy and say your 1 mg pills are different and ask that they verify what they are. I can't find photos yet. Hey, you gotta deal.
I've had good luck with the Mylan, hopefully this other G is good.
Posted by noa on February 15, 2003, at 15:28:01
In reply to Here's how our pills are manufactured..Mitch, posted by Phil on February 15, 2003, at 14:50:44
Once, I went to fill a scrip for regular adderall. The drug store was chaotic, so I left it and went to do errands and came back well after the time they said it would be ready. But still, had to wait another hour after that. There were a lot of very unhappy people in the pharmacy waiting area.
Anyway, I finally got called to get my scrip. I purchased it, then before I got out of the store, I opened it to take one, since I hadn't had my dose that day. Well, lo and behold, instead of 30 medium blue pills, there were about 200 tiny white ones. I went back to the counter.
The first response of the clerk was that it was the correct prescription, and maybe it was the generic and I just didn't know what the generic looked like. I explained that adderall had no generic. She tried a couple of other lame attempts to brush me off, trying to get me to believe I had the right scrip, so I asked to see the pharmacist. I waited yet another interminable amount of time, and then the pharmacist came and looked into the bottle and blanched. She corrected the problem, brought me my adderall, and apologized profusely. Out of curiosity, I asked what the little white pills had been. Can you guess? Only one of the most abused substances in this country: oxyconton.
Well, of course, I was rather miffed. With all the hassle of getting new paper scrips for my adderall every 30 days, here this pharmacy goes and makes an error like that, loosely handing me a boatload of oxycontin. (Is oxycontin a controlled substance, btw?)
BTW, soon after that, I read in Newsweek that these were going for $80/pill, so if I had had such an inclination, which I don't, of course, think of the windfall I coulda made!! LOL
Anyway, after that, I started checking my scrips to see if the pills were the right ones. I did not start counting them, though. Some of my scrips are very large--90 days worth of pills, at 3 or 4 a day, so it would be cumbersome. Anyway, since I have been using a better pharmacy lately, I feel pretty confident that they are getting it right.
Posted by Ritch on February 15, 2003, at 22:43:50
In reply to Here's how our pills are manufactured..Mitch, posted by Phil on February 15, 2003, at 14:50:44
> http://www.sunpharma.com
>
> I was looking for an answer to your question and went to this site. Click on mfg and check out the drug coating machine and other marvels. Really interesting.
> On your question, I'd call another pharmacy and say your 1 mg pills are different and ask that they verify what they are. I can't find photos yet. Hey, you gotta deal.
> I've had good luck with the Mylan, hopefully this other G is good.Thanks Phil,
That was interesting! I just popped a whole tab last night just to see what would happen and I did sleep later than usual and felt the usual 'dah' feeling of too much clonazepam. So, I will just take 1/2 tabs of this batch to compensate and save some money, thanks!
Posted by Ritch on February 15, 2003, at 22:55:48
In reply to Re: Here's how our pills are manufactured..Mitch, posted by noa on February 15, 2003, at 15:28:01
> Once, I went to fill a scrip for regular adderall. The drug store was chaotic, so I left it and went to do errands and came back well after the time they said it would be ready. But still, had to wait another hour after that. There were a lot of very unhappy people in the pharmacy waiting area.
>
> Anyway, I finally got called to get my scrip. I purchased it, then before I got out of the store, I opened it to take one, since I hadn't had my dose that day. Well, lo and behold, instead of 30 medium blue pills, there were about 200 tiny white ones. I went back to the counter.
>
> The first response of the clerk was that it was the correct prescription, and maybe it was the generic and I just didn't know what the generic looked like. I explained that adderall had no generic. She tried a couple of other lame attempts to brush me off, trying to get me to believe I had the right scrip, so I asked to see the pharmacist. I waited yet another interminable amount of time, and then the pharmacist came and looked into the bottle and blanched. She corrected the problem, brought me my adderall, and apologized profusely. Out of curiosity, I asked what the little white pills had been. Can you guess? Only one of the most abused substances in this country: oxyconton.
>
> Well, of course, I was rather miffed. With all the hassle of getting new paper scrips for my adderall every 30 days, here this pharmacy goes and makes an error like that, loosely handing me a boatload of oxycontin. (Is oxycontin a controlled substance, btw?)
>
> BTW, soon after that, I read in Newsweek that these were going for $80/pill, so if I had had such an inclination, which I don't, of course, think of the windfall I coulda made!! LOL
>
> Anyway, after that, I started checking my scrips to see if the pills were the right ones. I did not start counting them, though. Some of my scrips are very large--90 days worth of pills, at 3 or 4 a day, so it would be cumbersome. Anyway, since I have been using a better pharmacy lately, I feel pretty confident that they are getting it right.Geez, all this does give me the creeps! They do have the generic Adderall that isn't made by Shire (I got those last time-the *oval* medium blue tabs). Oxycontin? I wonder if a new ploy for pharms to scam meds is to make "mistakes"? OTOH, they *are* VERY busy clicking those pills into containers behind the counters. TOO much competition to stay on insurer's lists driving them to screw up to stay competitive? The dangerous side of this: My brother has to take a diuretic to prevent water buildup around his heart and he filled his diuretic and brought it home and took it and nearly passed out. They had given him a hypertension med by mistake. He called his doctor and they told him to go to the ER if his heart rate dropped below 50. The pharmacy wanted the meds back and my siter-in-law wouldn't give them back.
Posted by noa on February 16, 2003, at 19:00:34
In reply to Re: Here's how our pills can be bungled..Mitch » noa, posted by Ritch on February 15, 2003, at 22:55:48
Were those medium blue pills generic? Why was it labeled "Adderall" then?
Now I take the XR, so I can't check on the scrip label for the blue onees.
Interestingly, recently at my GP, he was writing out my scrip for Cytomel, which in name-brand, and we looked in the 2002 PDR, and the picture in there of the 25 mcg. pill was different than what I have taken for 7 years! OTOH, the 50 mcg. pill looked exactly like what I've been taking for 7 years. I think it was actually a mistake in the book, though, because I have had this scrip filled over and over and by a number of pharmacies over the years, and all of them look like this and all of them say "25 mcg." on the label. In any event, it has been working!
About your brother--how insensitive can the pharmacy be? Instead of talking to your family about getting back the meds, they should be on the phone with their attorneys, no? Or maybe it was the attorneys who told them to get the meds back, so your family would have no evidence.
I just thought of another mistake that happened to me. I filled my adderall a few years ago, then opened them and they were purple--ie, 20 mg instead of 10 mg. I called the pharmacy and spoke with the pharmacist who had filled it, and he was very upset and asked me to bring it back asap. I asked couldn't I just break them in half and benefit from the fact that the supply would last longer (I was actually serious, though I kind of knew what the answer would be) but he begged me to bring them back. I had found this particular pharmacist particularly helpful on a number of occasions, so I didn't want him to get in trouble. Heck, I would have brought them back anyway, no matter who the pharmacist was. (I called the pharmacy to report it, didn't I?).
Posted by Ritch on February 17, 2003, at 20:58:05
In reply to Re: Generic Adderall?, posted by noa on February 16, 2003, at 19:00:34
> Were those medium blue pills generic? Why was it labeled "Adderall" then?
Hi Noa, they weren't labeled Adderall. They were labeled "AMPHETAMINE TAB 5MG". But they were supposed to be composed of the same 4 salts that Adderall is composed of. They seemed to be the same, but dividing the tablets proved dicey. They tended to crumble really easy. Adderall cracked in half very easily and cleanly. Not taking any stims now though.
>
> Now I take the XR, so I can't check on the scrip label for the blue onees.
>
> Interestingly, recently at my GP, he was writing out my scrip for Cytomel, which in name-brand, and we looked in the 2002 PDR, and the picture in there of the 25 mcg. pill was different than what I have taken for 7 years! OTOH, the 50 mcg. pill looked exactly like what I've been taking for 7 years. I think it was actually a mistake in the book, though, because I have had this scrip filled over and over and by a number of pharmacies over the years, and all of them look like this and all of them say "25 mcg." on the label. In any event, it has been working!It sounds like it is the right stuff-although that book would set me to wondering a little.
>
> About your brother--how insensitive can the pharmacy be? Instead of talking to your family about getting back the meds, they should be on the phone with their attorneys, no? Or maybe it was the attorneys who told them to get the meds back, so your family would have no evidence.That's what my sister-in-law thought. That's why she wouldn't give them back the wrong medication bottle. I don't think they are suing or anything like that (my brother is fine), they just wanted to make the pharmacy paranoid!
>
> I just thought of another mistake that happened to me. I filled my adderall a few years ago, then opened them and they were purple--ie, 20 mg instead of 10 mg. I called the pharmacy and spoke with the pharmacist who had filled it, and he was very upset and asked me to bring it back asap. I asked couldn't I just break them in half and benefit from the fact that the supply would last longer (I was actually serious, though I kind of knew what the answer would be) but he begged me to bring them back. I had found this particular pharmacist particularly helpful on a number of occasions, so I didn't want him to get in trouble. Heck, I would have brought them back anyway, no matter who the pharmacist was. (I called the pharmacy to report it, didn't I?).He was really worried because they would probably show a shortage when inventory was done. That's probably what would happen with my clonazepam goof. But, I REALLY wonder if my pharmacist didn't have the .5mg tabs and didn't care to give me the 1.0 mg "by mistake". Hey, at $2 a fill he would probably rather have me have more medication rather than less-that way he doesn't waste his time filling it very often! :)
Posted by noa on February 18, 2003, at 10:37:15
In reply to Re: Generic Adderall? » noa, posted by Ritch on February 17, 2003, at 20:58:05
Glad to hear your brother is ok.
I guess the blue pills I had were Adderall, not a generic. Yes, they split cleanly. Now I take the XR, which is better for me.
This is the end of the thread.
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