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no offense to any hexbear pharmacists out there but i've never met a smart pharmacist (hexbear.net)

submitted 8 months ago by abc@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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vyvanse prescription has been delayed for 3 weeks now. i am a patient, yet severely ADHD soul, so I figure "oh it's probably just delayed because they're out of stock" and go about my business since I had about a week left (thanks to me completely forgetting to take it like 30% of the time).

wake up this morning and realize I am taking the last one I have. Not good, I think, because next week is especially busy at work. So I take an early lunch break at 9:30 and drive out to Walgreens to see if maybe, somehow, I've just completely missed the "your prescription's ready" call and texts.

Pharmacist asks me what I'm looking for. "My vyvanse prescription, it was placed on the 24th. My name is ABC and DOB is..."

Tappity-tap-tap on their computer. They glance up and narrow their eyes at me like I'm asking them to hack into the NSA's secure amphetamine database. Tappity-tap-tap.

"You're picking up a vyvanse prescription?? For whom??"

Uh, myself...? Here's my license.

"Hm..I'm not finding it, let me ask the head pharmacist to take a look."

30 minutes go by. The Head Pharmacist finally comes out and asks for my license for the second time. "The other pharmacist literally copied it down on the clipboard before they went to find you." I say as I fish it out of my wallet. They blink and look at the clipboard.

"Oh..huh. You're right they did."

Now I'm somewhat irritated as I hand them my license again. He looks at it, realizes it is exactly the same as what the sheet says, and hands it back to me.

"So umm.....it looks like the generic lisdexamfetamine is backordered which is why we haven't filled it yet."

This wouldn't be a shock except for the fact that I don't get the fucking generic. So immediately my response is "Well, my insurance covers the brandname 100% and I don't even get the generic so...are you saying the brand-name is also backordered and you cannot fill it??"

shocked-pikachu "No, we can fill it if you want the brand name medication!!"

"So why did y'all not fill it for 3 weeks if literally every other time I've filled this prescription through you, I've received the brand name medication??"

"...Because the generic is back-ordered sir..."

?????????? What the fuck are you talking about. It sounds like you just tossed my prescription into the "backordered" pile whenever it came in and didn't realize it wasn't actually a backordered medication until I came in. Thank you for wasting my entire hour lunch-break!!

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[-] putridfairytale@hexbear.net 26 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

None taken.

Sorry you had to deal with this, and that your local indie shop is fucked too. Don't know if it would help at all but next time consider asking if your provider would notate on the prescription "BRAND NAME MEDICALLY NECESSARY," or since this is likely an electronic Rx, check the field for NO SUBSTITUTIONS to hedge against Walgreen's system autosubbing for the generic. Depending on your state law (assuming you're in US) there may be a different phrase or method for forcing the pharmacy to fill brand name.

Second, I didn't come here to defend these guys or tell you not to trust your lying eyes. I'm just gonna paste what I wrote in the White House Pharmacy thread the other day. this was in response to someone asking how retail pharmacists aren't just glorified pez dispensers:

more serious note though, the extent to which people unironically say this about pharmacy is a key example of how for-profit healthcare and capitalism in general has corrupted the profession IMO. medicine, just like all health care should be free for all and healthcare workers should treat people with dignity and respect and should themselves be able to work their profession with dignity... if it looks like the pharmacist is a useless gatekeeper just counting pills all day that's because that's the extent to which the profession has been degraded. there's still important work being done behind the scenes but the amount of corporate BS far outweighs it. trust me most of them hate it too, even if they lack the awareness to see where the problem truly is. there are some scumbags but most of them know they should be making sure that people get the medicine they need safely, and not answering to CVS or Walgreens' bottom lines.

[-] abc@hexbear.net 17 points 8 months ago

rat-salute-2 Thank you for your service, don't mind my pre-lunch rage. I do know in my heart that most pharmacists worldwide are doing a underappreciated service and often going far for their customers, so I am sorry for disparaging the profession when I'm really mad at what capitalism has wrought.

[-] putridfairytale@hexbear.net 11 points 8 months ago

Lol you're all good, there was a time in my life when I used to get pissy when people would say that, and I'd go WELL AKCHUALLY and proceed to tell them at great length how they just don't get it... super cringe shit tbh.

Corporate retail pharmacy is a fucking dumpster fire for all parties involved... patients are #1 but it sucks shit for providers and pharmacy staff too. Everyone except the C-suites and shareholders. No harm in pointing it out.

[-] nabana@hexbear.net 6 points 8 months ago

As a severely ADHD person in this thread trying to balance "These are also exploited laborers" good takes while not flying off the rails at the "Well ackshually cops need more money if you don't want them shooting innocent's sweaty" takes, thank you for knowing this and saying this and I love you and I hope we can destroy for-profit medicine real fucking soon.