Complaint Review: Target Stores - Euless Texas

This happened to me once at Target and I called them and they checked and realized their mistake and had them ready for me to pick up the next day on my way home from work - no problem!

I've worked retail before, and mostly worked in very close proximity to Pharmacies in two different stores. I've seen what happens when suspected addicts come in with forged presciptions, claims of missing pills, and attempts at double refills. It's usually not a pretty scene. Sometimes it even gets violent (saw a 100 pound girl punched by a bohemoth of a man once). In your original post, you say: "I returned to the pharmacy with the prescription and demanded my 11 pills. The pharmacist counted the pills (then 67 since I needed to take 2) and returned them to me. I asked how many there were, she told me 67. I told her that I took 2 and would like the missing 11. These are hydrocodone 7.5 pills. I demanded that they review the cameras to see where my pills went. After only 5 minutes or so (no where near enough time to review the cameras and find out) they returned and told me that there were 80 dispensed." Now, if I were going in to correct a mistake involving one of, if not THE most, widely abused addictive medications in America, I would certainly not want to DEMAND anything. I would treat the human beings on the other side of the counter with dignity and respect until they refused to do the same for me. I would realize that, being a controlled substance, they would be breaking the law and risking jail time if they just handed me even one pill, let alone 11. Screaming or being even REMOTELY hostile at a pharmacy is like threatening a bank teller: you'd better EXPECT security to show up, and QUICK. Had you remained calm, you still wouldn't have gotten the pills, but security probably wouldn't have gotten involved, and your case would look alot better. Now, knowing what I would do, I imagine being in the type of physical pain back surgery so lovingly provides, I imagine having to go BACK to the pharmacy (getting in and out of vehicles is fun, yes?), and imagine how completely frustrated and angry I would be. Hell, I might've actually thrown something. Lucky for me, hindsight is 20/20. All you can really do is chalk it up to I-don't-know-what and move on. Maybe switch pharmacies. But most importantly, get better and feel better and put those pills down as soon as possible!

I've worked retail before, and mostly worked in very close proximity to Pharmacies in two different stores. I've seen what happens when suspected addicts come in with forged presciptions, claims of missing pills, and attempts at double refills. It's usually not a pretty scene. Sometimes it even gets violent (saw a 100 pound girl punched by a bohemoth of a man once). In your original post, you say: "I returned to the pharmacy with the prescription and demanded my 11 pills. The pharmacist counted the pills (then 67 since I needed to take 2) and returned them to me. I asked how many there were, she told me 67. I told her that I took 2 and would like the missing 11. These are hydrocodone 7.5 pills. I demanded that they review the cameras to see where my pills went. After only 5 minutes or so (no where near enough time to review the cameras and find out) they returned and told me that there were 80 dispensed." Now, if I were going in to correct a mistake involving one of, if not THE most, widely abused addictive medications in America, I would certainly not want to DEMAND anything. I would treat the human beings on the other side of the counter with dignity and respect until they refused to do the same for me. I would realize that, being a controlled substance, they would be breaking the law and risking jail time if they just handed me even one pill, let alone 11. Screaming or being even REMOTELY hostile at a pharmacy is like threatening a bank teller: you'd better EXPECT security to show up, and QUICK. Had you remained calm, you still wouldn't have gotten the pills, but security probably wouldn't have gotten involved, and your case would look alot better. Now, knowing what I would do, I imagine being in the type of physical pain back surgery so lovingly provides, I imagine having to go BACK to the pharmacy (getting in and out of vehicles is fun, yes?), and imagine how completely frustrated and angry I would be. Hell, I might've actually thrown something. Lucky for me, hindsight is 20/20. All you can really do is chalk it up to I-don't-know-what and move on. Maybe switch pharmacies. But most importantly, get better and feel better and put those pills down as soon as possible!

I've worked retail before, and mostly worked in very close proximity to Pharmacies in two different stores. I've seen what happens when suspected addicts come in with forged presciptions, claims of missing pills, and attempts at double refills. It's usually not a pretty scene. Sometimes it even gets violent (saw a 100 pound girl punched by a bohemoth of a man once). In your original post, you say: "I returned to the pharmacy with the prescription and demanded my 11 pills. The pharmacist counted the pills (then 67 since I needed to take 2) and returned them to me. I asked how many there were, she told me 67. I told her that I took 2 and would like the missing 11. These are hydrocodone 7.5 pills. I demanded that they review the cameras to see where my pills went. After only 5 minutes or so (no where near enough time to review the cameras and find out) they returned and told me that there were 80 dispensed." Now, if I were going in to correct a mistake involving one of, if not THE most, widely abused addictive medications in America, I would certainly not want to DEMAND anything. I would treat the human beings on the other side of the counter with dignity and respect until they refused to do the same for me. I would realize that, being a controlled substance, they would be breaking the law and risking jail time if they just handed me even one pill, let alone 11. Screaming or being even REMOTELY hostile at a pharmacy is like threatening a bank teller: you'd better EXPECT security to show up, and QUICK. Had you remained calm, you still wouldn't have gotten the pills, but security probably wouldn't have gotten involved, and your case would look alot better. Now, knowing what I would do, I imagine being in the type of physical pain back surgery so lovingly provides, I imagine having to go BACK to the pharmacy (getting in and out of vehicles is fun, yes?), and imagine how completely frustrated and angry I would be. Hell, I might've actually thrown something. Lucky for me, hindsight is 20/20. All you can really do is chalk it up to I-don't-know-what and move on. Maybe switch pharmacies. But most importantly, get better and feel better and put those pills down as soon as possible!

I've worked retail before, and mostly worked in very close proximity to Pharmacies in two different stores. I've seen what happens when suspected addicts come in with forged presciptions, claims of missing pills, and attempts at double refills. It's usually not a pretty scene. Sometimes it even gets violent (saw a 100 pound girl punched by a bohemoth of a man once). In your original post, you say: "I returned to the pharmacy with the prescription and demanded my 11 pills. The pharmacist counted the pills (then 67 since I needed to take 2) and returned them to me. I asked how many there were, she told me 67. I told her that I took 2 and would like the missing 11. These are hydrocodone 7.5 pills. I demanded that they review the cameras to see where my pills went. After only 5 minutes or so (no where near enough time to review the cameras and find out) they returned and told me that there were 80 dispensed." Now, if I were going in to correct a mistake involving one of, if not THE most, widely abused addictive medications in America, I would certainly not want to DEMAND anything. I would treat the human beings on the other side of the counter with dignity and respect until they refused to do the same for me. I would realize that, being a controlled substance, they would be breaking the law and risking jail time if they just handed me even one pill, let alone 11. Screaming or being even REMOTELY hostile at a pharmacy is like threatening a bank teller: you'd better EXPECT security to show up, and QUICK. Had you remained calm, you still wouldn't have gotten the pills, but security probably wouldn't have gotten involved, and your case would look alot better. Now, knowing what I would do, I imagine being in the type of physical pain back surgery so lovingly provides, I imagine having to go BACK to the pharmacy (getting in and out of vehicles is fun, yes?), and imagine how completely frustrated and angry I would be. Hell, I might've actually thrown something. Lucky for me, hindsight is 20/20. All you can really do is chalk it up to I-don't-know-what and move on. Maybe switch pharmacies. But most importantly, get better and feel better and put those pills down as soon as possible!

Guys, Ask yourselves this logical question: If he stole the pills, why would he come on this site to blame the pharmacy? Target is not some mom-and-pop shop whose business is going to suffer if he writes a report on it. So what reason would he have to post this report if it were untrue? How would he benefit? It's not like it would adversely affect them. Not everyone's goal in life is to post untruths on RipOff Report.

I, too, was shorted five Vicodin 5/500's by a different pharmacy so, even with double counting (if it's indeed done) it happens. Since I am a long term customer of the pharmacy, the pharmacy manager had no problem giving me the five the next day. I had several people count them for me just to make sure it wasn't me. This pharmacist also knows that I've never called him with this problem before so he knew I wasn't trying to scam him out of them. Too all those who say that 80 pills are too many for the OP to be given. Until you've suffered from chronic pain, you can't say that. Here in NY state, you can get 150 pills per month of Vicodin 7/750's and 180 of 5/500's. That's a 30 day supply, 5 max per day of the 7's and 6 max per day of the 5's. Due to a degenerative bone disease (osteonecrosis aka bone death), I presently take Percocet 7/500's, max 6 per day, prescribed at 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours as needed for pain. The main reason for the max is not the narcoctic content but the tylenol content. The maximum amount of tylenol recommended per day is 4 grains, 4000 mg. This is regulated by the state (New York) and can vary state by state. Since I'm recovering from my most recent surgery, I'm slowly cutting down on the amount of painkillers I take per day and will stop them soon. I've had 7 surgeries in 14 years. I take painkillers when I need them and stop, by weaning myself off them, when I don't need them. There are so many chronic pain patients who can't get the relief they need because of this country's archaic views on narcotics. Please don't assume that everyone who needs to take narcotics will become addicted to them. Studies have shown that this is just not true. What they do become is tolerant of them and need higher doses.

I, too, was shorted five Vicodin 5/500's by a different pharmacy so, even with double counting (if it's indeed done) it happens. Since I am a long term customer of the pharmacy, the pharmacy manager had no problem giving me the five the next day. I had several people count them for me just to make sure it wasn't me. This pharmacist also knows that I've never called him with this problem before so he knew I wasn't trying to scam him out of them. Too all those who say that 80 pills are too many for the OP to be given. Until you've suffered from chronic pain, you can't say that. Here in NY state, you can get 150 pills per month of Vicodin 7/750's and 180 of 5/500's. That's a 30 day supply, 5 max per day of the 7's and 6 max per day of the 5's. Due to a degenerative bone disease (osteonecrosis aka bone death), I presently take Percocet 7/500's, max 6 per day, prescribed at 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours as needed for pain. The main reason for the max is not the narcoctic content but the tylenol content. The maximum amount of tylenol recommended per day is 4 grains, 4000 mg. This is regulated by the state (New York) and can vary state by state. Since I'm recovering from my most recent surgery, I'm slowly cutting down on the amount of painkillers I take per day and will stop them soon. I've had 7 surgeries in 14 years. I take painkillers when I need them and stop, by weaning myself off them, when I don't need them. There are so many chronic pain patients who can't get the relief they need because of this country's archaic views on narcotics. Please don't assume that everyone who needs to take narcotics will become addicted to them. Studies have shown that this is just not true. What they do become is tolerant of them and need higher doses.

I, too, was shorted five Vicodin 5/500's by a different pharmacy so, even with double counting (if it's indeed done) it happens. Since I am a long term customer of the pharmacy, the pharmacy manager had no problem giving me the five the next day. I had several people count them for me just to make sure it wasn't me. This pharmacist also knows that I've never called him with this problem before so he knew I wasn't trying to scam him out of them. Too all those who say that 80 pills are too many for the OP to be given. Until you've suffered from chronic pain, you can't say that. Here in NY state, you can get 150 pills per month of Vicodin 7/750's and 180 of 5/500's. That's a 30 day supply, 5 max per day of the 7's and 6 max per day of the 5's. Due to a degenerative bone disease (osteonecrosis aka bone death), I presently take Percocet 7/500's, max 6 per day, prescribed at 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours as needed for pain. The main reason for the max is not the narcoctic content but the tylenol content. The maximum amount of tylenol recommended per day is 4 grains, 4000 mg. This is regulated by the state (New York) and can vary state by state. Since I'm recovering from my most recent surgery, I'm slowly cutting down on the amount of painkillers I take per day and will stop them soon. I've had 7 surgeries in 14 years. I take painkillers when I need them and stop, by weaning myself off them, when I don't need them. There are so many chronic pain patients who can't get the relief they need because of this country's archaic views on narcotics. Please don't assume that everyone who needs to take narcotics will become addicted to them. Studies have shown that this is just not true. What they do become is tolerant of them and need higher doses.

My neighbor is a good friend of mine, she is on hydrocodone as well. She gets a prescription of 90 pills, from a very good doctor. She has 2 ruptured discs in her back, and absolutely needs her medication. So it is not out of the ordinary to have a prescription of this amount. From my own experience (in my 29 years), I as well have been shorted a prescription of hydrocodone. At a different pharmacy though. Most people do not tear open their prescription bag, open the bottle, poor out all the pills and start counting in the store. In fact I've never seen anyone do that, but maybe we all should start.I knew as soon as I realized I was shorted, that there was no way I was ever going to get the pharmacy to admit fault. Especially since I had already left the store. The least I can do is tell others, that it may not be some painkiller addict trying to get extra pills.That there are some pharmacists that may be addicts or sellers as well.

I'm sure that you're confident in your response, but my prescription is from a very well respected neurologist, is for 80 pills, and is for 1 to 2 every 4 to 6 hours as needed. I usually take one every 6 if I need it, and on this particular day I was in the hospital taking some pretty rigorous tests and had only taken one six hour earlier. I'm sure it satisfies you to think that no one has enough pain to need that much medication to control pain, but it simply isn't true. By the time I took the medication I was just about in tears, and 2 is the appropriate amount in that instance. I agree that my behavior in the pharmacy may have been a little over the top, but I was frustrated and angry after a tough day of testing that a pharmacy would steal the medication that I need to function. How dare you accuse me of this. Why would I steal my own pills and then come here to blame it on a pharmacy?? The fact of the matter is that is is a valid prescription as I only see my doctor once a month or less. Before I was prescribed this medication I was in the hospital hooked up to morphine and having Valium intravenously every 6 hours after being hauled to the hospital in an ambulance screaming in pain. I'd say I've decreased my medications quite a bit, and that I use them responsibly. If I had to take 2 every 4 hours, the maximum allowable by my prescription, I would take 360 every 30 days. Taking 1 every 6 hours would be 120 pills every month. I don't see how 80 is out of the question for a guy who had to use a walker just to stand up. Do a little math before you accuse someone of being a pill junkie. I wouldn't wish my situation on anyone, but I'd consider wishing it on you.

I notified my physician immediately, and will take the advice here to notify other parties of interest. Thanks for all of the advice. Thanks also for the well wishes. I'm slowly weening myself from the medications, but the pain killers are still necessary. To give you some more background, I'm still undergoing tests to discover the root of the complications that put me back in the hospital 3 weeks after surgery and kept me there for a week. I'm feeling a bit better every day, one day at a time. I don't like taking narcotic pain killers, and supplement them with NSAIDs so I don't need to use as many. I've been on them so long now that I have withdrawal issues if I drop them completely. I can't wait to put down the pills and the cane and live like a normal person again. It just sucks that a pharmacy would rip me off and deny it so vehemently.

I notified my physician immediately, and will take the advice here to notify other parties of interest. Thanks for all of the advice. Thanks also for the well wishes. I'm slowly weening myself from the medications, but the pain killers are still necessary. To give you some more background, I'm still undergoing tests to discover the root of the complications that put me back in the hospital 3 weeks after surgery and kept me there for a week. I'm feeling a bit better every day, one day at a time. I don't like taking narcotic pain killers, and supplement them with NSAIDs so I don't need to use as many. I've been on them so long now that I have withdrawal issues if I drop them completely. I can't wait to put down the pills and the cane and live like a normal person again. It just sucks that a pharmacy would rip me off and deny it so vehemently.

I notified my physician immediately, and will take the advice here to notify other parties of interest. Thanks for all of the advice. Thanks also for the well wishes. I'm slowly weening myself from the medications, but the pain killers are still necessary. To give you some more background, I'm still undergoing tests to discover the root of the complications that put me back in the hospital 3 weeks after surgery and kept me there for a week. I'm feeling a bit better every day, one day at a time. I don't like taking narcotic pain killers, and supplement them with NSAIDs so I don't need to use as many. I've been on them so long now that I have withdrawal issues if I drop them completely. I can't wait to put down the pills and the cane and live like a normal person again. It just sucks that a pharmacy would rip me off and deny it so vehemently.

Too give you some back round of my experience, I am the medical proxy for my father who is terminally ill with cancer and now only has a few months too live. I go to the Dr with my father and discuss his medications with them, get his refill scripts and fill them at a local pharmacy. The medications are Class I, II and III narcotics. These types of medications are highly controlled substances that can be highly addictive and are known to be abused and sold by people who have direct contact with patients on the drugs. The pharmacy that I go to does not have an automatic pill counter. It is up too the pharmacist to ensure that the correct amount of medication is in the bottle. With my father's prognosis, there is a tendency for my father to forget that he has taken his medication. This will cause him to think that someone is stealing his pills under his nose. Also they types of narcotics that he is taking will make him forget and fall asleep alot. So, the pharmacist and I have come up with a great solution to the problem that has my father feeling a little more secure in knowing that he is getting the correct amount and correct dosage degree. I have created a Microsoft Office Excel spread sheet that has headers for each medication, the amount to take, when to take them and it automatically counts what is left in the bottles. I have also created a form that the pharmacist, my father and I sign each time that the medication has been refilled. Although this is not a legal document, again it makes him feel secure. There also is a high degree of narcotic abuse by the doctors who prescribe narcotics and pharmacist's and their office helpers. These 2 professions have immediate availability to the drugs and are the last people question when the issue shows up. The most blamed persons are: 1) Home Health Aides 2) Family members 3) The patient themselves I would not only switch pharmacy locations, I would also inform the insurance company that pays for them (if you do have insurance), the Attorney General office of Texas, the Drug Enforcement Agency and your physician. The reasons for this are: The pharmacy: They will always protect their employees in any discrepancy because they have a vested interest in not firing the employee. They can be sued for a lot more money than what the 11 pills cost. They also would have to start an in-house investigation, and potentially if they can not detect which one is causing the problem; fire everyone and start with a new crew. The Insurance company: The insurance company keeps track of what you are taking, what amounts and what days you have them filled. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to count 2 pills every 4 hours, total of 30 pills=6 pills a day ( using a rule of thumb that your are up for 16 hours a day and sleep for 8) They will deny a refill as being to early . The Attorney General: They have oversight of any abuses of narcotics by ANY individual. Since this is being done possbly by an inside employee and the company has bigger pockets than you or your attorney; the AG of Texas would have more power and weight in discussing prosecution of the individual The DEA: The medications are controlled by the DEA. The pharmacist and his employees are registered with the DEA. If there is a whiff of abuse, the DEA can step in and conduct their own investigation seperate from any that the pharmacy may do. This would include not only your case, but the ability to review every single prescription that has passed thru the door of the pharmacy. They also have the ability to contact the patients and their doctors. The pharmacy would not have this ability and would not even attempt to because of HIPPA laws. Your physician: When you go to the Dr after the script has run out and they figure out that your prescription should not have run out by now, they will automatically consider patient abuse. To make sure that the Dr is covered incase of a malpractice case, they will not only stop prescribing you the medication, they will put a "red flag" on your patient file that will indicate narcotics abuse. When they red flag your case file, it sticks with you for ever. Even when you switch physicians. This also could have the potential of stopping you from getting jobs in the future that require a review of your medical history by a third party that has no idea that you are having these problems. They will then switch you to NSAID's ( Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflamation Drugs.. such as Tylenol 500 mg.) The new drugs will not touch your pain and will cause more discomfort and mental stress. It is in your best interest to do this immediately. When you send letters to the parties above, send them certified mail, return receipt requested. Also send yourself a copy of the letter the same way for your records. ( Dont open the envelope with your copy) Also, stay in touch with the parties by telephone and letter every 2 weeks to let them know that you are serious about the issue and will not take being stigmatized as a drug abuser. Good Luck!

Too give you some back round of my experience, I am the medical proxy for my father who is terminally ill with cancer and now only has a few months too live. I go to the Dr with my father and discuss his medications with them, get his refill scripts and fill them at a local pharmacy. The medications are Class I, II and III narcotics. These types of medications are highly controlled substances that can be highly addictive and are known to be abused and sold by people who have direct contact with patients on the drugs. The pharmacy that I go to does not have an automatic pill counter. It is up too the pharmacist to ensure that the correct amount of medication is in the bottle. With my father's prognosis, there is a tendency for my father to forget that he has taken his medication. This will cause him to think that someone is stealing his pills under his nose. Also they types of narcotics that he is taking will make him forget and fall asleep alot. So, the pharmacist and I have come up with a great solution to the problem that has my father feeling a little more secure in knowing that he is getting the correct amount and correct dosage degree. I have created a Microsoft Office Excel spread sheet that has headers for each medication, the amount to take, when to take them and it automatically counts what is left in the bottles. I have also created a form that the pharmacist, my father and I sign each time that the medication has been refilled. Although this is not a legal document, again it makes him feel secure. There also is a high degree of narcotic abuse by the doctors who prescribe narcotics and pharmacist's and their office helpers. These 2 professions have immediate availability to the drugs and are the last people question when the issue shows up. The most blamed persons are: 1) Home Health Aides 2) Family members 3) The patient themselves I would not only switch pharmacy locations, I would also inform the insurance company that pays for them (if you do have insurance), the Attorney General office of Texas, the Drug Enforcement Agency and your physician. The reasons for this are: The pharmacy: They will always protect their employees in any discrepancy because they have a vested interest in not firing the employee. They can be sued for a lot more money than what the 11 pills cost. They also would have to start an in-house investigation, and potentially if they can not detect which one is causing the problem; fire everyone and start with a new crew. The Insurance company: The insurance company keeps track of what you are taking, what amounts and what days you have them filled. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to count 2 pills every 4 hours, total of 30 pills=6 pills a day ( using a rule of thumb that your are up for 16 hours a day and sleep for 8) They will deny a refill as being to early . The Attorney General: They have oversight of any abuses of narcotics by ANY individual. Since this is being done possbly by an inside employee and the company has bigger pockets than you or your attorney; the AG of Texas would have more power and weight in discussing prosecution of the individual The DEA: The medications are controlled by the DEA. The pharmacist and his employees are registered with the DEA. If there is a whiff of abuse, the DEA can step in and conduct their own investigation seperate from any that the pharmacy may do. This would include not only your case, but the ability to review every single prescription that has passed thru the door of the pharmacy. They also have the ability to contact the patients and their doctors. The pharmacy would not have this ability and would not even attempt to because of HIPPA laws. Your physician: When you go to the Dr after the script has run out and they figure out that your prescription should not have run out by now, they will automatically consider patient abuse. To make sure that the Dr is covered incase of a malpractice case, they will not only stop prescribing you the medication, they will put a "red flag" on your patient file that will indicate narcotics abuse. When they red flag your case file, it sticks with you for ever. Even when you switch physicians. This also could have the potential of stopping you from getting jobs in the future that require a review of your medical history by a third party that has no idea that you are having these problems. They will then switch you to NSAID's ( Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflamation Drugs.. such as Tylenol 500 mg.) The new drugs will not touch your pain and will cause more discomfort and mental stress. It is in your best interest to do this immediately. When you send letters to the parties above, send them certified mail, return receipt requested. Also send yourself a copy of the letter the same way for your records. ( Dont open the envelope with your copy) Also, stay in touch with the parties by telephone and letter every 2 weeks to let them know that you are serious about the issue and will not take being stigmatized as a drug abuser. Good Luck!

Too give you some back round of my experience, I am the medical proxy for my father who is terminally ill with cancer and now only has a few months too live. I go to the Dr with my father and discuss his medications with them, get his refill scripts and fill them at a local pharmacy. The medications are Class I, II and III narcotics. These types of medications are highly controlled substances that can be highly addictive and are known to be abused and sold by people who have direct contact with patients on the drugs. The pharmacy that I go to does not have an automatic pill counter. It is up too the pharmacist to ensure that the correct amount of medication is in the bottle. With my father's prognosis, there is a tendency for my father to forget that he has taken his medication. This will cause him to think that someone is stealing his pills under his nose. Also they types of narcotics that he is taking will make him forget and fall asleep alot. So, the pharmacist and I have come up with a great solution to the problem that has my father feeling a little more secure in knowing that he is getting the correct amount and correct dosage degree. I have created a Microsoft Office Excel spread sheet that has headers for each medication, the amount to take, when to take them and it automatically counts what is left in the bottles. I have also created a form that the pharmacist, my father and I sign each time that the medication has been refilled. Although this is not a legal document, again it makes him feel secure. There also is a high degree of narcotic abuse by the doctors who prescribe narcotics and pharmacist's and their office helpers. These 2 professions have immediate availability to the drugs and are the last people question when the issue shows up. The most blamed persons are: 1) Home Health Aides 2) Family members 3) The patient themselves I would not only switch pharmacy locations, I would also inform the insurance company that pays for them (if you do have insurance), the Attorney General office of Texas, the Drug Enforcement Agency and your physician. The reasons for this are: The pharmacy: They will always protect their employees in any discrepancy because they have a vested interest in not firing the employee. They can be sued for a lot more money than what the 11 pills cost. They also would have to start an in-house investigation, and potentially if they can not detect which one is causing the problem; fire everyone and start with a new crew. The Insurance company: The insurance company keeps track of what you are taking, what amounts and what days you have them filled. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to count 2 pills every 4 hours, total of 30 pills=6 pills a day ( using a rule of thumb that your are up for 16 hours a day and sleep for 8) They will deny a refill as being to early . The Attorney General: They have oversight of any abuses of narcotics by ANY individual. Since this is being done possbly by an inside employee and the company has bigger pockets than you or your attorney; the AG of Texas would have more power and weight in discussing prosecution of the individual The DEA: The medications are controlled by the DEA. The pharmacist and his employees are registered with the DEA. If there is a whiff of abuse, the DEA can step in and conduct their own investigation seperate from any that the pharmacy may do. This would include not only your case, but the ability to review every single prescription that has passed thru the door of the pharmacy. They also have the ability to contact the patients and their doctors. The pharmacy would not have this ability and would not even attempt to because of HIPPA laws. Your physician: When you go to the Dr after the script has run out and they figure out that your prescription should not have run out by now, they will automatically consider patient abuse. To make sure that the Dr is covered incase of a malpractice case, they will not only stop prescribing you the medication, they will put a "red flag" on your patient file that will indicate narcotics abuse. When they red flag your case file, it sticks with you for ever. Even when you switch physicians. This also could have the potential of stopping you from getting jobs in the future that require a review of your medical history by a third party that has no idea that you are having these problems. They will then switch you to NSAID's ( Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflamation Drugs.. such as Tylenol 500 mg.) The new drugs will not touch your pain and will cause more discomfort and mental stress. It is in your best interest to do this immediately. When you send letters to the parties above, send them certified mail, return receipt requested. Also send yourself a copy of the letter the same way for your records. ( Dont open the envelope with your copy) Also, stay in touch with the parties by telephone and letter every 2 weeks to let them know that you are serious about the issue and will not take being stigmatized as a drug abuser. Good Luck!

The drug you mention is a controlled substance, and thus is highly regulated and double counted, as this is a common drug of choice for addicts. First of all, I highly doubt that any physician would give any patient a VALID prescription for 80 pills. It is customary for a physician to prescribe 30 pills with no refills, and then schedule a follow-up appointment at which time he/she may prescribe more pills if determined necessary. Second of all, if you claim to always be "shorted" on pills, why don't you count them yourself IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PHARMACIST BEFORE LEAVING THE COUNTER? Once you leave the counter, you cannot prove if you were truly shorted or if you perhaps tossed a few pills in your pocket so you could get some more. The fact that you admit to taking 2 pills (double the legal, prescribed dose, I might add) before bringing it to the pharmacist's attention, shows that you have some obvious issues, as does your agitated state and rude behavior in "telling the pharmacist to hurry up." Your actions and behavior took away pretty much all credibility to your story.

I am not here to make you feel bad or hark on you. I just want to give you fair warning. Be very careful. I too had back surgery and was given a huge amount of pain killers. I don't want you to go through what I went through. They are very easy to become addicted to, without even realizing it. I am sure you have been warned, but I wanted to wish you luck. I hope you are feeling better soon, and in NO NEED for thos pills. Also, as another poster stated, if you were shorted contact DEA. It is not unheard of that a pharmacist, or even a tech or clerk, could have an issue, or be selling them for pocket money. Good luck!

I am not here to make you feel bad or hark on you. I just want to give you fair warning. Be very careful. I too had back surgery and was given a huge amount of pain killers. I don't want you to go through what I went through. They are very easy to become addicted to, without even realizing it. I am sure you have been warned, but I wanted to wish you luck. I hope you are feeling better soon, and in NO NEED for thos pills. Also, as another poster stated, if you were shorted contact DEA. It is not unheard of that a pharmacist, or even a tech or clerk, could have an issue, or be selling them for pocket money. Good luck!

I am not here to make you feel bad or hark on you. I just want to give you fair warning. Be very careful. I too had back surgery and was given a huge amount of pain killers. I don't want you to go through what I went through. They are very easy to become addicted to, without even realizing it. I am sure you have been warned, but I wanted to wish you luck. I hope you are feeling better soon, and in NO NEED for thos pills. Also, as another poster stated, if you were shorted contact DEA. It is not unheard of that a pharmacist, or even a tech or clerk, could have an issue, or be selling them for pocket money. Good luck!

I had back surgery and then complications. The pain is overwhelming without pain killers. The corporate offices did nothing for me, didn't even return my calls. I realize the implications here, and I don't doubt the counting machine necessarily. But the pills dissapeared somewhere at that pharmacy. I won't be returning to that pharmacy, you can bet the bank on that. I also have prescriptions for Valium and Soma, I don't want those shorted either. My mother in law has reported to us that she has been shorted pills at her pharmacy as well, and now counts them at the counter before leaving. I'm going to adapt that practice, and suggest that everyone else does too.

the DEA as they are the regulatory agency that handles pharmacies. Just curious, but why would you need 80 pills of Hydrocodone?? That seems like a large quantity to me and possibly enough to become addicted.

This is a difficult situation. Since Hydrcodone/APAP tablets are a controlled substance, they are double counted. The tablets are counted by a machine that has a 1 in 10,000 error. It is very difficult to believe the machine would miss 11 tablets twice. It has been my experience working in a pharmacy for over 5 years now that patients claim they are shorted with painkillers very frequently. That is why the tablets are double counted (in addition to the fact that controlled substances must be double counted). I can almost certainly guarantee you will not get your 11 "missing" tablets. Perhaps you should switch pharmacies or ask for your prescription to be re-counted at the time of pickup.