I took in my script for Oxycodone 5 mg 120 pills.
Which is my normal script for these.
When I went back to the pharmacy to pick them up the cashier girl said that the pharmacist wanted to talk to me. It was not the usual pharmacist. My normal one was quite PG, so I assume she had her baby or will soon, as I have not seen her for awhile & have only seen the "subs".
So any ways..... she tells me that she gave them to me in pills not the normal capsule. I am like "no biggie" I have gotten them both ways and either is fine with me. She then goes on to tell me that she opened a brand new bottle that was sealed of 100 pills and she counted it 3 times and it had 101 pills in it instead of the 100 it was to have.
I am very puzzled at this point and ask her if I need to do anything. She says "no, but now I have a ton of paperwork as of the extra pill". I am like --- well um I am sorry.
Then I ask if she was able to fully fill my script, as I am still really confused why she was bringing all this up to me.
She says "I was able to give you all 120 pills and I will stake my life on it". Which I found strange, but what ever......
Due to her behavior and the things she said I decided to count my pills when I got home.
I am 10 pills shy!!!!! 
What do I do now 
I can't prove it of course.
I don't know if to let it go or to turn her in 
What would you do?
Ms. Humpty Dumpty Took a great fall. L1-L2-L3-L4 - S1 & S2 full herniations. Spinal stenosis, spinal arthritis, degenerative disk, scoliosis. Knees, hips & spine have degenerative bone disease, arthritis and bone spurs. Age 49 - Here to find & offer support. Had bilateral knee replacement surgery done March 15th, 2011
Howdy,
I don't think there is anything you can do due to lack of proof concerning the 10 pills. Short of counting them before you leave the pharmacy, which isn't practicable, there isn't much you can do. As to the pills the pharmacist said she was light on, they should have listed on your bottle a "partial" prescription allowed? That's what they do for mine. I hope this all turns out okay for you. Take care.
Brenda
ACDF C5/6 2/08 - C6/7 8/09 - Neuropathy right arm and both legs - Cervical Myelopathy
10-11-11 PCF C4-T2 - C4-C7 Lamies; Surgery #2 Emergent removal large Hematoma!
L2/3/4 & L5/S1 fusions and Laminectomy on hold till neck fused.
For the full "Cliff Notes" please click my name!
"Life can knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to get up!!"
I was specifically told I was not shy ed any pills when I asked her.
If I had been it would not have been a big deal. My Dr. allows for partial fills and then he makes it up to me in the next script. I just take the bottle in to him where the pharm marked how many pills I was given.
No I was told "I was able to give you all 120 pills and I will stake my life on it".
She made SUCH a big deal about HER bottle that was 1 pill over the count that it made me raise my eyebrows - hence why I counted my pills when I got home. That is when I found I was 10 pills shy.
Ms. Humpty Dumpty Took a great fall. L1-L2-L3-L4 - S1 & S2 full herniations. Spinal stenosis, spinal arthritis, degenerative disk, scoliosis. Knees, hips & spine have degenerative bone disease, arthritis and bone spurs. Age 49 - Here to find & offer support. Had bilateral knee replacement surgery done March 15th, 2011
I would let my Doctor know - might be this has happened before? Another way to deal with it is next refill, bring a pill holding tray and count them right in front of her, cuz truly, if she did this to you, she has done this before to others! The only one that would fuss, would be that one with a guilty conscious! I have found the guilty scream the loudest as they say. And if she isn't the supervisor in the pharmacy, I would ask for the supervisor to be there. Of course, gently explain that you were short 10 pills on your last fill up.
I know, you would think an innocent would scream loudest, but they don't because they know they will be cleared! Bassackwards logic I know, but I have seen it over and over during the years. Hope that helps.
Brenda
ACDF C5/6 2/08 - C6/7 8/09 - Neuropathy right arm and both legs - Cervical Myelopathy
10-11-11 PCF C4-T2 - C4-C7 Lamies; Surgery #2 Emergent removal large Hematoma!
L2/3/4 & L5/S1 fusions and Laminectomy on hold till neck fused.
For the full "Cliff Notes" please click my name!
"Life can knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to get up!!"
Oxycodone is a controlled drug (CD) and she shouldn't be giving you anything differently from that which the doctor prescribed, never mind 10 pills below the prescribed amount ie 50mgs! Theft of these is a big problem which is why CDs have to be double-checked, overseen and require duplicate signatures of the junior and senior pharmacist (UK).
Even senior pharmacists have supervisors. In your position, firstly I'd ring her immediate supervisor (taking names) and explain exactly what happened. Secondly, put it in writing and if necessary, cc the doctor. If you get no joy from that, then contact whomever owns or runs the Pharmacy, sending your initial letters and re-explain what's happened, giving names.
In the interim, you should be reimbursed the 10 pills because whilst her maths appears dodgy to say the least. It was fortuitous that you counted them out just to be sure. You never know, this might have happened with her before which is why she's still a locum and this might be the last straw for her.
It's happened to me too with codeine-based drugs and neurontin, but never with CDs. To be fair, the pharmacists have always assumed it was their fault - they're busy people - and they've always reimbursed me along with sincere apologies.
You should definitely report this girl and don't be afraid just because you're the patient and she's the pharmacist. What do you stand to gain by letting them know you're 10 short, compared with what she stands to gain if she does this with say 2 patients/day. Over one week she'd have skimmed 140 oxycodone tablets off the top of patients' scripts which would bring in quite a lot if she's re-selling them. I don't know their street value, but have heard it's quite high, even for 'hillbilly heroin' (whatever that means - still not sure lol!).
Apologies for the length of this post, but I feel very strongly about it, in particular your position as the patient who's been scammed out of 10 pills, which let's face it, mean so much in our positions!
Good luck.
Val
I would definitely notify the manager of the pharmacy of your findings. You may not be able to get the ten pills you were not given, but at least there is a record of the problem in case this is a habitual problem with this pharmacist. If she is stealing narcotics, her behavior will continue.
Best to you,
Marianne
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My Thanks to all who have posted
Yes it is SO much more about her stealing someones meds then it is about the lack of 10 pills.
It was a weird situation from the get go of me picking up the meds. It was a Sat and normally they are super busy on Sats. The staff there was ONLY her and the check out girl. Not the normal 3 to 5 staff behind the counter.
My concerns with reporting this is - I don't want to be seen as someone making this report JUST to get those 10 pills. Truthfully I have zero concern over the 10 missing pills. My Dr is SUPER and will make it up to me.
hmmmmmmm I did not know that changing ( filling ) the script from pills to capsules or vise e verse was wrong.
Ms. Humpty Dumpty Took a great fall. L1-L2-L3-L4 - S1 & S2 full herniations. Spinal stenosis, spinal arthritis, degenerative disk, scoliosis. Knees, hips & spine have degenerative bone disease, arthritis and bone spurs. Age 49 - Here to find & offer support. Had bilateral knee replacement surgery done March 15th, 2011
Is there video surveillance there? You say that your doctor is super, and would make the adjustment. That is good, he can also be an advocate should the Pharmacy have issue with your complaint! I look at it this way, if others have had "a few" pills missing and too reported it, it may go to a "pattern" that the pharmacy supervisor knows of and is waiting till there is enough complaints to bring it further (to the DEA for example).
It doesn't matter if 3 were missing or 10, like another member posted earlier, spread that over multiple scripts and what do you have (err...she have) lots to take or sell! Just thoughts to ponder over.
Brenda
ACDF C5/6 2/08 - C6/7 8/09 - Neuropathy right arm and both legs - Cervical Myelopathy
10-11-11 PCF C4-T2 - C4-C7 Lamies; Surgery #2 Emergent removal large Hematoma!
L2/3/4 & L5/S1 fusions and Laminectomy on hold till neck fused.
For the full "Cliff Notes" please click my name!
"Life can knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to get up!!"
I agree with Brenda - it doesn't matter if it was three or ten pills that went missing, she should be reported because this is very possibly not an isolated incident.
It won't reflect badly on you; even though I'm not familiar with street value, I'm certain there wouldn't be much point ($$$-wise) in you reporting 10 pills missing!
Compose a professional letter and send it to the Head of the Pharmacy and Pharmacy owner. I believe you'll be reimbursed and the letter filed for future reference.
At least she'll think twice before skimming off the top of your script in future!
Val
Before we were "remade" as an agency, 90% of my law enforcement activity was narcotic interdiction! 1 of those pills depending on the mg, can go for anything from $5.00 to $15.00 a piece! Hummm...15 x 10....or whatever she skimmed off of others?
My other "radar" went up when she was insistent on letting you know they were all there! A lot of folks would have walked away saying "Gee, that was soooo nice of her to double check my pills that I got them all!" And NOT count them as you have! Report her. It will not go against you at all! Val1 is totally correct.
My other "radar"...why open a factory sealed bottle in the first place? My 90 count Lyrica - was sealed with the cotton in there! I just counted them for the heck of it, I took two out of it since I got it...88 there..correct! Why unseal the bottle if you were suppose to get xx pills, and the bottle is for the exact xx pills? Sorry, logic is off there as well!
If you don't get relief, the other option is to contact the DEA. They are accountable to them! I was cross designated for DEA cases, and let me tell ya, "shortened" scrips and no satisfactory result from the pharmacy...bad ju-ju!! Please report it. Let us know how it goes!!!
Brenda
ACDF C5/6 2/08 - C6/7 8/09 - Neuropathy right arm and both legs - Cervical Myelopathy
10-11-11 PCF C4-T2 - C4-C7 Lamies; Surgery #2 Emergent removal large Hematoma!
L2/3/4 & L5/S1 fusions and Laminectomy on hold till neck fused.
For the full "Cliff Notes" please click my name!
"Life can knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to get up!!"
I too would report it.
I know at my pharmacy (its a major retail chain) my controlled substance 'scripts have two sets of initials on the labels, meaning that they do require a double-count by two staff for verification that the count is correct. I wouldn't be shy about counting the pills either. My mom used to have to do it because she was consistently 'shorted' when picking up my step-dad's heart medications. (They were very expensive, before the days of pharmacy co-pays).
Microdiscectomy L4-L5 Dec '07
<(unrelated) Resection of left liver lobe for 6.5cm benign tumor June '09>
MRI Oct '09,ESI Oct '09, ESI #2 Nov '09
Jan 26 Laminectomy/subtotal discectomy L4-L5
I mean, think about it; if she shorts you 10 pills; and fills, say 20 scripts a day for oxycodone and takes anywhere from 1 to 10 pills from each, that's an awful lot of scammed pills. AND if she is selling that on the side... whoah! pretty good Christmas money there! My doctor told me to be SURE to count the pills before I leave because they are worth something like $X amount PER MILIGRAM. Do the math. It's late here (5:09pm) and my mathing skills ain't that great.
Be careful from here on out. Don't let that happen again without saying something before you leave the store.
(I actually saw a lady counting her pills before she left the window. THANK GOODNESS she only had a script for 30 or 60 and it didn't take that long... Don't be bashful, shy or ashamed to count; especially since you were shorted)
JEAUX - I am not a medical professional. BUT, I DID stay in a Holiday Inn last week...
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I agree with the others, you should report it. Explain you aren't concerned about the 10 pills. There are so many chronic pain sufferers who take controlled substances and it's unfair to all out there. She is probably skimming a little here and a little there.
I've never thought to re-count my pills but it makes you think. I've always trusted the pharmacists. However, there have been several pharmacists in our area who were caught and arrested for stealing narcotics such as vicodin.
I am in no way a medical professional and my posts are based on my own personal experience and/or opinions.
*4/19/10 L4-S1 PLIF revision 2 rods, 6 more screws
*3/24/09 diagnosed w/ failed fusion & 2 broken screws
*7/1/08 L5/S1 ALIF w/ plate, cage, 4 screws
On this one, been busy.
I had this happen to me.
We reported the 10 pills we were shorted within half hour of getting them. The Pharmacy denied it was possible. They would not even take a complaint!
At the time I was pretty out of it post surgery. My wife reported it to someone higher up, though we never heard anything more about it. We called my surgeon and he wrote a script early to cover the shortage.
We have also removed every one of our prescriptions from that pharmacy and do business elsewhere.
"I have been told my statement or statements are not logical. Would Mr. Spock ride a bicycle down a wooded mountainside when there was a perfectly good stationary bike at home?" NOTICE: Please consult a real DOCTOR before doing anything that may hurt yourself or others! Please be careful!Medtronic SCS Placed May 4, 2009. Cervical, for chronic right shoulder, upper arm pain.