Pharmacy refusing to fill my prescription

allisonmunson94 · October 2015

So yesterday my husband went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription for an anxiety/depression medication that I have been on for years. It is a class C medication, but I have discussed this with my doctor and we agreed that continuing to take the medication would be the best option for me. Last time I went 2 weeks without this medication, I ended having to take a LOA from work because my anxiety was so bad. They basically said they would not fill my prescription because I'm pregnant. I've already gotten it filled once since becoming pregnant, and it was not an issue before. It would be understandable if they were refusing to fill a prescription that causes birth defects, but this medication has had no studies show that it causes issues with the fetus. Has anybody else experienced a pharmacy refusing to fill prescriptions for them that have already been cleared by a doctor?

kmd0501 · October 2015

I don't know that they can make that decision. And how would they know you're pregnant anyway? If you and your doctor have discussed the pros/cons and you require this medication for daily quality of life, then that's you and your doctors decision. Not a pharmacists. So sorry. But maybe find another pharmacy.

sarawifenow · October 2015

Yeah pretty sure this might be illegal.

mrstmoose · October 2015

I'd be looking for another pharmacy. And contacting your doctor ASAP.

tripledaggerWed95976 · October 2015

Wait, what?? If u have a prescription from a doctor they're not allowed to deny it. Also, how do they even know ur pregnant? Have ur doctor call them.

soralette · October 2015

If you MUST use this pharmacy, then tell the pharmacist to call your doctor and discuss it with him/her, because the doc knows you're pregnant and prescribed it anyway.

LadySamLady · October 2015

They shouldn't be allowed to deny you but I'd find a new pharmacy if you can. You do not need to feel judged every time you fill a prescription, you deserve better than that!

asunna · October 2015

they dont have any rights to do so i dont think
its not say an opiate where they have the right to refuse oxy cotton

they are there to supply, your doctor agreed, they do not trump doctor

bring it to a different pharmacy and call to make a formal complaint with the manager of the pharmacy

allisonmunson94 · October 2015

Thanks everyone! My mom ended up going in today because she is a bit more assertive than my husband when it comes to things like that, and she ended up getting a three day supply for me until I can get it settled. Regardless, they should not be making decisions for me about the health of my unborn baby. According to a friend of mine who works in the pharmacy world, she says "they can't fill certain medications even if a doctor is sending in the prescriptions because if something were to happen to me or my baby, it would be the pharmacist who filled the prescription that would be held liable." Again, it would be understandable if it were a medication like oxy or something that a pregnant woman would obviously not take, but it does not make sense for them to deny filling a class C Medication.

allisonmunson94 · October 2015

I would normally go in myself but I work strange hours and I'm never able to get in when they're open because I wake up so late

asunna · October 2015

allisonmunson94 said:

Thanks everyone! My mom ended up going in today because she is a bit more assertive than my husband when it comes to things like that, and she ended up getting a three day supply for me until I can get it settled. Regardless, they should not be making decisions for me about the health of my unborn baby. According to a friend of mine who works in the pharmacy world, she says "they can't fill certain medications even if a doctor is sending in the prescriptions because if something were to happen to me or my baby, it would be the pharmacist who filled the prescription that would be held liable." Again, it would be understandable if it were a medication like oxy or something that a pregnant woman would obviously not take, but it does not make sense for them to deny filling a class C Medication.

call and speak to a manager, raise hell
as an anxiety sufferer myself i know you probably dont like confrontation, but honey you need those meds you dont want to go cold turkey off those things of medications

saladflambe · October 2015

Because cutting someone off cold turkey is safe... eesh!!! I'm sorry you're dealing with this

allisonmunson94 · October 2015

Oh I surprisingly don't mind confrontation. And you're absolutely right, cutting someone off cold turkey is something a pharmacist should know NOT to do. I'm definitely noticing the lack of medicine more so today than I was yesterday. I mean the fact that it's class C definitely does worry me, but I don't know what else to do honestly

tweedledah · October 2015

I'm on a category c antidepressant as well. I haven't spoken to my ob about it but I spoke extensively to my last two pcps about it and we worked together to find something that works in a low dose. I won't have to worry about refills for awhile but I assure you I would be raising hell if I was denied my medicine

saladflambe · October 2015

If it is a benzo, like Klonopin, it's actually super important that you NOT go cold turkey.

Par13 · October 2015

Laws probably vary in each state, but in the state where I live pharmacists have an equal liability to the prescribing physician to ensure it was prescribed for a valid medical condition and is safe to dispense.

That said, the pharmacist should have counseled your husband clearly on what was occurring - I'm guessing they were reaching out to your physician to validate and document the discussion you and your physician had over the benefit/risk assessment done to approve the use of a pregnancy category C med.

Unfortunately, practicing pharmacy isn't as cut and dry as people think and the mentality of "My doctor wrote a script, just fill it" doesn't take into account the extensive drug utilization review, etc. that is required of pharmacists to ensure safe dispensing.

Are there shitty pharmacists who have terrible counseling skills or are lazy and just don't want to follow up with your doctor because it's too much effort? Absolutely! It's not the majority though, so if yours sucks, you should really take your business elsewhere.

rlworzalla · October 2015

As a past pharmacy technician I can tell you that pharmacists do have the right to refuse prescriptions, but I've only seen it on Plan B prescriptions with an elderly pharmacist. Did you have a different pharmacist than you previously had filled it with? The pharmacist has liability as well but in this case it might be personal beliefs outweighing the pharmacists professional duties. Address it with the pharmacy manager (the head pharmacist) or find a different pharmacy.

DutchLucyLu · October 2015

rlworzalla said:

As a past pharmacy technician I can tell you that pharmacists do have the right to refuse prescriptions, but I've only seen it on Plan B prescriptions with an elderly pharmacist. Did you have a different pharmacist than you previously had filled it with? The pharmacist has liability as well but in this case it might be personal beliefs outweighing the pharmacists professional duties. Address it with the pharmacy manager (the head pharmacist) or find a different pharmacy.

OMG, this is even worse! SO not the pharmacist's decision to make. :O

katykatykaty · October 2015

This is awful! I hope you get it filled.

If you scroll down to the bottom, this has information on the laws by state -
https://www.nwlc.org/resource/pharmacy-refusals-101

rlworzalla · October 2015

DutchLucyLu said:

rlworzalla said:

As a past pharmacy technician I can tell you that pharmacists do have the right to refuse prescriptions, but I've only seen it on Plan B prescriptions with an elderly pharmacist. Did you have a different pharmacist than you previously had filled it with? The pharmacist has liability as well but in this case it might be personal beliefs outweighing the pharmacists professional duties. Address it with the pharmacy manager (the head pharmacist) or find a different pharmacy.

OMG, this is even worse! SO not the pharmacist's decision to make. :O

I agree. Which is also part of the reasoning it became over the counter as well

ayeshaohara · October 2015

I'm a pharmacist living in Canada. While I don't proclaim to know the laws in the U.S. I am going to assume they run very similar to most other countries (I have practiced in Australia as well)....

I will say this...the pharmacist absolutely has the right to not fill your prescription for multiple reasons. But let me assure you, 99% of the time it is in YOUR best interest. We take no pleasure in denying you medication. We have a duty of care to ensure your medication is safe for you (and in this case your baby) - in the first instance you should have been supplied with enough medication to allow the pharmacist to check with your doctor. This is our duty and right to do so.

And yes in some cases the pharmacist has the right for other reasons such as personal beliefs and religious reasons to not supply medications such as plan B. While you may not agree with it, we have rights too. But it is the duty of the pharmacist to direct a patient to where they can purchase what they need eg another pharmacy.

Like someone said, it is not cut and dry. Do not presume to know about what medications are and are not safe in pregnancy or at other times. Check with your pharmacist and doctor. Ask the questions you need. Please do not dish out medical advice on these boards if you have no qualification to do so. Just because you have taken a medication doesn't make you an expert on it. Always always seek professional medical advice about your medications from those qualified to give it to you. If you are not satisfied with your pharmacist or other, then please go to another pharmacy.

Oh and to everyone talking about oxy...narcotics actually can be used in pregnancy in certain stages and under certain circumstances. Medication use in pregnancy is a balance of risk vs benefit to you and your baby. It's grey, not black and white.

ayeshaohara · October 2015

Par13 said:
Laws probably vary in each state, but in the state where I live pharmacists have an equal liability to the prescribing physician to ensure it was prescribed for a valid medical condition and is safe to dispense.

That said, the pharmacist should have counseled your husband clearly on what was occurring - I'm guessing they were reaching out to your physician to validate and document the discussion you and your physician had over the benefit/risk assessment done to approve the use of a pregnancy category C med.

Unfortunately, practicing pharmacy isn't as cut and dry as people think and the mentality of "My doctor wrote a script, just fill it" doesn't take into account the extensive drug utilization review, etc. that is required of pharmacists to ensure safe dispensing.

Are there shitty pharmacists who have terrible counseling skills or are lazy and just don't want to follow up with your doctor because it's too much effort? Absolutely! It's not the majority though, so if yours sucks, you should really take your business elsewhere.

Thank you for being highly intelligent and considering both sides of the story. People like you make very happy!

vinerie · October 2015

That is outrageous. Do you live in a small town, by any chance?

nerdymama15 · October 2015

I had a pharmacist do that to me once. Of course in my case though, if he had filled the prescription, it could have killed me. Stupid ER doctor wrote a prescription containing an ingredient that I am highly allergic to and I am thankful that the pharmacist caught on and refused to fill it. Completely different situation than yours though.

LF144 · October 2015

I'm a pharmacist and we can absolutely deny a patient/customer a medication... Ultimately the responsibility comes down to us because we hand out the Meds to you. A dr can write for something that is unsafe for you and if we dispense it (even though the dr wrote it) we are in the wrong and can get sued. In school we learned about cases where a pharmacist is responsible for child support for a baby born due to failure to inform patient that her antibiotics decreased efficacy of her birth control. I denied people their prescriptions many times if is a drug interaction or anything to potentially harm the patient even though it is what the doctor prescribed. Most times the prescriber wasn't aware of the severity and that's why a pharmacists job is so important.

heyleebaby · October 2015

I would transfer my prescription or talk to a manager there. They can't refuse you your meds.

aamm04 · October 2015

heyleebaby said:
I would transfer my prescription or talk to a manager there. They can't refuse you your meds.

They can. If you read the many comments from pharmacists on this thread, they absolutely can.

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