pharmacists...please weigh in. UPDATED

[StJess80]

So my dad was prescribed 20mg of ambien (he was on 10mg). My dad has had sleep issues lately, which is why he was upped. The pharmacist that works there has known my family for like 30+ years.

Somehow, in the transmission of the rx, it came across as 20mg, 3x a day, morning noon and night. (I am assuming they read the dosing abbreviation wrong). Well, the pharmacist turned my dad and his dr into the state for suicide watch. This means that he HAS to go talk to a phsyciatrist this afternoon. If he doesn't, the dr could lose his license. Also, as it is, all of his meds have been frozen and he can't be prescribed any more until this is cleared up.

WTMF?? That is effin' bullshit. Fortunately, his dr has a copy of the script, so it will likely be cleared up, but seriously?!? Why didn't the pharmacist call the dr and question it first? I mean, as a pharmacist, isn't that the first thing you would do?

The whole thing just makes me ragey. He does NOT need this right now.

UPDATE: He has been cleared. The psych deemed that it was the pharmacy's fault. And then the psych rx'd him seroquel to sleep. The psych agreed that if he wanted to kill himself, he certainly didn't need a dr to write a crazy script.

[livinitup]

Sounds like a CYA thing.

[Deleted]

Yeah, I don't understand why he wouldn't call the Dr. That seems really idiot to make your dad go to a Psych. over an error.

[cjeanette]

I would be complaining to the pharamacy. That is nuts.

[StJess80]

I get the CYA, especially over an abused drug like that, but why not call the dr first and verify?

[mrsjuleshs]

That is pretty messed up. I don't get why the pharmacist didn't call the doctor as well.

[mrssavy42112]

Wow, I’ve never heard of that. Are you sure that the pharmacist didn’t try calling the Dr. office and perhaps didn’t get an answer? It just seems like such an extreme jump.

[hannamaren]

That is an obvious mistake. I would call the doctor. If it was an ambiguous instruction, I might even fill it as "take at bedtime" and then afterwards, call the doctor and tell him he screwed up, but I fixed it. (provided I was comfortable with patient history and had comtact info)
That was weird on the part of the pharmacist.

[StJess80]

Sept 18, 2012 13:28:43 GMT -5 hannamaren said:

That is an obvious mistake. I would call the doctor. If it was an ambiguous instruction, I might even fill it as "take at bedtime" and then afterwards, call the doctor and tell him he screwed up, but I fixed it. (provided I was comfortable with patient history and had comtact info)
That was weird on the part of the pharmacist.

The dr has the original script to prove how it was written. Also, the pharmacist has known our family for over 30 years, so he knew how to get ahold of someone.

Also-the pharmacist said it is because of a possible suicide, but the thing that doesn't make sense is, if he was going to off himself, the standard dose for the month would do it, he wouldn't need to get the dr to write him an outrageous script like that.

He is NOT suicidal, btw.

[katiescarlett]

Um...that's really weird. I would never even think to do that unless someone told me they were having suicidal thoughts. The pharmacist should have called the doc to clarify the script. Did anyone ask the pharmacist why he did that?

[GailGoldie]

the pharmacist knows your dad well and did that?? WTF. I'd be very pissed off and changing pharmacies.

It's simply the dumbest thing I have heard of.... if your dad wanted to kill himself with ambien he could do it with all the pills he gets for a regular Rx - his doc doesn't need to rx some crazy rx, which no doc in his right mind would do.

[StJess80]

Sept 18, 2012 17:25:35 GMT -5 GailGoldie said:

the pharmacist knows your dad well and did that?? WTF. I'd be very pissed off and changing pharmacies.

It's simply the dumbest thing I have heard of.... if your dad wanted to kill himself with ambien he could do it with all the pills he gets for a regular Rx - his doc doesn't need to rx some crazy rx, which no doc in his right mind would do.

That was my point exactly. Between a normal dose of ambien, and all the other pain meds he has, he wouldn't need a dr to give him any additional pills.

I don't know if anyone has asked the pharmacist why did that. And yes, they will be changing pharmacies.