Missing Pain Meds for Pill Count

[hurleygurlee]

I received my prescription for 90 hydrocodone 7.5s on 5/27/10. My Doctor was going to be out of town next week, so I called in to let them know I would be missing my medication for the next 2 weeks. His nurse called me back and said he wanted me to come in for a pill count. Today is the 26th day x 3 tablets a day = 78 out of 90. So I am missing 12 pills. At first I said okay. Then I called and said I didn't have them, that I was out, that I usually keep some in my small pill container in my purse, and that I knew I had taken the last one out of the bottle this morning, and I knew I would run out this week. What will they do? She said she would tell him and call me back, but I haven't heard back yet.

 

[sleepyyy]

crochet,

I am a chronic pain patient and am under contract with my PM doc. I don't know if you are with a pain managmeent doctor or if this is your GP. In my case, I would just have to make do. The contract I signed said that if I ran out or lost them or they were stolen, I would have to wait til my next regular visit.

The main issue is that those are Class II narcotics and are valuable on the street. They don't know if you are sharing them, or selling or what. I'm not saying that you did, it's just the mind set that we have to deal with in this day and age because of all the drug abuse that has gone on. Luckily, I haven't had this issue crop up.

I would suggest that you count your pills when you get them from now on. Right then and there in the pharmacy. For all you know, soemone in the pharmacy may be skimming from orders in order to have them for whatever nefarious deeds. If you are shorting them, they won't do it again when they see you counting.

What you doctor will do it up to him. If he is comfortable with it he may give you an early refill. You are allowed one per year with most insurance policies. It's the DEA and insurance people that he has to justify this to. Most doctors are under scrutiny for Class II narcotics.

Good luck, I hope your doc helps....

 

[c-My-p-P]

if there was absolutely NO WAY at all whatsoever that these could have possibly been stolen from you, just go directly to the pharmacy where you obtained them, tell them that you just noticed that you you came up 12 pills short on the rx you recieved from them? then ask them if they could simply do a pill count on that hydro right then and there. they 'should' actually WANT to do this for you since there can be shorts that simply just occur when things get crazy in there at times? i was actually shorted 26 pills of my roxicodone a few years ago by a "temp' pharm who did not also simply circle the quantity like WGs always does after it has been counted then recounted by another pharm who then circl;es that quantity amt and initials it too sometimes? they immediately did a pill count for me when i called them as soon as i got home that day? the only real reason i just knew that something was indeed missing was since the roxis are so small, and i could actually SEE the bottom of that bottle on the inside, i KNEW something was defintiely missing? but both my oxycontins were dead on count, just the roxi was wayyy off?

but what that pharm had told me when i came to pick up the rest of my Rx(they WERE the 26 pills over they shorted me) was as soon as you notice anything 'shorted' on ANY script, they WANT to know asap so its just that much easier to count out and track right after someone reports it then days later? but i WOULD call them at the very least here or simply go right to that pharm and ask for that count to just be done right then and there. they SHOULD want to do this for you and for their own protection if they DO happen to have had "other shorts" recently too? they just need to know and to double check for any customer to simply have what YOU actually even paid for here, a full filled Rx?

does the pharm you go to actually do the circling of the quantity for quality control? i know that walgreens is supposed to and all my class II and III meds are always circled aroung that quantity amt on every single bottle once it has been double checked by a totally different pharm other than the one who initially filled it too? that ONE time there just was NO circle was the ONLY time i ever got shorted. just let yourt pharmacy know so THEY are aware and can do that count and just 'know' someone 'may" be stealing meds? it would NOT be the first time this has occured. good luck, and i hope the pharm simply screwed up. FB