Labor Day Weekend

Alright, I know this is a little early in the week, but I needed a study break! So first I hope everyone who didn't have to labor this whole weekend had a happy Labor Day weekend. Of course people need drugs and yours truly labored so that Mrs. F could get her norcos! JK! (Sorta) Not everyone that came in got norcos this weekend, for non-pharmacy/hospital/doctors/nurses/crackheads, norco is hydrocodone-acetaminophen(APAP). It is highly addictive and highly prescribed. Anyways, I decided to make this post have a little bit of the real life pharmacy world in it for those who have yet to experience it or never will. So PRE-PARE (only Marie will get that, Super Smash Bros.) yourselves for a soap-box rant.

First of two, a nice lady, who looks a little drugged up, Mrs. F, comes storming into the pharmacy on Sunday. Too many commas so I shall start afresh. Anywho, another aside, for those not in pharmacy you don't know this, but holidays are the number one times for people to come and get their legal drugs. CIII-CVs fly off the shelf like they are going out of style. Why is this? Because most people need medication to deal with family and the stress that, that entails. I will not go any further since I do not have a clever false blog to hide my true identity, though I do have Clark Kent glasses! So back to the story! Jeeze! Mrs. F comes storming back to the pharmacy and demands her refill, the associate at pick-up sends her to me at drop-off. She stomps over to me, dragging her clueless looking spouse/boyfriend behind her. "I need to pick-up my refill!" "Huh?" Those literally were the first two words of our conversation. As Dean Wilcox demonstrated, pharmacists are not mind readers, please give us more than that to go upon. "I need my refill!" "Is in not ready?" "NO!!!" "Okay what's your name?" "Mrs. F, and I need them filled now on CASH, not my medicaid." DING DING DING!!!! Red flags go off! This is going to be trouble. "Alright, which medication?" "My norcos, I need them filled CASH, not Medicaid." "I am sorry but those are too early." "I told you! They are too early for Medicaid but I am filling them with CASH!" "I am sorry, but it's not just too early under Medicaid, it's too early for that medication." At this point, as the pharmacist is glancing over my shoulder nodding her head, the lady twirls around and starts walking towards the door. As she is stomping off she calls out "Well I never have problems getting them!" HUFF HUFF.

Rule #1: If someone offers to pay cash when they have insurance get ready for something to go wrong.
Rule #2: When you tell them no and they just turn around and walk off, be thankful, but also know they were doing something wrong. If someone has legitimate need for their pain meds a little early, they will rationally explain the situation, ask for an override if the insurance company allows it, and pay cash only if necessary. If  someone basically runs away from you, it means they know they are doing wrong and are peacing out before that magic word, "Police", comes out of your mouth.

Alright rant two, I'll keep it short, though I hope you are entertained enough to want more, but Marie says to long equals no reads. Back to the topic, chain stores, independent, mail order, and any other type of pharmacy, DO NOT set your insurance co-pays. I repeat, DO NOT set them. So please don't yell at me because you have to pay $95 for a $500 drug, be thankful you have insurance and pay what they tell you to pay or change companies/groups. If you are set up through work, I am sorry, but I can't change it. We use this thing called the interwebs, I think it's a whole bunch of PVC pipes with wires running through them, and send the information to your insurance and they send us back a co-pay. You can yell about Out of Pocket payments all you want, the company does set those, but not your insurance co-pays. Obviously I am just the messenger, so don't shoot me. It's against some treaty or another.

Both these rants are spurred by true events that occurred this weekend, and almost every other day at work. And in that first one, I didn't even embellish on the conversation, that is actually what she said! People are nuts!

A little bit about school so far this week. I am learning the amino acids and I swear I probably sound nuts sitting alone with the cats saying. "Cysteine, simple cysteine, what do you look like simple cysteine?" Simple cause it's a methyl (CH3) and a SH. Here's another of my favorites. "Lysine is a B-E-A-N pole" I spell out bean because it has four methyls and then shout "POLE!" and draw the amine(NH3) at the end. Hopefully I don't shout out "Bean pole!" during the exam, people may judge.

Alright, Dear Readers, I hope you enjoyed the blog and I will throw in some more pharmacy antics as they occur. Remember to have your pets spayed or neutered.