mad @ cvs pharmacy !

[fairfaxguy]

CALL ME STUPID .
BUT I TRUSTED CVS PHARMACY WHEN I FILLED MY HIV MEDS . AND
THEY LET ME TAKE TWO MEDS THAT HAD A BAD INTERACTION
FOR OVER A YEAR !
THE CVS STORES WHERE IN ALEXANDRIA VIRGINIA AND FALLS CHURCH VIRGINIA ... 

fairfaxguy

[Miss Philicia]

OK, I'll bite.  What were the meds and why did your HIV doctor not know of this interaction as well?

[Ann]

Farifax,

I deleted a duplicate thread you created in the Treatment and Side Effects forum. Please do not start the same thread in more than one forum.

I've also moved your post to the Living forum, as this is something related to living with hiv. The Off Topic forum is where we discuss things not related to hiv.

Please read our Welcome Thread so you can find out what else this website has to offer, as well as gaining an understanding of our posting guidelines.

Ann

[J.R.E.]

  What were the meds and why did your HIV doctor not know of this interaction as well?

Hello,

I will have to ask that question also. The phamicist is filling a prescription that your doctor wrote out.
Why did you take meds for over a year, That obviously didn't work right for you, without saying something to the doctor? Did you ask the CVS pharmacist, about any possible reactions to the meds that they filled per your doctor request? Walgreens ask me each time if I have any questions regarding the meds that I am on. You would think that after 5 years they wouldn't ask anymore, but they still do.

Ray

[Miss Philicia]

My guess would be that the scripts came from two prescribing doctors.  The patient should always take care that both doctors have a record in their charts of what medications you are currently on, especially when your intake from each doctor where you were queried on this subject might be out of date, etc. though most doctors if they're doing their job will have you update such things yearly.

Of course, the pharmacist should still be looking at these things but really it's the doctors job first and foremost.  I've routinely been on so many medications for the past 15 years that I'm very careful, when prescribed a new medication, that the doctor go over everything that I'm currently on with scripts from all my various other doctors.

[Queen Tokelove]

I also agree with Ms. Philicia. Every appointment I go to my doctor asks if I have started any new meds or which ones I am still taking. If your doctor has never done this then I would suggest looking for another one. I also ask a lot of questions too.

[J.R.E.]

My guess would be that the scripts came from two prescribing doctors.  The patient should always take care that both doctors have a record in their charts of what medications you

Yeah, I didn't take that into consideration. I only have one doctor, that is prescribing meds to me. The only other doctor that may prescribe something on occasion, is my dermatologist, and there is no problem with interactions there. I guess things can always slip by the pharmacist though.

 Heck, I have had them short change me on the number of pills in the bottle a few times. But that hasn't happenned in a while. But I still count my pills, after I get them home.

If that is the case , where you have different doctors prescribing meds, they need to work together.

Ray

[hotpuppy]

I think it's critical to ask questions and participate in my healthcare.  Healthcare is a team sport not a farming activity.

I read everything I can, ask my docs lots of questions, and listen carefully.

[AndyArrow]

My doctor's office has signs in the waiting room to bring your pill bottles with you to every visit.   

Like, I'm gonna lug that many pill bottles around with me -- but I do bring a list with all the information on it ... including how many refills I have so I don't ever run low.   

Once I had a doctor write 3 prescriptions for me at an office visit ... only 1 was right.  The 2nd was unsigned and the 3rd had a different patients name.      I check all my prescriptions before I leave the office now!

AA

[bill1322]

Yup, I've had these problems too, and it gets worse if you use more that one pharmacy - like the CVS for a onetime scrip and the mail-order pharmacy for the long term scrips.

It is very important to be you own advocate - pharmacist as well as doctor - I tell everyone (esp. my docs) that I've gone to medical school and pharmacy school - at Google.

Poz.com has some very informative areas where you can check your meds interactions and side effects and check out meds that you're not even on to see if they might be better for you. I use those often - even for the stuff the dermatologist prescribes.

Kinda like Sally Field says, "It's your body and your life." If you don't take responsibility and get involved and find out everything and ask a million questions, no one else will do it for you.

[RapidRod]

I use CVS/PharmaCare for my meds. When they call to fill the order they go over all the meds I'm getting sent and all the meds that I have allergies to and then they ask if I would like to talk to the Pharmacist. When I receive my order I also get the information on the drugs with a list of contraindications and side effects along with overdosing info. I've never had a problem with them.

[Miss Philicia]

I use PharmaCare too, and likewise have never had a problem.  It's a specialized pharmacy division of CVS, not the actual "in CVS store" pharmacy.  I'd not used one before moving to Philadelphia, but at least here the one I go to -- and I go in the actual pharmacy myself instead of having things delivered -- seems to cater almost totally to HIV patients.  This may have to do more with the fact that until last year it was directly across from my HIV clinic though.

[leatherman]

THEY LET ME TAKE TWO MEDS THAT HAD A BAD INTERACTION FOR OVER A YEAR !

Welcome FairFax,
Glad you found these forums and I hope that they can give you the support that so many else have found here.    (Just a nice reminder that cap lock means you're yelling at us  )

besides Philly's questions about what meds, and why didn't your doctor notice this situation, I have to ask what kind and how "bad" an interaction this was if you let it go on for a year?

mikie
who has also had unsigned scripts when he's gotten to the pharmacy, but it was my fault for chatting with the doc too much as he was writing them out. LOL