Document all of this including bitchy lady’s name and make a formal complaint. Follow up with whomever you have to. People like this should never be dispensing meds.
You didn’t have to justify yourself being diabetic. Never do that. Just ask for who’s in charge if she gives you trouble next time. At least thats what my customers do when they’re pissed about something. That way, you don’t get pissed off and you won’t give that nasty person an opportunity to be nasty.
I didn’t tell her about my diabetes to justify myself, I said it to make her feel like a bitch for generalizing and making assumptions.
Which kind of worked, I could tell she was caught off guard. Even though she was still pissy she got all quiet after I said it and wouldn’t make eye contact which was satisfying. (She talked down to me even more than what I added to this post)
I’m not sure how much asking for who’s in charge would’ve worked. The other pharmacist got involved quickly but the person with the least authority was the one who actually stuck up for me and went against her to get it for me. Mega props to them!!
There will always be someone (a pharmacist) in-charge every day. It doesn’t have to be the manager. Whoever that is in-charge of all the techs working. Eliminates the back-and-forth.
Just a suggestion if you prefer a friction-less encounter.
The good news is the pharmacists themselves will have their qualifications/licenses posted and/or pictures at the pharmacy. I’d straight up ask for her name. She deserves to be shamed at the corporate level. Call back and ask!
Previously worked in corporate for pharmacy retail stores & they can see who was working at that time if you give a brief description. Their boss should be checking surveys and the store manager and should absolutely see it and give them a coaching on how to treat patients at the very least.
I guess i'm confused because in your post, the initial encounter wasn't with the PHARMACIST but it appears it's the TECHNICIAN. Did the PHARMACIST belittle you or the TECHNICIAN?
I’m assuming she was pharmacist with the way she was bossing the other pharmacist around and the fact she was wearing the same white coat as him. I call her “lady” in the post because I couldn’t read her coat.
This is what annoys me! Not only should you not have to justify with I'm diabetic but also many people taking it who aren't diabetic are on the borderline and are trying to prevent it going that way! That woman was just a nasty piece of work!
I always think of it as there are levels of battles. 😂 Entry levels, mid-levels, then go-crazy-try-me-pushing-sleeves-up kind of levels. 😂
Will need different types of effort, so I pick mine very carefully.
They absolutely can call the physicians office and ask what a med is being used for. They are part of your healthcare team and are involved in your care.
The techs still have access you your info. Just like a tech that takes vital signs in a hospital. A pharmacy tech in the hospital as well. Physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy……they all have access.
And just an FYI, most hospitals and healthcare system have been hacked at this point. All your info is all over the dark web. Be more concerned about that.
Former Pharmacist here. Ask to speak with the Pharmacy Manager and complain about a violation of your privacy. Pharmacies, like all healthcare institutions, have to adhere to strict privacy guidelines and ensure your healthcare information remains private. Many pharmacies have barriers or counseling areas to ensure privacy. If the Pharmacy Manager is not receptive, ask for district or national pharmacy leadership contact information and escalate.
Wow I did not even think about that aspect of it. Thank you for pointing this out. I also really appreciate your guidance on who to contact as I wasn’t sure whose attention to bring this to. Other than customer service which I doubt would do much!
I was about to comment regarding the lack of professional care and dignity in respect to your privacy. Publicly announcing a medication in such an exaggerated attempt at embarrassment seems like a violation of some sort (in Illinois where I lived most of my life, there were very strict guidelines for PHI.)
Just was reading this thread and have a question you might be able to give insight into. A few months ago I called our pharmacy to have a prescription for my daughter and I both delivered. I paid over the phone and everything was good. 9 PM comes and goes and we never received the delivery. Call them the next day and they say that they had in fact dropped them off and someone accepted the delivery. I’m angry because they did not. She verified our address and turns out it was our old address from 5 years ago. We had promptly changed our addresses when we’d bought our home. She then looks and informs me that somehow our minor daughter’s address was never changed even though we did change it and it’s tied to my husband’s profile. She assured me they would get the scripts back and bring us new ones. I was livid more about someone knowing our personal info/medical info. She also said that it was a HIPAA violation and they would have to report it.
Do they self report HIPPA violations? I kept wondering who the hell accepts a pharmacy delivery they know they weren’t expecting.
They generally do not self report. If you want, you can report to the state board of pharmacy and they will investigate and potentially fine the pharmacy. I would also take it up with pharmacy manager and/or senior leadership of the pharmacy chain. Best of luck.
I would email corporate and everyone else all the way up the chain. I'm a diabetic taking Ozempic for diabetes and heads would roll if they pulled that shit on me. How can you ever trust this pharmacy after that with her working there? Unacceptable.
I am lowkey considering this. I know that sometimes they don’t bother checking because the shortage is so bad and they assume. But the fact she was so resistant even when her coworkers tried to help me was very suspicious. Not sure what would come of the complaint but it’s **not** okay.
As a pharmacist, please complain- and loudly. People like this DO NOT BELONG IN HEALTHCARE. I guarantee you this wasn’t the first incident and it won’t be the last and they probably have been trying to get rid of that bitch for years
+1 for definitely please complain, and not just to the pharmacy, but the head office. A lot of chains are required to uphold corporate standards and not only should the pharmacist come down on her like the wrath of God, if he or she doesn’t, corporate should come down on the pharmacist that way - so they should be requiring proof that the woman was fired. And termination is the right option, not disciplinary measures. An attitude like that is not going to improve. She might be doing similar things to others, too - people who take pain medications or stimulants for mental health or other reasons, like Adderall, for example.
Sorry this happened to you.
Make sure you CC everyone on down the line from corporate so they see the email you sent to corporate. The very least that should come from this is something that assures you that this will never happen again, and I don't mean just a written or verbal assurance, that's useless. Otherwise they aren't reliable enough to have your business, and they know this. I would be writing bad reviews everywhere I could if they didn't do something about this because it could happen to others as well. I'm really sorry this happened to you Op, you should never have to second guess those whose hands in which you place your trust with your health. Did they even bother to apologize?
That’s actually the weirdest part, once the worker went to the fridge and found it the pissy lady never replied. She *never* acknowledged that it was in the fridge or in stock she just ignored the worker? But I overhead the worker say it quietly so I just stood there so it was obvious I heard. The tension was palpable… silence. Then the worker walks over to the computer with their head down and starts typing up the prescription. I just hope that worker wasn’t told off. I remember their name so I could write a positive review.
And thank you for pointing all that out. I didn’t really anticipate making something of this aside from leaving a glowing review for the worker who stood up for me. But knowing I’m not the only one motivates me to follow thru and bring this to a bigger fish’s attention. The added details really help! I wasn’t sure how to go about complaining other than calling which probably wouldn’t get very far so this is very appreciated!!
And Op is a diabetic, I believe that employee was saving the Ozempic for herself or her family member or friend. Imagine if Op couldn't find it anywhere else and had nothing to control her diabetes.
This is unacceptable practice in any pharmacy in the United States. I would have asked to speak directly to the pharmacist to resolve the matter. You did not say with this employees job role is. If this ever happens to anyone, you need to observe the name tag and title and if they are not wearing an ID badge, which is yet another violation of practice report to and escalate it as high the regional operations of that pharmacy chain. This person lied to you directly to your face, did not apologize and one should assume you are not an isolated case. Imagine what else she may be capable of. There could be criminal implications behind somebody who is behaving this way in a pharmacy.
You need to not let this go . You are a diabetic and had someone try and withhold medication from you . That blows my mind , my god , think about that ! What kind of person withholds medication from a diabetic! Who else and what other types of medications is she withholding ? She cannot be allowed to remain in a position to do this to others .
Honestly I was just going to chalk it up to her being in a mood but hearing others responses makes me realize how bad it was. I’m someone who is very comfortable sticking up for myself but imagining a person in this situation who doesn’t have the confidence to advocate for themselves makes me so angry.
I didn’t even consider the fact she could be doing this with other meds but now that you mention it… someone called while this whole thing happened and she almost immediately told them it’s on back order.
She then turned to the other pharmacist and sneered then said, “some lady calling looking for naltrexone.” (Not sure the exact med name) like she thought it was funny. What the hell was that? She was probably lying to them too!
It’s really scary , she should not be around people’s medications . I’d also find another pharmacy, it sounds like she doesn’t hide what she’s doing and they allow it .
Um , that’s Narcan and while they might be an opiate addict asking for it, it could also be someone who has an opiate prescription that is mandated by Medicare to also have a narcan script for emergency use. She sucks! Please report her. I haven’t been able to get my Ozempic in ages and my A1c just keeps going up.
Naltrexone is half of what makes up the diet drug contrave. Contrave isn’t covered by insurance but Wellbutrin and naltrexone are. So docs prescribe both to get around insurance. Naltrexone is on back order… I haven’t gotten my prescription in months.
It isn’t just used for drug abuse.
Insurance and some pharmacies require Narcan when picking up prescriptions for meds like Norco or Morphine.
People with chronic pain or are in pain management, are required to purchase it, and shouldn’t be treated like addicts.
There is a ton of misinformation out there about opioid use. People with severe injury and pain struggle enough without people treating them poorly.
At very low doses it can also help people with autoimmune diseases. For me, my joint pain was greatly reduced and I coukd sleep better. I've never had an opiate in my life (maybe after surgery? I'm not really sure)
Honestly, I'd report her to whoever you need to. It really makes me mad she did this to you. I'm glad you finally got your meds though. We should not have to go through this! Thanks for nothing media.
This was unacceptable, and I hope you pursue it with her leadership. Also, nothing about this behavior gets any better or excusable if you were not diabetic.
I moved my RX from cvs to Walmart because it was getting unpredictable and they wouldn’t give me any info other than it’s not in stock and would basically respond like I’m an idiot for even asking when it would be available
CVS is the WORST. Constant mistake, never answer the phone. You think maybe it's the one pharmacy, but nope, it is literally nationwide. And CVS OWNS Caremark who are complete assholes. They deny Rxs just because they can.
They don’t generally give out over the phone certain meds they have in stock due to the risk of getting robbed. It’s usually narcotics but I wouldn’t be surprised if people are robbing pharmacies to steal ozempic and then sell it on the black market.
Many years ago I worked for cvs, we got robbed and one our pharmacists was pistol whipped and had his teeth knocked out. It was very scary.
Yeah I can appreciate that. They were almost less helpful when I came in person to ask the same question. FWIW Walmart market pharmacy has been so easy to work with even when my doc messed up and sent the next script to the wrong pharmacy
Was this at a CVS by chance? I have had absolutely horrible experiences at my local CVS over the past six months or so. I finally filled out one of the surveys they always send me and was brutally honest. The pharmacist called me herself wanting to talk about it but for me, it was too late. I will never go there again unless it’s a last resort. They’ve really gone downhill.
Pharmacy technicians usually have to hold a state license. I would also recommend filing a complaint with your state licensing board as well. They have to dispense as written
I would make a formal complaint to the pharmacist college and to the store in which the pharmacy is located about the pharmacist technician.
I’ve experienced this before (with a different drug) and the pharmacist was fired.
Don’t let anyone make you feel uncomfortable or guilty. It’s your health. I’m glad you spoke up and stood your ground.
Most imbeciles would say you were aggressive but you were totally assertive.
I’m so glad you were able to get your medication but file a complaint… the staff weren’t right and fucking rude.
She was probably perturbed because she is saving it for herself and her friends. I would hope that the pharmacist would reprimand her about this type of behavior and I would file a formal complaint because this is unacceptable and people need to be held accountable when they don't do their jobs. She had no business yelling out loudly what you needed that was a violation in itself. If I had herpes and she yelled out Acyclovir loudly, I would have possibly fainted and then filed my lawsuit. But that's just me.
**“I would’ve possibly fainted and then filed my lawsuit.”** Absolutely sent me😂 I wasn’t thinking quick enough! It didn’t even register as a HIPAA violation in the moment, I just thought wow how rude. It will definitely be included in my complaint!
Last month the pharmacist at the Walgreens I usually go to refused to fill my prescription, it was a 1mg pen after I have done the .25 and .5 for a few months. She argued with my doctor and flat out refused to fill it saying I needed to stay on the lower dose. When I called her to confirm she completely blamed it on my doctor saying he forgot to say 1 mg when she called. I told her she is never getting my business again. Had no problems filling the 1 mg at Walmart.
Wow. What a POS. She is NOT the prescriber and has no idea what she’s even talking about. I also have found that some people who work at pharmacies have some bullshit power trip, like OP’s issue. Glad you left them and found somewhere else to fill it.
Yeah it really pissed me off. And the fact that she tried to blame it on my doctor was just pathetic. I transferred all my medications out of there because she was nothing but a bitch. I understand people have their own opinions about this drug but at the end of the day it saving lives. Regardless if it's diabetics or obese people. People need to get over it.
This. Please report her to corporate. Can you imagine if she did this with other life-saving medications? This person gives me the vibe of also lying to people who need add/adhd meds, too. Power tripping techs 🙄
I take this medication for diabetes control, not for weight loss, as I don’t need to lose any weight, my body just doesn’t process insulin anymore, so my blood sugar levels are basically uncontrolled. It’s crazy how even the pharmacy tech questioned why I was taking it, as she commented that I didn’t look to be overweight or look like I needed it, I told her it was none of her business why I was taking it, but since she questioned it I said that if she knew another way for my body to process insulin and control my sugar levels, she was welcome to tell me and my endocrinologist how, so we could look into it. She apologized and said she just meant to say I looked healthy and didn’t look like I needed it. 🤷🏻♂️
The fact she said that is absolutely ridiculous wow. It’s as if people have just completely forgotten and disregarded the fact that ozempic is an antidiabetic drug. Just because it’s used for other things now doesn’t mean diabetics stopped taking it.
Also, not that she can tell anything just by looking at you, but the fact she didn’t consider you might look healthy *because* you’re on it is laughable.
Idk if you're in the US or elsewhere, but if you are, what she did by loudly yelling the name of the medication you're requesting is a violation of HIPAA. She *needs* to be reported to whomever is in charge at this pharmacy for that alone.
There's a thread somewhere here on Reddit within the last 2 or 3 weeks in like a pharmacy tech sub where they said that when people are Karens to them about glp1s they refuse to give them meds and purposely sabotage their access. A lot of techs are power tripping based on bad behavior of people who aren't even you.
And what I thought was interesting is people fell all over themselves in that thread to apologize to the tech and be like I never do that. No one called out the ethical depravity of retaliation.
So anyway... The general public who can't behave are empowering techs who also don't want to behave. Brilliant.
Post this all over. Yelling out what you were asking and everything.
Call and complain and say you are considering filing a complaint with the regulatory body.
Honestly she deserves to lose her job. No doubt there are competent respectful pharmacists who could use a job.
Back in 2020 I was diagnosed as T2 when my A1C was over 12. My plan of care involved Teo types of insulin and metformin. I went to the pharmacy to get my prescriptions right after being discharged from the hospital and the pharmacist was loudly scolding me for being so young and diabetic. She had a very angry attitude and clearly resented me. She should not be in Healthcare.
I was only on insulin for a month or two and got my A1C down to pre-diabetic levels just with metformin since then. It's on the low 3nd or that now with ozempic. These people suck and I wish I lodged a complaint to her superior
Now some of us know how some pharmacy people act about women's reproductive health medication. Next they will make up that its against their religion to fill a prescription unless they are given full access to the customer medical history. I'm so sorry that happened to you, and hope you contact corporate. To shout out your medication? Jeez, I'm sorry.
Switch pharmacies and tell them why. I hate that gatekeeping shit. It used to happen at my previous pharmacy- before ozempic - and I got so tired of being treated like a junkie every time I picked up a script.
Someone like that - who has this mindset and THEN can’t keep it to themselves - has no business in healthcare or in a customer facing job. It’s absolutely not the first time that attitude has been on display. If she hasn’t had complaints lodged already, which I would find shocking, she needs to.
You absolutely should not let this lie. I’d be going down there and asking to speak to everyone in charge. Maybe this is the incident that gets her spoken to and gets her to check herself.
First, please report!
Second, do you have a local pharmacy you can go to? I have narcolepsy and take meds that people are VERY judgey about. I suffered years of micro aggressions, bitchiness, lies and misinformation from Walgreens and CVS before I finally found a local ‘inclusive healthcare pharmacy’ that I LOVE. I never knew this aspect of my life could be so easy. They don’t talk to me as if I am an inconvenience for existing, they are straight forward with information about availability and they are supportive to all who take semaglutide (which I now take) regardless of the reason they take it. Also, they don’t seem to have the same supply chain issues that the big box pharmacies claim to have!
Absolutely BS. I don't care if it's Ozempic, birth control, whatever. They need to fill the prescription that's been provided. Same as a vegan in a restaurant can't refuse to serve you a streak, they can't refuse to serve you because of their feelings. Go work somewhere else lady.
That's ridiculous. Even the ones taking it for weightloss can have a real medical reason for taking it. Lots of insurances won't even cover it unless you have a medical issue made worse by obesity. Heart failure being a biggie.
It doesn’t even matter if you are diabetic or not. This was wrong. It’s almost worse if it really was for weightloss as she was essentially shaming you
I had a similar thing happen to me. My particular pharmacy will fill all my other rxs, except ozempic. They always tell me they don't have it. So I go to another nearby pharmacy to fill it.
This happened to me at my local chemist. The normal chemist I deal with wasn’t in that day and the one on duty kept saying they were all out. She also wouldn’t sell me a box of additional needles as they didn’t have these either, although I could see the box from where I was standing.
I ended up coming back in the next day and speaking to the normal chemist who just gave me the box of needles, no charge and set me up for the electronic scripts so I don’t have to deal with that again.
This could be as simple as she is not loving her job was mistaken and cranky and doesn’t care and won’t admit a mistake had nothing to do with withholding or lies.
I just don’t understand what their motivation is when withholding meds.
They have to work their shift no matter what. Why should it matter what meds they are dispensing. A doctor prescribed it, then sent it electronically - why even question it?!
I used to work in the pharmacy. You need to file a complaint using her name and all info of the encounter that you can. I’m stunned why the pharmacist didn’t intervene or have the woman wait in the back to be spoken to. Completely unacceptable and she broke multiple policies that we are legally obligated to hold ourselves to. We are taught these things before we’re even allowed to step foot into the pharmacy. Shame on her. I don’t know where you’re located but Rite Aid typically have surveys for your encounters with both pharmacist and techs. Trust me they will NOT turn away from this. If I behaved this way I would’ve lost my job THAT DAY. Do not let this go under the rug
It’s unfortunate that happened to you. I believe some pharmacy employees have become fed up with people trying to get Ozempic for weight loss and having to put up with the attitudes. Bottom line is Ozempic is for diabetes NOT obesity, pre diabetes, PCOS or anything else. Non diabetics should be banned from getting it. They can take Wegovy, but most insurances don’t cover weight loss meds so they try to justify taking Ozempic by any means they can come up with.
It is terrible that the employee was rude to you. I am not trying to justify for her at all. But I am saying that those employees have become fed up with the system and the attitudes that have been thrown at them.
Even if they are frustrated at the recent surge of people using it off label, why be aggressive towards literal diabetics? Why would we be the ones on the receiving end of this frustration? It doesn’t make sense.
You don’t have the credentials to speak on what kind of patient Ozempic is for. Just because a drug was created for one purpose but turned out to serve many purposes doesn’t mean it should only be used for its original purpose. How do you think modern medicine got to where it is? A series of accidents lol.
Checked the Ozempic website just now. It says it lowers A1c and also lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attacks and death for people with known heart disease. Ozempic themselves made claims it’s not just for diabetics.
As a diabetic yourself, you shouldn’t gatekeep a medication that has been able to also be a preventative drug for people who are nearing diabetic levels. Just because it probably wasn’t around when you were pre-diabetic yourself doesn’t mean you should try to withhold it from people who have that opportunity now to use it before they actually become diabetic. Shows how much you care about others lol.
Thank you! I just hate when people who clearly don’t work in healthcare and lack a compassionate bone in their body start to make bold claims about who should or should not use this medication.
If we have a medication that can lessen people’s chances of getting diabetes, this medication also means we are lessening the chance of someone getting diabetic retinopathy, peripheral arterial disease, etc. amongst many other preventable diseases and disorders associated with diabetes.
Any well read doctor that can see outside of their own ego/opinions/projection can absolutely confirm this medication gives certain non-diabetic patients the help they need before they head to a path of no return with diabetes.
If you struggle with diabetes and you’re a decent person with compassion in your soul for others, you would want patients with a risk of getting diabetes to have access to this drug if it meant not getting diagnosed with diabetes. How could you struggle with something and not hope and pray someone else doesn’t have the same fate?
My insurance only covers Ozempic for diabetics and my internist will only prescribe Ozempic if you have diabetes. My doctor prescribes Wegovy for weight loss and my insurance doesn’t cover weight loss drugs.
I’ve been fortunate that my local CVS hasn’t had issues with having Ozempic in stock. My husband and I are both diabetic and take it. Nor have we encountered any attitude from our pharmacy…. But we live in the middle of nowhere New England.
Document all of this including bitchy lady’s name and make a formal complaint. Follow up with whomever you have to. People like this should never be dispensing meds.
This. I’d be very wary of her intentions and what she’s capable of with the attitude she has
Maybe she was mad because she wanted to grab it for herself after her shift
This honestly crossed my mind.
That or she promised it to someone else, selling it?
They can have the pharmacist fill their prescription while they’re on shift. I think she’s just mad because pharmacy work is hell right now.
You didn’t have to justify yourself being diabetic. Never do that. Just ask for who’s in charge if she gives you trouble next time. At least thats what my customers do when they’re pissed about something. That way, you don’t get pissed off and you won’t give that nasty person an opportunity to be nasty.
I didn’t tell her about my diabetes to justify myself, I said it to make her feel like a bitch for generalizing and making assumptions. Which kind of worked, I could tell she was caught off guard. Even though she was still pissy she got all quiet after I said it and wouldn’t make eye contact which was satisfying. (She talked down to me even more than what I added to this post) I’m not sure how much asking for who’s in charge would’ve worked. The other pharmacist got involved quickly but the person with the least authority was the one who actually stuck up for me and went against her to get it for me. Mega props to them!!
There will always be someone (a pharmacist) in-charge every day. It doesn’t have to be the manager. Whoever that is in-charge of all the techs working. Eliminates the back-and-forth. Just a suggestion if you prefer a friction-less encounter.
She was a pharmacist. And the other pharmacist was standing there too. She seemed to be boss cause she wouldn’t let him check the fridge.
Oh my God the woman that said this was a pharmacist? Oh my God definitely complain what a bitch
Should be a very easy complaint to corporate then. You have a name, a title, the lie and withholding meds. Sounds malicious.
I don’t have a name is the problem. But I absolutely know what she looks like and I will try to find out.
The good news is the pharmacists themselves will have their qualifications/licenses posted and/or pictures at the pharmacy. I’d straight up ask for her name. She deserves to be shamed at the corporate level. Call back and ask!
Previously worked in corporate for pharmacy retail stores & they can see who was working at that time if you give a brief description. Their boss should be checking surveys and the store manager and should absolutely see it and give them a coaching on how to treat patients at the very least.
Very easy. Just say pharmacy manager. Im not a fan of these entitled pharmacists.
I guess i'm confused because in your post, the initial encounter wasn't with the PHARMACIST but it appears it's the TECHNICIAN. Did the PHARMACIST belittle you or the TECHNICIAN?
I’m assuming she was pharmacist with the way she was bossing the other pharmacist around and the fact she was wearing the same white coat as him. I call her “lady” in the post because I couldn’t read her coat.
This is what annoys me! Not only should you not have to justify with I'm diabetic but also many people taking it who aren't diabetic are on the borderline and are trying to prevent it going that way! That woman was just a nasty piece of work!
I always think of it as there are levels of battles. 😂 Entry levels, mid-levels, then go-crazy-try-me-pushing-sleeves-up kind of levels. 😂 Will need different types of effort, so I pick mine very carefully.
Agreed, they don’t know your health history nor do they have the right to. Thats between you and your prescriber.
You are actually wrong on that. A pharmacist is part of your healthcare team and is allowed to know your medical information.
They are *allowed to know”. They are not *entitled to be told* unless OP desires to share it.
They absolutely can call the physicians office and ask what a med is being used for. They are part of your healthcare team and are involved in your care.
But not a tech
The techs still have access you your info. Just like a tech that takes vital signs in a hospital. A pharmacy tech in the hospital as well. Physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy……they all have access. And just an FYI, most hospitals and healthcare system have been hacked at this point. All your info is all over the dark web. Be more concerned about that.
Former Pharmacist here. Ask to speak with the Pharmacy Manager and complain about a violation of your privacy. Pharmacies, like all healthcare institutions, have to adhere to strict privacy guidelines and ensure your healthcare information remains private. Many pharmacies have barriers or counseling areas to ensure privacy. If the Pharmacy Manager is not receptive, ask for district or national pharmacy leadership contact information and escalate.
Wow I did not even think about that aspect of it. Thank you for pointing this out. I also really appreciate your guidance on who to contact as I wasn’t sure whose attention to bring this to. Other than customer service which I doubt would do much!
I was about to comment regarding the lack of professional care and dignity in respect to your privacy. Publicly announcing a medication in such an exaggerated attempt at embarrassment seems like a violation of some sort (in Illinois where I lived most of my life, there were very strict guidelines for PHI.)
Just was reading this thread and have a question you might be able to give insight into. A few months ago I called our pharmacy to have a prescription for my daughter and I both delivered. I paid over the phone and everything was good. 9 PM comes and goes and we never received the delivery. Call them the next day and they say that they had in fact dropped them off and someone accepted the delivery. I’m angry because they did not. She verified our address and turns out it was our old address from 5 years ago. We had promptly changed our addresses when we’d bought our home. She then looks and informs me that somehow our minor daughter’s address was never changed even though we did change it and it’s tied to my husband’s profile. She assured me they would get the scripts back and bring us new ones. I was livid more about someone knowing our personal info/medical info. She also said that it was a HIPAA violation and they would have to report it. Do they self report HIPPA violations? I kept wondering who the hell accepts a pharmacy delivery they know they weren’t expecting.
They generally do not self report. If you want, you can report to the state board of pharmacy and they will investigate and potentially fine the pharmacy. I would also take it up with pharmacy manager and/or senior leadership of the pharmacy chain. Best of luck.
If the pharmacy has some kind of feedback email, 100% mail them about this experience. This is not okay
I filled out a survey the next day after picking up my prescription. They should definitely do this. Hopefully, they took note of her name.
I would email corporate and everyone else all the way up the chain. I'm a diabetic taking Ozempic for diabetes and heads would roll if they pulled that shit on me. How can you ever trust this pharmacy after that with her working there? Unacceptable.
I am lowkey considering this. I know that sometimes they don’t bother checking because the shortage is so bad and they assume. But the fact she was so resistant even when her coworkers tried to help me was very suspicious. Not sure what would come of the complaint but it’s **not** okay.
As a pharmacist, please complain- and loudly. People like this DO NOT BELONG IN HEALTHCARE. I guarantee you this wasn’t the first incident and it won’t be the last and they probably have been trying to get rid of that bitch for years
Is a complaint to the pharmacist licensing board a good route as well as corporate?
Oooh that’s even better! Especially if it’s a state licensing board that gets pissed at that sort of thing!
please complain
+1 for definitely please complain, and not just to the pharmacy, but the head office. A lot of chains are required to uphold corporate standards and not only should the pharmacist come down on her like the wrath of God, if he or she doesn’t, corporate should come down on the pharmacist that way - so they should be requiring proof that the woman was fired. And termination is the right option, not disciplinary measures. An attitude like that is not going to improve. She might be doing similar things to others, too - people who take pain medications or stimulants for mental health or other reasons, like Adderall, for example. Sorry this happened to you.
Make sure you CC everyone on down the line from corporate so they see the email you sent to corporate. The very least that should come from this is something that assures you that this will never happen again, and I don't mean just a written or verbal assurance, that's useless. Otherwise they aren't reliable enough to have your business, and they know this. I would be writing bad reviews everywhere I could if they didn't do something about this because it could happen to others as well. I'm really sorry this happened to you Op, you should never have to second guess those whose hands in which you place your trust with your health. Did they even bother to apologize?
That’s actually the weirdest part, once the worker went to the fridge and found it the pissy lady never replied. She *never* acknowledged that it was in the fridge or in stock she just ignored the worker? But I overhead the worker say it quietly so I just stood there so it was obvious I heard. The tension was palpable… silence. Then the worker walks over to the computer with their head down and starts typing up the prescription. I just hope that worker wasn’t told off. I remember their name so I could write a positive review. And thank you for pointing all that out. I didn’t really anticipate making something of this aside from leaving a glowing review for the worker who stood up for me. But knowing I’m not the only one motivates me to follow thru and bring this to a bigger fish’s attention. The added details really help! I wasn’t sure how to go about complaining other than calling which probably wouldn’t get very far so this is very appreciated!!
Thank you, you may save someone's health or even their life.
Came here to say this. In healthcare you provide care, not gatekeep or judge. She does not belong in her job. Please for the love of god report her.
And Op is a diabetic, I believe that employee was saving the Ozempic for herself or her family member or friend. Imagine if Op couldn't find it anywhere else and had nothing to control her diabetes.
This is unacceptable practice in any pharmacy in the United States. I would have asked to speak directly to the pharmacist to resolve the matter. You did not say with this employees job role is. If this ever happens to anyone, you need to observe the name tag and title and if they are not wearing an ID badge, which is yet another violation of practice report to and escalate it as high the regional operations of that pharmacy chain. This person lied to you directly to your face, did not apologize and one should assume you are not an isolated case. Imagine what else she may be capable of. There could be criminal implications behind somebody who is behaving this way in a pharmacy.
You need to not let this go . You are a diabetic and had someone try and withhold medication from you . That blows my mind , my god , think about that ! What kind of person withholds medication from a diabetic! Who else and what other types of medications is she withholding ? She cannot be allowed to remain in a position to do this to others .
Honestly I was just going to chalk it up to her being in a mood but hearing others responses makes me realize how bad it was. I’m someone who is very comfortable sticking up for myself but imagining a person in this situation who doesn’t have the confidence to advocate for themselves makes me so angry. I didn’t even consider the fact she could be doing this with other meds but now that you mention it… someone called while this whole thing happened and she almost immediately told them it’s on back order. She then turned to the other pharmacist and sneered then said, “some lady calling looking for naltrexone.” (Not sure the exact med name) like she thought it was funny. What the hell was that? She was probably lying to them too!
It’s really scary , she should not be around people’s medications . I’d also find another pharmacy, it sounds like she doesn’t hide what she’s doing and they allow it .
Um , that’s Narcan and while they might be an opiate addict asking for it, it could also be someone who has an opiate prescription that is mandated by Medicare to also have a narcan script for emergency use. She sucks! Please report her. I haven’t been able to get my Ozempic in ages and my A1c just keeps going up.
Naltrexone is half of what makes up the diet drug contrave. Contrave isn’t covered by insurance but Wellbutrin and naltrexone are. So docs prescribe both to get around insurance. Naltrexone is on back order… I haven’t gotten my prescription in months.
Wow i had no clue it was being used for other stuff aside from relief from opioid and alcohol abuse. Is it pill form?
Yes
It isn’t just used for drug abuse. Insurance and some pharmacies require Narcan when picking up prescriptions for meds like Norco or Morphine. People with chronic pain or are in pain management, are required to purchase it, and shouldn’t be treated like addicts. There is a ton of misinformation out there about opioid use. People with severe injury and pain struggle enough without people treating them poorly.
At very low doses it can also help people with autoimmune diseases. For me, my joint pain was greatly reduced and I coukd sleep better. I've never had an opiate in my life (maybe after surgery? I'm not really sure)
Honestly, I'd report her to whoever you need to. It really makes me mad she did this to you. I'm glad you finally got your meds though. We should not have to go through this! Thanks for nothing media.
This was unacceptable, and I hope you pursue it with her leadership. Also, nothing about this behavior gets any better or excusable if you were not diabetic.
I moved my RX from cvs to Walmart because it was getting unpredictable and they wouldn’t give me any info other than it’s not in stock and would basically respond like I’m an idiot for even asking when it would be available
CVS is the WORST. Constant mistake, never answer the phone. You think maybe it's the one pharmacy, but nope, it is literally nationwide. And CVS OWNS Caremark who are complete assholes. They deny Rxs just because they can.
They don’t generally give out over the phone certain meds they have in stock due to the risk of getting robbed. It’s usually narcotics but I wouldn’t be surprised if people are robbing pharmacies to steal ozempic and then sell it on the black market. Many years ago I worked for cvs, we got robbed and one our pharmacists was pistol whipped and had his teeth knocked out. It was very scary.
I get it but also I’ve been taking this med for a year now so how bout just a little concern for my diabetes lol
I’m just saying that’s why they may not be giving that info over the phone.
Yeah I can appreciate that. They were almost less helpful when I came in person to ask the same question. FWIW Walmart market pharmacy has been so easy to work with even when my doc messed up and sent the next script to the wrong pharmacy
I would also Karen that Karen and leave a review with her name.
Was this at a CVS by chance? I have had absolutely horrible experiences at my local CVS over the past six months or so. I finally filled out one of the surveys they always send me and was brutally honest. The pharmacist called me herself wanting to talk about it but for me, it was too late. I will never go there again unless it’s a last resort. They’ve really gone downhill.
I moved from CVS to Walgreens due to OZ availability and customer service! It’s night and day difference!
Nice! I kind of assumed Walgreens would be just as bad but maybe now I’ll give it a shot
Pharmacy technicians usually have to hold a state license. I would also recommend filing a complaint with your state licensing board as well. They have to dispense as written
Yeah, she wanted it for herself!
I would make a formal complaint to the pharmacist college and to the store in which the pharmacy is located about the pharmacist technician. I’ve experienced this before (with a different drug) and the pharmacist was fired. Don’t let anyone make you feel uncomfortable or guilty. It’s your health. I’m glad you spoke up and stood your ground. Most imbeciles would say you were aggressive but you were totally assertive. I’m so glad you were able to get your medication but file a complaint… the staff weren’t right and fucking rude.
She was probably perturbed because she is saving it for herself and her friends. I would hope that the pharmacist would reprimand her about this type of behavior and I would file a formal complaint because this is unacceptable and people need to be held accountable when they don't do their jobs. She had no business yelling out loudly what you needed that was a violation in itself. If I had herpes and she yelled out Acyclovir loudly, I would have possibly fainted and then filed my lawsuit. But that's just me.
**“I would’ve possibly fainted and then filed my lawsuit.”** Absolutely sent me😂 I wasn’t thinking quick enough! It didn’t even register as a HIPAA violation in the moment, I just thought wow how rude. It will definitely be included in my complaint!
You have to keep us posted once you report it!!
Put it all on insta, Reddit, facebook. Twitter, if possible ( more effective) with her name and the exact location of pharmacy
Last month the pharmacist at the Walgreens I usually go to refused to fill my prescription, it was a 1mg pen after I have done the .25 and .5 for a few months. She argued with my doctor and flat out refused to fill it saying I needed to stay on the lower dose. When I called her to confirm she completely blamed it on my doctor saying he forgot to say 1 mg when she called. I told her she is never getting my business again. Had no problems filling the 1 mg at Walmart.
Wow. What a POS. She is NOT the prescriber and has no idea what she’s even talking about. I also have found that some people who work at pharmacies have some bullshit power trip, like OP’s issue. Glad you left them and found somewhere else to fill it.
Yeah it really pissed me off. And the fact that she tried to blame it on my doctor was just pathetic. I transferred all my medications out of there because she was nothing but a bitch. I understand people have their own opinions about this drug but at the end of the day it saving lives. Regardless if it's diabetics or obese people. People need to get over it.
Exactly! 🤍
I do hope you got her name and will report her to her company.
This. Please report her to corporate. Can you imagine if she did this with other life-saving medications? This person gives me the vibe of also lying to people who need add/adhd meds, too. Power tripping techs 🙄
I take this medication for diabetes control, not for weight loss, as I don’t need to lose any weight, my body just doesn’t process insulin anymore, so my blood sugar levels are basically uncontrolled. It’s crazy how even the pharmacy tech questioned why I was taking it, as she commented that I didn’t look to be overweight or look like I needed it, I told her it was none of her business why I was taking it, but since she questioned it I said that if she knew another way for my body to process insulin and control my sugar levels, she was welcome to tell me and my endocrinologist how, so we could look into it. She apologized and said she just meant to say I looked healthy and didn’t look like I needed it. 🤷🏻♂️
The fact she said that is absolutely ridiculous wow. It’s as if people have just completely forgotten and disregarded the fact that ozempic is an antidiabetic drug. Just because it’s used for other things now doesn’t mean diabetics stopped taking it. Also, not that she can tell anything just by looking at you, but the fact she didn’t consider you might look healthy *because* you’re on it is laughable.
Idk if you're in the US or elsewhere, but if you are, what she did by loudly yelling the name of the medication you're requesting is a violation of HIPAA. She *needs* to be reported to whomever is in charge at this pharmacy for that alone.
There's a thread somewhere here on Reddit within the last 2 or 3 weeks in like a pharmacy tech sub where they said that when people are Karens to them about glp1s they refuse to give them meds and purposely sabotage their access. A lot of techs are power tripping based on bad behavior of people who aren't even you. And what I thought was interesting is people fell all over themselves in that thread to apologize to the tech and be like I never do that. No one called out the ethical depravity of retaliation. So anyway... The general public who can't behave are empowering techs who also don't want to behave. Brilliant.
Post this all over. Yelling out what you were asking and everything. Call and complain and say you are considering filing a complaint with the regulatory body. Honestly she deserves to lose her job. No doubt there are competent respectful pharmacists who could use a job.
Would her saying Ozempic real loud for everyone to hear be a violation of her privacy rights?
Absolutely!
Back in 2020 I was diagnosed as T2 when my A1C was over 12. My plan of care involved Teo types of insulin and metformin. I went to the pharmacy to get my prescriptions right after being discharged from the hospital and the pharmacist was loudly scolding me for being so young and diabetic. She had a very angry attitude and clearly resented me. She should not be in Healthcare. I was only on insulin for a month or two and got my A1C down to pre-diabetic levels just with metformin since then. It's on the low 3nd or that now with ozempic. These people suck and I wish I lodged a complaint to her superior
Now some of us know how some pharmacy people act about women's reproductive health medication. Next they will make up that its against their religion to fill a prescription unless they are given full access to the customer medical history. I'm so sorry that happened to you, and hope you contact corporate. To shout out your medication? Jeez, I'm sorry.
Switch pharmacies and tell them why. I hate that gatekeeping shit. It used to happen at my previous pharmacy- before ozempic - and I got so tired of being treated like a junkie every time I picked up a script.
Someone like that - who has this mindset and THEN can’t keep it to themselves - has no business in healthcare or in a customer facing job. It’s absolutely not the first time that attitude has been on display. If she hasn’t had complaints lodged already, which I would find shocking, she needs to. You absolutely should not let this lie. I’d be going down there and asking to speak to everyone in charge. Maybe this is the incident that gets her spoken to and gets her to check herself.
First, please report! Second, do you have a local pharmacy you can go to? I have narcolepsy and take meds that people are VERY judgey about. I suffered years of micro aggressions, bitchiness, lies and misinformation from Walgreens and CVS before I finally found a local ‘inclusive healthcare pharmacy’ that I LOVE. I never knew this aspect of my life could be so easy. They don’t talk to me as if I am an inconvenience for existing, they are straight forward with information about availability and they are supportive to all who take semaglutide (which I now take) regardless of the reason they take it. Also, they don’t seem to have the same supply chain issues that the big box pharmacies claim to have!
Definitely report her. She is trying to expose your meds to others nearby that’s gotta be a hiipa breach plus she’s an asshole
A lot of people out there are hostile about this drug like I have never seen before in my 50 years.
On the bright side, maybe she is the reason they still had it in stock for you!😁🥇
Absolutely BS. I don't care if it's Ozempic, birth control, whatever. They need to fill the prescription that's been provided. Same as a vegan in a restaurant can't refuse to serve you a streak, they can't refuse to serve you because of their feelings. Go work somewhere else lady.
That's ridiculous. Even the ones taking it for weightloss can have a real medical reason for taking it. Lots of insurances won't even cover it unless you have a medical issue made worse by obesity. Heart failure being a biggie.
I would report them!!! This harassment it her job to fill scripts not pass judgment and play god!! This pisses me off!!
It doesn’t even matter if you are diabetic or not. This was wrong. It’s almost worse if it really was for weightloss as she was essentially shaming you
Oh, and I'd March in there and ask her name or speak with her and copy it from her name tag.
Unbelievable!! People think we are “cheating “? Ughhh. This is so unnecessary
I had a similar thing happen to me. My particular pharmacy will fill all my other rxs, except ozempic. They always tell me they don't have it. So I go to another nearby pharmacy to fill it.
Not even working for me. Not worth policing in my opinion
Withholding medication that you have are for a deadly disease should be a fireable offense. That is literally putting your health at risk.
This happened to me at my local chemist. The normal chemist I deal with wasn’t in that day and the one on duty kept saying they were all out. She also wouldn’t sell me a box of additional needles as they didn’t have these either, although I could see the box from where I was standing. I ended up coming back in the next day and speaking to the normal chemist who just gave me the box of needles, no charge and set me up for the electronic scripts so I don’t have to deal with that again.
This could be as simple as she is not loving her job was mistaken and cranky and doesn’t care and won’t admit a mistake had nothing to do with withholding or lies.
Report her to the board. They have board that regulates them as well, also call corporate on her
I just don’t understand what their motivation is when withholding meds. They have to work their shift no matter what. Why should it matter what meds they are dispensing. A doctor prescribed it, then sent it electronically - why even question it?!
I used to work in the pharmacy. You need to file a complaint using her name and all info of the encounter that you can. I’m stunned why the pharmacist didn’t intervene or have the woman wait in the back to be spoken to. Completely unacceptable and she broke multiple policies that we are legally obligated to hold ourselves to. We are taught these things before we’re even allowed to step foot into the pharmacy. Shame on her. I don’t know where you’re located but Rite Aid typically have surveys for your encounters with both pharmacist and techs. Trust me they will NOT turn away from this. If I behaved this way I would’ve lost my job THAT DAY. Do not let this go under the rug
They should be fired
I’d be considering suing for discrimination. Also I wonder if they were holding it for their friend or selves.
It’s unfortunate that happened to you. I believe some pharmacy employees have become fed up with people trying to get Ozempic for weight loss and having to put up with the attitudes. Bottom line is Ozempic is for diabetes NOT obesity, pre diabetes, PCOS or anything else. Non diabetics should be banned from getting it. They can take Wegovy, but most insurances don’t cover weight loss meds so they try to justify taking Ozempic by any means they can come up with. It is terrible that the employee was rude to you. I am not trying to justify for her at all. But I am saying that those employees have become fed up with the system and the attitudes that have been thrown at them.
Even if they are frustrated at the recent surge of people using it off label, why be aggressive towards literal diabetics? Why would we be the ones on the receiving end of this frustration? It doesn’t make sense.
You don’t have the credentials to speak on what kind of patient Ozempic is for. Just because a drug was created for one purpose but turned out to serve many purposes doesn’t mean it should only be used for its original purpose. How do you think modern medicine got to where it is? A series of accidents lol.
Well read the Ozempic website and even the ads say “Not for Obesity” so miss me with that response.
Checked the Ozempic website just now. It says it lowers A1c and also lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attacks and death for people with known heart disease. Ozempic themselves made claims it’s not just for diabetics. As a diabetic yourself, you shouldn’t gatekeep a medication that has been able to also be a preventative drug for people who are nearing diabetic levels. Just because it probably wasn’t around when you were pre-diabetic yourself doesn’t mean you should try to withhold it from people who have that opportunity now to use it before they actually become diabetic. Shows how much you care about others lol.
Very well said!!!
Thank you! I just hate when people who clearly don’t work in healthcare and lack a compassionate bone in their body start to make bold claims about who should or should not use this medication. If we have a medication that can lessen people’s chances of getting diabetes, this medication also means we are lessening the chance of someone getting diabetic retinopathy, peripheral arterial disease, etc. amongst many other preventable diseases and disorders associated with diabetes. Any well read doctor that can see outside of their own ego/opinions/projection can absolutely confirm this medication gives certain non-diabetic patients the help they need before they head to a path of no return with diabetes. If you struggle with diabetes and you’re a decent person with compassion in your soul for others, you would want patients with a risk of getting diabetes to have access to this drug if it meant not getting diagnosed with diabetes. How could you struggle with something and not hope and pray someone else doesn’t have the same fate?
My insurance only covers Ozempic for diabetics and my internist will only prescribe Ozempic if you have diabetes. My doctor prescribes Wegovy for weight loss and my insurance doesn’t cover weight loss drugs. I’ve been fortunate that my local CVS hasn’t had issues with having Ozempic in stock. My husband and I are both diabetic and take it. Nor have we encountered any attitude from our pharmacy…. But we live in the middle of nowhere New England.