Walgreens Fail

[T.H.]

I am so upset right now I just want to cry.

I had surgery earlier this week, and last night I ended up at the ER with increasing pain and all sorts of fun stuff. Was sent away from the ER with muscle relaxants - my neck and shoulders were so kinked up I am literally walking with my head to the side and hunched over - and pain medication for excruciating back pain. My doctor at the hospital was very good about making sure we had gluten free drugs, and we even double checked them with glutenfreedrugs.com after we left.

It was 9 at night, the pain meds from the hospital are wearing off, my husband goes into the Walgreens to get the medication (I would have recommended somewhere else, if I'd been very coherent), and that's where it all goes down the drain. We've spent hours at the ER, we're tired, he's been watching the kids, and he knows they gave us gluten free meds. so he didn't even think to ask about it when he got the medication. I was just a little heap in the car, waiting for him.

I was supposed to take one of the pills as soon as we got them, but I had just enough coherence left that I noticed the label of the pill bottles. They didn't give us the drugs we asked for, they gave us the generic. I ask my hubby if those are gluten free, and he has no idea, but he assumes they are, because Walgreens has down that I am Celiac. They wouldn't give me stuff that has gluten, right?

I've only had to have medicine a couple times since going gluten free, but I'm a lot less trusting than he is. I made him go back and check, and they have no idea. My stupid !#$%!@#$@ cell phone has no battery left, the car charger is in the other car, and the Walgreens has 'no way to check the gluten status until the morning when the drug companies open.' We end up driving to the nearest walmart, buying a stupid car charger so we can charge the phone and check glutenfreedrugs.com ourselves, and both my medication they gave me has gluten.

I'm SO glad I checked! SO mad that they don't have a freaking list!!

But it doesn't end there. My pain medication is almost completely worn off by this point, but I end up going in to the pharmacy to talk to them, hoping that the actual patient being there might help. They check all their medicines, but not one that they have in stock is gluten free for my two prescriptions. They won't take back the pills they gave us, of course, although the pharmacist does give me the number of the ER to call them for ANOTHER prescription.

I call the ER on the cell phone as I'm walking out of the store, just in so much freaking pain all I want to do is lie down and not get up for a week, and I take two steps out the door by the time the ER says they'd be happy to get me a new prescription, but they just need to talk to the pharmacist in person for a few seconds to confirm (these are narcotics, after all). I turn to re-enter the store, and they have locked it behind me. Closed.

I manage to get the manager to re-open, explaining I just need a few seconds of the pharmacist's time to speak to the ER, and he won't let me back in. I'm literally crying I'm in so much pain now, feeling like a complete idiot, and he's telling me that no, they can't let me in, and even if they could, it's now after hours so the pharmacist isn't allowed to talk with the ER anyway. We can go to another Walgreens that's open 24 hours a few miles away and THEY can call the ER for us. This Walgreens won't even do THAT for us.

I honestly broke down completely. Headed back to my car, just crying uncontrollably, in front of my kids no less so the poor things are scared to death, because mama never cries unless it's a sad movie. My husband is beyond pissed. He just heads back to the ER, brings in the drugs, tells them what happened, and they are very responsive and good, just as they were before. Gave us another prescription, and names of pharmacies they thought would be better, and told us to make sure to take these not-gluten-free drugs with us so we could show the new pharmacy and not get hassled about trying to get this type of medication twice in one day.

The only thing is, all the pharmacies that carry this are over an hour away from where we are, which will be an hour away from our house, too. It's now after 11 at night, with the kids in the car, and we finally just ended up coming home where I have my half-as-effective pain pills that let me sleep at least a few hours but no more than that. My hubby is going in this morning to get prescription for me at the other pharmacy.

Right now, I'm still so ANGRY and in pain and just miserable. I know the pharmacist tried to help, once she realized there was a problem. She called all the companies, she gave us the names of the manufacturers, she got me the ER name, but considering it was their mistake, when they have ALL the information to avoid that mistake, it doesn't feel like enough. Because of the pharmacy and that !#$@# manager, I've got essentially an extra day of pain to live through before I can get any relief, and that makes me so mad. I keep thinking about what if this had been my kids going through this, and it makes me madder.

So I suppose all I'm saying is, if this is an example of Walgreens' ability to cope with gluten sensitive patients, they earn a total and utter FAIL. Avoid these guys like the plague.

[kareng]

I go to Walgreens too. I have to check myself all the meds I get. They said they can't access the Internet or call long distance. I usually find out before I pick up something and call. They do not keep the fact that you have celiac disease in the computer and it wouldn't matter. They don't check it and it doesn't seem to work too well cross checking your other meds either. I know they have given people stuff that shouldn't be taken with other meds and not told them. The pharmacist even told me that the amount of gluten in a pill isn't enough to hurt me. I said maybe, if I only took it once but twice a day foy months?

Maybe you can copy the above and email it to them.

I just emailed to ask why they can't keep track of the celiac disease and gluten status of drugs. If anyone else who reads this uses Walgreens, email them today and ask that. If they get several in one day they might wonder about it.

[Monklady123]

I'm sorry that happened to you! It sounds awful! But, thank you for posting, because now I will be sure to NEVER EVER go to Walgreens.

[ravenwoodglass]

I will never go to Walgreens either for anything if this is the way they treat their customers.

One thing that may help is when my doctor gives me a script for something the he has checked and certified that it is gluten-free I make sure that he writes Dispense as written, DAW on the script, there is actually a little box for that. If the doctor does that the pharmacy cannot substitute a generic form that may or may not be safe. There are times though that the name brand drug will not be safe, xanax is an example, after my doctor checked we found out the generic form usually is safe. It depends on the med and the maker.

I am so sorry this happened to you. I don't know if you have a Wegmans nearby but they are very celiac savvy and though I do have to remind the clerk they will take the time needed to check that the med is safe.

[GlutenFreeManna]

So sorry to hear about your bad night. Going to the ER and then waiting for meds is no fun even without the hassle of having to check if your meds are gluten-free.

Unfortunately this could be a problem at any pharmacy. They don't teach pharmacists about celiac disease or gluten intolerance. My SIL is a pharm tech and when my H told her I can't have anything with gluten she said, "What is gluten?". My H had to list the foods that contain gluten: wheat, barley, rye, etc.

It's a good thing you had enough coherence to look out for yourself and fight to get the right meds. Hope you feel better soon.

[missy'smom]

I go to Walgreens too. I have to check myself all the meds I get. They said they can't access the Internet or call long distance. I usually find out before I pick up something and call.

Ditto. Sigh...I always ask the doc. both the brand name and the generic name so that if I can't track down one, maybe I can get in touch with the other and yes, it takes an extra day usually. Thankfully I rarely take meds. I don't want to bash Walgreens, I think it could happen anywhere. The Walgreens I go to finally got to the point where they would at least let me call the manufacturer from their phone, saving me one trip or a little time. But, I've had to go home and look up the number online at times. To the OP, I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. I feel your pain. Really. The pharmacies NEED better training! I've been laughed at by an ER doc for asking if the solution they wanted me to drink was gluten-free. He'd "never heard that one before!"

[Almendra]

Odd, I went to Walgreens here in Southeastern Wisconsin and, after I explained my needs and worries about my prescription, the pharmacist allowed me to double check the ingredients of my medicine and then printed out a 20 page list of gluten-free OTC medicines in the store for me. The list says that it is revised once a year ("Good as of 06/30/2009") and that the items are subject to manufacturer product changes.

I do not understand why other Walgreens would be less helpful. Although, it does seem that the pharmacists I have spoken with since my diagnosis are not very familiar with gluten issues (we seem to problem solve together - they do not have ready answers or understanding of my needs).

[luvs2eat]

To have that kind of frustration piled on you when you're in excruciating pain is inexcusable! I hope you can get in touch w/ someone "higher up" in the Walgreens company and tell them your whole story!

[polarbearscooby]

When I informed Walgreens I have an allergy to penicillin and have celiac they brushed me off and didn't seem to notice. We've had LOTS of problems with our local walgreens so we just made the switch to wal*mart. They are much nicer they and way more helpful...

[kayo]

They said they can't access the Internet or call long distance.

What a joke! Pharmacists need to be able to call and gather adequate information. Also, no one had a cell phone? Regardless, all the meds come with paper inserts that the pharmacist can look at to see the active and inactive ingredients. When I had a question that's what my (CVS) pharmacist did. She pulled out the papers and unfolded them and we went over the ingredients together. When one had gluten she chose the same med with a different manufacturer and we checked that one. In the end she had to order me the med from yet a different manufacturer who didn't use gluten. I'm lucky in that she knew what gluten and lactose were and she put notes in my file.

[jerseyangel]

we just made the switch to wal*mart. They are much nicer they and way more helpful...

I had bad luck with my local CVS, so I also go to WalMart. They tagged my file in their system with gluten-free, and always call the manufacturer for me.

[polarbearscooby]

I had bad luck with my local CVS, so I also go to WalMart. They tagged my file in their system with gluten-free, and always call the manufacturer for me.

So far Wal*Mart has been really good, My own doctor is an idiot so I can't look to him to help me with this

[T.H.]

Thank you everyone for your replies! I'm pretty sad to hear that lots of people have gone through this, too, but at the same time, it's kind of nice to feel less alone. I suppose maybe I should be grateful that this happened to me first. I'm kind of new to this, but both my kids need gluten-free medications too, and better I had to go through this than my kids have to. I'd better start trying to find a trustworthy pharmacist now for the future

I think I may be giving Walmart a try and see if they are any better - this is the second Walgreens in town I've had problems with, and in the end, I now don't have any pain meds until Monday. We have five different pharmacies in town, and not ONE of them had gluten free versions of my medicine in stock. They all had the generic versions with gluten available. This may be a long search for a good pharmacist. Thank you for all your thoughts and ideas. Hopefully that will narrow down the search!

[jerseyangel]

Best of luck, Shauna. I hope you feel better soon