Thank you, S.T. and J.P.
I have mentioned that my pharmacy has abruptly been closed. My family has had at least 15 prescriptions a month filled at the old one for over 10 years, and never an error.
At my request, the closed pharmacy transferred two prescriptions to another independent pharmacy in the area.
The first one was for Diastat. It is a self contained device for administering valium to a patient during a seizure. My daughter is under 90 pounds, her proper dose is 10 mg. The pharmacy gave me two devices … set at 20 mg each.
I have been giving my daughter her nightly valium from the second prescription that pharmacy was given. It is for oral valium "elixir" … a liquid they get from the drug company. Her prescription is for valium (I should say "diazepam," the generic name) at the concentration of 5 mg per 5 ml of liquid. Her dose is 10 ml. Hence, she should get 10 mg of valium at bed time. Easy. Been doing it for a long time.
So, what do the new pukes at the new pharmacy do? They give me a bottle that looks like what I always get. They write on it "10 ml at bedtime" like always. And they fill it with valium that is a concentrate of 5 mg per 1 ml. FIVE times the dose. They have me giving a woman under 90 pounds 50 mg of valium. For those that don’t know, that is an incredible, and dangerous dose.
I scramble to get the right stuff. No one has it in stock. I need a new prescription since the pukes can’t transfer it and I don’t trust them anyway. No one can get it until tomorrow. My contact at the doctor’s office is out until "Tuesday June 13, 2009" according to her email, but that date does not exist.
Some wonderful woman, S.T., finally called, having checked the other woman’s voice mail I guess, and somehow she gets out the new scripts, calls me with updates, arranges for a follow-up tomorrow, and somehow restores keeps my faith that some people do their best to make it all work somehow. Some people care.
[added:] The next morning, J.P. called to follow up and make sure it was all properly handled.
Thank you S.t. and J.P. Now I am filing a complaint with the state pharmacy board …