bought my meds, went outside, realized they were not m ine!!!!!!!!! !!!!
@Hatley (163772)
Garden Grove, California
November 7, 2011 11:23am CST
after reading a very important discussion on credit card theft
I just remembered a similar but different situation I ran
into.these days we are warned about so many things we need to'be careful of, even being sure in the pharmacy that we get the
correct medications., well I think like so m any people I get
to the point where I am going,yeah, yeah sure of course I will'be careful.common sense blah blah b lah. then I paid for my prescriptions and took my package. I though of the warning never leave the drugstore without checking you got the right prescriptions. I shrugged and walked out the door. after all I
had been buying the same meds. for years. but just for fun I looked into my package. There were not eight bottles but only four yet I had paid ten dollars more than usual. then I looked closely at the four bottles, Mr.Elmer Jones glared back at me and the names of the drugs were unknown to me,. I had been given the wrong bag and
paid for meds that were not even mine. to say I hustled back to the pharmacy counter is an understatement. I met Mr.Elmer Jones, we told the pharmacy clerk that we had been given the other person;s meds by mistake. So Mr. Jones had to fork out another ten dollars and got his four bottle while I took back a ten and got my eight bottles of prescriptions.from then on I checked right at the drug counter.Your take, you ever think to check when you fill your prescriptions?
5 people like this
27 responses
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
7 Nov 11
I always check just to make sure, I guess a habit I have been doing for years. But your, "Mr.Elmer Jones glared back at me" statement made me laugh. I don't think I ever heard you use something so descriptive before, like right out of a novel, yet I can "see" that scene in my mind..I really hope you get your stories back, I really want to read your writing..
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
7 Nov 11
Awww the poor girl, I am sure that she will pay extra attention next time..
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
yeah I felt sorry for her too and she became really careful and worked there for ages. I think she had to quit when she had her first child. then we got a male clerk oh my was he a stickler I mean he made you look and see he gave you the right prescriptions and he did not let you off either but the good part is he made no errors ever nor did I.He made me read back the prescriptons too. some fun but it did save any mishaps.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
7 Nov 11
oh lord carm theres so much of my life in that storage. then I shudder remembering that awful day we had to get out before before the sheriff would legally toss us out. but it was a she and she said I know you will be out before tomorrow and you can have til noon if you need it. she felt so bad she had to do that aqt all.
to say I was upset was an understatement that day and Mrjones and i met the same tim e at the pharmacy counter,. I felt sorry]for the clerk as this was her first day. she did get it
straightened out and Mr Jones paid the ten dollars more he owed her.
she sure did apologize over and over.
2 people like this
@Jlyn10 (11965)
• Malaysia
8 Nov 11
Hi Hatley
I always have the habit of checking whatever I buy before I leave. Even at the supermarket, I always confirm that the things I buy would tally with the list on my bill. I have come across a few times that it doesn't always tally and also sometimes the price is not the same as what is stated on the counter with what is being scanned by the cashier. So I guess that habit sticks with me. 
@khare_1005 (1310)
• India
8 Nov 11
i have seen this many a times that if i leave some of my work for someone else,its either not completed at all or not done perfectly as i wanted to.so most of the time i try my best to do my work on my own.i don't get satisfied that way.
2 people like this
@khare_1005 (1310)
• India
8 Nov 11
that's really a great tip to save on unnecessary billing.i remember once i gave a painting for framing and i asked somebody else to collect it after framing.the person who got my painting didn't check while receiving the packed parcel.later on when i opened it,i found that my painting was replaced by someone's else.and this mistake made me run out of my that work that i did taking up more of my time and efforts.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169603)
• United States
7 Nov 11
I very seldom buy prescriptions at this point. When I was working with adult disabled I picked us some, but most of them came bubble packed to the houses. However, my diabetic client got hers at a local pharmacy because her mom preferred that. I signed for a whole bag once and got home and they had not given her syringes. They insisted I got them, so she had to pay for more. Luckily she had the money. I did check everything from then on out.
2 people like this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
hi gardengerty after that episode I was so careful and had no more trouble. now here at Gold crest they order all our prescriptions for us and we are given our meds at meat times. but as our pill pushers are human it still pays to check that you have your meds and not someone else's. twice I was given my tablemates and caught the error immediately and our pusher switched t
hem so we each had our own pills.
hem so we each had our own pills.1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169603)
• United States
8 Nov 11
It is good that you know enough to know what is right.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
10 Nov 11
yes over the years some pills stay the same and some were dropped but also kept a notebook with the current pills handy so I could always check oddly the last time I saw my doctor the nurse asked me if I was still taking a certain medication I was unfamiliar with and I asked her what it was for , low thyroid. well my doctor had put that in there and thought he had given me the prescription and he had never done so. the last blood test I had showed I had low
thyroid so I told him he had never given me the prescription so he did that also while I was there. Garden Gerty several years ago I took an I Q test just for fun. I tested 150 so I am still lucid and not senile u
nlike a ,ot of people here.
nlike a ,ot of people here.1 person likes this
@sid556 (30953)
• United States
7 Nov 11
I have heard of this happening. There was a case not long ago in the news that involved a young child. I don't get many prescriptions at all and I admit, I have just walked out and not checked. So far, it has never been a problem for me but your story is a wake-up. It does happen and can happen to any of us. I will pay closer attention next time, Hatley! I am glad that you noticed. Taking the wrong meds could have severe consequences!
2 people like this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
hi sid yes when I was in the rehab in February and March the first three days after my morning medications I became horribly nauseated and the last time my son was there, he knew what meds I
took in the morning and he and the med nurse compared notes and found that I had been getting one medication I was not on as it was supposed to be given to a Mrs. Hartley not me Mrs Hatley so that stopped the nausea,. the med was for Mrs.Hartley who was on kidney dialysis and was for her dialysis
.
.@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
his sid both me and mr, jones both learned to check our meds at the pharmacy counter so it could be remedied at once. If this helps anyone to avoid disaster I will be happy to have helped. here our
prescriptions are filled by the staff and doled out to us with our meals. each little cup has a residents name on it and we are careful to check that she or he is handing us our meds and not our table mates. wrong medications could make you really sick
@Shar19 (8236)
• United States
7 Nov 11
Good thing that you did check your bag. I feel sorry for people that might not check their bag and decide to take the pills anyway because they possibly look like the ones they usually take. Can you imagine what would happen? I usually check the bag right before I walk out of the store. There have been a company of times when I was supposed to have a specific brand name prescription and got generic instead (which doesn't work for me). There have also been a couple of occasions where the dosage wasn't right. So always make sure you check everything with the prescription. You just never know.
2 people like this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
hi shar y es its best to make sure of everything at the check out cou nter where it has to be remedied any way so after that i was\very careful. now living here at Gold Crest they buy our prescriptions fromn one pharmacy and dole them out to us individually at meals. still I check to be sure the name on the little paper cup is my name and those are my pills before ever aking them.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
10 Nov 11
yes shar I just do not trust anyone anymore and they do not mind as they do not like to give the wrong cup to the wrong person here. Any change in pills could make me ill so am always alert now
as it pays to be.
@zralte (4176)
• India
7 Nov 11
That is so true, Hatley.
I'm all 'yeah, yeah, I know. Do you think I'm an idiot? I know to be careful'.
Incidences like these are necessary to remind us that we need to be careful all the time.
I bet Mr. Elmer Jones was rather happy to give $10 more if that means he gets the right prescription.
2 people like this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
7 Nov 11
oh yes he really was and I did felt sorry for the new and embarrassed pharmacy clerk. I can imagine she cheeked to see she was giving the right things to the right people after that. I am so glad I did finally look as I was puzzled how suddenly the same meds cost ten dollars more.I am not complacent anymore when it comes to getting the right medications.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
really suny you are so right whats most important is getting the right medication and not some one else's. right at the counter is the place to check and be sure everything is right . also it helps if the pharmacist know a bit more about new meds than one's own doctor.
@celticeagle (190152)
• Boise, Idaho
8 Nov 11
My pharmacy always checks before they put them in the bag. I watch them as they do this. I would make a big deal out of it if they did that to me. It can't be safe and so we have to make a thing out of it . Know what I mean? I would hate to get home and have the wrong stuff.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
10 Nov 11
hi yes i really did make a big thing as I had trusted her and she had gave me the wrong sack and charged me wrongfully too. so she apologized and got it all straightened out from then on I did that at the cou nter. now here the staff buys themeds from one pharmacy for u s and doles them out in little p aper cups with our names onthem. I still check to be sure its my name and my meds.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
12 Nov 11
hi celticeagle and yet I got taken awhile back at target. ther e was a two packages of Benadryl for price of one but at the checkout stand they charged me twice as much for one package and the ordinary price for the other. I had lost the box of the one she double charges me for so could not prove I had been overcharged.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (190152)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Nov 11
I think I would be alittle paranoid after that experience.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50970)
• Holiday, Florida
7 Nov 11
yes thats why in the hospital these days they check and double check before they give you meds, etc. also one reason i like having my daughter stay with me in there. just to keep them on their toes if im out of it. and believe me she keeps all in line.@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
hi bunnybon yes I was so surp rised to watch them when a few yearas back I was hospitlized for bleeding diverticulitis. Each blood transfusion two nurses went through a checking routine the name of the patient, the blood type and the amount, each one checked the other for errors I guess so that no body ever got the wrong blood type that was supposed to go to another patient. I am glad your daughter was there to check when you were out of it as you say.
Good for your daughter. when I was in rehab I started being horribly nauseated after taking morning medications and my son happened to be there. he knew what medications I was supposed to have in the morning and showed the meds nurse the list, they checked it against what I had been given and there was one pill that was not prescribed for me but for a Mrs Hartley,not Hatley.so that pill was taken off my chart and given to the lady who needed it. It was some sort of pill for a person on kidney dialysis not meant for me at all. it had made me so sick.
it against what I had been given and there was one pill that was not prescribed for me but for a Mrs Hartley,not Hatley.so that pill was taken off my chart and given to the lady who needed it. It was some sort of pill for a person on kidney dialysis not meant for me at all. it had made me so sick. 
@catdla1 (6005)
• United States
7 Nov 11
I'm so glad that you noticed the mistake! Not only should the bottles be counted, but the names of the prescriptions themselves be checked, especially on new prescriptions. My husband once filled a prescription that was supposed to be for a strong antibiotic, but when he got home he had a bottle of acid-reflux medication. The mix-up occured because the pharmacist couldn't read the doctor's writing.
Scary when you think about it, that no matter how careful people are (in the pharmacy industry), mistakes are made.
2 people like this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
catdla1 you bring up another point our doctors handwriting, I have heard that sometimes the pharmacists had to phone my doctor to be sure what new prescription he had actually ordered, his handwriting was horribleso now he prints them and even I can read them.here at Gold crest the stafforders our prescriptions for us from one pharmacy and then doles hem out in little paper cups with our names o n them,even then it pays to read the name and be sure you were handed your meds not someone else's.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
7 Nov 11
Oh my! Good thing you looked at those! That could be life threatening and a huge mistake!!! I would have taken my prescription straight home and if I really needed it...I can't imagine the implications. Especially if it were someone that lived in a rural area or depended on someone else for a ride! I am so glad you checked that prescription! 2 people like this
@MaryLynn321 (2680)
• United States
9 Nov 11
I agree with you to always check your prescriptions when you pick them up. I remember years ago they use to tell you the name of the prescriptions they were giving you. They don't do that anymore, they just say how many prescriptions you are picking up. At least I know I should be getting my prescriptions as they ask me my name and birthdate and then they open up the bag that the prescriptions are in. But, it still doesn't hurt to look.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
10 Nov 11
yes now here at Gold Crest they buy them from one pharmacy and dole them out in little cups with our names on them and I always check as the caregiver can give the wrong cup to the wrong person so I check each time. it never hurts to check each time.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
11 Nov 11
hi marylynn yes as i have som etimes forgot mine and for a diabetic that could spell trouble so here its all taken care of. we all must be careful and they try very hard not t o make errors but we also watch and thats very good
@MaryLynn321 (2680)
• United States
11 Nov 11
I have a tendency at my age sometimes to forget to take my pills at home. So I can see where at Gold Crest that it is nice that they give you your pills. It is a good thing that they put your name on the small cup.
Have a nice evening. Hugs
1 person likes this
@bounce58 (17380)
• Canada
11 Nov 11
I think that's very dangerous. People getting medication from pharmacies should always check what they get. I know that people that take care of this are licensed and supposedly professionals, still they are human. And people still make mistakes. So, to be careful, we should always check. It would be a terrible mistake if we take incorrect medication.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
12 Nov 11
yes bounce it is very dangerous and from then on I checked befort i ever left the pharmacy desk.Yes to take the wrong medicine could
cost a person a lot, maybe even their life.
@changjiangzhibin89 (17248)
• China
8 Nov 11
I am very surprised at it.The pharmacy clerk was so negligent that gave you the medicine made up according to other's prescription and the same with the other.fortunately,they were all bottled medicine and you are familiar with them.What if they were tablets or something sold separately ?I dread to think of what may happen.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
10 Nov 11
hi this was several yhears back and i learned to check everything at the pharmacy counter before paying, now here at Gold crest the staff orders the meds and does them out in little paper cups with pur names on them. still I check each time to see that it is indeed my name with my particular pills. they twice handed me the wrong cup and i immediatelysaid thats not my name or pills so all was righted now.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
12 Nov 11
hiyes its not funny as whatever my tablemate was taking, might well have made me really sick and vice versa too. I am really doubly
careful as a new one is now handing out the meds so I check myname and the meds in my little cup to be sure theres no errors.
@changjiangzhibin89 (17248)
• China
11 Nov 11
The medicine is no joking matter.Fortunately you are a careful person and check it out before you take it,otherwise their handing you the wrong cup might have serious consequence.
1 person likes this
@bjc66bjc (6730)
• United States
8 Nov 11
Yes Hatley...what good advise...I have never had that happen to me..I
can truly understand how easily that can happen...thats why at all time
we must be on our P's & Q's at all times...the thing about that is the
thought of an older adult picking up their medication and not even having
the thought of checking their names or even if the its the correct meds
...Now that when it would really be a horible/terrible situtation..
2 people like this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
hi bjc66bjc yes it would be a bad situation but from then on I was su per careful and checked at the pharmacy counter, now here in gold c rest our prescriptions are ordered by the staff who then dole hem out to us at meals in little paper cups with our names on them. still I check to see I have the right cup with my name on it before ev er taking any medication at all.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
yes you really do as often new clerks are not quite on the ball and can make and do make errors. after that mess I always checked before I paid . now here at Gold crest the staff does that for us so then we have our meds doled out at meal times in little paper cups with our names on them. I still check that the little cup does have my name on it and that these are the pills I am supposed to take.
@cynthiann (18612)
• Jamaica
8 Nov 11
This happened to me a few years ago so I am especially careful and check everything before paying. I am glad that you noticed as the consequences could have been serious. I am also glad that you got your $10 back
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
hi cynthiann and joanna yes when I got too careless that really brought me back to reality and taught me t o check at the
pharmacy counter. the most professional of people can and do make
errors and thats the place to get it remedied.Now here at Gold Crest the staff takes care of our prescriptions and doled our individual meds out at meal times. but I still check the little paper cup I am handed to see that that is my name on it and that they are the correct medications. twice I was handed my tablemates so I am
careful to check always.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Nov 11
Oh yes, I always check to make sure that the prescriptions that I get at the pharmacy are the correct prescriptions because I know that there are a lot of times that there are errors that happen like this. However, I also count the pills as soon as I get home because we've had it happen here before where there have been times that there were not enough pills in the bottle.
It is sad that these kinds of errors happen, but we have to realize that pharmasists and pharmacy techs are humans and that does mean that there will be mistakes that happen from time to time.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
10 Nov 11
hi dirannmwin yes from then on I always checked it all at the pharmacy counter before ever leaving the counter. Here the staff order our medications for us, then dole them out in individual cupg with our names on them. Even so I must check as twice I got the wrong cup with the wrong name on it, but I caught the error
immediately and give the wrong cup back to the care giver who
rights the error. pays to be alway alert.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
11 Nov 11
hi stary1 yes I thought it might help others although it happened
a long time back; by checking at the pharmacy counter after that
'I never was caught off guard againl here the meds are dished out
in little paper cups with our names on . but still I check always as twice I was handed the wrong cup and caught it immediately tool
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Nov 11
hi pahak that was me also bu t that epoisode made me be really careful and I did check right at the pharmacy counter b efore paying even. here at Gold Cres all th ats done for us b y the staff and they bring us our individual meds in little paper cups with our names on them.Now I always check to see if thats my name om the little cu p and that those are the correct medications for me.
@RitterSport (2451)
• Lippstadt, Germany
10 Nov 11
hi dear Hatley great you saw it early enough that these meds were not yours at all and could return them.
Here it wont happen as you go to the pharmacy with your fresh prescription in hand and get the meds just put on the counter so you dont really need to double check.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
10 Nov 11
hi rittersport yes I was so glad I found out before I went home so I did not have to take another bus back to the pharmacy. The new clerk was waiting on several people and got our orders mixed up. now here in "Gold Crest the staff orders all meds from one place and then doles out the individual meds in little paper cups with our names on them but still I check as twice I was given the pills meant for my table mate.
ting on several people and got our orders mixed up. now here in "Gold Crest the staff orders all meds from one place and then doles out the individual meds in little paper cups with our names on them but still I check as twice I was given the pills meant for my table mate.