My complaint:
I was denied my prescription, without a legitimate reason, and had my doctor call the pharmacist three time to straighten out what the doctors said was the pharmacist not doing her job. Here is a very detailed story:
Nathan, a pharmacist from shoppers drug mart at 5353 lakeshore rd. Oakville, Ontario, looked up the suboxone carry rule when I first required the medication to be carried home, and he found that a lockbox is not required.This conversation happened in early 2020, while I don’t have the exact date I do know that conversation happened right before my first “carry home” dose was filled. Due to me moving I also had this script filled at Shoppers drug mart in Barrie, Ontario, at 65 wellington st. west, and they did the same, which was no need for a lockbox, just a signature. I have been filling this prescription since May or June at 2297 Lakeshore Rd. W. Oakville, and today Dec.07 is when this pharmacist changed the way the serve me.
G. Patel, the pharmacist at 2297 Lakeshore Rd, refused to fill my prescription the first time and did not provide a reason I understood. I called my doctor’s office, the R.a.a.m. clinic, and they called the pharmacy and told G. Patel, the shoppers pharmacist, to fill the prescription. The doctor apologized to me, and said that the pharmacist misinterpreted the the first prescription, it wasn’t sent incorrectly and the pharmacist is wrong. They sent a brand new perscription. G. Patel then refused again to fill the script abecause I did not have lockbox. As explained above, shoppers drug mart has never required me to buy a lockbox, I’m disappointed G.Patel made no effort to talk to Medhat or Jimmy about e receiving my medication with no issues for months at a time. I then called my doctor back again, the R.A.A.M. clinic and spoke to the same people, they apologized again and called the pharmacist once more. I did receive my medication at this point. There was no paperwork done however, there is always a signature needed so Im surprised this part didn’t happen. I did not initial on the paperwork they always require me to sign.
I asked the pharmacist if there would be issues next time. She said I would have to buy a lockbox next time. I then called my doctors office back the third time and explained that this one pharmacist, G. Patel refused to fill it in the future. They told me I should switch pharmacies, but I really enjoy that location. Suboxone is for opiod addiction, I am an addict in recovery and I felt shamed, but today I’m an outstanding person who is grateful to be able to use Ontario’s healthcare system and find the treatment I need. I have social anxiety and it is a big deal to me to go in that store and make pleasant small talk with customers and staff. I’m not going to let this one pharmacist be the reason I switch stores. I then called the doctors office yet another time, I explained that I didn’t want to switch pharmacies.
G. Patel did not take care of my medication needs. When the prescription was sent the first time, she lied about not having it and I’m upset I had to get the doctor to sort out why the pharmacist never received the first prescription.
G. Patel enforced rules that she di not understand, all the other shoppers pharmacists understands the rules, I’m upset she gave me trouble.
I also feel harassed that she kept on giving me issues about the lockbox, against what the doctors were telling her. Why didn’t she provide a real reason for not dispensing the medication. Ive read I have the right to be told why, the lockbox reason was not legitimate, as the doctors and other pharmacists said so.
I want this situation explained by somebody who has authority so I can understand why was denied my medication. I want this situation resolved, I want somebody in management to explain why I went through this horrible experience.
09092717 case number, spoke to Olga mon.dec.07
Suggested solution:
Have management apologize, and put in policies to prevent this again, retrain the pharmacist.