8/15/2024 My endocrinologist sent in a prescription for Novolg (fast acting insulin) for use in an insulin pump.
8/17 (approx) I get an automated voice message from CVS saying my prescription has been received.
8/19 (approx) I get an automated voice message saying that there is a delay, and they are reaching out to my endocrinologist.
8/21 - I have to travel out of town
8/22 (approx) I get an automated voice message saying my prescription is ready for pickup.
8/23 I am out of town, so my wife goes to pick the prescription up for me. She knows she is supposed to be picking up insulin, and that is what they tell her, so she pays for it. At no time did they offer or demand that she speak with the pharmacist, a customary practice.
What she did not know, that instead of providing the Novolog per the prescription, they gave her Treshiba, a slow acting type of insulin in pen form, not vials suitable for the pump.
I get back from my trip and return to the pharmacy with my doctor's dated notes...not catch the error, then it is too late.
Without admitting any error, he says to come back and he will give me the correct Novolog. Later that day I get a message saying the prescription is ready for pickup.
I go the next morning, and sure enough the correct insulin is there, but they want to charge me $105 again, not provide an exchange. Eventually the pharmacist says to bring back the Treshiba and he'll make good on it.
I'm back again for my third visit, and the pharmacist's attitude has changed yet again. This time he his saying he is willing to give me a fresh set of Treshiba pens (no use to me), but won't exchange them for the correct insulin.
And it just gets worse. Instead of admitting a simple mistake, now he is basically accusing me of running some kind of scam on him as says I can never use the CVS pharmacy again.
To be honest, knowing that they gave me a drug that might of killed me or at least cause some major health difficulties, I am not likely to go back there anyway.
Claimed loss: Out of Pocket: $1059 trips to the pharmacy, 8 of which should not have been required.I've been out of the correct medication for almost a month, and my AC1 has shot up to 8.1 Long term effect of that can't be underestiated.
Desired outcome: Either my $105 back (preferred) or the correct insulin provided at no additional cost.Additionally, it would not make me sad to see this particular pharmacist lose his job and his license.
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It’s shocking how CVS handled such a serious situation, especially with something as crucial as insulin for your pump. Giving you the wrong insulin, failing to offer a pharmacist consultation, and then accusing you of wrongdoing instead of admitting their error is unacceptable, especially when your health is at risk. The back-and-forth with them refusing to exchange the wrong medication and changing their stance multiple times adds even more frustration. It’s understandable why you'd want to avoid going back there after such a dangerous and mishandled situation. Hopefully, this gets escalated to someone who can address the seriousness of what happened.