I pick up prescriptions for people and CVS always fascinates me, they have like 6 people running around looking busy but somehow very few prescriptions are being filled.
Your CVS is staffed? The CVS and Walgreens around me are chronically understaffed. Like one pharmacist and one tech filling prescriptions and handing them out.
Weirdly, the Safeway pharmacy is always very well staffed. 2 pharmacists, 4 techs. I wonder how much better their benefits are than Walgreens.
well walgreens is pretty much given, seeing as how a PE firm recently bought the company and its in the process of being gutted. alot of old people near that store depend on it, and most other walgreens have closed in our area.
Yeah, don’t blame the staff. While I was trying to get a printer fixed so they could print my order at a Walgreens, I overheard someone really berating the staff. He was getting personal.
i have heard CVS intentionally short staffs thier pharmacy and stores, the one years ago 10+ i went to and the one downtown barely has people in it, no wonder they close the stores permanently, aside from rising cost and shoplifitng. probably to avoid paying pharmacists too much , and with benefits, since you need a pharmD to become one.
Calling any CVS pharmacy around me is immediately met with an AI system that takes forever to transfer me to a person, where, i kid you not, they will pick up the phone and then leave it on the counter to dead air. Makes refilling my adhd meds very difficult since im required to speak to a person to get them filled.
Imagine if America switched to using safer prescription methods… like having everything in blister boxes, just like you see with lots of OTC medicine. Just grab the box, print out the prescription sticker, and you’re done. No mistakes, reduced overdose risks, much more traceability, easier stock methods…
Though I can see the appeal in scrambling around, putting loose pills into those funky orange bottles.
In Australia we don’t have pill bottles outside of maybe hospitals. Everything comes in blister packs.
You can’t even buy a “bottle” of aspirin or paracetamol, it’s all blister packs.
I think the idea is that if someone is trying to OD, or if a child gets hold of them, they have to pop each pill out individually rather than just pop the cap off one bottle and swallow the lot, which is difficult for children and psychologically slows down the suicidal.
Australian here, I’m on 7 meds and 4 of them are in bottles. Not the orange pharmacy bottles either, the manufacturer packaging. Common medications too, beta blockers, BP medication, Lithium, etc. I use Chemist Warehouse (Our CVS/chain type pharmacy).
Yes some are, I was on lithium too and I’m on Vyvanse - both bottles. But stuff like Panadol, neurofen, cold & flu, all the OTC stuff I can’t think of anything that’s bottled.
I do think blisters are better. I accidentally overdosed on lithium years ago. It was pretty stupid but I used to use a spare lithium bottle for my next days medication. At the time I was on 21 pills a day so when I accidentally grabbed the wrong bottle and swigged my pills, noticed it felt a little more than usual but not enough to bother checking. Until I got really sick and figured out I’d just taken over 30 lithium pills 🤢
I pick up prescriptions for people and CVS always fascinates me, they have like 6 people running around looking busy but somehow very few prescriptions are being filled.
Your CVS is staffed? The CVS and Walgreens around me are chronically understaffed. Like one pharmacist and one tech filling prescriptions and handing them out.
Weirdly, the Safeway pharmacy is always very well staffed. 2 pharmacists, 4 techs. I wonder how much better their benefits are than Walgreens.
well walgreens is pretty much given, seeing as how a PE firm recently bought the company and its in the process of being gutted. alot of old people near that store depend on it, and most other walgreens have closed in our area.
I always see the same thing. Im guessing a big part of the job is inventory and paperwork
Yeah, don’t blame the staff. While I was trying to get a printer fixed so they could print my order at a Walgreens, I overheard someone really berating the staff. He was getting personal.
Yeah that’s not cool
Yeah I’m sure procedures need to be followed and maybe too much is better than too little, but Walgreens doesn’t seem to operate that slowly.
I just have mine delivered. I don’t bother with the pharmacy bs
i have heard CVS intentionally short staffs thier pharmacy and stores, the one years ago 10+ i went to and the one downtown barely has people in it, no wonder they close the stores permanently, aside from rising cost and shoplifitng. probably to avoid paying pharmacists too much , and with benefits, since you need a pharmD to become one.
Calling any CVS pharmacy around me is immediately met with an AI system that takes forever to transfer me to a person, where, i kid you not, they will pick up the phone and then leave it on the counter to dead air. Makes refilling my adhd meds very difficult since im required to speak to a person to get them filled.
Imagine if America switched to using safer prescription methods… like having everything in blister boxes, just like you see with lots of OTC medicine. Just grab the box, print out the prescription sticker, and you’re done. No mistakes, reduced overdose risks, much more traceability, easier stock methods…
Though I can see the appeal in scrambling around, putting loose pills into those funky orange bottles.
In Australia we don’t have pill bottles outside of maybe hospitals. Everything comes in blister packs.
You can’t even buy a “bottle” of aspirin or paracetamol, it’s all blister packs.
I think the idea is that if someone is trying to OD, or if a child gets hold of them, they have to pop each pill out individually rather than just pop the cap off one bottle and swallow the lot, which is difficult for children and psychologically slows down the suicidal.
Australian here, I’m on 7 meds and 4 of them are in bottles. Not the orange pharmacy bottles either, the manufacturer packaging. Common medications too, beta blockers, BP medication, Lithium, etc. I use Chemist Warehouse (Our CVS/chain type pharmacy).
Yes some are, I was on lithium too and I’m on Vyvanse - both bottles. But stuff like Panadol, neurofen, cold & flu, all the OTC stuff I can’t think of anything that’s bottled.
I do think blisters are better. I accidentally overdosed on lithium years ago. It was pretty stupid but I used to use a spare lithium bottle for my next days medication. At the time I was on 21 pills a day so when I accidentally grabbed the wrong bottle and swigged my pills, noticed it felt a little more than usual but not enough to bother checking. Until I got really sick and figured out I’d just taken over 30 lithium pills 🤢
Interesting, I stand corrected then. I’ve personally never encountered them in my life
Maybe it’s a prescription thing. My ADHD meds are literally amphetamine and come in a bottle. Paracetamol comes in blister packs only.
In Estonia not Aus tho
they sell them in pill bottles, and online like amazon they have even larger amounts pill per bottle.
except amazon is around you can just buy a bottle of otc pills in large bulks, 1-year, to multi year supply(for antihistamines) online.