have you ever taken drugs from the pharmacy?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
nafcillin said:
for your own use? We just had a pharmacist fired for taking ativan for his own use.
Click to expand...

no. but the tech at this hospital I use to work at would take ibuprofen and other drugs from the hospital pharmacy stock for their own use. They would take the Rx strength and when I told them I wouldn't do that when I needed some one day they looked at me like I was crazy. The techs would take the meds and the pharmacists wouldn't bat an eyelash.
 
They fired a tech for that at my store. We have a community drawer for otcs that we expense but legend drugs require a prescription.
 
nafcillin said:
for your own use? We just had a pharmacist fired for taking ativan for his own use.
Click to expand...

Is the pharmacist salary not enough (to that pharmacist) to pay for those? This sounds ridiculous.

Back when I was actually behind the counter, I didn't take anything. I would be nervous if I grabbed something randomly. I knew the medications I needed were available as OTCs.
 
i knew some that did but it was only for like ibuprofen. only time i took drugs out was when i was truckin' em to other stores to trade, borrow, or whatnot.
 
At one of my jobs (*very* small hospital), pretty much everyone took whatever otc stuff they needed off the stock room shelves after the director was known to be okay with it. I have heard MANY stories about ridiculously stupid techs, interns, and pharmacists stealing narcotics though, just in general.
 
Sparda29 said:
My boss lets me take Ibuprofen 800 mg or Tramadol 100 mg whenever my knee starts acting up, I always ask before though. One time he let me take a low dose of propranolol since I was heading to a hot date immediately after work.
Click to expand...

WOW...I can't believe everyone here is okay with stealing.

Do you work at an independent pharmacy? Does your boss OWN the pharmacy? If not techincially you guys are both stealing. Not to mention it's illegal b/c you don't have a prescription from a MD.

I am not just talking about you, but anyone that takes a tablet and isn't the owner of the pharmacy is stealing from Walgreens or whatever pharmacy you work at. Not to mention NO prescription from MD, so its ILLEGAL.

I guess if you guys work at the bank it would be okay to sometimes take a $20 out for personal use right? I mean it's just once in a while? LOL...Everyone thinks that okay too? Just wondering.
 
90y348.gif
 
SHC1984 said:
WOW...I can't believe everyone here is okay with stealing.

Do you work at an independent pharmacy? Does your boss OWN the pharmacy? If not techincially you guys are both stealing. Not to mention it's illegal b/c you don't have a prescription from a MD.

I am not just talking about you, but anyone that takes a tablet and isn't the owner of the pharmacy is stealing from Walgreens or whatever pharmacy you work at. Not to mention NO prescription from MD, so its ILLEGAL.

I guess if you guys work at the bank it would be okay to sometimes take a $20 out for personal use right? I mean it's just once in a while? LOL...Everyone thinks that okay too? Just wondering.
Click to expand...

Work for CVS. Pretty much everyone I've worked with allows it.
 
Taking a $20 dollar bill from your register and asking the pharmacist if it's alright to take 1-2 ibuprofens aren't the same thing sweety
 
SHC1984 said:
WOW...I can't believe everyone here is okay with stealing.

I am not just talking about you, but anyone that takes a tablet and isn't the owner of the pharmacy is stealing from Walgreens or whatever pharmacy you work at. Not to mention NO prescription from MD, so its ILLEGAL.
Click to expand...

not that i condone stealing from a pharmacy, cuz thats wrong, but last time i checked... a rph can write a script for rx strenght motrin 😉
 
This is stealing. There is no other way to look at it. It is wrong. It is surely a violation of company policy. Most companies will allow you to take OTC items like Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen from an open package that is either for employee use or for rx dispensing. But unless you have an RX and you have filled it and you take the pill from your personal bottle, taking a prescription medication from the shelf and taking it for personal use is stealing.
 
no to mention but against the law... Even taking prescription strength ibuprofen is against the law without a prescription otherwise you wouldn't need a prescription. I work for Kroger and they would fire you over that. Like I said we expense otc items for community use but our store manager is okay with that because we also allow store employees to have these otc items if needed.
 
Sparda29 said:
My boss lets me take Ibuprofen 800 mg or Tramadol 100 mg whenever my knee starts acting up, I always ask before though. One time he let me take a low dose of propranolol since I was heading to a hot date immediately after work.
Click to expand...

Tramadol is a controlled substance in this state. And I definitely would not give someone a beta blocker without an RX.

Sparda29 said:
Work for CVS. Pretty much everyone I've worked with allows it.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that is true, but it is still stealing and the fact that your pharmacist "allows" it will not protect your job if you are caught.
 
Several pharmacists in UK have been struck off for stealing. All pharmacies where I have worked have a drawer with say, damaged OTC packs for staff use. Anything else is instant dismissal with a report to the UK Pharmacy Society which invariably means being struck off. You will then most likely lose your house, your husband/wife and could end up on skid row. If professional people cannot be honest, then go into finance like Bernie Madoff.
johnep
 
👍 Because finance is for dishonest professionals
 
I believe as a pharmacist, we are held to a much higher standard. Taking anything that's not yours is never the right thing to do. Even if there are a lot of free stuff flying around. Don't be a scum bag. You work in health care, the money and the integrity are worth more than those pills.
 
MyTalon4U2NV said:
not that i condone stealing from a pharmacy, cuz thats wrong, but last time i checked... a rph can write a script for rx strenght motrin 😉
Click to expand...

A pharmacist cannot write any prescriptions period. That's the MD's job.
 
SHC1984 said:
A pharmacist cannot write any prescriptions period. That's the MD's job.
Click to expand...

No, that's incorrect. Collaborative drug therapy management protocols allow for pharmacists in many practice settings to write prescriptions pursuant to a physician-approved protocol. Pharmacists in many different outpatient clinics (anticoagulation, cholesterol, diabetes, etc.) regularly write prescriptions. The VA system allows specially trained pharmacists to write prescriptions with almost (if not the same) latitude as any other midlevel practitioner.
 
Praziquantel86 said:
No, that's incorrect. Collaborative drug therapy management protocols allow for pharmacists in many practice settings to write prescriptions pursuant to a physician-approved protocol. Pharmacists in many different outpatient clinics (anticoagulation, cholesterol, diabetes, etc.) regularly write prescriptions. The VA system allows specially trained pharmacists to write prescriptions with almost (if not the same) latitude as any other midlevel practitioner.
Click to expand...

Oh my bad. 😳 I didn't know that. Is that only in VA or is it in every state? I just took a class last semester that said pharmacist do not have the authority to write RX. Maybe its just the state I am in? 😕
 
I also know that FL has prescriptive authority for pharmacists. They can't write for controls but they can write for certain medications.

One pharmacist I know will "steal" a couple tablets and then make a note in the computer to short herself later when she gets the prescription refilled. She did this often when she was taking tramadol and left her prescription bottle at home.

I know one tech who was fired because she kept transferring her birth control prescription back and forth and using coupons. It was not really stealing but employees are not allowed to use pharmacy promotional coupons. She got away for it for months because the techs ringing her out either did not know or did not care and would just go ahead and give her the $10-30 gift card.

I also sat through a lecture where the pharmacist claimed that he was stealing percocet for about 3 years before he was finally busted. He was lecturing us about how Ohio has a special program for pharmacists who are addicted to drugs/alcohol so they can enter rehab before getting busted and losing their license. The guy giving the lecture did get busted and lost his license for 5 years but after completing the rehab he was able to get it back. It was not an easy process though and financially difficult considering the legal/attorney fees were close to 40 grand over the 5 year period.
 
SHC1984 said:
Oh my bad. 😳 I didn't know that. Is that only in VA or is it in every state? I just took a class last semester that said pharmacist do not have the authority to write RX. Maybe its just the state I am in? 😕
Click to expand...
VA is a federal entity and it has its own rule, so you don't need even a state license to work for VA. For hospitals, they have drug committee that set up drug formula and protocol. That's what I heard
 
litetigre said:
VA is a federal entity and it has its own rule, so you don't need even a state license to work for VA. For hospitals, they have drug committee that set up drug formula and protocol. That's what I heard
Click to expand...

Incorrect, you need a state license to work for the VA. But you can work in any VA facility in any state with a single state license. Doesn't matter what state.
 
Nemuri said:
Taking a $20 dollar bill from your register and asking the pharmacist if it's alright to take 1-2 ibuprofens aren't the same thing sweety
Click to expand...

They are exactly the same thing, just because the the Ibuprofen costs less does mean it was not stolen.

MyTalon4U2NV said:
not that i condone stealing from a pharmacy, cuz thats wrong, but last time i checked... a rph can write a script for rx strenght motrin 😉
Click to expand...

They cant. Even if they had prescriptive authority as indicated in some of the other posts, your tech is not your patient and your agreement with your collaboratiing physician does not include doling out Tramadol, NSAIDS and propranolol to your colleagues and employees who are not patient's of the physician.
 
All4MyDaughter said:
Incorrect, you need a state license to work for the VA. But you can work in any VA facility in any state with a single state license. Doesn't matter what state.
Click to expand...
True, I do some more searches at VA website. Turn out you don't even need a license issued by one of 50 states. One from US territories or Commonwealth can do it too! American Samoa, Virgin Island, Puerto Rico all count!
 
litetigre said:
True, I do some more searches at VA website. Turn out you don't even need a license issued by one of 50 states. One from US territories or Commonwealth can do it too! American Samoa, Virgin Island, Puerto Rico all count!
Click to expand...

now you are just getting too technical.
 
Stealing is definitely wrong, but I'd be much more worried about losing my job and my license. Any pharmacist or pharmacy student who takes prescription meds without a prescription is asking for trouble. That's what the cameras are for. We've had 2 people fired from my hospital in the last year for stealing controlled meds.
 
Nemuri said:
Taking a $20 dollar bill from your register and asking the pharmacist if it's alright to take 1-2 ibuprofens aren't the same thing sweety
Click to expand...
Tell that to my Loss Prevention Manager. As long as you take something that wasn't yours, that belonged to the company, it is grounds for dismissal. Period. That's how I got promoted to PIC when my old partner was fired.
 
SHC1984 said:
I am not just talking about you, but anyone that takes a tablet and isn't the owner of the pharmacy is stealing from Walgreens or whatever pharmacy you work at. Not to mention NO prescription from MD, so its ILLEGAL.
Click to expand...
If you're not the owner, you cant take anything, prescription or not. If you go out into the aisles of CVS and grab a 2 L of Pepsi, a few magazines, some shave cream... none of those you need an rx for... none of those can you take. Obviously its much more serious to steal a controlled substance, but stealing in any capacity could cost you your job.
 
Ackj said:
If you're not the owner, you cant take anything, prescription or not. If you go out into the aisles of CVS and grab a 2 L of Pepsi, a few magazines, some shave cream... none of those you need an rx for... none of those can you take. Obviously its much more serious to steal a controlled substance, but stealing in any capacity could cost you your job.
Click to expand...
sums it up wonderfully. 😍
 
UK pharmacist struck off for having unpaid for music CD in his posession when searched.
In UK many multiples insist on bag search every day. One uses a wheel of fortune to decide what is to be searched that day.
johnep
 
litetigre said:
I believe as a pharmacist, we are held to a much higher standard. Taking anything that's not yours is never the right thing to do. Even if there are a lot of free stuff flying around. Don't be a scum bag. You work in health care, the money and the integrity are worth more than those pills.
Click to expand...

👍

I think more pharmacy schools really need to drill this into their students. It's kind of scary how many people out there feel like this is okay. Just because there are 'white lies' doesn't mean there is 'white stealing'.

I'm taking Legal Ethical and Social Values of Business and we were all required to take a quiz to evaluate our ethical standards in the beginning of the quarter. One of the exact questions was asking if you thought it would be okay to every once and a while take pens or paper or ink from your workplace to your home if you needed it for personal use. So surprising how many people think it's okay. My dad used to work in an office that had a fax machine and no one even realized how much money it was costing the owner when every single employee would fax personal documents to long distance numbers all the time without paying for it.
 
Chains like CVS and Walgreens usually lose about 1% yearly due to shrink...taking 1% of billions in sales...well you get the picture...Dont take merchandise that doesnt belong to you...End of story

Dr. M
 
I heard from a professor of mine, that he knew of a pharmacist recently getting fired for taking/stealing one certirizine tablet at work
 
In my pharmacy, we have some OTCs that are open that we use to fill Medicaid prescriptions. Rarely, someone will take a couple acetaminophens or something if they have a headache. The pharmacist and the pharmacy manager are okay with this. I'm presuming the idea is that you're needed at work, and if taking a couple OTC tablets will allow you to stay at work and function, well, okay.

However, it should be rarely, and it should be out in the open. It should never be a medication that's an Rx. And I would never do it without my supervisor's permission. (Personally, I carry a stash of OTCs in my purse in case I need them, so hopefully I won't need to do this anyway).

There's another thread about people buying office supplies like rubber bands and pens for their work. While you should not be doing this, neither should you be taking stuff from your work.
 
Markovnikov said:
One pharmacist I know will "steal" a couple tablets and then make a note in the computer to short herself later when she gets the prescription refilled. She did this often when she was taking tramadol and left her prescription bottle at home.
Click to expand...

This is questionable... it's one thing to do this at most once a month for a maintenance med, especially something you should take every day like a beta-blocker... but maybe instead she should make herself another label and keep some of her med at work or in a briefcase she always brings to work.

Although at least she does short herself later. But I wouldn't do it.

I don't remember... is Tramadol controlled? I'm thinking it wasn't originally, as they didn't think it had major narcotic-like effects, but now they're thinking they might want to make it controlled?
 
Nemuri said:
Taking a $20 dollar bill from your register and asking the pharmacist if it's alright to take 1-2 ibuprofens aren't the same thing sweety
Click to expand...

sounds like you are ready to be accepted in a pharmacy school.

Its a slippery slope.
 
What about Zofran? You show up to a 12 hour shift and a few hours later your bowled over with nausea/vomiting. You call the PDM and there is no way someone else can come in for you. Its a serious safety hazard to cover a pharmacy while very ill, would it be ethical to slip a zofran?
 
Federally, tramadol is not a controlled drug, but some states have it as a controlled drug. A lot of pharmacies have a stash of ibuprofen/apap etc which you can use. Just don't take medicine from the pharmacy; that is a sure way to get fired.
 
GreyFox2002 said:
What about Zofran? You show up to a 12 hour shift and a few hours later your bowled over with nausea/vomiting. You call the PDM and there is no way someone else can come in for you. Its a serious safety hazard to cover a pharmacy while very ill, would it be ethical to slip a zofran?
Click to expand...

Ethically, the pharmacy should be closed for business for the day.
 
GreyFox2002 said:
What about Zofran? You show up to a 12 hour shift and a few hours later your bowled over with nausea/vomiting. You call the PDM and there is no way someone else can come in for you. Its a serious safety hazard to cover a pharmacy while very ill, would it be ethical to slip a zofran?
Click to expand...

Besides just closing the pharmacy (or having someone come in to cover), the other option is to call your doctor and get a prescription for the medication. Most of the time, it doesn't take them very long.

But I don't know if they'd give it to you anyway in this case. If you desperately needed migraine medication for a previously diagnosed condition, probably. But you shouldn't be anywhere near the pharmacy with stomach flu, and if it's food poisoning, I don't know if you should be stopping the nausea or vomiting.
 
npage148 said:
Ethically you should not be taking tramadol and propranolol w/o a valid script but both you and your pharmacist are ok with it so I don't think you should be spouting about ethics
Click to expand...

Ethics is something which he barely has a passing understanding. Meaning he would know an ethical behavior if it jumped up and bit in the butt. Why are you surprised....
 
I don't know if this has been stated, I only had the chance to scan the posts real quick. Our retail and hospital pharmacy have designated Tylenol/Motrin bottles specifically for staff. It's not uncommon to go into the drawer and take it when needed. I'm VERY surprised that most, if not all pharmacies don't accomodate this same courtesy to staff. However, I wouldn't even think of taking drugs off the shelf that weren't set aside for staff purposes. I'm not a stickler at all, and have no apprehension letting things slide from time to time , but I wouldn't feel right about doing something like that.
In addition, our retail pharmacist often advances patients a few days worth of pills (never controlled drugs) when they are out of refills, and out of pills, to prevent them from missing maintenance doses. He accounts for the pills and shorts them when their rx is filled. I see nothing wrong with this.
 
Reading a few of the above posts, I must say that I was quite surprised how many of you were okay with this. I understand both sides of the story, but I think the best solution is to ensure that there are some communal OTC meds (ibuprophen) available to the staff to prevent any temptations. In my opinion, everything else should be off-limits.
Medications are carefully prescribed and/or controlled for a reason after all..
 
Controls are definitely not ok, but what about important non-controls like ABX or BP, BG, ect, the type that it is pharmacist's professional duty to give patients emergency supply, I would hope most pharmacists will put the good of staff's health first.
 
Last edited:
If I were on an admissions committee or in human resources, I'd be watching this thread closely. I can't believe people are stupid enough to admit to stealing drugs on a public forum, since the consequences could include being kicked out of school and losing your job and license.
Some people will just jump at any opportunity to talk about themselves, I guess...
 
I cannot believe I am reading these posts...Many of you should be ashamed of yourselves...What you are doing is stealing...No matter how large a company or how much money that company has, those are not your products to steal. Unless you bought them with your own money, you are not entitled to amoxicillin, or ibu 800, or tramadol. To me, those drugs cost pennies, but it is the principal...Cause if you can take those items, what will you take when your knee pain is worse than last time??

I remember when I was a student, my PIC took a naproxen from the shelf and reached into his pocket and gave me $0.15 cents to put in the registrar for the pill...It wasnt his store, it wasnt his product to take, he paid for it...And Tramadol??? Tramadol is dirt cheap, but come one, these are prescription drugs...Whats next? A vicodin here and there...

I just signed paperwork to be a University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy Preceptor here in Fl...The students on this board need to be careful what they reveal...Anyone could be reading these boards...Im just saying...dont let something as ignorant as to what you are doing get you in trouble...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Mr.Smile12
[Drug Store News] Trends in pharmacy 2024
Replies
0
Views
1K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
S
How does the big beautiful bill impact pharmacy education?
Replies
3
Views
604
steveysmith54
S
V
pivot from pharmacy. which degree?
Replies
4
Views
2K
clarkbar
C
E
The Big Question: Pharmacy School or Career?
Replies
3
Views
2K
steveysmith54
S
SavedByGrace 116
Project 2025, Will the board of pharmacy change the pharmacy graduate intern position to full-time?
Replies
4
Views
2K
lord999
lord999
Top