How the Target Pharmacy Lost my Business

or Today's Rant of My First World Problems.

The stupidest use of legislation ever was the State of Illinois deciding that it would combat the evil meth labs by making it painfully inconvenient for the Good People to obtain pseudoephedrine.  Without which I cannot breathe.

Until recently my drug of choice, Allegra D, was only available by prescription.   So I ordered it in 90 day supplies from the mail order pharmacy preferred by my health insurance.  When I went to reorder this month, the mail order pharmacy said they are no longer distributing Allegra D because it is an over-the-counter drug.

Knowing about the Stupidest Use of Legislation Ever, I asked what my options were.  Going to the pharmacy every 10 days to buy a new box is unacceptable.  Mail order pharmacy suggested that I call my doctor for a new script and take it to my local pharmacy.  They would probably give me 90 days if those were my doctors orders.

I called the local pharmacy and my doctor's office and confirmed that I could do this.  I picked up the script the next day and figured I would pick it up the next time I ran by the pharmacy.

Then I went goofy.

I happened to be in Target for last minute Christmas stuff.  They have a pharmacy.  I haven't been entirely happy with my regular pharmacy, so I took my script to the Target pharmacist.  He told me the state law said that he couldn't give me more than a ten day supply.  It didn't matter that I had a prescription.  He had to take my driver's license, put it into a national database and confirm that I was allowed to have it before he could give me a ten day supply.  When I told him that my local pharmacy said they could do it, he said, "Their systems must not be as good as ours."

I took the ten day supply.

Fast forward to today.  My mother saw our doctor, and having heard the first part of my story, got him to write a script for Claritin D, which has the same regulatory issues.  She took hers to a third pharmacy and it was filled with no problem.  I went back to my regular pharmacy tonight and got my 90 day supply.

Perhaps because I work in HR, there are few things that irritate me more than people telling me what "the law says" when they have no idea what they are talking about.  I understand the rules with this drug are crazy, but if I can't count on the pharmacist to know them better than I do, I will be taking my business elsewhere.

Sorry, Target.  That was your shot.