Pharmacy Mistake with Forteo! - Osteoporosis Message Board

thyme2b · 04-03-2007, 05:35 PM

I've been getting my forteo from a large chain pharmacy. I chose them because I thought they did a high turnover and would know how to handle this type of medication.

Today I went to the drop off desk and ordered it, then went to do a few other errands. I came back to pick it up. It looked like it had been sitting out. I opened it and felt it and it was warm!

I walked back and asked to talk with the pharmacist. I raised the roof, saying that it was supposed to be kept in the refrig, not left out. He gave me a new one, which I felt and it was cool.

One of my fears is that the pharmacy will mishandle this medication and it becomes inactive. Since we only get 2 years on this medication, this really bothers me.

Forteo is supposed to be refrigerated at all times! The pharmacist seemed clueless about this and for sure the many pharmacy assistants that they used seemed clueless. When I was first starting taking it, I had a pharmacist from a different pharmacy tell me that I should let it set out for 15-20 minutes after taking it out of the refrig so that the injection would be more comfortable. When I asked Lilly about this they said definitely not! This would cause it to become inactive. Having seen other serious medication errors, I know that using a medication that requires such special handling makes this a problem.

Has anyone else who takes Forteo thought about this? How did you go about choosing the pharmacy? Have you ever had a problem with it? I'm planning on transferring my prescription next month, but I don't know how to find someplace better.

I really feel upset that I may be injecting myself nightly with a medication that is no longer potent due to the many steps of potential mishandling along the way. HOw do we find a good pharmacy that will take the required care?

tomatojuice · 04-03-2007, 05:56 PM

hi thyme2b Last week I saw something on tv that relates to this. I think it was 20/20 or one of those type shows. They were saying how careful you have to be with the large chain pharmacys-they have made many mistakes and horribly harmed people. Evidently unbeknownst to the public they use 16 year ods to fill prescriptions and somehow they are getting away with it. They are not pharmacist-just wearing white coats etc. They particularly targeted walmart. Anyway I was picking up my script for a b-complex vitamin last month at a local duane reade and they handed me a full bottle of xanax, which is a controlled substance-so one can never be too careful at the pharmacy. Always question what you are getting, you have a right. Oh also the book that they make you sign isn't only to show you picked up the medicine-your also signing away your right to counsel by a certified pharmacist.

osteoblast · 04-03-2007, 06:37 PM

Thyme2B-I know exactly the feeling that you must have. I have thought about this and even wondered how much variance in forteo results might be accounted for because of mishandling of the drug in the supply chain.

At a local pharmacy here I had spoken with the pharmacist when I thought I would be prescribed forteo. I asked her about what they did when it came in and how sure she was that they would refrigerate it on arrival. She seemed very honest and sincere when she said they would take care of it well. She also told me that she had worked at other places where it wouldn't have been so well taken care of. She wasn't dissing really-just seemed to be stating a fact. She is the pharmacy manager and she said they always staff adequately and she trains her staff well. They do seem to staff very well. It is a busy pharmacy, but they are all on the ball. I have to say over the past 7 pick ups that her words were true. It's always in the fridge. I open it right after paying for it at the counter.. I check that it is cold and nothing floating in it. I read somewhere to check that the liquid is clear. Yet, there are doubts-I can't help it. I think what about the time it was in the delivery van to the store. What about prior to the van-well it really is endless how many times along the way it could be mishandled.

I think you are fortunate they had another cold one there and didn't give you hassle about it. At my pharmacy , you can't open until it is rung up. Then I wonder what they would say if I said no-it's not cold.

taape · 04-03-2007, 07:06 PM

This was one of my early concerns when I used Forteo. Would the pharmacy refrigerate it properly, not just when I went to pick it up but when they received it from their delivery truck. You really don't know how it was handled after leaving the factory. Eventually my insurance only paid for Caremark to deliver it to my door (in ice packs) which worked out fine rather than picking it up each time. I always took an ice chest in the car for the way home since it was 95-100 and figured it can't be out of the refrigerator in those temperatures.

Interestingly enough when I had to travel for work and before I figured out about using the cooler/icepacks from Caremark, my employer insisted that it was ok to travel with the pen in the Eli Lilly bag for up to 3 hours which didn't seem to me to keep it cold enough. When my employer contacted Eli Lilly to discuss what type of refirgeration I needed (yes, very invasive emlpoyer), the customer service for providers told them that the pen could be out in 70 degrees room temperature for up to 14 hours per pen and not go bad! I was totally shocked and even called Eli Lilly myself and pretended to be a medical provider. I was told the same thing more or less.

So if that's true and the pharmacy leaves the pen out for 5-10 minutes when your picking it up your probably ok. Your lucky that your local pharmacy even had extra pens, I would have to order 2 days in advance.

PikaB · 04-04-2007, 06:54 AM

Many of us have had episodes of "warm Forteo paranoia", worrying that the Forteo has not been constantly refrigerated from the time it leaves Lilly to the time it is handed to us. (This is a particular concern where I live, because the temperature gets so hot during the summer.) Mostly, we just have to trust the system.

At first, I would never telephone (or use the web) to have my prescription renewed; I would go and ask for the renewal in person, and wait for it there, to be sure that it wasn't put in the bins with the other prescriptions awaiting pickup.

But now I do call for my renewal in advance, paying close attention to where the Forteo is coming from, and whether the box is cool. Every time, the pharmacy clerk will go to the bin, and find my empty envelope, which instructs her to go to the refrigerator to get the medication for me.

Of course, I always take my cold Lilly travel pack into the pharmacy with me, and immediately insert the Forteo as soon as I get it.