Pharmacy Phone Call

 The phone rang at 10:30 this morning. It was the Walmart pharmacy letting me know that they couldn’t fill my gabapentin. 

I take gabapentin for anxiety, and it works better than anything a psychiatrist will prescribe. The only problem is the discrimination against people who take this medication that comes from pharmacies and some psychiatrists. The pharmacy always has some issue with filling it. Sometimes the issue is flat out refusal based on the fact that they think you’re some kind of drug addict if you take it. 

I’ve dealt with this by taking less than prescribed and building a stockpile. I have it on auto refill, and when I get the text that there’s a refill ready to be picked up, I go in the evening when it’s all young people working (except for the actual pharmacist of course). The last time this happened was on May 29th. The bottle said one refill was remaining. 

When the phone rang this morning and it was the Walmart pharmacy stating that they weren’t able to refill my gabapentin, I assumed they meant that they were just going to refuse the last refill altogether. I responded with, “Even though my doctor is allowing me to have one more refill?”  

The pharmacist said, “Because it’s too early. This is June 8th, you just picked up on May 29th.  Are you out already?”  

I was taken aback.  I said, “No I’m not out and I think it’s a little weird that you would even try to refill it now anyway.”  

She then responded that I had called the automated system to request a refill. I promise you I did not do that.  I told her I did not do that. She insisted, “Well I have it right here that you called and requested a refill of gabapentin.”  She then reiterated that I couldn’t pick up until June 27th. I said that was fine and that I didn’t call.  She gave me the rudest, “Ooooookaaaayyyy” ever and hung up.  I then wondered if I had called it in in my sleep. I checked my call log. I did not call the Walmart pharmacy even according to my call log. I checked the call logs of my husband and daughter. Neither of them called either. Not that I think either of them would do that, but still. I had gaslit myself into thinking I sleep-called, so anything was possible. 

This was just so off putting. I have had a lot of  problems with the pharmacy giving me a hard time about that being what I take. They wouldn’t have such a problem with it if I was taking an SSRI or SNRI. In fact if I was taking any of those drugs, I’d probably be the biggest hero mama for caring for my mental health. This kind of feels intentional. It’s definitely a good thing I have a stockpile. And it’s a good thing I don’t get as many panic attacks as I used to.