Walgreens Refused to Fill a Prescription — I Fought Them and Won

Walgreens refused to fill my perscription. Here is how I fought them (using the DEA and several doctors) and won.

TLDR; I moved from Kansas to California and have been taking pain meds for 18 years. Walgreens in California refused to fill out of state perscriptions, then later refused to fill more than one drug at a time. I fought them using the DEA and the CEO of Walgreens, and eventually they allowed me to act legally and get my pain medicine for my chronic back pain.

I live in Salina Kansas. I had to come to California due to my son having to get lung surgery and he needed my help to do his recovery. I went to the Walgreens here in Riverside California located at 6600 Magnolia Ave, Riverside CA on October 1st to get my 2 prescriptions filled. Since they are a DEA controlled drug and my prescriptions were out of state I was told by the intake counter person that since California passed a new law that no pharmacy in the state can accept any out of state scripts especially for a controlled drug. This is quite understandable. 

The young man also told me that to get my two valid doctor written scripts filled I would have to find a California doctor & make an appointment and have the doctor do me up 2 California prescriptions. So I did do this with a doctor here in Riverside, CA. She had no problem doing this for me once she confirmed with my home state doctor Dr. in Salina KS. Well on October 6th, which was the soonest appointment I could get with a Dr. here) I get my 2 new prescriptions and take them back to the Walgreens here on Magnolia ave. Some blond girl was working the drop off prescriptions counter.

I gave her my two controlled and very valid scripts for my months supply of morphine one script for 30-30mg extended release morphine that I take one in the morning.

It works for 12 hours only and one script for 30-15mg extended release morphine pills that I take one in the evening so I can get a restful sleep and not be awakened by my full body pain from my deteriorating spine, and horrible Fibromyalgia pain, total 60 pills for my one month supply of this DEA controlled drug, the reason the doctor has to give me 2 prescriptions is due to the law and that they are different strengths so 2 prescriptions has to be written.

This Walgreens employee stands there and tells me she cannot allow both of my prescriptions to be filled, so I need to choose which one I want because I am only getting one for a months supply.

I say excuse me these 2 prescriptions are combined together. I I take one pill of both in a 24 hour period, and I have been on this medication for 18 years now. She is trying to tell me that California law will only allow one of them to be filled. I tell her she is dead wrong because we have the same laws in Kansas as in her state of California, that she is very mistaken of the DEA law that governs these controlled drugs.

She argues with me.I said look lady, the law is the prescription can only be written by a licensed doctor of the state and only for the month & only for a 30 days supply of the drug with 0 refills. Both of these prescriptions are valid. The fact that their are two is due to the milligrams being of different strengths & that's law also, they have to be written separately. There is no law with DEA that says both these prescriptions can't be fill at the same time just like I get them filled in Kansas for the past 18 years.

I in turn told this bimbo she has not heard that last of this BS she is pulling on me because she dose not fully understand the DEA law governing these types of meds for people like me that has to take them because no other meds work. I then called the DEA office here in Riverside CA and spoke to a DEA officer, which said she had no right to refuse me my needed meds, that she was indeed wrong about the law. That there is no reason why both of my valid prescriptions should have not been filled unless they were out of stock & needed to order them for me. Well this prescription drop off counter girl (bimbo) wouldn't even give both of my prescriptions to the real pharmacist so the pharmacist could do her job.

Walgreens employees flat out refused to submit both of my valid prescriptions and also refused to listen to me.

Both are combined to make my 30 day supply of the controlled drug as per CA controlled drug law. Now I am having to suffer horribly at night because of her BS, as she has obviously black marked my name & this 15 mg prescription to go out to all the other pharmacy's in this area because I am being told by all other pharmacy's that I submit my Valid Prescription to after they do whatever on their computers that they do not have this 15mg drug in stock nor can they order it.

Now you can't tell me that a state as huge as California there is not a drug company that makes these 15mg extended release morphine pills so a pharmacy can order them to fill my prescription I am suppose to take in the evening after the larger dose wears off and my body is again wrecked with horrid full body pain from my ills I suffer from.

This bimbo dose not belong behind a Walgreens pharmacy counter or any pharmacy counter if she cannot fully understand the DEA law governing these controlled drugs & can refuse a patient their full amount of meds due her not understanding the law completely & she causes great harm to the patient (ME) My doctor in Kansas is not happy,the Doctor I got here to transpose my Kansas prescriptions to California ones is not happy either.

I am suffering due to Walgreen's employees lack of education of the law on these types of controlled meds.

Now I want the Walgreens CEO James Skinner to fix this mess and make this Walgreens give me the rest of my monthly supply of my meds so I don't have to suffer like I am due to this stupid stupid girl. I want her fired no one should be done this way especially when they have VALID doctor written prescriptions that are within the DEA law. Like the DEA officer I spoke with said, there is no regulation that only one 30 day prescription can be fill only.

If they are of a different strength. Both of my valid prescriptions are combined to make my 30 day supply of this controlled drug, it's not my fault my body cannot handle two 30mg pills a day. My body cannot & that's why I can only take one of my 30 mg pills a day and why a second prescription is made of a lesser strength dose of 15 mg so my body can handle it and so I don't suffer like I am right now due to your ignorant of the drug law employee at the Riverside Ca Walgreens on Magnolia ave.

She dose not deserve to be behind that Walgreen pharmacy counter. No employee that works against customers like this does.

I am not going to stop until I am done right, nor am I going to allow this sort of thing happen to me again,or any other person that may have to take a drug such as I do legitimately. I expect to hear back from you on this matter. Oh I have lodged a complaint with the State of California Board of Pharmacy's too against the treatment I got from this girl & her refusing to even submit my 2nd prescription (the other half of my meds my doctor wants me to take so I can have some sort of quality of life & my body is not so severely painful).

Oh I was treated by this bimbo as if I were a drug addict just trying to get these drugs, even though she had valid doctor written prescriptions in her hand.This sort of thing should not happen to a decent person such as myself or anyone with valid doctor written prescriptions for these types of controlled drugs. Now I want some action & you need to start educating your employees that work the counter/cashier at the pharmacy area.

Customers need to quiz these people so they have the law, not misconception of the law so some ignorant of the law.

The counter girl can refuse to give a licensed pharmacist all of a persons valid prescriptions so they can be filled in turn making that person (patient) suffer greatly because they don't have all of their monthly supply of meds they are prescribed by their doctor to take daily. I hope Walgreens corporate, please don't ignore this matter. It should have never happened.