Here Pharmacy

How does a pharmacy know what medication you filled at a different pharmacy?

I went to walgreens and tried to fill a pain pill prescription that is a different strength than another one I filled 3 weeks ago at a different pharmacy. Anyway, she was able to see that I had filled the same type of medication at kroger. how did she see that? I dont have health insruance so its not like they denied it or something.

Public Comments

1. On scheduled drugs it's in the prescription itself. And though you don't have insurance you have a prescription history that pops up on their computers when you refill it.
2. Pharmacies have a network that they can use to check with other pharmacies. Especially if narcotics are involved. Unfortunately, too many people these days "doctor shop" and get pain med prescriptions from different doctors and fill them at different pharmacies, then try to sell them on the street. I work in a doctor's office and see it all the time. Recently we were called from a Walgreens pharmacist who informed us that one of our surgeons had written a prescription for pain med for a patient who had filled 5 different prescriptions for pain med from 3 different doctors in the last week. They alerted all the doctors and pharmacies involved and of course cut off the patient supply. As a nurse I also have called pharmacies to get the prescription information when there is a question of a possiblity of having a patient like that. We nurses also document in patient records when we call prescriptions in for patients and communicate with other doctor offices if we have questions