So, while I was recovering from my shoulder surgery, Target tried to kill me.
Sort of. Kind of.
You be the judge. Following is the text of my letter to Target's CEO, Greg something-or other:
Mr. Steinhafel,I have been getting my regular prescriptions filled at the pharmacy of your store #1006 in Largo, MD for several years...ever since the store opened, really. I am a seizure patient, and you have specifically been filling my script for carbamazepine, the generic version of the brand Tegretol. Two weeks ago, I had surgery, and my last follow-up visit, my surgeon (not my primary care doctor) prescribed tramadol for pain. I dropped the prescription off at the pharmacy on Thursday morning, the 3rd, and picked it up that evening. By a freak coincidence, your auto-fill program had also filled my carbamazepin prescription and it was also waiting at the pharmacy. I picked both prescriptions up Thursday evening.I was in some pain, and immediately upon returning home, I briefly checked the package for any special notices and instructions about the new medicine, as I had never taken tramadol before. I will admit that I did NOT read the tramadol fact sheet in any detail. I was in pain, and no one at the pharmacy had said anything about any contra-indication, and there was nothing in the package, so I took the pain medicine. Soon after, I sat down and started reading the tramadol fact sheet, mostly to make sure that I understood what side effects I should be on the lookout for. Imagine my shock and horror when the first thing that I saw--in large capital letters--was "DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICINE IF YOU TAKE CARBAMAZEPIN". Well, crap. In a panic, I called the pharmacy to ask them if I should try to throw the pills back up. Your pharmacist was very kind, and explained that the tramadol would not kill me but...well, this is where it gets a little fuzzy. First she told me that the tramadol would make the carbamazepin less effective. Then she apologized and told me that it would make the tramadol metabolize more quickly, and may make it less effective. Or more effective. She was not really sure what it would do, really. She seemed certain that it wouldn't kill me and told me to call my PCP in the morning, unless I got really sick at which point I should go to the ER. Not really all *that* comforting.I did call my PCP who told me that in certain doses, the tramadol DOES reduce the effectiveness of the carbamazepin, and that could, under some circumstances, have led to seizure activity. She recommended that I not take the tramadol. Now, nothing dire happened here. But, wow, it could have. If I were someone less inclined to scour product packaging, I might have taken the tramadol for days. I might have taken it till I had a seizure. I might have wrecked my car, killed someone. I don't understand at all how this happened. I thought that the point of getting all my prescriptions filled at the same place was the comfort that someone would be checking to make sure that all my medicine works together, that none of it, taken as prescribed, will do me harm. Please understand what makes this even worse is that you filled these prescriptions ON THE SAME DAY. They were IN THE SAME BAG. ON THE SAME RECEIPT. Paid for in the SAME TRANSACTION. You gave me two bottles, together, which are contra-indicated. You do see how bad that is, right? Your company really dropped the ball here. Someone should have caught this. Someone should have warned me. I share this story not because I want you to do something for me. But I expect that you will see to it that you do something for the next person who fills contra-indicated prescriptions at one of your pharmacies. Thank you for your time,Lori Piper