Taking Pharm tech job to guard the cabbage patch

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Anonymous - 19 Nov 2003 02:07 GMT

If someone had a pill habit would it not be easy to take a job as a pharm
tech. Most everyone would qualify and the big chains can't afford to do
much of a background check. Seems it would be easy for someone in a job
like this to siphon off a few pills every day, in their pocket, or being
passed to an accomplice through the drive-up window.

I can see this would be difficult with oxies or other C-II meds, but the
C-III and C-IV stuff, like the vikes and tranqs they don't inventory too
tightly. Or if they're afraid of being caught for outright stealing the
pills, it ought to be pretty easy to slip a phony Rx into the system.
They work there all day, it should't be too hard for someone to figure out
how to write, call in, or otherwise get a fake scrip. One would thing
this might be a good fringe benefit for an otherise crummy McJob.

In a similar vein, I can see it would be quite easy for a locum tenens
pharmacist, called in to work a couple shifts in a store, to make a bottle
of pills disappear. No one will notice them missing till the end of the
month and by then it would quite difficult to find whom to put the blame
on.

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The Queen of Cans and Jars - 19 Nov 2003 02:18 GMT

> If someone had a pill habit would it not be easy to take a job as a pharm
> tech. Most everyone would qualify and the big chains can't afford to do
> much of a background check. Seems it would be easy for someone in a job
> like this to siphon off a few pills every day, in their pocket, or being
> passed to an accomplice through the drive-up window.

a lot of pharmacies keep their controlled drugs locked up, and techs are
often not allowed to be in the pharmacy alone. it wouldn't be
impossible, but it might not be as easy as you think.

> I can see this would be difficult with oxies or other C-II meds, but the
> C-III and C-IV stuff, like the vikes and tranqs they don't inventory too
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> how to write, call in, or otherwise get a fake scrip. One would thing
> this might be a good fringe benefit for an otherise crummy McJob.

faking prescriptions is, like, a really bad idea.

when i was a pharmacy tech i was in a union, had full medical benefits,
worked monday through friday from nine to five and was making three or
four times the current minimum wage. very white collar, and hardly a
McJob.

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P T - 19 Nov 2003 05:52 GMT

When do you stop? If you start stealing drugs, when do you decide you
have stolen enough? In a similar vein, I suspect any cashier or bank
teller could pocket $1, one time, and get away with it. The problem is,
one leads to two, and two becomes three, etc., and eventually a problem
would be apparent.

Also, what would you do if they asked you to pee in a bottle?

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Glenn Gilbreath Jr. - 01 Jan 2002 06:00 GMT

>From: Petepenguin@webtv.net (P T)
>Subject: Re: Taking Pharm tech job to guard the cabbage patch
>Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2003 23:52:50 -0600 (CST)

>When do you stop? If you start stealing drugs, when do you decide you
>have stolen enough? In a similar vein, I suspect any cashier or bank
>teller could pocket $1, one time, and get away with it. The problem is,
>one leads to two, and two becomes three, etc., and eventually a problem
>would be apparent.

>Also, what would you do if they asked you to pee in a bottle?

Have you never heard of surveilance cameras? I've worked in
more than one pharmacy that had them. Some had more than one,
tapes stored after review by management, not reused for a couple
of weeks. Then there are some pharmacies, such as the one I
manage, which keeps a very low inventory of all controlled
substances. I would notice a drop in "stock on-hand" quickly!
C U L8R!
Wiz <{;-)

Wizard57M
Glenn Gilbreath Jr.
Registered Pharmacist
http://members.surfbest.net/wizard57m@surfbest.net/index.htm
-- DOS Internet, Close Windows and Keep the Internet Open! --

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El Gran Cantinflas - 19 Nov 2003 06:16 GMT

>Also, what would you do if they asked you to pee in a bottle?
>

probably ruin the vicadin in the bottle in your pocket?!

ref

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Mr. MS Contin - 19 Nov 2003 07:30 GMT

i've thought about going to a pharmacy and asking the tech if they'd
sell me some pills. as a tech, did this ever happen to you? i
figured i'd probably get arrested before i found someone who would
steal for me. how much of the hard stuff do most pharmacies keep in
stock? i think that a nurse or CNA at a nursing home would have the
easiest time stealing pills.

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Nick Burns - 19 Nov 2003 05:48 GMT

> If someone had a pill habit would it not be easy to take a job as a pharm
> tech. Most everyone would qualify and the big chains can't afford to do
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> month and by then it would quite difficult to find whom to put the blame
> on.

You are correct that a few of the reps have had access to Vicodin. During
the 80s, the reps would drop off packs of Vicodin and ES is packs of 25.
Anyone in the office that has signature authority will sign the MDs name. A
lot of times the office staff is assigned to count and put away the drug but
a lot of them would not count. At the most, you could have probably stolen a
25 pack once a week or so without getting caught (since you know who runs
the loose office).

I do not think they are using samples for that these days. If fact, the only
pain med that I know of currently being distributed that way is Ultracet (a
new formula of Ultram that now contains APAP). Probably the most serious
abuse would come from the cough syrups.

Even if they did, you have to understand that those jobs are not as easy to
get as you might think. You need to have a 4 year degree (normally) and
proven interpersonal skills with MDs. It is not like they expect you to just
drop off the drugs. The reps are paid to really pamper the MDs and office
staff as much as the MD will allow. They bring in hot lunches, etc. The
amount of drugs you could scam would really not be worth risking what is
usually a very nice paying job and a great career track! If you are in to
illicit drugs, you are much better off paying for it elsewhere. I do know if
one guy that confessed to scamming a few samples here and there of Hydromet
which was in a fairly high concentrated syrup (compared to typical cough
syrups). He was very foolish. I am sure that quite a few did become tempted
and then caught.

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but this is not a great idea to put a
great job at risk for very little. AFAIK, there were never any samples of
CII but I could be wrong. Maybe someone else can say more.

Take care.

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