Carbon Monoxide & Suicide

Memo from The Right to Die Society of Canada:

We are currently conducting research into diverse methods of suicide by
terminally ill individuals. We publish the results of this research in our
journal, "Last Rights" (current issue: 68 pages). We have just published a
preliminary report on the use of carbon monoxide as employed by Dr. Jack
Kevorkian in 18 out of 20 cases in which he has assisted suicide.  For our
next issue (Sept) we are engaged in gathering information on the use of
"inert gases) (nitrogen, etc) which one Canadian biochemist advises us is
"easier to obtain, safer to us and a more pleasant means to succumb to than
carbon monoxide."

If you have any leads, technical advice, or comments to contribute to this
research, please let us know by Email:
(rig…@freenet.victoria.bc.ca);
 or by
FAX: (604) 386-3800;
 or by post:
P. O. Box 39018, Victoria BC V8V 4X8)
We appreciate any well-informed assistance we can obtain
on carbon monoxide or inert gases as applied to euthanasia.
John Hofsess, Executive Director.
The Right to Die Society of Canada

John Hofsess
P. O. Box 39018
Victoria BC V8V 4X8
FAX (604) 386-3800

25 Responses to “Carbon Monoxide & Suicide”

  1. admin says:

    In article <2tv59e$…@larry.rice.edu>,
    Stuart Robert Hall <stuh…@flammulated.owlnet.rice.edu> wrote:

    >I started taking desipramine last Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning I was
    >having chills and sweating profusely.  I thought it might be from the
    >medication, but I thought it might disappear, so I took another dose on
    >Wednesday.   I had chills and fits of sweating off and on Wednesday, so I
    >took a half dose on Thursday.  By this point, my extremities were very cold
    >to the touch, and somewhat cyanotic.

    >These reactions don’t seem to fit well with the list of side effects for
    >the class of TCAs.  Has anyone heard of this reaction?

    Both cold extremities and sweating are not unheard-of side effects of
    TCAs, particularly desipramine, though your experience seems to be
    on the severe side.  My partner used to complain of cold hands and
    feet when he was on desipramine (which I can verify–his hands and
    feet were like icicles in bed), and he used to find himself sweating
    much more profusely than he ordinarily would after exertion or a hot
    environment.  On the other hand, these were minor annoyances for him.
    Both side effects disappeared once he eventually changed medications
    for other reasons–desipramine just "pooped out" and stopped working
    as an antidepressant after a few years.

    I always imagined that the cold feet and hands were due to the drug’s
    peripheral effects on catecholamine reuptake causing capillary
    vasoconstriction.


    Steve Dyer
    d…@ursa-major.spdcc.com

  2. admin says:

    d…@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
    >Pharmacy laws differ between states, but speaking generally, only a valid
    >practitioner or an agent acting on hir behalf can phone in an oral Rx to
    >a pharmacy.  

    I live in the same state as the original poster, and a few months ago
    when I got a prescription for some chloramphenicol, I called all the
    pharmacies in the area and none of them had it in stock, but several
    agreed to order it.  I went with Osco, who had the cheapest price on
    the generic, and they ordered it for me and all I had to do was show up
    a few days later with the Rx and they filled it.


    Jim Marco — d…@uiuc.edu

    This tagline is umop apisdn

  3. admin says:

    In article <2u1r1j$…@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu>, Jim Marco <d…@uiuc.edu> wrote:
    >d…@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
    >>Pharmacy laws differ between states, but speaking generally, only a valid
    >>practitioner or an agent acting on hir behalf can phone in an oral Rx to
    >>a pharmacy.  

    >I live in the same state as the original poster, and a few months ago
    >when I got a prescription for some chloramphenicol, I called all the
    >pharmacies in the area and none of them had it in stock, but several
    >agreed to order it.  I went with Osco, who had the cheapest price on
    >the generic, and they ordered it for me and all I had to do was show up
    >a few days later with the Rx and they filled it.

    Right; they filled it when you arrived with the prescription.
    Presumably, you had to wait the 10 to 30 or so minutes for the
    pharmacist to fill the prescription–it wasn’t waiting for you
    when you arrived.  Having to wait (because they didn’t fill it
    in response to his phone call) was what the original poster
    was complaining about if I understood him correctly.

    Chloramphenicol is rarely enough used these days that it isn’t
    unusual for it to be out of stock in most pharmacies.  But
    asking a pharmacy to order it beforehand isn’t the same as calling
    in a prescription to be filled.  This is a subtle point.


    Steve Dyer
    d…@ursa-major.spdcc.com

  4. admin says:

    d…@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
    >Presumably, you had to wait the 10 to 30 or so minutes for the
    >pharmacist to fill the prescription–it wasn’t waiting for you
    >when you arrived.  

    Well, they ordered it and had it there, and all they had to do was
    give it to me when I got there.  I had to wait about 5 minutes, but
    presumably only because there were other people being helped that were
    there before me.

    >Chloramphenicol is rarely enough used these days that it isn’t
    >unusual for it to be out of stock in most pharmacies.

    Considering that it can cause aplastic anemia, I don’t wonder why.
    :)

    Jim Marco — d…@uiuc.edu

    If this were an actual tagline, it would be funny.

  5. admin says:

    In article <CrnsH6….@spdcc.com> d…@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
    >Right; they filled it when you arrived with the prescription.
    >Presumably, you had to wait the 10 to 30 or so minutes for the
    >pharmacist to fill the prescription–it wasn’t waiting for you
    >when you arrived.  Having to wait (because they didn’t fill it
    >in response to his phone call) was what the original poster
    >was complaining about if I understood him correctly.

       I usually get the "it’s illegal" line (here in Illinois, home of the
    original posters on this subject) when the pharmacist doesn’t want to be
    bothered.  I’ve asked numerous other pharmacists and most admit that it’s
    not illegal here, but that many pharmacists feel that the customer can’t
    or won’t read the prescription correctly.

       I’ve had some pharmacists who would take it over the phone from me, and
    have it ready, in the bottle, labeled and ready to be rung up when I arrived.
    (Upon proper presentation of the written prescription, of course.  :-)
    I’ve also taken good care with such people to make a verbal note of any
    anomalies on the scrip, such as the time I was prescribed qty 30, 5 GRAM
    valium tabs.  (I told the pharmacist "it says grams, it probably means
    milligrams," and he noted it and agreed when he looked at the paper.  The
    doctor did indeed scribble "5g".)


                                    Optimists say, "The glass is half full."
       Cliff Sharp                  Pessimists say, "It’s half empty."
         WA9PDM                     We realists say, "Before I decide,
      cli…@indep1.chi.il.us   tell me what’s in the glass."

  6. admin says:

    Regarding whether a pharmacist is allowed to fill an oral prescription
    transmitted by a patient.

    In article <Cro1sE…@indep1.chi.il.us>, Claims

    >   I usually get the "it’s illegal" line (here in Illinois, home of the
    >original posters on this subject) when the pharmacist doesn’t want to be
    >bothered.  I’ve asked numerous other pharmacists and most admit that it’s
    >not illegal here.

    Contrary to this claim. It is illegal for a pharmacist to fill a
    prescription which has been transmitted orally by a patient.

    This is prohibited by United States FEDERAL LAW. You can find it in the  
    Federal Food Drug and Cosmetics Act, As Amended 1979, Section 503B.

  7. admin says:

    In article <CrMyEx….@spdcc.com>

    d…@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
    > minutes while they `fill’ this prepackaged prescription drug.

    How much of what Pharamacists do is simply repackaging medicine and how
    much is actually involved in "mixing up compounds?"  Or is their
    expertise now more aligned toward patient eduacation/proper ways to
    take medice/drug interactions/… and less toward the actuasll
    "bottling" of the medicine?

    Phil Sloan            
    psl…@bwco.com

  8. admin says:

    Ronald Kavanagh (k8821…@u.washington.edu) wrote:

    : Contrary to this claim. It is illegal for a pharmacist to fill a
    : prescription which has been transmitted orally by a patient.

    : This is prohibited by United States FEDERAL LAW. You can find it in the  
    : Federal Food Drug and Cosmetics Act, As Amended 1979, Section 503B.

    But that’s not what the person who started this thread asked. He asked
    if it was really illegal for him to call in a prescription in advance and
    present the written version upon arrive at the pharmacy to pick up the drug.


    My name is Stan Horwitz and my E-mail address is s…@astro.ocis.temple.edu
    My opinions are all mine. They do not reflect those of my employer.

  9. admin says:

    In article <2u7k4u$…@cronkite.ocis.temple.edu>,

    Stan Horwitz <s…@astro.ocis.temple.edu> wrote:
    >Ronald Kavanagh (k8821…@u.washington.edu) wrote:
    >: Contrary to this claim. It is illegal for a pharmacist to fill a
    >: prescription which has been transmitted orally by a patient.

    >: This is prohibited by United States FEDERAL LAW. You can find it in the  
    >: Federal Food Drug and Cosmetics Act, As Amended 1979, Section 503B.

    >But that’s not what the person who started this thread asked. He asked
    >if it was really illegal for him to call in a prescription in advance and
    >present the written version upon arrive at the pharmacy to pick up the drug.

    Kavanaugh is correct, and you and the person who started the thread are
    missing the point.  That guy wanted a pharmacist to fill a prescription
    based on what he read over the phone so that when he came to pick
    it up, he could just be delivered the drug, no waiting (and by the
    way, he gave the pharmacist the hard-copy Rx at that point.)

    The pharmacist would have to fill it based on what was read over
    the phone by the patient.  This is what is illegal.  The prescription
    is _already filled_ by the time the guy arrives at the pharmacy
    with the hard copy.


    Steve Dyer
    d…@ursa-major.spdcc.com

  10. admin says:

    In article <CrpDos….@bwco.com>, Phil Sloan <psl…@bwco.com> wrote:
    >In article <CrMyEx….@spdcc.com>
    >d…@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
    >> minutes while they `fill’ this prepackaged prescription drug.

    I didn’t write this.

    >How much of what Pharamacists do is simply repackaging medicine and how
    >much is actually involved in "mixing up compounds?"  Or is their
    >expertise now more aligned toward patient eduacation/proper ways to
    >take medice/drug interactions/… and less toward the actuasll
    >"bottling" of the medicine?

    This would be an appropriate question for a pharmacist to answer.


    Steve Dyer
    d…@ursa-major.spdcc.com

  11. admin says:

    >>How much of what Pharamacists do is simply repackaging medicine and how
    >>much is actually involved in "mixing up compounds?"  Or is their
    >>expertise now more aligned toward patient eduacation/proper ways to
    >>take medice/drug interactions/… and less toward the actuasll
    >>"bottling" of the medicine?

    >This would be an appropriate question for a pharmacist to answer.
    >Steve Dyer
    >d…@ursa-major.spdcc.com

       Well, as a pharmacist who does not practice in the retail setting anymore,
    I will have to say that 99.9% of prescriptions these days are either
    "repackaged" or "prepackaged" (like oral contraceptives, etc.)
    Actually "mixing up compounds" (compounding in pharmacistese) is uncommon in
    the  usual chain drug store-like setting. Lots of the effort involved goes
    into interpreting prescriptions and fixing problems.

       As far as expertise in patient education, I’d like to hear what the
    consumers have to say about that.

     Paul
    ————————————————————–
    Paul Sovcik, PharmD              | Email- U18…@uicvm.uic.edu
    University of Illinois at Chicago|
    Department of Pharmacy Practice  |
    Chicago, Il                      |

  12. admin says:

    In article <CrrsoC….@spdcc.com>

    d…@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
    >Kavanaugh is correct, and you and the person who started the thread are
    >missing the point.  That guy wanted a pharmacist to fill a prescription
    >based on what he read over the phone so that when he came to pick
    >it up, he could just be delivered the drug, no waiting (and by the
    >way, he gave the pharmacist the hard-copy Rx at that point.)
    >The pharmacist would have to fill it based on what was read over
    >the phone by the patient.  This is what is illegal.  The prescription
    >is _already filled_ by the time the guy arrives at the pharmacy
    >with the hard copy.

    Wait just a minute. It’s true that this is in fact the crux of the matter. BUT
    the determinant is how the Federal statutes define "filling a prescription."
    Certainly, from the point of view of the consumer, the prescription has not
    been filled until the medicine is in the consumer’s possession. Clearly, you
    view "filling" as preparing the ready-to-go package, regardless of when it
    actually leaves the pharmacy. It’s certainly not obvious who is correct. That
    may be why different pharmacists deal with this kind of request differently.

    It seems unlikely to me that the Feds would have, or wish to pursue, a case
    against a pharmacist who prepared the medication based on a telephone call,
    but had not yet dispensed it, and would not until a legitimate prescription
    were presented … Don’t you think???

    Joe

  13. admin says:

    In article <16FDDD4F1S85.M02…@mwvm.mitre.org>,

    - Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

    Joe Gems <M02…@mwvm.mitre.org> wrote:
    >In article <CrrsoC….@spdcc.com>
    >d…@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:

    >>Kavanaugh is correct, and you and the person who started the thread are
    >>missing the point.  That guy wanted a pharmacist to fill a prescription
    >>based on what he read over the phone so that when he came to pick
    >>it up, he could just be delivered the drug, no waiting (and by the
    >>way, he gave the pharmacist the hard-copy Rx at that point.)

    >>The pharmacist would have to fill it based on what was read over
    >>the phone by the patient.  This is what is illegal.  The prescription
    >>is _already filled_ by the time the guy arrives at the pharmacy
    >>with the hard copy.

    >Wait just a minute. It’s true that this is in fact the crux of the matter. BUT
    >the determinant is how the Federal statutes define "filling a prescription."
    >Certainly, from the point of view of the consumer, the prescription has not
    >been filled until the medicine is in the consumer’s possession. Clearly, you
    >view "filling" as preparing the ready-to-go package, regardless of when it

    ually leaves the pharmacy. It’s certainly not obvious who is
    correct.

    The federal law only gives authorization to fill an oral prescription
    from an authorized practitioner. A prescription which is filled based on
    the oral transmission from other than an authorized practioner or his/her
    agent is defined by the food drug and cosmetics act as misbranded, and can
    result in the immediate seizure of the entire contents of the pharmacy.

    The previous section of the law (502) gives a very complete description
    of "filling’ a prescription, so that a pharmacist will not be defined as
    a manufacturer or repackager and have to follow the regulations for those
    types of establishments.

    >may be why different pharmacists deal with this kind of request differently.

    >It seems unlikely to me that the Feds would have, or wish to pursue, a case
    >against a pharmacist who prepared the medication based on a telephone call,
    >but had not yet dispensed it, and would not until a legitimate prescription
    >were presented … Don’t you think???

    There are also state inspectors who make unannounced visits and make sure
    that you’re following both state and federal law. If you don’t follow the
    federal law you can be charged by the state with unprofessional conduct and
    working
    outside the bounds of the profession (i.e. working without a license).
    And if this is the case your malpractice insurance won’t cover your
    legal expenses.

    In terms of what community pharmacists really do when someone
    insists that you fill their prescription based on what they say over
    the phone, what pharmacists do is say OK and then ignore it until the
    hardcopy
    presciption actually comes into the pharmacy. Anybody who’s ever worked
    in community pharmacy knows that in the vast majority of these cases
    either the prescription never comes in (presumably the patient went
    elsewhere), or there’s a problem with the prescription. Thus the ‘filled’
    prescription may need to be returned to stock, or the label needs to be
    reentered into the computer, resulting in waste due to duplication of
    time and  resources,
    and causing an increase in direct and indirect cost.

    Since there is
    virtually no way to pass on these costs and remain competitive.  
    Your arguments about whether a community pharmacist may fill a
    prescription in this situtation are really moot, because I don’t know any
    community pharmacist who is going to actually do it (Even if they tell
    the patient that they are, in order to placate them), because it is
    likely to wind up costing them money.

  14. admin says:

    People are confusing "Filling" and "Dispensing" a prescription.  When the
    label goes on the bottle and it is ready to go the prescription is
    "filled".  When it is handed to the patinet it is dispensed. Theirfore
    "Filling" a prescription being phoned into a pharmacy by a customer which
    is not a refill is in violation of Federal Law.

    Terry

  15. admin says:

    Ronald Kavanagh (k8821…@u.washington.edu) wrote:

    : Since there is
    : virtually no way to pass on these costs and remain competitive.  
    : Your arguments about whether a community pharmacist may fill a
    : prescription in this situtation are really moot, because I don’t know any
    : community pharmacist who is going to actually do it (Even if they tell
    : the patient that they are, in order to placate them), because it is
    : likely to wind up costing them money.

    What’s the problem here? I moved into a new neighborhood a month ago. I just
    went to a local drug store to fill a prescription. I expected that this drug
    store would not have my medicine in stock since its not commonly prescribed.
    As such, I called a day a head of time to let the phamacist know I was going
    to order this prescription. I then picked up the phone again and called my
    physician. He called the drug store to confirm the prescription. When I came
    in the next day to pick up the drug, which costs me about $100, I saw the
    pharmacist walk over to a shelf, pick up a bag, and she handed it to me as
    soon as I paid for the medication. I waited all of 5 minutes and that was
    mostly waiting for the person in front of me to be served. I am not saying
    the pharmacist filled the prescription (which was new to him) on my word
    alone, however, I still had no problem calling my doc up and asking him to
    order the medication from me. As such, my suggestion is, don’t bother even  
    calling K-Mart on your own, just call your doctor and have him or her order
    the drug for you. Any doctor that would not do this simple thing may not
    be worth seeing any more. If its some sort of restricted drug that even your
    doc can’t order over the phone, just think a head and drop off the written
    prescription at the pharmacy the day before you intend to pick it up if you
    can or just bring a magazine or a newspaper with you to read while you wait
    for the pharmacist to fill your prescription. All in all, I can think of
    much worse fates than to have to wait 15 minutes for a prescription to be
    filled. Its not like you’re stuck there while the prescription is filled.


    My name is Stan Horwitz and my E-mail address is s…@astro.ocis.temple.edu
    My opinions are all mine. They do not reflect those of my employer.

  16. admin says:

    >>> On 22 Jun 1994 23:54:13 GMT, cla…@iia.org (Terry R. Clark) said:

    Terry> People are confusing "Filling" and "Dispensing" a prescription.
    Terry> When the label goes on the bottle and it is ready to go the
    Terry> prescription is "filled".  When it is handed to the patinet it
    Terry> is dispensed. Theirfore "Filling" a prescription being phoned
    Terry> into a pharmacy by a customer which is not a refill is in
    Terry> violation of Federal Law.

    Well here in Texas I have had the following experience.  I was taking
    a drug (cyclosporine to be exact) that my pharmacy did not normally
    carry.  At least once I called the pharmacy the day before I wanted to
    pick up some more.  I would tell them I needed some more and how much
    and then would order it.  The next day I would go to my doctor to
    (among other things) get the prescription and then take this to the
    pharmacy.  As I remember the prescription was "filled" when I got to
    the pharmacy.

    Now the phamacist knew that I was on this drug and had previously
    filled a prescription of mine for this drug.  Still it seems that the
    prescription was "filled" on my word.

    Sure seems like a stupid law.

    Art

    fla…@cli.com
    Computational Logic, Inc.
    Austin, Texas

  17. admin says:

    You are all avoiding the obvious…….

    Kmart benefits from having you hanging around the place waiting.
    Can you say "impulse buying" …..?


    A host is a host from coast to coast……………..wb8…@nrk.com
    & no one will talk to a host that’s close………..(v)301 56 LINUX
    Unless the host (that isn’t close)….kibo# 777…………pob 1433
    is busy, hung or dead…………..vr………………..20915-1433

  18. admin says:

    David Lesher (wb8…@netcom.com) wrote:

    : You are all avoiding the obvious…….

    : Kmart benefits from having you hanging around the place waiting.
    : Can you say "impulse buying" …..?

    Possibly, but you are missing the point. The law is to prevent a
    prescription to be completely filled and waiting for the order to be
    brought to the pharmacy.  If for some reason something goes wrong
    (Murphy’s law) and the prescription is dispensed with out it being
    compared to the written prescription.  You have a HUGE potentional for an
    error to happen. Is a 15 min wait worth your life?

    Terry

  19. admin says:

    In article <wb8fozCrv52n….@netcom.com>, wb8…@netcom.com (David Lesher) says:

    >You are all avoiding the obvious…….

    >Kmart benefits from having you hanging around the place waiting.
    >Can you say "impulse buying" …..?

       They do, however, that isnt the reason the Rx wasnt filled.  The pharmacist
    behind the counter is not trying to get you to hang around the store so you’ll
    hit the blue light special.  What IS happening is that when people try to call
    in their own prescriptions, they often screw it up.  This causes duplicate
    work for the pharmacist and staff and also adds an element of risk… the
    incorrectly filled prescription may be dispensed to the patient inadvertently.
      If the patient is well known to the pharmacist and the medication is chronic,
    the pharmacist may make an exception.  But it would be a nightmare behind the
    counter if everyone tried to call in their interpretation of their prescription
    continuously.
    -Paul

  20. admin says:

    Just a comment on this thread.  My parents are both in the medical
    profession — my father’s a physician and my mother’s a nurse.  When I was
    in college, I had to have a letter from each of them before I could figure
    out what was going on at home.  My father’s handwriting is awful — it
    takes forever to decipher what’s he’s saying.  Mom’s is better, but it can
    be difficult in places.  By putting their letters "together", I usually
    figured out at least the gist of what was going on back home.  No way
    would I want to try to figure out what Dad has written on a prescription.
    And no way would I want a pharmacist to take my word for what I thought
    the prescription said.  Even when I know what medication the prescription
    is for I usually have no idea what the actual prescription says.  As a
    side bar, I just read an article about medical schools considering adding
    a handwriting course because there have been serious errors made by
    pharmacists who deciphered that scrawl incorrectly.  

    Just my $.02 worth.

    Barbara-Jean
    cf…@eiu.edu

  21. admin says:

    On Wed, 22 Jun 94 15:08:29 EDT,
    Joe Gems  <M02…@mwvm.mitre.org> wrote:

    >It seems unlikely to me that the Feds would have, or wish to pursue, a case
    >against a pharmacist who prepared the medication based on a telephone call,
    >but had not yet dispensed it, and would not until a legitimate prescription
    >were presented … Don’t you think???

    Sounds sensible to me, but how about the delightful individual who waxes
    abusive should anything (eg a pharmacist checking the accuracy of a
    prescription) slow his/her bulldozer progress through a day? (Have been
    privileged to see these people in action, on occasion… Truly Impressive!)  

    -Miranda
     –
     M. Rose Mulvale               November 7.  Solitude.  A puppy biscuit
     rmulv…@fox.nstn.ns.ca       did it, part of a puppy biscuit.

  22. admin says:

    On 21 Jun 1994 20:55:58 GMT,
    Stan Horwitz  <s…@astro.ocis.temple.edu> wrote:

    >Ronald Kavanagh (k8821…@u.washington.edu) wrote:
    >: Contrary to this claim. It is illegal for a pharmacist to fill a
    >: prescription which has been transmitted orally by a patient.

    >: This is prohibited by United States FEDERAL LAW. You can find it in the  
    >: Federal Food Drug and Cosmetics Act, As Amended 1979, Section 503B.

    >But that’s not what the person who started this thread asked. He asked
    >if it was really illegal for him to call in a prescription in advance and

                      ^^^^^^^

    >present the written version upon arrive at the pharmacy to pick up the drug.

    Not at all!  Nobody will arrest him for "Attempt to speed up the process,
    prescription-wise"!  *However* (whether it is or is not legal, State-side),
    it would take a pretty gutsy pharmacist to fill a prescription based on
    information read by a non-pharmacist from an order written by any member of
    the world’s most notoriously illegible scribes…..

    Did I say "gutsy" back there?  How’s about "stupid"?  If concern for the
    welfare of the patient is not primary, maybe concern about the state of
    the malpractise insurance is (or *should be*)!

    -Miranda
     –
     M. Rose Mulvale               November 7.  Solitude.  A puppy biscuit
     rmulv…@fox.nstn.ns.ca       did it, part of a puppy biscuit.

  23. admin says:

    >It seems unlikely to me that the Feds would have, or wish to pursue, a case
    >against a pharmacist who prepared the medication based on a telephone call,
    >but had not yet dispensed it, and would not until a legitimate prescription
    >were presented … Don’t you think???

    As a pharmacist, I have to agree.  I don’t think it’s illegal to prepare
    the prescription in advance, pursuant to a patient’s telephone call, and
    then dispense it only after receiving the written copy – but I personally
    am not willing to.  I have had many instances where patients have tried to
    read their prescriptions to me over the phone.  Most of the time they
    cannot decipher the handwriting, and when they can, they cannot pronounce
    the drug name and commonly used abbreviations.  

    Assuming I were willing to fill this verbal order from my patient, in a
    busy pharmacy there is an excellent possibility that this
    yet-to-be-confirmed prescription would be sold by a harried clerk, to my
    patient’s detriment.  There are too many chances to hurt the patient I am
    trying to serve.  It really is better to bring the written prescription in
    and have it done right.  Alternatively, have your physician call or fax it
    to the pharmacy directly.

                                            Vic Walker R.Ph.

  24. admin says:

    The reason that people in Delaware can not call in
    there own prescriptions is because only a doctor or
    someone who works for them can call them in.  I work
    at a Pharmacy and we won’t take any prescriptions
    over the phone by anyone who is not a doc or works
    for them

  25. admin says:

    In article <9406231656.AA07798@artist> fla…@cli.com (Arthur D. Flatau) writes:

    - Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

    >Xref: otago.ac.nz alt.drugs:24401 misc.consumers:14128 misc.legal:21118 sci.med.pharmacy:1621
    >Path: otago.ac.nz!canterbury.ac.nz!waikato!comp.vuw.ac.nz!uunet!olivea!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!not-for-mail
    >From: fla…@cli.com (Arthur D. Flatau)
    >Newsgroups: alt.drugs,misc.consumers,misc.legal,sci.med.pharmacy
    >Subject: Re: Pharmacy law in Illinois? Stupid Question
    >Date: 23 Jun 1994 11:57:16 -0500
    >Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
    >Lines: 29
    >Sender: nob…@cs.utexas.edu
    >Message-ID: <9406231656.AA07798@artist>
    >References: <2tvhf5$…@bradley.bradley.edu> <CrMyEx….@spdcc.com> <2uaiv5$…@ankh.iia.org>
    >NNTP-Posting-Host: news.cs.utexas.edu
    >>>> On 22 Jun 1994 23:54:13 GMT, cla…@iia.org (Terry R. Clark) said:
    >Terry> People are confusing "Filling" and "Dispensing" a prescription.
    >Terry> When the label goes on the bottle and it is ready to go the
    >Terry> prescription is "filled".  When it is handed to the patinet it
    >Terry> is dispensed. Theirfore "Filling" a prescription being phoned
    >Terry> into a pharmacy by a customer which is not a refill is in
    >Terry> violation of Federal Law.
    >Well here in Texas I have had the following experience.  I was taking
    >a drug (cyclosporine to be exact) that my pharmacy did not normally
    >carry.  At least once I called the pharmacy the day before I wanted to
    >pick up some more.  I would tell them I needed some more and how much
    >and then would order it.  The next day I would go to my doctor to
    >(among other things) get the prescription and then take this to the
    >pharmacy.  As I remember the prescription was "filled" when I got to
    >the pharmacy.
    >Now the phamacist knew that I was on this drug and had previously
    >filled a prescription of mine for this drug.  Still it seems that the
    >prescription was "filled" on my word.
    >Sure seems like a stupid law.
    >Art
    >fla…@cli.com
    >Computational Logic, Inc.
    >Austin, Texas

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