Woman loses hair after pharmacy switches pills to generic brand

ð SOME PHARMACIES ARE GETTING IN HOT WATER FOR SWITCHING MEDS ON THEIR CUS...  More »

ð SOME PHARMACIES ARE GETTING IN HOT WATER FOR SWITCHING MEDS ON THEIR CUSTOMERS. IT SOUNDS UNBELIEVABLE--BUT IT'S HAPPENING HERE IN NEW MEXICO. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER JEREMY JOJOLA FOUND ONE PATIENT WHO DIDN'T REALIZE SHE GOT THE WRONG MEDICATION UNTIL HER HAIR STARTED FALLING OUT. JEREMY. IT'S NOT ALWAYS WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED... PHARMACIES HAVE BEEN SUED FOR SWITCHING MEDS ON THEIR PATIENTS TO SIMILAR CHEAPER MEDICATIONS SO THE COMPANY CAN MAKE MORE MONEY. AND WHILE SOME PHARMACIES PROFIT BECAUSE OF THE SECRET SWITCH, IT COULD COST YOU YOUR HEALTH. FOR YEARS PAULINE SCANLAND OF SANTA FE HAS RELIED ON A SMALL PILL SHE TAKES DAILY TO FEEL NORMAL. WITHOUT HER DAILY DOSE, LIFE WOULDN'T BE GOOD BECAUSE OF AN UNDERACTIVE THYROID PROBLEM. 'in my case, it's joint pain, tiredness ....lethargic feeling.' SCANLAND SAYS SEVERAL DAYS AFTER A ROUTINE REFILL AT A SANTA FE WALGREEN'S THIS PAST SUMMER, SOMETHING WENT WRONG, EVEN THOUGH SHE DIDN'T STOP TAKING HER PILLS. 'a lot of my symptoms came back. So I started feeling tired. My hair started falling out. A lot of joint pains in my fingers and my feet. Very sensitIve to cold.'SCANLAND SAYS A PERSCRIPTION SWITCH TO A CHEAPER FORM OF HER MEDICATION BY HER PHARMACIST CAUSED THE CHAOS IN HER BODY. 'and then I looked on the bottle, and it said it was the generic brand of levoxil.' HER DOCTOR AGREED. 'I felt worse on the generic. So when I went back to the doctor, I said they automatically switched me to this and feel better on the levoxil. He says absolutely, you're gonna feel better, you've been taking the levoxil for a long period. And so your body isn't used to the generic brand.' IT SOUND'S UNBELIEVABLE THAT A REPUTABLE CHAIN WOULD DO SUCH A THING. BUT ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WALGREEN'S RECENTLY COMMITED FRAUD FOR SWITHING TO CHEAPER, BUT SIMILAR DRUGS ON THEIR CUSTOMERS, AND THEN CHARGING MEDICAIDE FOR THE EXPENSIVE TYPE. IN FACT, NEW MEXICO IS ONE OF 42 STATES THAT RECEIVED PART OF A 35 MILLION DOLLAR SETTLEMENT THIS SUMMER AFTER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUED WALGREEN'S FOR THAT REASON. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT SENT TO EYEWITNESS NEWS FOUR, WALGREEN'S SAYS IT DENIES WRONGDOING, AND SETTLED TO AVOID COSTLY LITIGATION. 'they should know what they're taking and if a change is being made, what the reason for that change is.' ONE DOCTOR WHO HAS WITNESSED THE EFFECTS OF A PRESCRIPTION SWITCH ON HIS PATIENTS IS DR. DANIEL FRIEDMAN ....A CARDIOLOGIST AT PRESBYTERIAN'S HEART CENTER. 'if they have not been told there's been such a change, they may not even understand why suddenly they go home and they don't feel well. Their blood pressure is not as good or there is some other problem.'DOCTOR FRIEDMAN SAYS YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK YOUR PILL BOTTLES TO MAKE SURE WHAT YOU GET IS WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED, EVEN BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE PHARMACY. AND IF A SWITCH IS MADE, YOU SHOULD ASK YOUR PHARMACIST WHY. 'well, there have been times where, theortically a pharmacy or physician or a provider has some financial incentive, him or herself to make the change. It could be for some reason that a generic ends up being more profitable for a pharmacy.' AS FOR SCANLAND....SHE SAYS SHE WAS GIVEN A TEN DOLLAR GIFT CERTIFICATE TO WALGREENS AFTER SHE COMPLAINED. 'Ten dollars for my aggravation, on two separate times, specifically asking them to give me the brand name and going through the aggravation, and I think the heartache to receive a ten dollar is more of a slap in the face.'SUPRISINGLY, IF WALGREEN'S DIDN'T ALLEGEDLY CHARGE MEDICAIDE FOR THE EXPENSIVE TYPE OF DRUG, IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUED. SWITCHING FROM BRAND NAME TO GENERICS WITHOUT TELLING THE PATIENT IS ACTUALLY LEGAL IN NEW MEXICO AND IN OTHER STATES... IN FACT, SOME BENEFIT PLANS REQUIRE PHARMACIES TO DISPENSE GENERICS WHEN AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY ARE CHEAPER THAN BRAND NAME DRUGS. DOCTOR FRIEDMAN SAYS YOU CAN ASK YOUR DOCTOR TO SPECIFICALLY WRITE DO-NOT SUB ON YOUR PRESCRIPTION IF YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T GET  « Less