I think that your pharmacists questions are more a matter of how things are changing today.   For example, take Walgreen's where I got my pneumonia shot without prescription and a shingles shot for which I need a prescription.   They are even giving flu shots.

Drug stores are being made more and more responsible for making sure that they are not breaking the law when they fill prescriptions.  Its really a problem with us transgenders because some druggists just don't when to quit.    I have not taken any hrt hormones yet and I am not sure that I will ever be able to afford them, so I have no personal experience myself.

My feeling is that if you find a friendly pharmacy that gets to know you because they are constantly filling your prescriptions there will be fewer problems.   This is just what I think.  I am out 24/7/365 in female appearance.   I feel that if, no one sees me any other way then I will have some measure of acceptance as an excentric if nothing else.   

Good luck.

I wasn't asked about my Rx when I first got them filled (at a drug store)...then I transferred them to a department store with a pharmacy, and the pharmacist said, "I understand about the Spiro, but why would you be taking Estrogen, that's for women?"

Me being me, I just told him..."I'm trans." I figure they're humans too, they're likely curious and perhaps play a "let's guess the diagnosis" game with each other. Oh well, as long as it stays in-house it doesn't bother me.

.

Quote from: iiii on June 03, 2013, 10:14:14 PM
I don't think he cared about safety... "THATS WHAT I WANTED" ..."lets go ring you up" he was either abusing his position to get answers he personally wanted or he wanted to feel like he was in authority... or both.
Or well, that's how I see it at least.

Next time it happens, just ask him/her..."Are you supposed to be asking that kind of question?"

If the pharmacist gets snotty about it (professionals should *never* get snotty), ask for his supervisor. Even if he/she is the "head honcho" in that particular pharmacy, I'm willing to bet the state/province you're in has some kind of ombudsman office for complaints like this.

A true professional will take the time to explain how and why they're asking the questions they are...patient privacy is an absolute cardinal rule. Pharmacists aren't trained to diagnose or prescribe meds.

Quote from: Beth Andrea on June 03, 2013, 10:25:50 PM
Next time it happens, just ask him/her..."Are you supposed to be asking that kind of question?"

If the pharmacist gets snotty about it (professionals should *never* get snotty), ask for his supervisor. Even if he/she is the "head honcho" in that particular pharmacy, I'm willing to bet the state/province you're in has some kind of ombudsman office for complaints like this.

Yea there are laws that protect me. I live in California, although not the most understanding part of it unfortunitialy. Oh on a little tangent, on friday the doctor told me that to change the gender marker on my ID I don't need surgury of anykind because it is at the state level. But for social security and I think birth certificate I need GRS. He also said that when it comes time to do that and the name stuff he will provide the necessary documents. I thought that was pretty cool. I thought it would be a couple years to get that marker changed, turns out it might be a matter of months if all goes well!

<3 Liv

I had trouble with a pharmacist once. I was trying to refill my first T scrip, just a couple of weeks before I suddenly stopped being misgendered by anyone. So I guess he read me as female. Anyway, the scrip was less than six months old, but he told me that he couldn't legally refill it because T is Schedule II (uh, no, it's Schedule III, you ass).

When I'm pushed, I customarily become pigheaded without thinking about it, even when I'm in panic mode, which I was. I think my being obstructive did the trick. He said he would refill it as a favor to me...something stupid like that. Um, it's illegal, and you don't know me from Adam, but you're going to be nice and refill it anyway, and risk losing your job and your license? I don't think so. Don't jerk me around. (This is what I was thinking much later.)

For a long time, I thought he was just mixed up about how T is classified. Now I'm 99% certain that he was passing judgment on me and trying to get out of filling the prescription. I suppose I should have reported him, but the whole affair freaked me out so much that I didn't want to pursue it. After all, I might have been in the wrong, although I didn't think so. If a pharmacist pulled that kind of crap on me now, I would really let him have it. I've come a long way since then.

I never went back to that place, even though the alternative was a little less convenient. Maybe you should think about switching?

Most I've ever got was a

"Is this for you?"

However what he did is out of line. There is casual joking and smart assing and then there is over the line behavior, what he did was over it. If I ever did that to a customer my boss would chew me out.

The "OMG, I get to see one" is likely a reference to having the medication made on site, the old fashioned way.  It's sort of rare these days.

I also think it's possible he was just looking out for his customers. Especially if you were in male mode. Mistakes happen all the time in pharmacies. Maybe the 'that's what I was looking for' response was his making sure you were trans and not just some unfortunate guy about to grow breasts without his knowledge. It could be something akin to castration anxiety. He wanted to make sure you knew what you were in for. Not that it makes it right, but he could have checked with the physician when he saw your name and then was taken aback when he saw someone in male mode.
Not that he was right to question you, but he may have thought he was doing the right thing - potentially looking out for some unsuspecting guy, you know.

I think this is BS!!

Pre name change I was only asked if "he" in the third person lol has taken this before and does "he" have any questions....it was nice to finally get it in my new name and be asked if "I" had any questions.

I don't like the fact that when I do pick up my RX they seem to get it for me without asking my name first....they do confirm my name though.

I get insecure that people remember me so easily....is it because I'm trans??? The one day this happened I mentioned my insecurities with my therapist...she laughed cause the same thing happened to her that morning when she picked up an RX....she also felt a little insecure....and she IS NOT trans!!!

Sounds to me that policy may dictate that with that high of a dose that he needed to hear it from your mouth that you are transgendered. If not, he was being rather rude. If so, he could have just out and out asked you if you were transgendered a little more discreetly than he did by beating around the bush.

Quote from: Jess42 on June 04, 2013, 12:31:46 PM
Sounds to me that policy may dictate that with that high of a dose that he needed to hear it from your mouth that you are transgendered. If not, he was being rather rude. If so, he could have just out and out asked you if you were transgendered a little more discreetly than he did by beating around the bush.

But by asking he is directly questioning the doctor's competency. He even called the doctor and the doctor confirmed. That should have been it. I have had several bad experiences with pharmacists when filling medications so I am biased but a lot of times these people think they are holier than thou. He has no right to ask if you a trans. None. It is not his business. The only thing he should have done is explain the effects of the medication.

It is prob not a HIPPA violation as a patient-provider relationship exists. But there had to be a reason for his inquiry...

Quote from: Not-so Fat Admin on June 04, 2013, 07:21:34 AM
I also think it's possible he was just looking out for his customers. Especially if you were in male mode. Mistakes happen all the time in pharmacies. Maybe the 'that's what I was looking for' response was his making sure you were trans and not just some unfortunate guy about to grow breasts without his knowledge. It could be something akin to castration anxiety. He wanted to make sure you knew what you were in for. Not that it makes it right, but he could have checked with the physician when he saw your name and then was taken aback when he saw someone in male mode.
Not that he was right to question you, but he may have thought he was doing the right thing - potentially looking out for some unsuspecting guy, you know.

^This actually makes the most sense and is probably the reason. Maybe he just wanted to make sure you're trans as that would be the only reason for it. Most men consider becoming a woman the worst thing imaginable. Look at all the war movies where some guy kills some other guy who could live because his penis got blown off. I mean if he was happy and kind when asking and in general it's really okay. I think it depends on his demeanor. When you told him your trans was he okay with it or did he give you the crook eye?

Quote from: Not-so Fat Admin on June 04, 2013, 07:21:34 AM
I also think it's possible he was just looking out for his customers. Especially if you were in male mode. Mistakes happen all the time in pharmacies. Maybe the 'that's what I was looking for' response was his making sure you were trans and not just some unfortunate guy about to grow breasts without his knowledge. It could be something akin to castration anxiety. He wanted to make sure you knew what you were in for. Not that it makes it right, but he could have checked with the physician when he saw your name and then was taken aback when he saw someone in male mode.
Not that he was right to question you, but he may have thought he was doing the right thing - potentially looking out for some unsuspecting guy, you know.

That's what I'm inclined to think. When I got my first prescription(after self medding for a few years) the pharmacist asked me if I knew what that medication would do to me just to be sure that I was ok with it. I think they may be doing it to put themselves at ease with dispensing something that can bring profound changes for someone and they just want to be sure that the patient is aware of it. 

Quote from: Michelle S. on June 03, 2013, 09:11:06 PM...3 other employees decided to stand there staring me down.

These two examples make me mad. >:|

Quote from: kkut on June 04, 2013, 01:41:38 PM
So they thought you were just some pretty girl picking up your guy friend's meds?  I wish that would happen to me.   

Ya! though I don't think it was some "pretty girl" lol....It was a bit awkward though since it was very early in my transition and I was still presenting male!! I was getting mis-gendered enough to know it may happen at anytime....but it was always awkward when it did happen.

The only time I had a pharmacist ask me anything was when I went on finasteride.....the young man asked me very nicely why I was taking this.....he said women usually don't take this....I told him it was for personal health reasons. I'm not sure what his reason for asking this was. Was it because he was concerned?? or was it he sensed something or.......was he trying to get to know me better...Ya sure!!!