ANGLETON, Texas – An Angleton woman is changing how she picks up her prescription medication after claiming her local CVS pharmacy gave her the wrong medication.
The woman contacted KPRC 2 with the allegations. She spoke with reporter Rilwan Balogun, but did not want to be identified.
“I was stiff. I couldn’t move. It was horrifying,” the woman said. “I felt like I was going to die. By myself, alone, without anyone knowing what happened to me.”
She claims the incident started at the Angleton CVS Pharmacy on S. Front Street in 2022.
She said, while in the drive-thru, she received one of two prescriptions and she handed off the first one to her son as she watched the pharmacist get her second.
“He placed it on the console of my vehicle and I proceeded to tell him to go ahead and give me one because I needed to take it,” the woman said. “He just handed it to me, and I just popped it into my mouth and didn’t think anything of it. But once I got down the road, that’s when I looked down and realized it didn’t look anything like what I have at home.”
She then returned to the location and told the pharmacist.
“I told the cashier at the pharmacy, ‘Look, I took one of them. I took one of the pills. He said, ‘Oh, we’re not going to put it back on the shelf if you took it.’ That was his response. I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to take it from him, I shouldn’t be alarmed. If he’s not alarmed then I guess I shouldn’t be either,’” she said.
About half an hour later is when she said her body got stiff.
“I was just like rigged stiff from the interaction that the medication they gave me with other medication that I take,” she said. “I became stiff and couldn’t move for several hours. It was horrifying. A horrifying feeling to feel that I couldn’t call for help. I was all alone. I felt like I was going to die here alone. This is what happened. And no one was going to know how or why.”
The woman shared screenshots of her CVS account portal, which she claims shows the prescription her doctor put in versus what the pharmacist dispensed.
“I entrusted my pharmacy to give me the correct medication. I feel that they’re professionals and this is what they’re supposed to do,” she said.
A CVS spokesperson denies her assertion.
“Based on our investigation of this alleged incident that occurred over a year ago in April 2022, prescriptions for both of the medications you list below were written for [her] and our pharmacy filled them correctly,” said Mike DeAngelis in a statement to KPRC 2.
However, DeAngelis didn’t deny the company offering the woman a financial settlement, that if she signed, she wouldn’t be allowed to talk about the money or the incident.
The woman shared the document with KPRC 2, which shows the company offering her $5,000, in return, she would “not disclose to any other person or persons.” The settlement also said the paperwork does not mean CVS did what is alleged.
“I understand that this settlement is a compromise of a disputed claim and that payment specified herein is not to be construed as an admission of liability on the part of the Releasees, but on the contrary, liability is expressly denied,” the settlement read.
The woman didn’t sign it. However, she did seek legal guidance.
“I felt a duty to speak out for others to be aware of what they’re picking up from their pharmacy, the woman said. “This is life concerning. I thought, ‘Oh well, I can’t get an attorney and I could’ve taken the offer, but what good would that do for the next person who gets the wrong medication? It’s a matter of safety, not money.”
CVS PHARMACY RESPONSE:
“The health and well-being of our patients is our number one priority, and we have comprehensive policies and procedures in place to support prescription safety.
Based on our investigation of this alleged incident that occurred over a year ago in April 2022, prescriptions for both of the medications you list below were written for [her] and our pharmacy filled them correctly.
In the interest of customer service, we engaged with our patient in response to her request for compensation.” - Mike DeAngelis, CVS Health Spokesperson
