Woman With Endometriosis Goes Viral After Being Humiliated In Front Of The Entire Pharmacy
Sydney-born influencer and comedian Anna Dooley took to TikTok to share a shameful incident that took place when she drove to pick up her prescribed painkillers at a pharmacy.
Upon receiving her medication from the pharmacist, she was accused of being an addict.
Anna Dooley, a Sydney-based comedian who suffers from endometriosis, left the pharmacy in tears after a worker implied that she was a drug addict
Image credits: thehooleydooley
Anna suffers from endometriosis, a condition that occurs when the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, grows outside the organ, and that affects 10% of women in the US, according to John Hopkins Medicine.
As a result of her severe pain, the 30-year-old has had two ketamine infusions, four surgeries, and 35 trips to hospital emergency.
“I had the most horrible experience with this pharmacist after he left me feeling ashamed, humiliated, and reminded that there is so much ignorance around those living with chronic conditions,” she shared in the viral video.
Endometriosis, a chronic condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the organ, affects 10% of women in the US
Image credits: Sora Shimazaki (not the actual image)
“I get my stuff across, and he calls out my name and―not even a ‘Hello, how are you?’―and just in front of the whole shop, he’s like, ‘Careful, you might overdose.’”
After Dooley explained her condition, the pharmacists insisted on the idea of her being addicted to her prescribed painkillers by handing her a “complimentary” naloxone spray, a drug that temporarily aids with opioid overdose.
He even recommended that she stream Netflix’s “Painkiller,” which tells the stories of those affected by the oxycontin opioid crisis.
In a visibly upset tone, the influencer denounced the worker’s failure to understand her condition
Image credits: thehooleydooley
Image credits: thehooleydooley
As a result of her severe pain, the 30-year-old has undergone four surgeries
Image credits: thehooleydooley
Anna was given a “complimentary” naloxone spray, a drug that aids with opioid abuse, and was suggested to watch Netflix’s Painkiller
Image credits: thehooleydooley
In a visibly upset tone, the influencer denounced the worker’s failure to understand her condition and his lack of sensibility regarding drug addicts.
“The amount of shame I have been made to feel over the past 15 years in regards to taking painkillers is wild,” the influencer said, explaining that the incident wasn’t the first time that she had been accused of being hooked on her medication. “There are absolutely some amazing pharmacists out there, but I can’t tell you how many times I have been made to feel like I’m in trouble.”
Anna was also advised to stick to one pharmacy in order to avoid speculation of drug abuse.
She said that wasn’t the first time she’d been accused of being a “junkie”
Image credits: Towfiqu barbhuiya (not the actual image)
What does living with endometriosis look like for her? Apart from occasionally collapsing on the floor as a consequence of severe pain, she has to spend money on “regular things like Panadol, Neurofen, doctors’ appointments, operations, ultrasounds, physiotherapy, osteopathy, and missing days of work.”
On that pharmacy visit, she spent $92 AUD (roughly 60 USD) on her painkillers, the equivalent of four hours of her work.
While she began experiencing intense symptoms at age 13, she was only diagnosed after turning 21.
As of today, a cure for endometriosis hasn’t been found.
You can watch Anna share her “embarrassing” experience below
@thehooleydooley The conversation wround pain relief is harrowing. We all understand the strict laws around pain killers, we’re well aware. Being made to feel as though ‘you’re the problem’ doesnt leave you and it certainly doesnt take the pain away. (He also owns tbe pharmacy which is scary). No one should have to convince someone they need help. Well Kevin. You just wrote yourself into my show. #endometriosis #chronicpain #pain #pharmacy #pcos #endometriosisawareness ♬ original sound – Anna Dooley
In her one-woman show, ENDHOE, she uses comedy as a tool to alleviate her pain
@thehooleydooley Ill take all the drugs thanks #endometriosis #endometriosisawareness #chronicpain ♬ original sound – Anna Dooley
In addition to taking painkillers and scheduling doctors’ appointments, Anna uses comedy as a tool to alleviate her suffering.
In her 50-minute one-woman show, ENDHOE, which premiered as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival, she aims to shed light on her debilitating condition thanks to Endo, a character that takes the crowd on a tour through Anna’s body and wreaks havoc.
People online offered their support to Anna and shared negative experiences of their own
I find it funny how the males on here are defending the pharmacist. Males are lucky they do not have 1/2 the issues women have, yet they can mansplain it all away. The pharmacist was violating confidentiality laws in ANY CASE. YOU DO NOT discuss medical conditions in public, and these pharmacists need to have their licenses pulled. If they were TRULY concerned they would not play the humiliate the patient there. Males How would you feel if in a VERY loud voice the pharmacist started talking about your STD's "they are only voicing concern for you spreading your disease" ( STD's are not the same as chronic pain - but I could not think of something that would humiliate men and there is no treatment for tiny penis)
Doctors dismiss female pain/other issues. Stuff that affects women more than men is underresearched. Women are under/misdiagnosed/ignored more than men. The medical system (not talking about individual doctors here - some are great, mine (after much searching) included, I mean the *system*) is misogynistic.
I drive a half hour away to get my prescribed medication every month because the Dr. told me they won't be nasty to me there.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I'm female and a uterus cancer survivor and I am defending the pharmacist, I have alot of respect for them, they are always ready with education and facts plus advice and warnings about drugs known to have caused deaths.
I respect pharmacists withint heir (narrow) specialized knowledge,... But if I'm taking a med that a pharmacist objects to based on their 1. religion and/or 2. assumptions on what it's for? They deserve to be reminded they're not Gods,a nd pharmacy errors are known to cause tons of deaths, so there goes the whole "pharmacists are sooooo wonderful" argument. PHarmacy errors. Not nurse, or doctor. Phmaracy vouched for it! Must be okay! And then youf ind out it's a beta blocker intstead of a benzo, when the patient arrests. B/ the pharmacist screwed up sounds-a-little-alike drugs. Yeah, don't defend 'em to me. FYI, they look that stuff up on a computer. You can get the same going online.
A pharmacist can be a very valuable source of info on medication, but when they are dispensing a prescription made by a doctor, they have no need to berate a patient. The pharmacist in the article above should be struck off. He behaved appallingly.
If you have a prescription the pharmacist has no right to ask you what it's for. Tell them politely to mind their own fkn business next time and refuse to enter into discussion about it.
Exactly, a more knowledgeable medical professional has clearly already greenlit this medicine, so unless it's to tell me that the prescribed brand is out and ask if another is ok, I have no interest in discussing my prescription.
A pharmacist has saved my life more than once by noticing that a particular medication would have seriously adverse effects when taken with my other medications. I trust them more than my doctors. I have chronic pain as well, and I've never been bothered by hearing warnings about my opiates. It's the pharmacist's job, not a reflection on me.
A pharmacist doing their job by warning about mixing medications is not the same as one questioning where you SHOULD have that medication to begin with. One is doing their job while the other is trying be a doctor. They are overstepping their positions. And when they withhold, they should be sued. The fake you don't mind is the same, to me, say saying you don't mind when people call you names or insult you. You may okay with it, but it's still wrong.
@Valaun: Well, they can question whether you should have x dosage/in x quantity for controlled substances; pharmacists can and are supposed to refuse to fill suspicious or excessive prescriptions. Yes. The guy in the story was absolutely overreaching. But the original comment by @Royal Stray is entirely wrong, which is the point.
A specialist is a specialist (yes, I went there) in their field and only their field professionaly. A pharmacist knows a lot more about the general interactions between medications, they are trained for that job. So please listen to your pharmacist if they say that you can't take medicine x if you are on medicine y. They know what they are talking about.
I'm glad you had a positive experience. My pharmacist almost gave me a heart medication instead of one for indigestion and I only noticed because I work at an animal pharmacy. When I asked them to re-check because I knew they were wrong they gave me an attitude...didn't even want to look me in the eye or apologize after they realized their mistake. Pharmacists and Dr's are just like everyone else, they aren't always nice and they do make mistakes. It is Def their job to give you all necessary information about the meds you are on but it is also their job to be discreet when discussing your personal health information which is why they typically have a separate counter to go over medication details.
Exactly, same here.
Sure, they may need to know about other meds and possible interactions, especially in medical systems where different doctors may be prescribing without access to patient records, but there's no need at all for them to know any details of the illness the patient is suffering from.
@Ace They... they do, actually. For instance, if you have kidney disease, it's not safe to take NSAIDs, and it's their job to check the doctor's work and point that out. Interactions and contraindications aren't just med to med, they're also med to diagnosis.
That would make me change doctors fckn quick.
A pharmacist's full-time job is to make sure that medications prescribed are safe in dosage/combination. They spend four years in grad school learning about nothing but drugs—dosages, safety, and interactions. They are a full time medication expert, and they coordinate all of your prescriptions across different providers, whereas the doctor is the condition expert and has to split their knowledge between diagnosing/treating. The doctor is not "a more knowledgeable medical professional"; they work in tandem for a reason. Their ethical and legal requirement is to flag and point out things like "you shouldn't take opioid A from Dr. X and opioid B from Dr. Y at the same time; it'll kill you." They're not just salespeople with fancy titles.
I'm not defending the pharmacist in this story or the one you dealt with, I don't know enough. But they can actually be liable for handing out prescriptions even if they follow them to the letter if the prescription seems off in any way. They also have a duty to inform on how to take it correctly, you knowing why you take it can be quite important there.
Ace, I disagree. A pharmacist has a duty of care, just as doctors, nurses, physios etc do. If they think something isn't quite right, they NEED to check. Pharmacists are not just medicine dispensers. However, if another medical professional has prescribed the medication the pharmacist can talk with them and check whether it is the medication and dose intended, and whether it is the best medication for the patient.That's where it ends. If the prescriber is sure it is best that's the end of the story. .... (Naturally, it goes without saying that no patient should ever be treated as Anna Dooley was.)
Depending on place they can deny you medication
This is awful. I also live with a chronic pain condition that I sometimes need prescription painkillers for. One would think, just by glancing at the other prescribed medications I take, that it's obvious that I have chronic migraine disorder and the opioid is part of my treatment plan. But I've had one or two pharmacists do this to me in the past and it's humiliating. It never feels like it comes from a place of genuine concern or even professional obligation. One pharmacist, a young woman who was filling in from a different store, actually took pleasure in embarrassing me. Speaking loudly so that everyone within earshot could hear the federally protected private details of my health issues, smile plastered across her smug face, not allowing me to speak. I remember it very well because of how much it upset me. Additionally, SO MANY medical professionals still do not take OB/GYN pain seriously and believe that women are exaggerating our self-reported pain. I've experienced uterine pain that has put me in the emergency room twice and it is indescribable. The only thing that relieved the agony was IV morphine. And this is from someone who lives with chronic pain. I feel so much sympathy for this woman. She's 100% correct that pain relief is a human right.
I find it funny how the males on here are defending the pharmacist. Males are lucky they do not have 1/2 the issues women have, yet they can mansplain it all away. The pharmacist was violating confidentiality laws in ANY CASE. YOU DO NOT discuss medical conditions in public, and these pharmacists need to have their licenses pulled. If they were TRULY concerned they would not play the humiliate the patient there. Males How would you feel if in a VERY loud voice the pharmacist started talking about your STD's "they are only voicing concern for you spreading your disease" ( STD's are not the same as chronic pain - but I could not think of something that would humiliate men and there is no treatment for tiny penis)
Doctors dismiss female pain/other issues. Stuff that affects women more than men is underresearched. Women are under/misdiagnosed/ignored more than men. The medical system (not talking about individual doctors here - some are great, mine (after much searching) included, I mean the *system*) is misogynistic.
I drive a half hour away to get my prescribed medication every month because the Dr. told me they won't be nasty to me there.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I'm female and a uterus cancer survivor and I am defending the pharmacist, I have alot of respect for them, they are always ready with education and facts plus advice and warnings about drugs known to have caused deaths.
I respect pharmacists withint heir (narrow) specialized knowledge,... But if I'm taking a med that a pharmacist objects to based on their 1. religion and/or 2. assumptions on what it's for? They deserve to be reminded they're not Gods,a nd pharmacy errors are known to cause tons of deaths, so there goes the whole "pharmacists are sooooo wonderful" argument. PHarmacy errors. Not nurse, or doctor. Phmaracy vouched for it! Must be okay! And then youf ind out it's a beta blocker intstead of a benzo, when the patient arrests. B/ the pharmacist screwed up sounds-a-little-alike drugs. Yeah, don't defend 'em to me. FYI, they look that stuff up on a computer. You can get the same going online.
A pharmacist can be a very valuable source of info on medication, but when they are dispensing a prescription made by a doctor, they have no need to berate a patient. The pharmacist in the article above should be struck off. He behaved appallingly.
If you have a prescription the pharmacist has no right to ask you what it's for. Tell them politely to mind their own fkn business next time and refuse to enter into discussion about it.
Exactly, a more knowledgeable medical professional has clearly already greenlit this medicine, so unless it's to tell me that the prescribed brand is out and ask if another is ok, I have no interest in discussing my prescription.
A pharmacist has saved my life more than once by noticing that a particular medication would have seriously adverse effects when taken with my other medications. I trust them more than my doctors. I have chronic pain as well, and I've never been bothered by hearing warnings about my opiates. It's the pharmacist's job, not a reflection on me.
A pharmacist doing their job by warning about mixing medications is not the same as one questioning where you SHOULD have that medication to begin with. One is doing their job while the other is trying be a doctor. They are overstepping their positions. And when they withhold, they should be sued. The fake you don't mind is the same, to me, say saying you don't mind when people call you names or insult you. You may okay with it, but it's still wrong.
@Valaun: Well, they can question whether you should have x dosage/in x quantity for controlled substances; pharmacists can and are supposed to refuse to fill suspicious or excessive prescriptions. Yes. The guy in the story was absolutely overreaching. But the original comment by @Royal Stray is entirely wrong, which is the point.
A specialist is a specialist (yes, I went there) in their field and only their field professionaly. A pharmacist knows a lot more about the general interactions between medications, they are trained for that job. So please listen to your pharmacist if they say that you can't take medicine x if you are on medicine y. They know what they are talking about.
I'm glad you had a positive experience. My pharmacist almost gave me a heart medication instead of one for indigestion and I only noticed because I work at an animal pharmacy. When I asked them to re-check because I knew they were wrong they gave me an attitude...didn't even want to look me in the eye or apologize after they realized their mistake. Pharmacists and Dr's are just like everyone else, they aren't always nice and they do make mistakes. It is Def their job to give you all necessary information about the meds you are on but it is also their job to be discreet when discussing your personal health information which is why they typically have a separate counter to go over medication details.
Exactly, same here.
Sure, they may need to know about other meds and possible interactions, especially in medical systems where different doctors may be prescribing without access to patient records, but there's no need at all for them to know any details of the illness the patient is suffering from.
@Ace They... they do, actually. For instance, if you have kidney disease, it's not safe to take NSAIDs, and it's their job to check the doctor's work and point that out. Interactions and contraindications aren't just med to med, they're also med to diagnosis.
That would make me change doctors fckn quick.
A pharmacist's full-time job is to make sure that medications prescribed are safe in dosage/combination. They spend four years in grad school learning about nothing but drugs—dosages, safety, and interactions. They are a full time medication expert, and they coordinate all of your prescriptions across different providers, whereas the doctor is the condition expert and has to split their knowledge between diagnosing/treating. The doctor is not "a more knowledgeable medical professional"; they work in tandem for a reason. Their ethical and legal requirement is to flag and point out things like "you shouldn't take opioid A from Dr. X and opioid B from Dr. Y at the same time; it'll kill you." They're not just salespeople with fancy titles.
I'm not defending the pharmacist in this story or the one you dealt with, I don't know enough. But they can actually be liable for handing out prescriptions even if they follow them to the letter if the prescription seems off in any way. They also have a duty to inform on how to take it correctly, you knowing why you take it can be quite important there.
Ace, I disagree. A pharmacist has a duty of care, just as doctors, nurses, physios etc do. If they think something isn't quite right, they NEED to check. Pharmacists are not just medicine dispensers. However, if another medical professional has prescribed the medication the pharmacist can talk with them and check whether it is the medication and dose intended, and whether it is the best medication for the patient.That's where it ends. If the prescriber is sure it is best that's the end of the story. .... (Naturally, it goes without saying that no patient should ever be treated as Anna Dooley was.)
Depending on place they can deny you medication
This is awful. I also live with a chronic pain condition that I sometimes need prescription painkillers for. One would think, just by glancing at the other prescribed medications I take, that it's obvious that I have chronic migraine disorder and the opioid is part of my treatment plan. But I've had one or two pharmacists do this to me in the past and it's humiliating. It never feels like it comes from a place of genuine concern or even professional obligation. One pharmacist, a young woman who was filling in from a different store, actually took pleasure in embarrassing me. Speaking loudly so that everyone within earshot could hear the federally protected private details of my health issues, smile plastered across her smug face, not allowing me to speak. I remember it very well because of how much it upset me. Additionally, SO MANY medical professionals still do not take OB/GYN pain seriously and believe that women are exaggerating our self-reported pain. I've experienced uterine pain that has put me in the emergency room twice and it is indescribable. The only thing that relieved the agony was IV morphine. And this is from someone who lives with chronic pain. I feel so much sympathy for this woman. She's 100% correct that pain relief is a human right.