She kept running out of meds early. Turns out, the pharmacy was the problem
Key Takeaways
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"Though this commonly does not happen it’s important to know what to do if you ever suspect it. As a reminder the best thing to do if you suspect anything is to count the medication when you are there." — Ethan Melillo, PharmD
When a woman posted a video saying her prescription bottle of narcotics was 25 pills short, pharmacists across the country took notice—and started talking.
In a now-viral video, a woman detailed how she discovered her monthly supply of narcotics had repeatedly come up short. After brushing it off for a few months, she finally counted her pills on the spot after picking up her latest refill—and found she was missing 25 pills.
“I always go over every month,” she said in the video, “So how am I running out of medicine?”
After returning immediately to the pharmacy (Walgreens, according to her post), she says a technician quietly corrected the count—without explanation, apology, or even a conversation with the pharmacist.
That silence raised red flags for the patient—and for a licensed pharmacist who responded to her video with a warning of their own.
One pharmacist, Ethan Melillo, PharmD, who previously worked at a Walgreens location, responded with a video of his own—and their insights paint a troubling picture of how these situations can unfold behind the counter.
A pharmacist responds
Dr. Melillo stitched the video with a breakdown of what should happen when a narcotic count is off:
Inventory counts are tightly monitored: “Depending on the state, Walgreens tracks every prescription filled, and inventory is supposed to match stock counts,” he explained. Weekly audits are standard, especially for controlled substances.
Pharmacists should be involved immediately: If a customer reports missing narcotics, a pharmacist—not just a technician—should verify the count and communicate directly with the patient.
Surveillance footage can tell all: In Dr. Melillo's own experience, a technician was caught stealing Adderall by reviewing the pharmacy’s internal security cameras. “They took two or three capsules out of the bottle after the pharmacist verified the count—and got arrested the next day at work.”
A systemic vulnerability
While most pharmacists and technicians follow the rules, this incident highlights a broader issue: the gap between policy and practice in high-volume retail pharmacies.
Inventory counts may be done weekly. Security footage exists. But when pharmacists are understaffed, burned out, or pulled in too many directions, even the best systems can break down.
Related: Closing the communication gap between physicians and pharmacists