FILE – A syringe is prepared at a clinic in Norristown, Pennsylvania, December 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Austin (KXAN) – A man in Austin said he was denied hormones by a pharmacist in northwest Austin.
Hayden Martin said she plans to receive medication while her husband, Tristan Martin, is at work. The cashier at Walgreens said the hormones were ready, but the pharmacist said he wasn’t comfortable filling the prescription because the hormone injection method was prescribed, Tristan said. I remembered.
There are two types of self-injection of sex reassignment hormone therapy: intramuscular injection and subcutaneous injection. Intramuscular injection delivers the drug deep into the muscle tissue. It is usually injected into the thigh or buttock. Subcutaneous or sub-Q injections deliver hormones to the fatty tissue just below the skin. Doctors recommend giving it as a subcutaneous injection in the abdomen or behind the arm. According to Fenway Health.
“The pharmacist said [my wife] Tristan said he was worried about filling out the prescription because of the injection method, which is a subcutaneous injection. “As far as I know, all Diabetics use that form,” he continued.
Subcutaneous injections are less painful than intramuscular injections, Tristein said. He said that when he started taking testosterone, he injected the drug into his thigh, which created scar tissue.
But the more he and Hayden talked to the pharmacist, Tristan said, the less it became clear that it was the injection method that the pharmacist was actually uncomfortable with.
“She refused to even inject the actual medicine without any needles,” Tristan said. “The response was that I was transgender,” he says.
Tristan said he had never experienced anything like this in his years of reassignment care.
“It was pretty bad, and it made me feel like someone else had the right to decide whether or not to grant me a basic human right to get my medication refilled,” Tristan said. rice field.
They contacted another Walgreens in the area and got the hormones within an hour of calling, this time with no resistance at all.
Walgreens reaction
We are looking into this matter and will continue to focus on providing the best possible care for our patients.
Marty Moloney, Senior Media Manager, Walgreens
Can a pharmacist legally refuse a drug that goes against their values?
Yes, I can.
In 2017, the Texas legislature passed House Bill 2562, giving pharmacists the power to refuse to see patients who may be abusing certain drugs. Former Rep. Matt Krauss has reportedly introduced an amendment to a bill that expands powers to refuse medication if it violates religious beliefs. Dallas Morning News.
Additionally, Walgreens tweeted in 2018 that it was its policy to allow pharmacists to “step back from creating morally objectionable prescriptions.” At the same time, they are also required to refer prescriptions to another on-duty pharmacist or administrator in order to respond to the patient’s needs in a timely manner. ” A tweet has been read.
KXAN spoke to a pharmacist at Tarrytown Pharmacy about the incident. She didn’t deny Martin’s medication, but she said testosterone is usually prescribed to be given intramuscularly.
The pharmacist said subcutaneous testosterone, while not unheard of, is not typical of prescribing. She further said that rather than refusing to fill prescriptions if they disagree, she will discuss them with doctors and patients to find a solution that works for all parties.
