Prescription switch: Are you getting what the doctor ordered?

It is common to be switched from a brand-name drug to its generic version. But now, some insurance companies may be engaging in a new kind of switch at the pharmacy. It is called therapeutic substitution and insurance companies say it is a safe and effective way to save money. Some pharmacists and doctors say they are concerned about the cost to a patient's health.

Lynn Crisci suffered from migraine headaches after surviving the Boston Marathon Bombing. To stop the pain, Lynn's doctor prescribed the drug Sumatriptan.

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"I just hand it to the pharmacist and it's their job to put the right pills in the right bottle, whatever it is," said Crisci. "It just never occurred to me that this was not what my doctor prescribed."

The medication that the pharmacist filled was not Sumatriptan but a similar compound called Naratriptan. Lynn said she took the medication but her pain raged on.

"The switching, the saving money, that's business," said Crisci. "But, how are they not required by law to tell you that you got switched?"

Oakwood Pharmacist Kindy Ghussin said insurance companies can make the switch without telling you.

"There's not much you can do, " said Ghussin. "The insurance companies have so much power that the doctor and the pharmacist don't have much say,"

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However, a switch of medications led to complications for Dough Habecker. He developed a severe side effect, a skin condition called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and he said he's worried it could happen again.

"I'm extremely careful. I research anything before I take it," Habecker said.

He battled his insurance company when it tried to change the insulin he uses, Novolog, for a similar drug called Humalog. The insurance company finally agreed to cover Novolog but Dough said his co-pay went up $20.

Pharmacist Kindy Ghussein said everyone needs to be an educated consumer.

“I just want to tell the patients that we are not the monster here," Ghussein said. "You've tog to look you at the insurance company and see why are they making it harder for you to get your medication."

Lynn Crisci is finally back on her original prescription and her pain is gone.

"For someone who was begging, begging for someone to help her die, this is a miracle," Crisci said.

Ghussein said it is important for consumers to check the labels on their medications to see if the pills are the same color and made by the same manufacturer. If they have concerns, they could call their doctor.