You might be right. OP wrote:

If there were 260 pills in a 100 count bottle how could it be sealed? OP says they were going somewhere for surgery. Generally when in hospital all meds are supplied ensuring only meds ordered are dispensed. Enough elements don't add up to have 100% confidence in OP's story.

About 30% of this Checkpoint/Security content is people telling you that TSA isn't allowed to do what it just did to you.

Schnikes, where did that come from? No, that is absolutely not correct and I clearly said nothing of the sort.

I said quite clearly only that I was afforded an opportunity to make other arrangements for an item that was not permitted past the checkpoint, an opportunity which is often not available and that it was not made available to me because of my job.

I will say that I do believe that had I been at an airport where I do have credentials AND been known to a supervisor then the possibility of being able to retrieve and make alternative arrangements for an item not being allowed through the checkpoints once having completed screening would be somewhat more likely than typical. But I would expect mostly that I would not be able to retrieve the item after inspection - that it would have been "confiscated."

Interesting, because I believe the "official" TSA line has always been that I always have the option of completing screening and being escorted back landside to dispose of an item I don't want confiscated (with the exception of firearms, of course). I have exercised this option a couple times when I had time, simply because I decided I wanted to make sure my item ended up in the garbage and not on ebay. Some airports even installed mailing stations for people to mail items to themselves rather than have them confiscated. Obviously these mailing stations assumed the pax wouldn't know his/her item wasn't allowed until a screener tried to confiscate it.

My understanding, if a person has an item that can't go in carry-on baggage and isn't WEI TSA is suppose to offer the opportunity to give the item to someone, check it, take it to their car, or as a last resort dispose of the item. Was your item WEI?

It does appear as though the right 'credentials' do get some folks special treatment at the checkpoint.

This is correct. (Bolding mine)

Yep -- My BS Meter is in the red zone on the way to being pegged.

I'd like to think that people posting here are sincere in what they are saying, at least from their perspective. I do question if OP understood who his encounter was with. Unfortunately OP hasn't been back with any follow up or questions so guess we'll about be left wondering what really happened.

And that is my point and essentially what I wrote in my first response - TSA does not "take" items (in the sense of a governmental taking/seizing/confiscation) - the passenger chooses to abandon/forfeit/surrender the item to TSA who is supposed to (but is not required to always) offer an opportunity to make other arrangements for the items.

My reference to credentials was exactly that they did NOT result in "special" treatment - the special treatment of course, only being what TSA is supposed to do in the first place - give an opportunity to make other arrangements for the item.

It was Ghiradelli chocolate sauce.....

Not to belabor the point, but this is what you said:

Why should the option to complete screening and exit to dispose of your 'contraband' item yourself ever be anything but typical, assuming the item in question isn't WEI? '

Highlighting mine.

I think your statement is inconsistent with TSA policy. I believe screeners are always suppose to offer the opportunity to do something with prohibited (None WEI) items.

I am not TSA, maybe GSOL can better answer when for operational reasons it is not possible for a passenger to retrieve a prohibited items left at the checkpoint for alternative arrangements after screening is completed. But I do know that somewhere on TSAs website FAQ they state prohibited items might not be returned.

I think you're conflating two very different things.

1) The screener is holding a personal item s/he has just removed from my bag. Screener takes said item, says it can't go, and tosses it directly in the trash can without giving me the option to complete a particularly rigorous screening and be escorted back landside with my item.

2) The screener confiscated something of mine, I complete screening, leave the checkpoint, and want to come back at a later time to get my item - maybe I called someone from the sterile area who has agreed to come pick up the item. That is not allowed.

You've made almost 40k posts and been here nearly a decade. How can you be surprised at this sort of thing?