Medication refill rant

[DLgal]

Our sons psychiatrist calls in 2 prescriptions at a time and the pharmacy puts one on "hold" status. I have to call in to get it refilled 30 days after the first one. It is annoying. We often have him skip weekend days so we have an extra cushion in case of scheduling conflicts with the next appointment.

I really don't understand why it has to be so hard. Go ahead and limit them to being filled once every 30 days, but make it easier to get that done.

 

[barkley]

boy i remember dealing with this-thankfully no more!

when ds was on adhd meds we were living where the law mandated that the scrip could not be electronically transmitted, could only be filled within so many days of the anticipated end of use of the prior bottle....so we would have to call ahead of time and then travel to the doctor's office to pick up the scrip, take it to the pharmacy and then usually return to the pharmacy a day later (for where we live that entails about 2 hours day 1, 1 hour day 2 for round trip travel). our saving grace on timing the med refills (esp. during horrifically bad weather) was that the doctor always ordered a 'medication vacation' during some point in the summer. doctor didn't want ds to build up a tolerance (against having to prescribe anything higher in dosage than needed) so ds would take a few weeks off each summer. w/doctor's permission (and acknowledgement that the refill policy was nuts) we would refill as normal and then squirrel away the 21 or so extra pills in the safe to have on stand-by.

p.s. hands down-the best meds change he ever got was from oral to patch delivery. so much more effective and leveled. again, so glad my guy doesn't have to take anymore.

 

[dez1978]

What's the medication if you don't mind me asking?

What I found for MO is

• Missouri limits Schedule II prescriptions to a 30-day supply, while limiting Schedules III, IV, and V prescriptions to a 90-day supply

Examples of Schedule II narcotics include: hydromorphone (Dilaudid®), methadone (Dolophine®), meperidine (Demerol®), oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percocet®), and fentanyl (Sublimaze®, Duragesic®). Other Schedule II narcotics include: morphine, opium, codeine, and hydrocodone.

Examples of Schedule IIN stimulants include: amphetamine (Dexedrine®, Adderall®), methamphetamine (Desoxyn®), and methylphenidate (Ritalin®).

Other Schedule II substances include: amobarbital, glutethimide, and pentobarbital.

Its methylphenidate, or concerta. It's a schedule II

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Its methylphenidate, or concerta. It's a schedule II

So regulations just messing this all up. It seems like a sorta a silly thing to limit it to 3 day order in advance, especially with staffing issues right now. I mean it's not your fault if your doc isn't in or if the pharmacy can't refill in enough time. I know around my area people are having issues with all sorts of meds getting them refilled just because staffing, it's gotta be even worse for those with a legal timeframe of how many refills can be done at a time

 

[mjkacmom]

So ds23 couldn't get a new provider in time before his prescription ran out, so he’s now having his annual checkup at the pediatrician right now. Maybe next year…

 

[dez1978]

So regulations just messing this all up. It seems like a sorta a silly thing to limit it to 3 day order in advance, especially with staffing issues right now. I mean it's not your fault if your doc isn't in or if the pharmacy can't refill in enough time. I know around my area people are having issues with all sorts of meds getting them refilled just because staffing, it's gotta be even worse for those with a legal timeframe of how many refills can be done at a time

Then add in that the pharmacy could be out of the medication and need to order it in which could be another day or 2. It's frustrating. At least give me a week lol. And heaven forbid you are going on vacation and didn't think to plan that a month ahead of time. It's a huge pain in the butt to get an extra week of meds

 

[monsterkitty]

Preach! We had a huge issue during Thanksgiving. We were told we had a 3 month supply, and my husband swore he saw a 3 month prescription on file. Go to fill it, nothing. There is no 3 month prescription. The office is closed the day after Christmas. It took a week to get my son's med. He was 10, so school was out of the question. This is the many reasons I am grateful we homeschool. I can work with his issues. I feel for the kids who miss school due to not having their medication. His med is a top tier controlled substance. It is frustrating as it is such a small dosage, and no one can give you even a day or 2 to get you through until your doctor is back in the office.

As a former teacher in a high-poverty area, we regularly had students who ran into the problem of not having their medication and had to come to school. In the case here, their parents would be able to renew the meds, but did not have the means to go pick the meds up. In extreme cases, the school social workers would aid the parents in transportation issues.

At our school we had a plan in place for the children who could not take their medication as scheduled. Each student had their own plan as each student has different needs.

 

[HandOsmom]

Its methylphenidate, or concerta. It's a schedule II

That's what my daughter takes. She sees her doctor every three months for med checks and the ped sends 3 at a time to the pharmacy.

We thankfully haven't had problems in years. PA has only allowed sched II to be electric within the past few years.

There were also other meds she was on previously that were hard to catch in stock at the correct dose. And the pharmacy wouldn't tell you over the phone if they had it in stock. You had to show up with the prescription in hand. I remember a few days just driving miles and miles for hours trying to find somewhere to get her script filled.

I feel for you. Good luck!

 

[daisy2013]

Its methylphenidate, or concerta. It's a schedule II

One of my daughter’s takes that. We get electronic scripts 3 months at a time. The other takes a different version of a methylphenidate- cotempla-also 3 scripts at a time.

 

[Bluemystique]

Pharmacy staffer here. First of all, I feel bad for any patients that are seen/request prescriptions on Fridays. Murphy's Law is usually on overdrive and inevitably something will be wrong with the prescription and we won't be able to reach the doctor in time for them to close (usually early) for the weekend.

Also, it's good to be familiar with state pharmacy laws. For example, in FL, it's acceptable to have a doctor send in via escribe/write hard copy prescriptions for 3 months at a time, whether broken up into 1 month supplies with "do not fill before <insert date>" or one 90-day prescription for ADHD medications.

If you have the time, I'd recommend getting to know your pharmacist too. Your mileage may vary depending which pharmacist is working. It's true they won't be able to put in a refill request for your CII medication to the doctor's office, but they can make sure they have the medication on hand or can order it for the next business day provided it's requested by the order cut off time. Also, some pharmacists may be picky as to when they will fill or accept prescriptions as well, so it's good to know ahead of time who you're dealing with. If you have a new or fill-in pharmacist, good luck, because they can be ridiculously unpredictable as to what they are willing to do for you.

Lastly, please be patient with your pharmacy staff. They get just as frustrated with the doctors' offices as patients do, and so long as they aren't getting yelled at, they'll do their best to figure out a solution for you.