Problems getting pain meds filled?

January 25, 2002

Hello all!

Has anyone else had a hard time getting your pain meds filled? I find

that I can get my Oxycontin filled but I always have to " shop around "

at several pharmacies' (maybe 8!) to get my OxyFast filled. I

have

yet to actually get the OxyFast filled. When I do find a pharmacy

that can fill it they give me Roxicodone instead. I almost never get

the full script on my fist visit the pharmacy. I always have to come

back in a week to get the rest. (I guess they order the rest) Thanks

for any input you may have on this issue.

January 25, 2002

it is always best to have a long-standing relationship with one

pharmacy, rather than having prescriptions for pain management

medications filled at several pharmacies.

By using only one pharmacy the pharmacists become familiar with

your diagnosis, pain management plan, and can call your doctor's

office if they have any questions regarding medications.

It is very possible that the pharmacies you have shopped do not

have the medication in supply. Many pharmacies have stopped

keeping certain pain-relief opioid medications in stock for fear of

break-ins and robberies. Some will not even fill certain

prescriptions regardless of who it is prescribed for. By having a

relationship with one pharmacy you are more likely to receive the

medication even if they have to special order it for you.

In this day of drug abuse those of us on opioid pain-relieving

medications need to practice responsible decision making in regards

to getting our prescriptions filled. If necessary have your

doctor's office call to confirm your prescription if necessary.

I have been going to one pharmacy for over five years now. Prior

to that I also got all of my prescriptions from one single

pharmacy. When they were bought out by a national chain and moved

to the other side of town I had to change to my current pharmacy

which is less than two miles from my home.

When the new pharmacy went through a change in pharmacists I had to

re-establish a relationship with the new pharmacists. This was

aided by the fact that several pharmacy assistants who had worked

there for years could confirm who I was and that indeed I was on a

chronic pain managment plan.

It was a learning curve for the new pharmacists who did not know

that our local anesthiesiologists group had a pain clinic at our

local hospital that they " run " between surgery cases.

Ray in Virginia

January 26, 2002

At 05:47 PM 1/25/02 +0000, you wrote:

>I find that I can get my Oxycontin filled but I always have to " shop around "

>at several pharmacies' (maybe 8!) to get my OxyFast filled.

Ray is absolutely correct in that you should try to develop a relationship

with one pharmacy. You didn't mention where you live, but here in

Pennsylvania, narcotic prescriptions can't be filled part now, part later.

For me, this meant that I had to find one pharmacy, let them get to know me

and always keep going back there.

For years we had used a national chain pharmacy, but a couple years ago

they stopped carrying enough OxyContin to fill my prescription. They always

had enough OxyIR. I had the option of letting them order it, and come back

in 5-7 days, which was not an option at all. I can't get a refill

prescription from my doctor more than a week before running out, not to

mention the hissy-fit the insurance company would have. I started going to

another pharmacy, still a national chain but run more like a locally-owned

business. They now know me, they know almost to the day when I'll be in

each month and always have enough meds on hand.

Hower

http://home.dejazzd.com/hower

January 26, 2002

one time i had purchased one of my meds on time, but

too soon. i had run out due to increase in dosage by

the doctor. the pharmacist gave me enough until the

time slot to purchase (ins. requirement), then bought

the rest at copay price. i was so relieved as the med

was well over 200 bucks. and who's got 200 bucks to

throw out the window when one has many illnesses?

solibene

--- Hower wrote:

> At 05:47 PM 1/25/02 +0000, you wrote:

> >I find that I can get my Oxycontin filled but I

> always have to " shop around "

> >at several pharmacies' (maybe 8!) to get my OxyFast

> filled.

>

> Ray is absolutely correct in that you should try to

> develop a relationship

> with one pharmacy. You didn't mention where you

> live, but here in

> Pennsylvania, narcotic prescriptions can't be filled

> part now, part later.

> For me, this meant that I had to find one pharmacy,

> let them get to know me

> and always keep going back there.

>

> For years we had used a national chain pharmacy, but

> a couple years ago

> they stopped carrying enough OxyContin to fill my

> prescription. They always

> had enough OxyIR. I had the option of letting them

> order it, and come back

> in 5-7 days, which was not an option at all. I can't

> get a refill

> prescription from my doctor more than a week before

> running out, not to

> mention the hissy-fit the insurance company would

> have. I started going to

> another pharmacy, still a national chain but run

> more like a locally-owned

> business. They now know me, they know almost to the

> day when I'll be in

> each month and always have enough meds on hand.

>

> Hower

>

> http://home.dejazzd.com/hower

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

__________________________________________________

January 26, 2002

Ditto what Ray said.

I¹ve had to special order my Kadian (timed-release morphine) since I moved

here to Florida. However, now that I¹ve gotten a couple of scripts filled

this pharmacy I¹m using will start keeping a small Œstock² in the store, for

me, and me only.

If my dose changes, they¹ve asked me to let them know a week in advance, so

they can take care of it.

Like Ray, I¹ve found sticking to one pharmacy has its upside.

Also, and BTW, many pain management clinics write a clause into the contract

stating that you are allowed to fill your pain medications at one pharmacy

only. It¹s best to check with your pain management team before switching

pharmacies.

--

Robbie in FL, co-moderator chronic_pain.

AS/ReA 18 + years, and still going...

feralelf@...

January 27, 2002

Robbie Peddycoart wrote:

Ditto what Ray said.

Like Ray, I¹ve found sticking to one pharmacy has its upside.

Also, and BTW, many pain management clinics write a clause into the contract

stating that you are allowed to fill your pain medications at one pharmacy

only.

In the last 36 years I have gone to 4 pharmacies. I changed from the first one

because I moved, the second because it went out of business and the third

because it also went out of business. My current one is a larger chain.

They're okay, but I miss the home town atmosphere. Anyway, sticking wih one

lets them get to know you and is really the best for you in the long-run. It's

not like you're trying to find the best deal on toilet paper or tuna fish.

Peggy

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.......

---------------------------------

January 28, 2002

Greetings In talking with my pain management doctors, whom I have a very

healthy relationship with, there will be an investigation regarding the

medication Oxycontin. It seems that for a while the reps. for the

manufacturing company of the drug, they were pushing the medication to the

various physicians dealing with chronic pain docs or Doctors in general so

much so that there was an onslaught of the request for the drug. the other

problem as you have I am sure been reading about and hearing about the fact

that as with anything too good that helps those who truly need and benefit

from the meds and those who don't abuse the meds, that people were selling

the meds on the streets and people were cutting up the pills and adding

liquid and injecting like heroin in the veins, snorting it etc. I suggest

that if people as a whole get together and start petitions about not

discontinuing the effective medication just because the few of the thousands

are misusing and abusing the drug. I stopped the med myself and switched to

Methadone, it works for me and I find my thinking is much clearer and I got

tired of being made to feel like a criminal each time I tried to fill the rx.

It will take action and that action must be NOW as it is going before

CONGRESS SOON!!!!!!!!!!! mary alice

January 28, 2002

I had to sign a contract si,ilar to what you elude to re: pharmacies. Find

one that perhaps has locations in other states too, they just don't wnat

people to look like drug seekers, people can have several doctors

prescribing pain meds and then go to many different pharmacies. The DEA keeps

a close watch and Doctors don't want to lose their licenses. I use a

Walgreens...sometime if they dont have what I need I use Sav-On but thats it.

Alice it is sad we have to be controlled when we have health

problems that go on and on.

January 28, 2002

Hi,

I know when I used the same medication there were times that I could not get

the whole script filled at one time. My pharmacist told me that this med was

being prescribed more often and they just didn't have enough on hand.

It helps if you use one pharmacy and tell them that this will be a script

that you will be filling once a month (or whatever your refill time is) they

will then have it on hand. I only use one pharmacy so they know all my meds

and they know me. That has helped on many occasions, such as when my

doctor's office forgot to call in to OK my script. The pharmacist knew me

and gave me enough to get thru the weekend. Actually with my doctor it's

part of the contract that I only use one pharmacy.

Kathleen in Calif.

January 28, 2002