Pharmacy Fun…
Question:
It definitely varies from state to state. Some states still allow pharmacists to dispense codeine-containing cough syrup without prescription, but the paperwork is usually so bad that nobody does it anymore. For example, my kids vitamins just say "refill for 1 year". I’ve also seen them say "x refills by mm/yy/dd". I’m in Indiana BTW which seems stricter than Ohio did (for example certain schedules require copy-proof script sheets here). Best is to ask the pharmacist (assuming you have one reasonably trustworthy – not the one originally mentioned 
-Mike
Response:
: : Best is to ask the pharmacist (assuming you have one reasonably trustworthy – : not the one originally mentioned Well, all things considered, I think the pharmacist acted appropriately. I just hate getting ambushed by obscure laws when I’m acting appropriately myself. Wrestling with anxiety and panic disorders is bad enough without such complications. After all, how are us folks supposed to recover in such anxiogenic circumstances; worrying about med availability, worrying about financial support, worrying about stigmas, etc. At times, it seems that the more we try to recover, the more stressors get heaped upon us. It’s not a hopeless situation, but it can get inhumane at times and there’s a lot of room for improvement. Best Wishes, Arthur
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Here’s my 2 cents: I have a mail-in prescription plan that tortures me to no end. They have that 6 month limit on prescriptions for narcotics (I take xanax) and that has caused problems, but worse yet is when my doctor wrote the prescription wrong! It’s supposed to be a 3-month supply mailed at once, well my doctor wrote it for 60 tablets which is a 30-day supply, plus the wrong strength. It’s hard enough to get the proper meds from this company when the dr. writes it correctly BTW, I’m in PA and my mail-in company is too. My previous main-in company was in FL but I never ran into a problem.
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I have a mail-in prescription plan that tortures me to no end. They have that 6 month limit on prescriptions for narcotics (I take xanax) and that has caused problems,
That is pretty typical for the mail in stuff – still saves a bundle on copays. but worse yet is when my doctor wrote the prescription wrong! It’s supposed to be a 3-month supply mailed at once, well my doctor wrote it for 60 tablets which is a 30-day supply, plus the wrong strength.
That ain’t the pharmacys fault. I make sure I go over my mail ins carefully with my doc as once they are sent it IS hard to change. It’s hard enough to get the proper meds from this company when the dr. writes it correctly
True…but just reviewing it with your doc is a simple thing to do. My doc even whips out a calculator to make sure we got it right – I hate having to do it monthly when one co-pay can cover 3 months. BTW, I’m in PA and my mail-in company is too. My previous main-in company was in FL but I never ran into a problem.
I am in Washington state – and it seems even if my doc says a years refills, the mail ins are going 6 months. Really is not that big a deal – they have said all I need to do is affix thier notice it is expiring to a new RX form with his sig – no rewriting it or anything. Gwen (loving mail order and so does her checking account)
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What, with the refill bottle the first pharmacy wouldn’t return to me? Not much chance of getting meds that way.
I would think that bottle would become your personal possession, once you paid for it. Boy, would *I* make a stink over that! Lee Life would be a perpetual flea hunt if a man were obliged to run down all the innuendoes, inveracities, insinuations and misrepresentations which are uttered against him. -Henry Ward Beecher
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: : What, with the refill bottle the first pharmacy wouldn’t : return to me? Not much chance of getting meds that way. : : I would think that bottle would become your personal possession, : once you paid for it. Boy, would *I* make a stink over that! I did make a stink over it, and got both a bottle *and* meds. Not that simply being irrate helps, but being irrate with a sensible argument can go a long way. Best Wishes, Arthur
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : : What, with the refill bottle the first pharmacy wouldn’t : return to me? Not much chance of getting meds that way. : : I would think that bottle would become your personal possession, : once you paid for it. Boy, would *I* make a stink over that! I did make a stink over it, and got both a bottle *and* meds. Not that simply being irrate helps, but being irrate with a sensible argument can go a long way. Best Wishes, Arthur
yes a long way does help.
Response:
: : (Horror story snipped) : : Wow! Glad you got your meds! If it happened again, could you just go to : a differente pharmacy? What, with the refill bottle the first pharmacy wouldn’t return to me? Not much chance of getting meds that way. Best Wishes, Arthur
<MUCH ANGER I’d get the bottle back. But I’m a bit of a pit bull disguised as a sweet 40 year old lady. I believe they had no right to withhold your property. — Kiesha Van Dyke To e-mail, remove ** from address.
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: I would think that bottle would become your personal possession, : once you paid for it. Boy, would *I* make a stink over that!
I did make a stink over it, and got both a bottle *and* meds.
Ain’t life grand? Lee If a deed, however humble Helps you on your way to go, Find the one whose hand helped you, Seek him out and tell him so. -Anonymous
Response:
: : (Horror story snipped) : : Wow! Glad you got your meds! If it happened again, could you just go to : a differente pharmacy? What, with the refill bottle the first pharmacy wouldn’t return to me? Not much chance of getting meds that way. Best Wishes, Arthur
Response:
: : Yeah, I’ve run into that problem before. I think the law does vary from state : to state because in the state I used to live in they always put the limitation : date on the prescription bottle while the one I live in now has no such date. : I always thought it was a rather peculiar law because you’d think the : benzophobes would be glad that you’d used less than expected. I’m not : sure what the intent of such laws is. Naivite, most likely. Few of us anxiety/panic folk can handle political positions. Best Wishes, Arthur
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re the outdate on the benzo thing, massachusetts has the same law. when i dropped of a script i was told its only good for 6 mos., even tho the usage wouldve spanned me over a year, maybe it is a state to state thing.?
Response:
You’re extremely lucky to have gotten the refill. It is a law. Last semester I couldn’t afford my final refills for a while, and when I could afford them again, the pharmacist explained to me that they couldn’t refill any prescription after six months beyond the original prescription date. I also found out that I had to wait 30 days in between refills of any controlled substances like benzos or narcotic painkillers. And I also found out that a doctor can’t prescribe controlled substances over state lines, at least not in Texas or Mississippi. I went to Houston last year to recover from an accident, and ran out of my prescriptions. My psychiatrist could call in my AD, but not the Klonopin or Ativan. I’m glad you got it worked out, though. It’s just one of those things that most people don’t find out until it’s too late. I think it should be on the label or the information printouts which come with prescriptions, so people will know in advance. Jennifer R.
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Just a recent experience of mine…
(Horror story snipped) Wow! Glad you got your meds! If it happened again, could you just go to a differente pharmacy? Iris —
Response:
Just a recent experience of mine… … I was referred to a pharmacist. He politely explained that there was some law that stated that a prescription like Xanax could not be refilled beyond six months after the last written prescription.
Yeah, I’ve run into that problem before. I think the law does vary from state to state because in the state I used to live in they always put the limitation date on the prescription bottle while the one I live in now has no such date. I always thought it was a rather peculiar law because you’d think the benzophobes would be glad that you’d used less than expected. I’m not sure what the intent of such laws is. Jack B.
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: : I thought that prescriptions could be refilled for up to a year. My bottles : always say "2 refills by 5/3/99" or something like that. This may vary from state to state. As for myself, I was caught unaware. Best Wishes, Arthur
Response:
: : I think, as you probably do too, that your pharmacist was talking out : the side of his mouth. He seemed pretty serious to me. As far as I know, pharmacists are not supposed to play games with doctor prescriptions, refills or not. Nonetheless, pharmacists do have their rules and regulations that they have to abide by. Such rules can, as in my case, catch us patients by surprize. : I’m pretty certain there is a limit on how : many days a particular refill can be for – 30 days comes to mind. But : I’m not aware of any regulation that puts a limit on the overall time : frame allowed for taking Xanax. I’ve been taking it for 12 years now, : have visited at least 3 different pharmacies for more than one year : each, and no one has ever given me a line like you had to endure. Well, my Paxil and Xanax prescriptions were issued at the same time, and had the same amount of refills, so why they filled one without bother and not the other confuses me. Personally, I think they were infected with Benzophobia. : I hope thru the help of your MD you are able to quickly get this : straightened out. Thanks Doug. I’m sure I’ll have no problem with my docs. They appreciate the seriousness of my panic disorder and know that my condition is strongly biological. I don’t anticipate any conflicts. Best Wishes, Arthur
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Just a recent experience of mine… I went to the pharmacy the other week and dropped off my pill bottles for refills. The medications were both paroxetine (Paxil) and alprazolam (Xanax), and both had two refills left. I figured I could pick up my refills after an hour or so, as usual. That’s how things have worked for the last year or so. Well, an hour or so later, I returned to the pharmacy. They had my Paxil refill ready, but not the Xanax. I asked why they didn’t refill the Xanax. They said, "Yes, you still had refills on the Xanax, but we can’t refill that prescription." "Why not?" I asked. I was referred to a pharmacist. He politely explained that there was some law that stated that a prescription like Xanax could not be refilled beyond six months after the last written prescription. Desperate, and irrate, I said, "OK. Give me a pen and paper. I want your name and your supervisor’s name." "Alright," he replied, "I’ll fill your prescription. But I want you to promise me that you’ll return with a note from your doctor about this." "Yes. Thank you." I said in relief. I got my Xanax and I’ll be calling my doc tomorrow. Just wanted everyone to know that you can negotiate with pharmacists, even if you have to play a bit of hard-ball. Best Wishes, Arthur
Arthur, I think, as you probably do too, that your pharmacist was talking out the side of his mouth. I’m pretty certain there is a limit on how many days a particular refill can be for – 30 days comes to mind. But I’m not aware of any regulation that puts a limit on the overall time frame allowed for taking Xanax. I’ve been taking it for 12 years now, have visited at least 3 different pharmacies for more than one year each, and no one has ever given me a line like you had to endure. I hope thru the help of your MD you are able to quickly get this straightened out. Doug Dunbar
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Just a recent experience of mine… I went to the pharmacy the other week and dropped off my pill bottles for refills. The medications were both paroxetine (Paxil) and alprazolam (Xanax), and both had two refills left. I figured I could pick up my refills after an hour or so, as usual. That’s how things have worked for the last year or so. Well, an hour or so later, I returned to the pharmacy. They had my Paxil refill ready, but not the Xanax. I asked why they didn’t refill the Xanax. They said, "Yes, you still had refills on the Xanax, but we can’t refill that prescription." "Why not?" I asked. I was referred to a pharmacist. He politely explained that there was some law that stated that a prescription like Xanax could not be refilled beyond six months after the last written prescription. Huh???? I had never heard of this law before! Worse yet, I felt somewhat penalized by having been such a responsible user of the medication that my refills had lapsed over this unknown deadline. I needed this med to keep my panic attacks at bay! "You don’t understand," I replied, "I really need this medication or I’m likely to end up in the local emergency room." "Then let’s call your doctor for a confirmation." he said. I didn’t have the phone number handy, but told him the doctor’s name and the hospital where he worked. The pharmacist called. My doctor was unavialable. So I asked him to call the previous two doctors who knew of my condition. They too were unavailable! I asked for the phone. I tried again myself. I was transferred from office to office; hearing that one doctor was out, another was out of the country, and the other unavailable. It seemed I was screwed at this point and handed the phone back to the pharmacist. "Look," I said, "without this medication I am at risk of seizures. I really need this medication." "I’m sorry," he repeated, "but I can’t refill this prescription after six months." Desperate, and irrate, I said, "OK. Give me a pen and paper. I want your name and your supervisor’s name." "Alright," he replied, "I’ll fill your prescription. But I want you to promise me that you’ll return with a note from your doctor about this." "Yes. Thank you." I said in relief. I got my Xanax and I’ll be calling my doc tomorrow. Just wanted everyone to know that you can negotiate with pharmacists, even if you have to play a bit of hard-ball. Best Wishes, Arthur </PRE</HTML
I thought that prescriptions could be refilled for up to a year. My bottles always say "2 refills by 5/3/99" or something like that. Robin
Response:
Just a recent experience of mine… I went to the pharmacy the other week and dropped off my pill bottles for refills. The medications were both paroxetine (Paxil) and alprazolam (Xanax), and both had two refills left. I figured I could pick up my refills after an hour or so, as usual. That’s how things have worked for the last year or so. Well, an hour or so later, I returned to the pharmacy. They had my Paxil refill ready, but not the Xanax. I asked why they didn’t refill the Xanax. They said, "Yes, you still had refills on the Xanax, but we can’t refill that prescription." "Why not?" I asked. I was referred to a pharmacist. He politely explained that there was some law that stated that a prescription like Xanax could not be refilled beyond six months after the last written prescription. Huh???? I had never heard of this law before! Worse yet, I felt somewhat penalized by having been such a responsible user of the medication that my refills had lapsed over this unknown deadline. I needed this med to keep my panic attacks at bay! "You don’t understand," I replied, "I really need this medication or I’m likely to end up in the local emergency room." "Then let’s call your doctor for a confirmation." he said. I didn’t have the phone number handy, but told him the doctor’s name and the hospital where he worked. The pharmacist called. My doctor was unavialable. So I asked him to call the previous two doctors who knew of my condition. They too were unavailable! I asked for the phone. I tried again myself. I was transferred from office to office; hearing that one doctor was out, another was out of the country, and the other unavailable. It seemed I was screwed at this point and handed the phone back to the pharmacist. "Look," I said, "without this medication I am at risk of seizures. I really need this medication." "I’m sorry," he repeated, "but I can’t refill this prescription after six months." Desperate, and irrate, I said, "OK. Give me a pen and paper. I want your name and your supervisor’s name." "Alright," he replied, "I’ll fill your prescription. But I want you to promise me that you’ll return with a note from your doctor about this." "Yes. Thank you." I said in relief. I got my Xanax and I’ll be calling my doc tomorrow. Just wanted everyone to know that you can negotiate with pharmacists, even if you have to play a bit of hard-ball. Best Wishes, Arthur
