When your Rx refill is late

Been There said:
Norco is a narcotic because it contains an opiate of Hydrocodone or Vicodin. I took Vicodin and Percocet for a short term due to a severe injury. I couldn't stand the way it made me feel, so I asked for something milder and was given Tramadol, which didn't do any good at all. I finally decided to put up with the pain until the pain finally stopped. It took about 3 months.

I have found that you have to keep checking on pharmacies when you get low on your medication and make sure they have received a new prescription. Don't wait until you run out. I had really bad pain one night and went to the emergency room and almost had to beg to get a shot of something to ease the pain. The doctor finally gave me a shot of Dilauded, which brought the pain level down to a level of 3.
Click to expand...
Tramadol gave me a rash on my legs that I still have little scars from. Plus it did very little for my pain.

My pain is from a genetic spinal-nerve anomaly and severe injury I got in a really bad fall from a high place. I have a lot of hardware in my spine and some permanent nerve damage, so my pain is chronic and will be with my all my life. I don't worry one bit about addiction. I've been very careful to keep my dosage on the low side for about 30 years now.

My doc appreciates this, and really works with me on managing dosage while allowing me to be as comfortable as possible....when I tell her I need an increase, she doesn't argue; she knows I need it.

I use meditation as well, and am as active as I can be, though that's getting more and more difficult.
 
Speaking of RiteAid.
Many years ago while filling my mother's daily pill reminder, I just happened to notice that one of the pills were different than before. RA had given me the wrong meds!

Called them and got it taken care of..but lucky I caught it. I don't remember what they gave her by mistake now.
 
Pepper said:

Top 10 Best Independent Pharmacy Near Sacramento, California​

Top 10 Best Independent Pharmacy in Sacramento, CA - August 2023 - Yelp
Click to expand...
Not one of those is near me, unfortunately.

The Wellness Pharmacy is not too far, but a bit farther than the RiteAid.

But this wasn't the pharmacy's fault, it was some staff nurse at the doctor's office who effed up. She was too lazy to check which pharm I use, and then didn't know what she was doing when she tried to fix it.

I had a conversation w/my doctor about it. I expect I'll get my meds in about 30 min, soon as they open.
 
dobielvr said:
Speaking of RiteAid.
Many years ago while filling my mother's daily pill reminder, I just happened to notice that one of the pills were different than before. RA had given me the wrong meds!

Called them and got it taken care of..but lucky I caught it. I don't remember what they gave her by mistake now.
Click to expand...
That reminds me of a time when drug-addicted pharmacists were getting busted.
 
When I get a re-fill, I will place 10 of those pills in a separate pill bottle, and take from the first bottle. When the first bottle is empty, I know I still have 10 left so I re-order.

It's really hard to function when you're under the influence. We always had pizza and beer for lunch at a pizza shop where I once worked. One time we had an extra pitcher of beer before returning to work. Wouldn't you know it, a piece of equipment broke down and it was my job to fix it when we got back. The wheels in my brain would not turn whatsoever.
 
I've been on Gabapentin for probably 10 years. I've never had any problems with it, luckily.

It drives me crazy when I go to fill my 90-day prescriptions for my "maintenance" meds at Walgreens (which is my insurance company's "preferred" pharmacy).....all very common ones. Half the time, they don't have "enough" to give me the full 90 days, so they'll give me 10 or 20 and I have to come back for the rest a few days later. Another trip.

Why would Walgreens be out of the most common of maintenance meds? On a regular basis, no less. I complain, they hem and haw.

I hear Walmart is going to be a preferred pharmacy after the New Year. The Spousal Equivalent gets his filled there and they're NEVER out of anything. I'll be switching over if I can.
 
Murrmurr said:
None around here, for sure, but I don't think they're anywhere in the whole nanny state.

I haven't seen one any place I've gone since I lived up in the hills.
Click to expand...
I will also tell you without hesitation that all pharmacies are not the same. Whether you use Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, Walmart or your local friendly super market, each pharmacy is permitted (by federal law) to control certain medications and I am pretty certain that opiates are one of them.

Opiates and Opioids are two different animals and therefore; have different dispensing rules. I can only speak for Virginia, but most of Virginia's prescription laws are parallel to Federal laws. In fact, I believe most states that have and use prescription drug laws follow Federal laws. States that allow the open use of drugs are killing their people. Addicts and people lacking a brain think it's cool to be able to openly use heroin or shoot up whatever they feel like using is cool, by when they or one of their friends die from an OD, then it's not so cool, is it? Sorry, didn't mean to preach.

Getting back to the different pharmacies, I know that when I used Walgreens, I was able to get a refill of Norco 3 days prior to the end of the prescription. To be clear, this is how it works. If I get a script for 30 days and get 120 pills for those 30 days, I was taking no more than 4 pills daily. So at day 27, I could get a refill. That follows Federal and Virginia laws. If I tried to get i tilled earlier, I would get a text telling me "It's too early to refill."

I would call the Pharmacist and talk "ONLY" to the pharmacist and tell him or her that I ordered early to make sure that hey had the supply on hand the next day to refill my prescription. Walgreens rotated pharmacists every 12-18 months, so I had to train the new person to my way of doing business each time they rotated pharmacists. After 1 or 2 scripts, they caught on. BTW, When I would get a new Norco script, I would get a new script with 2 refills allotted on it for a total of 3 refills. Then every 90 days, I would go back to the Doctor for my checkup and most likely leave a urine sample and he or she would send a new 90 day (3 refills) new script to Walgreens.

Walgreens usually didn't have enough pills to fill the script, but they would reorder and I knew they received their orders in every day, except Saturday and Sundays. I never wanted to go without because if I missed a day, I would start to withdrawal and that was nasty. I am so glad that is all behind me now.
 
Murrmurr said:
My RiteAid has always been very very good to me. There was one incident
Click to expand...
Generally, my RA. is OK. They are a lot better, now.
Years ago, at a CVS, I was having problems with pain meds. I noticed I was running out before the 30 days. And when I went to get a refill on another pain med, supposedly I already got a refill????? I went to another CVS and complained. I kind of figured an employee was swiping pain meds. About a month later, several CVS employees were arrested for stealing pain meds.
 
Been There said:
I will also tell you without hesitation that all pharmacies are not the same. Whether you use Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, Walmart or your local friendly super market, each pharmacy is permitted (by federal law) to control certain medications and I am pretty certain that opiates are one of them.

Opiates and Opioids are two different animals and therefore; have different dispensing rules. I can only speak for Virginia, but most of Virginia's prescription laws are parallel to Federal laws. In fact, I believe most states that have and use prescription drug laws follow Federal laws. States that allow the open use of drugs are killing their people. Addicts and people lacking a brain think it's cool to be able to openly use heroin or shoot up whatever they feel like using is cool, by when they or one of their friends die from an OD, then it's not so cool, is it? Sorry, didn't mean to preach.

Getting back to the different pharmacies, I know that when I used Walgreens, I was able to get a refill of Norco 3 days prior to the end of the prescription. To be clear, this is how it works. If I get a script for 30 days and get 120 pills for those 30 days, I was taking no more than 4 pills daily. So at day 27, I could get a refill. That follows Federal and Virginia laws. If I tried to get i tilled earlier, I would get a text telling me "It's too early to refill."

I would call the Pharmacist and talk "ONLY" to the pharmacist and tell him or her that I ordered early to make sure that hey had the supply on hand the next day to refill my prescription. Walgreens rotated pharmacists every 12-18 months, so I had to train the new person to my way of doing business each time they rotated pharmacists. After 1 or 2 scripts, they caught on. BTW, When I would get a new Norco script, I would get a new script with 2 refills allotted on it for a total of 3 refills. Then every 90 days, I would go back to the Doctor for my checkup and most likely leave a urine sample and he or she would send a new 90 day (3 refills) new script to Walgreens.

Walgreens usually didn't have enough pills to fill the script, but they would reorder and I knew they received their orders in every day, except Saturday and Sundays. I never wanted to go without because if I missed a day, I would start to withdrawal and that was nasty. I am so glad that is all behind me now.
Click to expand...
Yes, Norco used to be a refill every 30 days. No more. In fact, they don't even call it a refill but a reorder - has to go through the approval process (by an MD) every time and notification goes to the Overlords.

I used Walmart for years. It was independently owned by a very nice couple from India. I don't think the franchise works that way anymore.

My pharmacist at RiteAid and I get along well, and all the associates know me by name. That's really the main reason I stick with them. Plus it's like 4 blocks from my house.
 
jujube said:
I've been on Gabapentin for probably 10 years. I've never had any problems with it, luckily.

.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I mean, really, you must be built different. Diff from people who can't handle it, natch.

I took 300mg this morning; cut the 600mg Gab in half. It just made me feel tired and I napped.

But I got my Norco now, so it's all good. (y)
 
Pepper said:
I only use Gabapentin as a sleep aid. Won't work for anything else for me.
Click to expand...
It works for Bonnie, for her RA, but she hasn't been taking it for a few months. She stopped refilling it soon after she was promoted at work, so I suspect it made her feel foggy. She mostly takes Ibuprofen, and occasionally has a hard beverage at night.

She was really proud of that promotion and she's been taking online classes about gems; the sources, grades and cuts and stuff. (she works in the jewelry dept at Macy's)

She has reason to be after 2 decades of addiction, and now a little over a decade free of it. And she loves her job.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top