Prescription drugs on the road.

[Water-Bug]

Don't know if this is just a Florida issue or not but more and more prescription drugs are only being filled for one month with no refills. Typically it is pain and sleeping aid medications. Local doctors are reluctant to give us more than one prescription at a time. That makes planning a trip for over a month nearly impossible. How do others handle the situation? Here in Florida, some pharmacies are refusing to fill prescriptions for pain meds, unless you are a regular customer.

[tatest]

You might be bucking up against the War on Drugs, and if you are, there is really no legal way around it, unless you and your physician can work your way toward using a substitute medication that is less tightly controlled.

Part of the reason DEA has been tightening up the rules is that overprescription and misprescription of drugs in these classes contributes to their appearance on the illegal market, that physicians should be prescribing less abused alternatives for long term pain management, particularly for free-roaming patients. The problem is, a switch to a new drug means it hits the abuse market, and then gets moved to a more tightly controlled drug schedule.

[Water-Bug]

down home wrote:
They messed with Vets and Drs too.
Someone got the idea that to show they were doing something about illegal drugs they would go after Vets and others and Drs, that were doing absolutely nothign wrong.
It hasn't affected illegal drugs from Mexico or anything. It was just to say we are doing something to justify their budgets.
Very few instances of Drs running pill mills or ill patients abusing drugs or selling them. Last thin anyone wants is to have to take necessary medications for pain. I endure a lot of pain so as to not suffer side effects of the stuff.
But now they have made Patients worry about this issue and being able to get necessary refills.
Getting a refill may involve hundreds, of dollars in extra travel and take time away from patients needing to see a Doctor now.
Drs and health care is becoming rationed in effect as Drs are driven out of practice by the hassle and lower incomes and Patients suffer needlessly and endure greater levels of stress, affecting health, dealing with it too.

A major problem with government agencies is that the quickest way to get a promotion is to increase the size of the agency. The only other means for a promotion is to wait for someone to retire, then ten people via for the job. So, people who work for federal agencies work harder on growing the agency than to perform their legislated responsibilities.

[Water-Bug]

Most probably the pharmacist in Maine wasn't up to date on the regulations.

[goatrancher]

We have been using Walgreens to get our prescriptions filled. My wife takes a sleeping aid that is controlled. We tried to get it refilled in New York, but they said they needed the hard copy. However we did get it refilled when we got to Maine. Apparently it was a state regulation.

[down_home]

They messed with Vets and Drs too.
Someone got the idea that to show they were doing something about illegal drugs they would go after Vets and others and Drs, that were doing absolutely nothign wrong.
It hasn't affected illegal drugs from Mexico or anything. It was just to say we are doing something to justify their budgets.
Very few instances of Drs running pill mills or ill patients abusing drugs or selling them. Last thin anyone wants is to have to take necessary medications for pain. I endure a lot of pain so as to not suffer side effects of the stuff.
But now they have made Patients worry about this issue and being able to get necessary refills.
Getting a refill may involve hundreds, of dollars in extra travel and take time away from patients needing to see a Doctor now.
Drs and health care is becoming rationed in effect as Drs are driven out of practice by the hassle and lower incomes and Patients suffer needlessly and endure greater levels of stress, affecting health, dealing with it too.

[Water-Bug]

gazingm42 wrote:
They still allow them at walgreens as of Friday, If they are worded can not be filled until date xyz.

Maybe the Florida law is different.

Sounds like your doctor is in effect post dating the prescriptions. Under the new regulations, misdating or writing multiple prescriptions for the same class 2 medication for the same patient is forbiden. Walgreens has no way of telling when it was written, if the doctor misdates it.

EDIT The one thing a doctor can do is double your daily dosage but then they run the risk of exceeding the federally mandated dosage.

[gazingm42]

They still allow them at walgreens as of Friday, If they are worded can not be filled until date xyz.

Maybe the Florida law is different.

[Water-Bug]

As stated in the previous post, FEDERAL class 2 requirements changed this past March. Doctors are no longer allowed to post date class 2 prescriptions. As a matter of fact, if you wait two weeks to fill a 30 day class 2 prescription, the pharmacy will only give you 19 days worth of pills. You have three days to fill the prescription and then the clock starts ticking. The prescription is for 30 days, with a three day leeway to get it filled.

EDIT If your doctor or pharmacy are doing anything different, they are not up to date with current regulations and are at risk of loosing their license to dispense prescription meds.

[gazingm42]

I know we done this from state across the country with walgreens since we have
a patient file.

By our state law class 2 meds that my son is on can only be filled in 30 day blocks. But he can legally give us the written prescription as long as it states can NOT be filled until XYZ date.

Our insurance will allow 2 vacation releases a year. They will work with the doc to fill class 2 ahead of time with proof of our vacation plans. The doc
signed a letter and gave it to walgreens with no issues.


But each state is different.

[2gypsies1]

Folks, many of you are giving the OP advice for 'maintenance prescriptions'. He has a completely different issue. He's talking about pain and sleep medications and these are in a completely different class.

The new law for this class went into effect in March, I believe. You cannot get multiple months of refills. You need to go back to a doctor for a new prescription.

When full-timing this can be a huge issue because those traveling cannot just return to their doctor. I, too, am interested in how full-timers are dealing with this.

[wa8yxm]

I know Walgreen uses a central computer. If you fill the 'script at one store then All stores have it on file I am not sure of CVS and Rite-Aid but think likewise (Check) Wal*Mart does not use this type of system but seems to have no problem transferring store to store.. HOWEVER that said I've never shopped in FL. 38 miles from FL yes but not in FL. (Brunswick GA).

You may also have a mail order pharmacy your insurance company approves of (I DO) check with them (In my case it is a Preferred Provider plan and pharmacy).

But I do not take pain meds.. Blood pressure, Cholesterol Xaralto,, Insulins, but no pain meds.. I seriously avoid pain meds.

[Dutch_12078]

After my wife had surgery last winter in upstate NY, we traveled to FL as soon as her doctor cleared her to travel. Her doctor also arranged with a clinic near us to see her and renew her Percocet prescription as needed. She only needed one 30 day renewal though.

[Water-Bug]

darsben wrote:
I tried to PM you our solution for Oxycotin and morphine but my PM rejected as you do not allow PM'S

I wasn't logged in. Please try again.

[darsben]

I tried to PM you our solution for Oxycotin and morphine but my PM rejected as you do not allow PM'S

[obgraham]

The latest DEA and State regs are so onerous that it's almost better for the doc never to write a controlled substance prescription. I believe the regulators want to eventually drive all such prescribing to "pain specialists".

Though retired, I still have my DEA license, but it is nearly impossible for me to fulfill the regs to write even a single prescription now.

On top of that, the fee to renew my DEA is now over $875.