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#225031 - 06/02/11 05:18 PM Prescription Medications in Long Term Situations
Jeanette_Isabelle Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 11/13/06
Posts: 2946
Loc: Nacogdoches, Texas
I always have, at minimal, a week's supply of my prescription medication unless, of course, I spend a night or a week away from home and I left one of them behind. How do I plan for or what do I do in a situation where I am unable to refill my prescription for a month or maybe slightly longer?

None of my medications require refrigeration so a longtime power outage is not a problem in this regard. One of my medications needs to be taken with food but this too is not a problem. Everyone in this forum has enough food to get them by for a month at least without going to the store.

Jeanette Isabelle
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I'm not sure whose twisted idea it was to put hundreds of adolescents in underfunded schools run by people whose dreams were crushed years ago, but I admire the sadism. -- Wednesday Adams, Wednesday

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#225034 - 06/02/11 06:14 PM Re: Prescription Medications in Long Term Situations [Re: Jeanette_Isabelle]
Mark_R Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 05/29/10
Posts: 863
Loc: Southern California
Originally Posted By: JeanetteIsabelle
How do I plan for or what do I do in a situation where I am unable to refill my prescription for a month or maybe slightly longer?


I'm in exactly the same situation. I have 2, maybe 3, days of grace after the meds run out before things go bad. There are two things I do.

1) Use a mail order pharmacy where you can order a 3 month or more supply at one time instead of monthly refills. Your insurer probably has a program like this since it's cheaper that way. This will cut down on the low supply periods (<1 month reserve) from constantly to 4 months a year.

2) Have your docter order larger doses then required for that 3 month period and cut them down. Reorder when there is a 1 month supply left. This means you will always have a 1 month reserve. I'm not entirely sure of the ethics of this, but unless you are talking about the abuse prone drugs (i.e. oxycodin), I don't foresee a problem

NightHiker: Not to chew on you, but I should point out that some of the more common perscription (e.g. psychotropic drugs) don't have OTC or homeopathic equivelents. Going off these in the middle of a crises is about as much fun as sticking your arm is a blender.


Edited by Mark_R (06/02/11 06:28 PM)
Edit Reason: Address NightHiker's comments
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#225039 - 06/02/11 06:47 PM Re: Prescription Medications in Long Term Situations [Re: Mark_R]
MDinana Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/08/07
Posts: 2208
Loc: Beer&Cheese country
Depends on the med and your doctor. Just tell him you want to have some extra ("just in case," or "leave at my parent's house" or something).

Have him fill out a second prescription. take it to your local Walgreen's, or Walmart, or Target. They all have $4 scrips for a month supply (different lists, but relatively comprehensive overall). You could just pony up the extra cost yourself.

Or, next time you're in Mexico...

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#225057 - 06/02/11 08:09 PM Re: Prescription Medications in Long Term Situations [Re: Jeanette_Isabelle]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
That 30-day prescription limitation has been instilled by the insurance companies, it's not a law or anything.

Just tell your doctor that you would like a 30-day backup supply and ask for a separate prescription from the ins. co. one. You may have to pay full price for it, but as long as you rotate your supply, you'll always be 30 days ahead of running out, and only have to pay the full price once. Make sure your pharmacy understands that you are NOT running this through your insurance co.

Sue

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#225059 - 06/02/11 08:19 PM Re: Prescription Medications in Long Term Situations [Re: Susan]
Teslinhiker Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/14/09
Posts: 1418
Loc: Nothern Ontario
Sue has a good point. Here in Canada, many work sponsored insurance companies also have the 30 day limitation depending on the meds. This makes it very tough to stockpile for those who cannot go more then a day or few without their meds. Ordering drugs online then having them shipped to Canada almost always results in the order seized by Customs.

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Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.

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#225107 - 06/03/11 02:06 PM Re: Prescription Medications in Long Term Situations [Re: ]
Jeanette_Isabelle Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 11/13/06
Posts: 2946
Loc: Nacogdoches, Texas
Originally Posted By: IzzyJG99
My insurance, and according to my friend who is my pharmacist, don't let you get a refill unless you are 3 business days from the last refill date being 30 days ago. So you can only refill your prescription every 27 days.

I was thinking about that. If I had my prescriptions filled every twenty-seven days, I would have a thirty-day supply in ten months.

Jeanette Isabelle
_________________________
I'm not sure whose twisted idea it was to put hundreds of adolescents in underfunded schools run by people whose dreams were crushed years ago, but I admire the sadism. -- Wednesday Adams, Wednesday

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#225112 - 06/03/11 02:22 PM Re: Prescription Medications in Long Term Situations [Re: ]
JerryFountain Offline
Addict

Registered: 12/06/07
Posts: 418
Loc: St. Petersburg, Florida
Originally Posted By: IzzyJG99
The unfortunate thing I have noticed with my own experiences is this..

My insurance, and according to my friend who is my pharmacist, don't let you get a refill unless you are 3 business days from the last refill date being 30 days ago. So you can only refill your prescription every 27 days. Which is kind of difficult if you have to leave town let alone any kind of looming disaster coming and you want to refill early incase of a "long term situation."

{CLIP}

The unfortunate thing is a lot of Doctor's in many states are being watched closely by the DEA (FL, GA..etc) because of overprescription of controlled substances. And evidently unless the physician has a "legitimate medical reason" for giving out more than the "normal" 30 day 'script...they can be charged which is total crapola if you ask me. So you have other Doctors not wanting to get bothered by guys in DEA jackets walking into their waiting rooms and ruining their often clean reputations.


Izzy,

You need to find a new doctor (I know that you are trying). I live in FL and most of our doctors have no problem giving you a extra refill, especially if you travel. Even when I lived in Canada it was not hard to get an extra 30 days. Most of the Insurance companies are fine with a 90 day supply (as others have mentioned) - they prefer it.

Classed substances are the exception to this but most of the meds the majority of us are using have no problem. For those classed substances the problem is somewhat greater, but the doctor should still not have a problem with extras for all but the most serious. Even the pharmacies and all the insurance companies I have had (most of them) want you to refill your prescription when you have a week left.

Respectfully,

Jerry

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#225119 - 06/03/11 03:13 PM Re: Prescription Medications in Long Term Situations [Re: Jeanette_Isabelle]
Mark_F Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 06/24/09
Posts: 714
Loc: Kentucky
Another option is to have your doctor alter the prescription by upping the dosage. That's what my doctor has done. If yours upped your dosage from one a day to two a day, then voila, instant additional 30 day supply. He can change it back after that.

It also helps if you have a good relationship with your doctor. Mine has been a good friend for the past 20 years or so, so he has no qualms about doing this for me. On the other hand, my medication is not a controlled substance either so that may make a difference as well.

The current epidemic of prescription drug addiction (at least in our area) is making most doctors much more careful about how they prescribe some medications (Izzy, unfortunately our area is a pretty likely destination for some of those drugs from FL). Keep that in mind if he/she seems uncooperative at first. Be up front and honest with why you want the additional medicine (no reason not to be) and they will likely be more comfortable doing so. Simply asking, "Doc, I'd like to have an extra 30 days of medication on hand in case of [insert catastrophe hear], what do you think would be the best way to do that?" Put the ball in their court and let them come up with a solution they are comfortable with.
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#225127 - 06/03/11 04:44 PM Re: Prescription Medications in Long Term Situations [Re: Susan]
desolation Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 01/21/10
Posts: 60
Loc: Sonoma County, CA
Originally Posted By: Susan
That 30-day prescription limitation has been instilled by the insurance companies, it's not a law or anything.

Just tell your doctor that you would like a 30-day backup supply and ask for a separate prescription from the ins. co. one. You may have to pay full price for it, but as long as you rotate your supply, you'll always be 30 days ahead of running out, and only have to pay the full price once. Make sure your pharmacy understands that you are NOT running this through your insurance co.

Sue


I do this for my wife. She's on a med that is a must have or she's a goner withinin a couple of weeks. I'm up to a three month stockpile. I need to get another scrip.

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#225135 - 06/03/11 05:37 PM Re: Prescription Medications in Long Term Situations [Re: Jeanette_Isabelle]
comms Offline
Veteran

Registered: 07/23/08
Posts: 1502
Loc: Mesa, AZ
It's smart to stockpile what you can. I was paranoid enough about some of DS & DW meds before I read One Second After. Now...yeesh.

BTW, have any of you noticed that Sudafed is no longer available? The real stuff with Pseudoephedrine. DW requires it for severe allergies and it (self edit) 'makes me made' that I have to sign an electronic waiver at the counter, only purchase 1 box at a time and only allowed to do so a couple times per month.

Their website said the directions on some batches were incorrect but that was four months ago. Not a conspiracy guy but I think there is more to it than just a misprinted label.
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