[Tim555]

Not sure why... Pharmacist would not fill my prescription for .5mg of Xanax XR. I have three valid prescriptions from my Doctor and have filled only one. Is there a time limit that must be met in order for a prescription to be filled since last prescription? Is this an insurance issue. Pharmacist kept calling this drug a controlled substance and that care must be taken to control overdose.
Has anyone had this problem before?

Thanks in advance for your response

[zippysgoddess]

I really can't say why he wouldn't fill it, it could be a time issue, as when some prescriptions get past a certain date, they expire according to some insurance plans and you have to have a new one written. However, you do have the right to know, so I would go back to the pharmacy and demand to know their reasoning.

verwon@gmail.com

My information is not guaranteed correct. I do not get them right all the time, but I do enjoy the hunt~

[Jonesing]

There is a time limit as far as how many days the script was for. If you are prescribed 2 a day, then a supply of 60 is for one month and so forth. They will not fill it until this time is up or at close to the prescription duration. Insurance companies can also refuse to fill a script due to time, but you should be able to fill it without using insurance coverage. Hope this helps.

Jonesing

[RoC1909]

Quite Strange indeed.

I do know that when I was taking 30 Norco a day and I would run out of my 300 a month prescription in a little over a week, I DEFINTELY could understand why they wouldn't fill it but in your case, I don't see a reason unless you are trying to get them too soon as others have mentioned OR your insurance company is "acting up" but it doesn't sound like that since your pharmacist said that "it's a controlled substance" and wouldn't fill it.

On another note though, when I needed my "fix", I ended up buying them myself since insurance wouldn't pay. Hopefully you don't need to go this route due to expense but it can be done IF you really need them.

Regards,

J

[Jeannie Granger]

quote:Originally posted by Jonesing

There is a time limit as far as how many days the script was for. If you are prescribed 2 a day, then a supply of 60 is for one month and so forth. They will not fill it until this time is up or at close to the prescription duration. Insurance companies can also refuse to fill a script due to time, but you should be able to fill it without using insurance coverage. Hope this helps.

Jonesing

[Jeannie Granger]

"Insurance companies can also refuse to fill a script due to time, but you should be able to fill it without using insurance coverage."

Regarding the above statement. I also thought I could do this when my insurance company refused to pay for a script for Adderall that I use 3x a day for narcolepsy. They would only allow 2x a day, whereas they allowed 3x a day when I took Ritalin. I told pharmacist if that were the case, I'd just pay for the extra 30 pills out of my pocket, and he said, "No you can't do that... Even if the doctor wrote out the script for me as such." So because insurance feels they know me better than doctor, I have to take insufficient dose of medication.

[Jonesing]

Jeannie Granger,

You need to find another pharmacy. The insurance co. can't overide what your doctor prescribes ! They can refuse to pay for it, but that pharmacist is full of shat if he tells you he can't fill them. I've been throught this before, have your doctor call the pharmacy if thats an option.

Good Luck

Jonesing

[RoC1909]

quote:Originally posted by Jonesing

Jeannie Granger,

You need to find another pharmacy. The insurance co. can't overide what your doctor prescribes ! They can refuse to pay for it, but that pharmacist is full of shat if he tells you he can't fill them. I've been throught this before, have your doctor call the pharmacy if thats an option.

Good Luck

Jonesing

My thoughts exactly. I can understand that a pharmacist only wants what is "best" for the patient, but I don't see the reasononing behind not filling it in this situation especially, if the patient is paying for it "out of pocket".

Regards,

J

[Rheia]

I don't think it's feasible to assume that a pharmacist will and should fill your script just because you are paying for the medication up front. There is a reason why pharmacists are there to dispense medications and their concern if firstly and foremost the health and well being of the patient. I am sure he had a legitimate reason as to why he did not fill your prescription, one that you may not have completely understood at that time because you were perhaps upset over the situation. But do not think that patients can just go in and demand whatever they want and/or that the pharmacist is always obliged to comply.

[Jonesing]

quote:Originally posted by Rheia

I don't think it's feasible to assume that a pharmacist will and should fill your script just because you are paying for the medication up front. There is a reason why pharmacists are there to dispense medications and their concern if firstly and foremost the health and well being of the patient. I am sure he had a legitimate reason as to why he did not fill your prescription, one that you may not have completely understood at that time because you were perhaps upset over the situation. But do not think that patients can just go in and demand whatever they want and/or that the pharmacist is always obliged to comply.

Rheia,
Thats not what I said at all. What i'm saying is that the pharmacist cannot refuse to fill a script based on the insurance coverage. If a doctor prescribes you 3 pills a day for thirty days then you can legally fill that script regardless of what the insurance co. will pay for. I've had this happen to me. My insurance will only pay for 60 oxy's a month, but my doctor prescribes 90 a month. I can still get my 90 a month, my insurance just will not pay for it. I never said that cash will get you anything you want from a pharmacy.

Jonesing

[putyounacoma]

quote:Originally posted by RoC1909

Quite Strange indeed.

I do know that when I was taking 30 Norco a day and I would run out of my 300 a month prescription in a little over a week, I DEFINTELY could understand why they wouldn't fill it but in your case, I don't see a reason unless you are trying to get them too soon as others have mentioned OR your insurance company is "acting up" but it doesn't sound like that since your pharmacist said that "it's a controlled substance" and wouldn't fill it.

On another note though, when I needed my "fix", I ended up buying them myself since insurance wouldn't pay. Hopefully you don't need to go this route due to expense but it can be done IF you really need them.

Regards,

J

30 Norco a day is 210 a week and 840 a month. Maybe that was why he wouldn't fill it the math is off somewhere. 30 a day seems excessive. At 30 a day you should run out in just over a week.

[Miles]

This recent Xanax dispensing saga illustrates all too clearly the need for a new prescription drug paradigm. Why do we need prescriptions at all for painkillers? Before 1914 and passage of the Harrison Narcotic Act in the USA, we Americans did not have to negotiate a maze of healthcare "providers" to ease our pain. All drugs should be legalized... period!

Sadly, the current model is but a backhanded swipe at freedom and personal choice. Save the arguments about protecting us from ourselves... the current medical model is not about that at all... it's about social control, profit, and illusion.

Miles

[devonsp]

quote:Originally posted by Tim555

Not sure why... Pharmacist would not fill my prescription for .5mg of Xanax XR. I have three valid prescriptions from my Doctor and have filled only one. Is there a time limit that must be met in order for a prescription to be filled since last prescription? Is this an insurance issue. Pharmacist kept calling this drug a controlled substance and that care must be taken to control overdose.
Has anyone had this problem before?

Thanks in advance for your response

[devonsp]

Sorry about the above,,,,,,,trying to figure this out. Tim, doctors write a script which provides medication for 30 days. The number of refills will be at the bottom. Regardless of insurance, the pharmacy can not fill the script again until the 30 days is up. That is the law and the pharmacy must stick to that, as xanax is considered a "controlled substance" now. I do not know how much you are taking now....you can talk to your doctor about the number of doses he will allow you for those 30 days. If you are on a lower dose, he may decide that is OK. If you are already taking .5 4x a day, he will think twice.
Who do I think I am, you say?!? Someone who gets it. I've taken the "happy drug" on and off for ......let's see 24 years...My doctor is comfortable with it, because I have started and stopped through the years. I am allergic to codiene and do not tolerate pain medication at all. We found this out after a surgery and later migraines. This time it's been a long haul, 8 years. (.5 4x a day) Being "high strung," hyper, intense about world violence,the rain forest and the failure of our nation to teach our kids, having a crummy marriage, having a child with a disability, stomach problems, panic, bad allergies, migraines, menopause...depression,,,,,[breath] can do that to a person. [breath] Can you tell I use humor a lot??? But, if you decide to "dry out" for a bit, I suggest a lot of things to move (like furniture), lots of sci fi pictures (the weirder the better), popcorn, and a really good friend with patience and a sense of humor. PS, if you drink anything with caffiene in it I'd stop that first...gradually. After about 36 hours and being pealed off the cieling a few times, you will be OK without it. And, when you feel you need the medication again, I'm sure it will be available, if you had filled a script recently. Again, since I don't know why you take it, talk to your doctor. I try to take one less a day,,,,,just in case, for example, I find out my 8 year old has something else wrong with him(I pray everyday there won't be)...I don't fall apart; he wouldn't understand. Love and care to all, Suzan P, the person that would give away most of her lottery winnings to charity

[BrianL]

Just Xfer the script to another pharmacy, call the new pharmacy and tell them where the old one is..they will transfer it and fill it the same day...No probs unless you have insurance...that will cause problems almost everytime...