I recently tried to get a prescription filled for 5/325 Norco 10/10/14, the pharmacy "CVS" stated that ALL Norco will not be available until next month. Does anyone know what is going on as this will affect millions of people in pain. What would be a compatible substitute in place of the Norco if this is in fact true?
Norco not available ?
Question posted by mikethrift on 10 Oct 2014
Last updated on 29 July 2015 by x3cutelilbaby56
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
5 Answers
Hello. I've had the experience, trying to fill my Norco 10/325, where the pharmacy would not tell me over the phone if they had my script in stock or not. CVs, Walgreens, and Meijer have all told me this one month or another. They claim they can only tell me if they have it or not is if i come into the store, have them run my script, and they see if they have it. Also have had problems when they ran the script, didnt have it in stock, and I tried getting my prescription back! Walgreens would not give me my prescription paper back after they ran it and didn't have them in stock. I had to go back to my doctors office and get another script!! So be careful when trying to find a place who has your script in stock. And if your pharmacy is out and youre trying any of the stores I had problems with, I know its a hassle, but its best to go to the store and ask.
(at least where I live, Michigan) And for your question; i think when CVS told you that ALL Norco wont be available until next month, i think they were either talking about just their store or the CVS chain. I dont believe that everywhere is out of it. Just try another store. The other medications that would be closest to your script would be a different Hydrocodone product, like Loratab. (only difference is Acetaminophen dose content) Non-Hydrocodone product would be Oxycodone. I really hope my experience and opinions will help you in one way or another. Good luck!
Norco, Lortab, Vicodin, all are Hydrocodon-Acetaminophn , at the time I first posted this the drug had recently been re-classified as a higher grade narcotic along with many other medications by the FDA. Looks like it is all available now just more of a pain in the ass to get it due to the stricter regulations. Now you have to have a hand signed prescription from a Dr. and you can't get refills called in.
I take Norco 10/325 and I have been taking them for years for chronic back pain and severe neuropathy and I just got mine refilled last week... no problem! I do know they just recently passed a new law where you can't just get it refilled anymore you have to go to the Dr. every month and get a new prescription and that sucks!
The suppliers are limited in the amount of drug they are allowed to sell each month. Once they are at or over that limit, they cant get anymore. I had the same problem in my area with Opana ER last month as did my brother who takes the same drug. My brother notified me as soon as he knew soI had to have my pain doc give me a different long acting this month (which isnt working nearly as well I might add). Try other pharmacies. More than likely this is affecting all CVS in your area so try Walgeens or any of the Department or Grocery store pharmacies in your area. Just be sure to let your Dr know that you had to use a different pharmacy if you have a contract promising to use only one pharmacy. They will understand if it is not available at yours as long as you do call and tell them. (Some doctors seem to be more concerned with this than others but even though my current doc doesnt seem to care overly much about this, it is in my contract so I let them know anyway.
I have had previous Drs who were adamant that you let them know if you filled away from your "home" pharmacy in your contract) As of Oct 6th Hydrocodone products all went from Schedule III to Schedule II and anyone who had refills had to now get written hard copy scripts for each fill so perhaps this had something to do with depleting supplies in your area. People may have gotten refills earlier than usual prior to that date to use their remaining refills for extra time to get written scripts and this may have led to depleted supplies. If you truly cannot find it anywhere in town, you'll have to contact your Dr and see if he can prescribe something else.
I just got mine filled at walmart. CVS and Walgreens have a limit on how much they can get a month. Take it somewhere else.
Related topics
Further information
- Norco uses and safety info
- Norco prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Norco (detailed)
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.