It went from 1mg three times daily and I picked those up a few days ago. Now it is 1mg five times daily
Just picked up refill of Xanax. My doc wrote new script different quanity. Can I get them now?
Question posted by Justin2006 on 3 May 2012
Last updated on 30 March 2022 by Judyrae59
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16 Answers
Hi -
It has been my experience after talking with my pharmacist many times, if the dosage or quantity is changed by the doctor it is considered a NEW prescription and the pharmacy will fill it and the insurance company will pay for it..
If you had your meds upped to a higher amount , absolutely can get the new script filled , once the dosage is changed , it goes into effect on the date of the prescription !
It depends on the pharmacy since it’s a controlled substance some pharmacies are stricter than others. But generally the rule of thumb is if the directions are different and the quantity is different it’s officially considered a new script therefore separate from the other and legally you are allowed to pick it up immediately where as if he had just written in another script but it had the same directions and quantity, then The pharmacist can classify it as the same script even though the doctor wrote it in as a different one. The quantity is the key. So since the amount changed as far as how many pills you have to take a day changed, its officially a new script and most pharmacies will honor it as such and not place limitations. Your doctor, however, could write “don’t fill until “”””, in order to account for the previous script and in that case the pharmacist obviously would honor the refill request and you would have to wait.
If the doctor does not put a date though, different quantity and directions = new script , therefore you can pick it up immediately. Some pharmacists will call the doctor though if they see you just picked one up so hopefully you don’t have a nosy pharmacist. ! Confusing but hope that helps!
Hey I get Xanax to when the order changes like how often u take a day an if doc has given you a higher quantity you sure the heck can get them now who's your doc need one myself
My doc cut mine to 20 Xanax 1 as needed I get them refilled every 15 to 20 days every month Gil's pharmacy is best Mitchell road
If your prescription is increased??
I would recommend management and ask your pharmacist first because you may not be able to have extra around?
Yes you can as long as its,either,a different mg or amount. I get adderall for add & I've done this before. You may have to remind the pharmacist,like I did,because they may not be aware.
My pharmacy has always filled *new* scripts as per doctor's orders. BTW, benzodiazepines are only indicated for short term use (4~6 weeks). Extended use and increasing dosages have been shown to cause habituation/addiction, and can cause or worsen anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, memory loss, depersonalization, and dementia.
It depends... on what state you live in and whether or not you use private insurance or Medicare. Many will only fill a script for a specific amount periodically (i.e. you're not allowed "extra" tablets).
You may be able to but some doctors do put time limit and pharmacys also... you may need to wait for that script to run out first... I had a question tho if someone could help me, A friend recently picked up his script of the Pfizer xanax 2s and he said he did have a few pressed ones, but said he only put 2 in with the script... but when I looked at them about 30-35% of them when flipped over the 2 on the backside faced the opposite direction... so my questions is, when Pfizer gives you your script are some of the 2s going the opposite direction or do the number 2s all face the same way when you have "xanax" upright and you just flip it over...
You should as long your Dr wrote a new prescription which I'm assuming he did. Take it to pharmacy now or tomorrow and drop it off and simply ask. That simple. Some pharmacies are more strict when it comes to 30 days a month policy. Some get em 28 days and sum 3 days early. But that's rare today. No worries an go get ur meds Justin2006
Justin2006; I would not fill or try and filll it right now. There are several reasons why 1 if it goes through your insurance they won't pay for it even if the directions are different until it is closer to the time the one you just got is low enough most states let you fill it 3 to 7 days early. It is not the pharmacy it's the Insurance company and in some states the law.
The best is look at the amount you just picked up divide it by 5 a day then take it into the pharmacy you use And tell them that the directions changed and that is why it is early and they well know by the date when the doctor changed the directions. Take the old one you have and take the 5 aday when you get down to 4 or 5 days worth take the new rx into the pharmacy many time we have to call the insurance company... No worries this is all normal..
I think the bottom line is, you aren't really going to know until you take it to the pharmacy and see. Best scenario is they fill it. Worst case scenario, with most pharmacies, they hold it until you need it. At any rate, it won't hurt anything to take it to the pharmacy and see!
Good luck.
Yes, you can... Walgreens has done this for me!
I actually just went through something like this. I get a script of klonopins (.5mg 4x a day) 30 day supply w/refill. Anyway, I filled my script 2weeks ago & unfortunately something happened to them, so I tried getting my refill early & the insurance wouldn't pay for it! The good news is I called my Dr. & told him the situation,so he called in 1mg 2x a day & the insurance filled it no problem! So, my theory is if the Dr. changes the mg of the pill the insurance will treat it as a different script & fill it! Sorry for the long reply, but I hope it helps u out a little! Well, Good luck w/everything & hope it all works out for you.
I dont think you will be able to get them now because you just filled the one for 3 per day but they should let you fill the new one once you are at a point with the first script where you would be if you were taking the 5 pill/day dose. Does that make sense? I cant give you an exact day without knowing how many pills total he gave you, but for example sake, lets say he gave you a total of 30 pills. 3 pills a day should be a 10 day supply but since he changed the dosing schedule to 5 per day, it makes it a 6 day supply, so you would be able to fill a new one after 6 days(instead of 10 days) with a quantity of 30. Going to another pharmacy wont help you unless you pay cash and your state doesnt have a drug monitoring program. Any pharmacy will know about the first fill if it went through insurance and you are using insurance to pay for the second script. The insurance will kick it back as an early fill.
If your state has a prescription drug monitoring program, your Dr will know when you filled both of them and may wonder why you filled them so close together and this could raise red flags with your Dr.
Virginia has a monitoring program, so that state lets you out.
I think it is 35 of the 50 states do have a prescription drug monitoring program and this has cut down on Dr shopping a great deal in those states! I'm in AZ and we have one here. My pain dr has the readout every month.
Here they are using it more to nail the doctor, rather then the patient. If a doc orders more then what they think should have been they nail him. That's how mine lost his license, then they trumped up other charges on him that were either ridicules or untrue.
Nope.
I see what you’re saying but that would only apply if the quantity hadn’t changed because the quantity is what makes it a new script or an add on to the previous one. Since his quantity changed, it’s now a new script entirely and so the pharmacist cannot treat the directions as the same script, by counting like you said . Since the quantity changed, it’s officially a new script and the only way he can’t pick it up immediately is if the doctor put a refill hold on it. The pharmacist can call the doctor though and suggest a hold but they can’t take it upon themself because the two scripts technically can’t be affiliated and treated as one like you said. If the quantity was the same then you’re exactly right .
Technically they are suppose to fill it because it is a changed script, but since it is the same dose, I don't know if they would. Yor best bet Would be to go to another drugstore.
Agreed. New quantity means new script so like you said, as far as the computers go he should be able to get it right away. Nowadays with Xanax especially though, the pharmacist will call the doctor and suggest a refill date hold which the doctor can agree to or not. If the doctor doesn’t agree though he pharmacist cannot hold the script unless the doctor says to. If the quantity was the same though, the pharmacist had the option to hold it because it’s not seen as a new script.
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