Posted by laima on January 9, 2007, at 18:57:20
In reply to Re: Zyprexa Is It Now Controlled » laima, posted by yxibow on January 9, 2007, at 13:21:50
Part of the ritalin episode was somehow...off. I mean, the employee early that morning was dawdeling around restocking things, and I tried to be patient, but I did have to get to the airport. I stood around waiting nicely for quite awhile before I piped up about being in a hurry. It was at the time our airport got a new security screening system and people were advised to arrive some three hours early. So, the woman behind the counter just HAD to make a comment about my hurry and twist it into a "desperate for drugs" style comment. Whatever- it was weird, but I never see her, because I usually don't pick up any meds at 6am when she's working!I really do feel like some pharmacy staff are less than objective/nonjudgemental. (?) They are human, after all.
With staggered prescriptions, and then with being the "Emsam person" (they almost always have to special order it), I have found myself at the pharmacy often enough that I get greeted by name, and I actually do not like it at all. Sometimes I wonder if they are thinking, "Oh- what bizarro psychiatric prescriptions is she here for this time? Early..." I like anonymity sometimes. It's a Walgreens, and they are generally friendly and helpful enough. We sadly don't even have any independent pharmacies left around here- I can't even think of one.
As for the provigel rules- I find it a little curious how easy it is to refill the prescriptions compared to the "real" stimulants and compared to benzos. I mean, provigel is controversial because it can be used to avoid sleeping- I am sure it's used for a lot more than for its narrow official and approved uses. I would imagine that if someone was out to sell prescriptions or whatever, provigel would be in demand. Perhaps the difference is that it's not addictive or abuseable in the same sense that benzos, ritalin, etc are abuseable..
I rather wish I could just get everything mailed to me legitly and regularly through insurance, but I'm not set up that way- and our post service is less than stellar, too. Oh well. I think now I'll keep reserving my fretting for more important matters.
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> > I do wonder a bit if the rule about no refilling stimulants (schedule 2) until a full 30 days has passed is my pharmacy's interpretation of regulations, or an actual fact in my state. I know that my prescriptions are always written as if each month lasts 30 days-wonder if that's a standard or just easier for the doctor. Well, even when I used klonopin, and the bottles had refills available, the pharmacy always refused to refill unless at least 3 weeks had gone by, but I noticed that there was some variation in the lenience of the employees.
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> Some of these may come from your insurance company but some may be state law for C-IV. Three weeks would be 21 days and a bit under the "fudge factor" that I have seen around 25-26 days. But as they say your miles may vary.
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> Once, I was actually grilled over why I was refilling so early-"what happened to the pills- you should still have some left". Uh- I had an appointment that day and wanted to drop everything off at the pharmacy at once? And the time I had the snafu in New York was the result of a no-refill-allowed-yet drama. Another time I wanted to "refill" ritalin early because I was going out of town- and they refused to let me pick it up until the morning of my flight! When I went to get it, they were slow and I was getting ancy. I got a rude, "Well aren't YOU in a hurry for this ritalin!" comment along with the prescription.
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> I'm beginning to see the connection with schedule II, its like they think you're begging for crack with a legal prescription. That's totally rude though regarding the Ritalin comment. I mean if you came in looking strung out and started yelling at the pharmacy techs that would be different, but I can sympathize, this is not good behaviour.
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> Things are clamping down in general on all chemical substances and precursors because of a resurgence of meth diversion and creation in place of previous heroin addiction.
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> The whole Sudafed fiasco is, while understanding from a law enforcement perspective in some hotbed parts of the midwest, nothing less than nanny monitoring of innocent people who want their legal 3.2 grams per day and sign a poison pad. (And pharmacies don't even know the federal law regarding this -- it is an extraordinary rarity now that you will see a 96 tablet generic let alone original -- so you try two 48s on them and they say no and then their computer says its okay finally after insistance, so you've just paid almost double for your hayfever medication. And the "cards" on the aisles aren't stocked and depleted according to what they have behind the counter so you might as well skip that and go to the counter itself and look. There was an article in the WSJ about this not that long ago.) Then they take Neosynephrine and call it Sudafed PE and expect it to have any value, which at best is half. Anyhow, end soapbox, but we're talking now "category V" or VI if it existed.
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> > I like the idea of refilling everything on one go, not having to be a "regular", just going to the pharmacy once monthly. Incomprehensable to some of the staff there.
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> Well if you're refilling it at the same pharmacy approximately once monthly (I have splits because of when I started on different medications), you are a "regular" in a sense. Unfortunately if you're going to a big box store, its hit and miss as to whether you are a "regular". Still why I like the "corner pharmacy" even if they can be slightly disorganized they are still professional and know well the patients that they've seen for years.
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> If you are taking Cat-II prescriptions to the same chain but not the same location, you may not seem to be a regular at first even if you're in their "system" and to play reverse roles, they're just as under the fire from the DEA because they have to dot their Is and cross their Ts on amounts of prescription and any lossage, etc.
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> > Another odd irregularity: when I used provigel in the past, the bottle would have refills, and I never had any hassles. Nothing like with the other or real (whatever) stimulants or even benzos. That always amazed me considering all the flap about provigel being abuseable or unfair in the sense that people could use it to not sleep.
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> Provigil is C-IV so 6 refills would generally be allowed with phone-in sometimes and a follow-up faxed prescription or the like depending on state law.
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poster:laima
thread:718974
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070107/msgs/720887.html