Posted by ed_uk2010 on October 5, 2014, at 7:58:57
In reply to Re: Being affected by Klonopin shortage!, posted by LisaLynn on October 3, 2014, at 15:40:51
Staying well..... and getting what you want at the pharmacy. Here goes.
>....really helps me feel like I can do this too!
I have every confidence you can do it. At first, you were understandably very afraid due to your previous bad experience. Once you switched to TEVA and the panic subsided, you soon noticed that not only did you feel normal, you were calm. From now on, there's no reason to anticipate that you'll have any problems with TEVA. It's a very widely used brand and effective medication.
Naturally, some days will always be better than others but it's important not to attribute everything to your meds unless you've actually missed a dose or something.
Although most other generics would likely work similarly well, I think you should stick to TEVA for now because any further switching will inevitably cause you more anxiety - irrespective of the quality of the meds you are dispensed.
In the UK, pharmacies can order all of TEVA's product range 'by name', assuming that they are in stock. This also applies to a couple of the other major generics manufacturers.
Generics from less well-known manufacturers are usually sold to pharmacies as non-continuity lines via the wholesaler's computer system. They are simply listed by the drug name/active ingredient, formulation, strength and pack size. In this case, any licensed generic could arrive.
I don't know for sure, but I assume the ordering situation works in a fairly similar manner in the US. As a result, the TEVA version should remain fairly easy to obtain.
Of course, large chain pharmacies are told which manufacturer of brand/generic to dispense for all Rxes where a specific brand is not requested by the prescriber - different companies form different contracts. Some pharmacies might use TEVA as their default product for clonazepam scripts, others will not.
If you find that your pharmacy doesn't want to supply TEVA clonazepam 'because it's not the one we carry', find out whether they are willing and able to make an exception for you....unless of course the TEVA version isn't available from their specific supplier. Some large companies exert a lot of control over the ability of staff to order specific brands, others do not. At independently-owned pharmacies, it's very much at the discretion of the owner/manager.
So.... if they order it in for you as an exception, great, if not, try a different pharmacy. It's best to speak to the pharmacist personally in private and give at least one clear reason why a specific brand/generic is needed. Do this before your prescription is dispensed. Don't wait until the end and then complain 'I don't want this'. That rarely goes down well, especially during busy periods. Similarly, customers who demand things aggressively will not attract much sympathy from staff!
Make your needs known from the outset. Customers with no more to say than 'I don't like the white ones' are not as likely to get what they want as those who can provide a sensible and coherent reason! Instead, they just create an impression of awkwardness. Pleasant, firm, logic is normally the key, allowing you to get what you want without even having to ask your doctor to do a new prescription specifying the manufacturers name and 'this manufacturer only' etc. If you use the same pharmacy all the time they can record your requirements in your electronic pharmacy record.
There are times when certain generics are out of stock, just like brands, but there's normally a pharmacy able to help unless they physically can't obtain any stock at all. One advantage of TEVA is that they are generally a fairly reliable supplier with respect to having relatively few long-term out of stock situations.
Getting insurance providers to pay for certain name-brand medicines (when generics are available) may be an entirely different ball game. The price may be so high that there's no chance of getting it until it's clear who is going to be paying!
Hope you continue to stay well.
poster:ed_uk2010
thread:1071737
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140914/msgs/1071864.html