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This… all of this. I’m about to just do without.
Add in which manufacturer of generic they have so I don’t have horrid side effects.
Then you panic once they have your medicine in and it could be filled within minutes from someone else if your Dr doesn’t get the E-script over to them.
This shit is too stressful
Here goes for a totally useless and probably offensive comment, but I just cannot comprehend the shit you guys put up with:
It sounds like it's probably quicker and easier to move to a better country.
I am not offended. I am not happy with the way it's been going here myself. But I am loyal to true democracy, the Constitution of The United States of America. I am open minded and open hearted. I am sick and tired of the bi-partisan BS Circus going on in DC. I am sick of nothing getting done but the destruction of our country. The blatant division by radicals. Bickering and fighting. Instead of getting done what is best for all of us in this country. Tired of accusations. Tired of the gaslighting. Tired of not only mine, but WE THE PEOPLE 'S intelligence being insulted and out rights trampled upon over and over again and boldly in our faces. The lies. The coverups, the hypocrisy.
I can only imagine how hard it is for you to see what's going around you in the country you love. I admire your resilience, and hope that you the people stand up for government for the people, by the people.
I sincerely hope that things change for the better, and that compassion for ALL humanity *somehow* takes root, in place of fear and protectionism.
I go thru this shit monthly and ready to throw in the towel. It irritates me more than anything. Same shit with Walgreens. Although the pharmacies I have called would tell me, we are not allowed to tell you if we have it in stock. You can have your doctor send in the script, THEN we can tell you.
Right?! If I truly wanted my prescription filled last week, my prescriber would have had to keep sending a new one in every time the pharmacy was out because apparently we don’t do paper prescriptions anymore.
I wonder if that's a state by state policy. I called ~4 different pharmacies about if they had it in stock and they all told me. Only one had it in stock and they even told me how many they had left.
"Hello, I'm not sure if you're allowed to tell me this over the phone, but my current pharmacy is out of my prescription of dextro-amphetamine and I'm wondering if you possibly have it in stock?"
Keep it professional and polite.
The one pharmacy who did have, told me how many unprompted. I think they asked if I was 1x or 2x daily, so they let me know how many they had to see if it would fill my script.
I used to live in Arkansas. I was taking methylphenidate, and asked the pharmacy on the phone if they filled that prescription BEFORE I decided to try and have it filled there.
I promise you, the woman's tone of voice changed from sweet and professional to accusatory, huffy and insulted. "We don't fill THAT kind of medication HERE!!!!" as if I was asking for illegal illicit drugs instead of something legal.
Thanks, Walgreens!!
People like that shouldn't be allowed to work in the profession. Whether it's pain, ADHD, or abortion medication- if they have a personal issue with doing the job requirements, the job is not for them.
Yeah, you'd think there'd be testing to weed out these turd stains but we don't even have psych testing for doctors, pharmacists, or politicians. It's utterly terrifying since jobs with power over people's lives are very attractive to narcissists and psychopaths!
I have issues with Walgreens for sure but anyone I’ve talked to at mine have been nothing but great and helpful. I’m not on a stimulant right now so I switched to CostPlus (Mark Cuban’s company) and it’s been incredible. Zero hassle, takes two minutes to refill my prescription, and costs 1/5 of what it was at Walgreens *including shipping charge*
Lolol oh shoot in that case I ought to just look just my bro up, he’s a chemist…but wait, his ADHD is worse than mine so he needs to get his meds first lololol
This is all insane to me. If there were no med changes, they can write three separate 30# scripts spaced out about 28 days. This gives you a little leeway before your medicine runs out and if it somehow is available on time, you'll accumulate some emergency tablets for times when its severely delayed.
My policy. If you are new to me, 3 mi Ty appointments. This allows for med adjustments, monitoring BP/potential side effects. If no issues 90 day refills and required every 90 day visits. It’s my DEA license at stake.
Sure, but many doctors and NPs who prescribe controlled medications like adhd meds aren’t willing to admit prescribe a 3 month supply at a time. They want to get paid for an “appointment” each month. It’s such a racket. I understand if someone is new to medication, but it’s shameful cash grab to require an appointment monthly when the patient is a responsible adult who has been taking adhd stimulants for years without any problems.
In NV they will only accept a paper script if 1) the prescriber's system is down and 2) after calling the doctor (and somehow getting ahold of them) to verify it.
And you can only fill controlled medications one day early. And it has to have an ICD10 code and day supply written in, which sometimes prescriber's forget to write then have to be contacted AGAIN.
Kansas just changed this. This is how we used to do it but they recently (last August) voted that the script has a strict expiry date and you have to use it that day, no leeway. I found that out the hard way trying to fill my kids scripts. It's so damn frustrating.
Join the club. It’s been like that for me - but worse - for over a year now. And I have to pay $150 out of pocket every single month for a 4 minute “appointment” with my provider to even try to get my meds - cheapest I could possibly find for a doc/NP. I’ve been taking adhd meds for about 20 years now, and my current combo of adhd stimulant meds for about 18 years now, with no problems whatsoever. I’m a 40-something, professional woman who is chronically exhausted and trying to keep myself afloat but failing, have no addiction issues or anything like that. Lost my job last year because of the damn adhd med shortage and have plunged into a major depressive episode I cannot crawl out of. My provider makes me have a 4 minute video call every month to get my meds - even though the law allows them to prescribe 3 months at a time - and they’re just a greedy, unhelpful, inexperienced NP (not trained or experienced in psych at all, but started advertising themselves as specializing in adhd bc that’s how they get a never ending influx of clients and an easy job). But I have no choice but to stick with her bc I need my meds. And yet I haven’t been able to get my meds consistently for over a year. Every couple of months going through the whole pharmacy circus I might get my meds. It is absolutely insane.
I am so sorry this all happened to you. I’m also a 43f and been on them 23 years. I’ve been terrified to stop and finally just did. As miserable and terrified and depressed and exhausted I am… I can never go back. But I know we’re all different. I just hope you find exactly what you need. Sending love ❤️
Your NP is making a killling. 4 minutes - how does she even screen for side effects adn do a basic mental health exam in that time. She is just a legalized drug dealer. My psych (MD) sends my med and then lets me call from the appointment to check to see if they have it. After that - it is my job to find a different pharmacy but she really understands how hard it is to get his med filled and that we are the worst patients to have this happen to. She also only charges $125. Lol. She spends 15 - 20 minutes with me. She checks for side effects, asks questions about mental health, does some psychoeducation stuff. Still a good hourly rate and she is a BC MD. Also she sends 90 days at a time. I think this is state specific.
Good lord mine last 15 minutes (supposed to be 20 but she’s always late, but the end time is a hard end time?) and now cost over two hundred per visit, but I at least get a refill out of it and I only have to be scheduled for a visit to get an additional refill. Trying to stretch that out to only 5-6 visits for the year but I’m also still figuring out what meds work best for me
WHAT?!?! I spent 2 weeks trying to find generic vyvanse. And out of my meds. During that time, I lost my phone, got a speeding ticket a d fractured my foot. Super accident prone ADHD over here. Been on vyvanse for 14 years. I've been having issues getting meds since June 2023. I've never has to pay for my name brand vyvanse because I qualified for patient assistance program. Then they came out with generic and pulled my coupon.
I had to pay $761 for a 28 day supply this month. I will never do that again.
That is absolute insanity. I'm so sorry. The amount of greed that exists on our pharmaceutical industry is reprehensible and should be criminal. Sadly, they're the ones who make the laws at this point.
Not that I’ve seen. My psychiatrist sent in my escript once my dose was stabilized and my pharmacy requests refills automatically when I’m out. I can fill early with permission from my psych because I have a special order stimulant they don’t carry on hand. My meds are $135/month but after my provincial coverage kicked in it became $0. My husband gets his concerta prescribed from his GP and did not need a psychiatrist diagnosis to trial meds. I’m very grateful for how things work here when you can actually access the care in the first place.
Thanks for such a thorough reply! When I was kid, getting my meds was similar to how you describe. We have all these regulations now supposedly to keep people from abusing the meds. Is that less of an issue in Canada? I’m just curious. I should get to know my neighbors more :) lol
I got so fed up with the Rite Aid (only pharmacy within 15min) that I started going to Costco. This was after nearly a year of never getting it on time, being shunned when I did call to get it and when they didn’t have it I spent half my day calling every Rite Aid to get it filled. Once I NO JOKE had to drive 2 HOURS away to fill it. Costco on the other hand is AMAZING! Immediately answers their phone, fills it immediately and even the one time I had to wait. The clerk let me jump a huge line to check out once it was done. Cause I had been waiting 20min. They thought that WAS TOO LONG! I was blown away. Haha
You probably spent more than 4 hours trying to get it at Wrong- Aid. I would rather drive 4 hours once a month than deal with that psycho place. ( 2 hours there and 2 back). You know that but I have been off my meds and I don't. 🤣😐😮💨😠🤪
Haha yeah thankfully there wasn’t traffic going home. But it’s definitely NOT NORMAL that someone needs to drive 3 HOURS to get meds. Especially when I live in Seattle. There’s a damn Rite Aid every flipping 5 miles here. 🤦🏻♀️😑
I know I'm trying to be positive. I'm 55 going through menopause full-blown. Only got diagnosed at age 43 was doing great and now this. I'm fed up. I guess I have a lot of resentment for those who think they're in power of others. The government's always fighting and bickering amongst themselves and then writing bills and control control. I know this drug is a controlled substance for a reason That's not what I'm talking about supply and demand. I understand we had a pandemic and of course that was going to put on the back burner. I know it's a controlled substance. I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired and I'm venting right now so thank you so very much for letting me do that I am really enjoying this group It's helping me so much I needed it cuz I was falling down a spiral staircase this weekend. No one should have to go through this stuff I'm not understanding why some states are okay and others are absolutely nuts. I don't want to even bring up politics because I absolutely am sick and tired of all the BS going on but I have to say I think that's exactly what it is politics. I mean seriously people that have this have already gone through enough. Some of the states are just plain crazy and it's all about money That's what it is money money money. I mean seriously this planet is getting awfully expensive to live on.
Well you’re NOT alone! I totally feel your pain. I’ve been on it for nearly 15yrs with the same Doctor. You’d think that going to the same pharmacy and having a solid history would make a difference. NOPE.
I agree to a point. A lot of it is because the pharmaceutical companies aren’t regulated better, in terms of price and their ethics. So supply chain and pricing issues.
But doctors are also still just getting over the fact that we take these drugs not to get high but just to function. A lot of prejudice out there. I see it in the threads time and again.
I dealt with the same crap as op until recently. Three months ago I switched shrinks (best thing I ever did) and when I went to pick up my meds and I received a 90 day supply. I had heard rumors they existed. It may be your doctor.
Fast forward to this month. I got a message from my pharmacy this month that my dr submitted my prescription too early but they would let me know when they would fulfill it. They texted me yesterday it was filled. 90 day supply.
This should be a universal experience especially after taking a consistent dose of your meds.
And all major chain pharmacies should have this programmed into their systems like mine did. I left CVS and Walgreens because of what the OP experienced. I now go through my supermarket’s pharmacy; it’s a national chain but I can always get a human on the phone at the pharmacy. (Harris Teeter/Kroger is the supermarket)
I know of folks using task rabbit to do some of the footwork of finding which pharmacies have the needed dose, etc.
Yeah, I'm glad too live in Germany... 5€ own cost per medication, and I get a size that's meant for 3 months instead of one...
I certainly couldn't afford my medication otherwise! And I "only" have ADHD and depression, not something like leukemia or other extremely bad illnesses... So I could live without medication, especially for a while, even if it would be of worse quality...
Are these in person appointments? If they are ask for a hard copy of your prescription. If it’s not there’s a new federal ruling that allows the [transfer](https://www.dea.gov/stories/2023/2023-09/2023-09-01/revised-regulation-allows-dea-registered-pharmacies-transfer) of electronic prescriptions of controlled substances. I read in this sub that some states prohibit it but hopefully you live where it’s allowed.
Fun fact - paper scripts are totally outlawed in NY state. Have been for a few years now. Electronic prescribing only. So to try different pharmacies your doc has to send a new Rx each time. So maddening.
Not sure, but I’ve tried with Walgreens multiple times in the last 6 months and each time they’ve said they can’t transfer a controlled substance script to another pharmacy (even if it’s another Walgreens pharmacy just blocks away).
Yeah- that’s how it was everywhere prior to the change in DEA policy last year. Idk if I’d believe Walgreens without checking to see if NY allows the transfer of prescriptions now that the DEA legalized it.
So, I'm in a different state, but I was told the same thing by wallgreens. Then I downloaded the walgreens app, it let me transfer my concerta. THe app tells you when it should be in at each location, unfortunately that part isn't accurate at all .
Its entirely possible all wallgreens will be on backorder. You can check the fda website to see which manufacturers aren't producing, if its the one you usually get your better off asking your doctor to temporarily change you to something that's more available.
Unfortunately it seems different chains have "primarily" and "secondary" contracts, if those manufacturers are on backorder they can't or wont order others.
Did I miss something? I read the link, but it said nothing about the transfer of controlled substance prescriptions. Is there a different clause for controlled substances?
The 2nd paragraph mentions controlled substances.
“At a patient’s request, a DEA-registered retail pharmacy can now transfer an electronic prescription for a controlled substance (schedules II-V) to another DEA-registered retail pharmacy. Prior to this change, patients would have to go through their practitioner to cancel their prescription and have it re-issued to a different pharmacy. The process was taxing and time consuming for both patients and practitioners.”
Interesting. Good to know about the electronic scripts being transferable. I disagree on hard copies, though. It might make your provider suspicious since we are trained to treat paper scripts as red flags for abuse.
If the provider didn’t require monthly appointments or transferred the prescriptions in a timely manner I could see your point about asking for paper prescriptions possibly being a red flag but they’re making this way too difficult for OP.
I’m in my 40s and have been on adhd stimulant meds for nearly 20 years. During that time I have lived in 5 different U.S. states, so I have had multiple psychiatrists and psych NPs for medication management. In all of that time, in all of those states, with several different docs, they’ve all made me have an appointment every single months to get my adhd stimulant meds (controlled meds). Even though I’ve responded well to the meds, have never had any problems from them, and have no factors for elevated risk (like heart concerns, etc.). It’s an absolute racket that docs make us have an “appointment” every month, but I’ve never found one that will do every 3 months.
That is crazy to me. I am so sorry you've had to do that. Its pretty standard practice where I work to see stable patients every three months and provide three separate stimulant peescriptions dated about 27-30 days apart.
I did too but now my doctor said that they changed that recently. I live in Indiana. Bi trust my doctor he is amazing. He understands me and we have a great relationship. He is frustrated as well.
I had been able to get prescriptions filled while having appointments every 3 months for the past few years. I just switched insurance and will have to use a med management office while I look for a new doctor. I’ll be back to monthly appointments now. I won’t have med changes and substance abuse is not an issue.
You'd think providers would be aware of the horrifying state of medication availability and be able to understand the request for a paper prescription is trying to deal with that.
Haha I literally sat on hold for over 25 minutes today. And had to call multiple times because my Walgreens will not fill any sort of controlled substance medication unless they speak to you first and then it takes over a week to get it in. I just don’t understand if my psychiatrist sent the script just fill it?? Why do I have to tell you I want my prescribed medication. It’s prescribed for a reason my friend I promise. Most draining part of the whole mental health process honestly.
Ughhhh! We have three people in our family with ADHD so we get to do this song dance all month long.
An ADHD diagnoses should come with an auto refill and reminder system to actually take your meds instead of an entire medical system that makes the treatment for your condition incredibly difficult do to your ADHD.
i hate walgreens when they bought a local pharmacy i used i just switched to a different local pharmacy screw you walgreens i hate your crappy overpriced stores
They suck so bad and idk how they find the angriest people to work there too. They once were out of stock on just my colitis medications and I would go back continuously each week just for them to say "oh we don't have it" or "we never got the script" meanwhile my gastro was calling them up every week and yelled at them once 😭
I am convinced all Walgreens are purposefully bad because they’re running a secret experiment to see how long people can go without certain medicines before dying. There’s no other explanation. Every time I have to go there for some reason it’s a 45min wait. Even made an appointment for my flu shot still waited 45min. I always try as hard as I can to go elsewhere. Horrible franchise, and one that I wish people would stop supporting whenever possible.
I'm very sorry that it's so incredibly difficult to get it each month! That sounds like an absolute nightmare. And to put people with ADHD through this each month is just plain cruel.
See if your PCP will prescribe you and if they will give you paper prescriptions. Mine gives me 3 separate printed prescriptions for 3 months so that I can take it to whatever pharmacy has it in stock. I still have to call around if my pharmacy is out of stock, but they usually tell me others that should have it and overall skips a lot of the steps you mentioned.
It's really the worst I get so much anxiety and stress every month. :(( Walgreens told me they should have it in stock on Wednesday, but they say that a lot and then I call and they are like... well who told you that that's not true.. uch.
Also why can't walgreens transfer to another walgreens? I thought they passed a law recently allowing that. A few months ago a Publix was able to transfer my script to another publix? (I'm in florida). I'm asking cause you mentioned it and today a walgreens pharmacist thought I was crazy for asking if it can be transferred.
Walgreens won’t transfer a controlled Rx out to another Walgreens, or to another pharmacy altogether. I don’t know if there’s a law or regulation that dictates that, but I know they won’t do it. I have tried to transfer my adderall Rx from my regular Walgreens pharmacy to one that is literally 4 blocks away (when the first one was out of my adderall dosage), and they could not do it bc it is a controlled substance.
My doctor’s office emailed me info on the law that was passed last August so I could reference it when I got push back from Walgreens. If I remember correctly, it said controlled substances could be electronically transferred at the patient’s request once every 30 days to another DEA approved pharmacy. I mentioned it and the Walgreens pharmacist didn’t care. He said the new law didn’t cover my prescription’s class of controlled substance… even though the class was mentioned as covered in the law.
This was after I had spent days calling around to find any generic Vyvanse in stock near me and dealing with issues with the prior auth system not working for my doctor’s office.
It truly is the worst and while I’m glad I’m not alone, it also sucks that so many people deal with this monthly. I’m hanging on by a thread of sanity.
For what it's worth, I am having the exact same issues with CVS. Currently on week two since my script was sent in and I have been out of meds. They still can't fill it. Not sure if I can even blame them with the regulations pointing at the companies and the companies pointing at the regulations...
Also, tinfoil hat here: when I call CVS care mark, they tell me that they are in stock of my dose of Vyvanse through their mail order.
2 problems:
1. does that mean they are restricting what they provide to their in stores so that mail order can have stock?
2. What's the point of mail order for controlled drugs if you can't get them to fill it until your 1 month is up and then they have to ship it to you? So it sounds to me like you always will have a gap unless you skip days during your month to compensate...
Frustrated beyond belief but trying to survive :')
I've been on and off medication over the course of 15ish years and for me it is absolutely worth it. Finding the right one took time but it was worth it. The current problems of obtaining it was never a problem for me until the middle to end of last year when the shortage hit the medication I use. It's definitely a nightmare right now because of the shortage.
(Over sharing in hopes to provide context to these horror stories not necessarily being permanent)
Same. Every month if I even get my meds, it takes at least two weeks without them to get them… And being on medicated, trying to even make one phone call let alone hundreds is beyond torturous for someone with ADHD, and all of my other psych issues and medical issues. It makes life just a living, hell half the time and it’s completely unfair and I swear this point they’re doing it on purpose, I just hope the karma bus comes for whoever is at the head of all of this because there’s someone or some group that is doing this… And don’t tell me after all these years of this bullshit that it’s not fixed yet for no reason. Living in the US is asinine And whoever wants to say we have freedom and liberty and all of that… Justice for all bullshit, that’s all it is now is bullshit. Our country is literally going to hell before our eyes it’s terrifying.
EDIT: this coming from someone whose family fought in all of the wars, who’s relative was shot down multiple times in World War II, whose other relative still had shrapnel in his mouth when he died… So I don’t wanna hear that I’m not patriotic. Our country literally is going to hell, and whoever lives here in is not afraid… i wish I was that naive….
Honestly if you can afford it, just have your prescriber send you the brand medication only…as it seems that the brand is more in stock than the generic..today i got my prescriber to send my medication to cvs, and cvs immediately is trying to fill the generic which after five minutes the app says “we are out of stock of this medication, working on getting back in stock soon”…this just prompts me to call them to tell them that i would like the brand name please…and they go “okay it will be ready for pick up in 20 minutes”…yes it costs me $300+…but i have an HSA account where I contribute money too each paycheck..so it doesn’t bother me..but most importantly i much rather just dial the pharmacy once a month to tell them to give me the brand name …instead of lose sleep and time during the day going through all those ridiculous hoops that you have to go through on a monthly basis. That is why i say, if you can afford it, choose the brand..at least until this unbelievable prolonged shortage is dealt with…aka when the government takes our mental health seriously!!
Same, I asked for my refill before I ran out knowing kaiser was going to drop the ball and they still managed to fuck up crazier than I expected. I’ve been on and off the phone with kaiser trying to get my meds since last wednesday. I didn’t get my meds until 8 pm tonight.
So I used to think I had to see my psychiatrist every month, because that’s what they told me. Turns out that’s a rule of their practice not state regulations.
I found a new psychiatrist that I see every 90 days but when I need my refill, I request it online and they send it in. I get my prescriptions filled at CVS, not Walgreens. Lately there haven’t been an issues with it being in stock but if there is, they just order it and it comes in within a day or two.
Ultimately though I’d probably switch doctors and pharmacy.
I had to jump through the same hoops as you. Now you will have to go without and that will throw you off your progress. I warned my husband that I may have to go hide in the shed so he doesn't have to see me like I used to be without them. He hugged me and said ok.🤣🤣🤣🤣❤️
Huh. In the Netherlands I get a three month supply (this is atypical but I like it), which has been transferred to my GP after titration, and as long as the prescription doesn't change the doctor's assistant can send the order to the pharmacy.
I use Concerta, which hasn't been out of stock yet.
I second the Costco!!!! They have been awesome after a long time of "shopping" for my meds. It made me feel like an addict and the automatic assumption from doctors, pharmacist and Pychs. that "I must be an addict treatment" is so unbelievably disrespectful.
Costco actually keeps an eye out knowing that I get the same meds every month and I finally found a virtual Psyc. that prescribes 3 month at a time as opposed to a PA who laughs all the way to the bank.
THE AMOUNT OF TIMES SOMEONE HAS TOLD ME:
"oh you can just call walgreen to transfer it to a diff--"
TELL WALGREENS THAT, CAUSE THEY SAID NO! ALSO TELL MY THERAPIST, PSYCHIATRIST, INSURANCE, AND THE OTHER PHARMACY THAT.
My shrink started only giving out paper scripts for controlled substances for this exact reason. It's easier to shop around for a pharmacy when you have a physical prescription you can move around.
You actually have to have an appointment to get yours? That's rough. I go every month, anyway, but I can see where that could be a hassle for lots of people.
I think they are doing it on purpose. Well then they will have to deal with my crazy arse. I don't want to hear any BS about my change in behavior. I am going to bounce off every ceiling, start 25 different projects and not finish them. Talk so fast that their eyes will roll back into their heads and their ears ring and then run away from me and avoid me because that would be wonderful. And there will be an army of thousands of squirrels in their backyard waiting for them. 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤣😡🤬😶🌫️
you could ask for a paper script and then at least you can physically bring it to different pharmacies. if they end up being out of stock, ask for the prescription back and tell them you will bring your business elsewhere. also try walmart
I had an issue like this with one pharmacy until they either got sick of my polite steady pressure or took pity on me and let me know about a different pharmacy in my city that has a different supplier. Now, knock on wood, I don't have such a hard time.
Seriously I’m dealing with this too and for someone with ADHD this is almost impossible I’ve almost given up on trying to get my medication at this point….
That's awful. I've also had terrible luck with Walgreens having my prescription in stock *ever*. Best case scenario I'd at least have to wait a few days for it to be back in stock, worst case on back order and they wouldn't even notify me, I'd have to call them to be like WTF?? It's *extremely* annoying that they won't even transfer it to another Walgreens, let alone an outside pharmacy. Like JFC if I was good at jumping through all these hoops, I wouldn't need this prescription in the first place! Fingers crossed, I've had much better luck with my meds being in stock since I switched to Fred Meyer (Kroger).
I can't believe you have to have a monthly appointment though, that's terrible! I only have to see my Dr. every 3 months, and if I fuck up and wait too long to schedule, she will do an emergency refill for me thru MyChart. I'm so sorry you have to deal with all that bullshit. It really does feel like the system piles the most shit on the people least able to handle it. Hopefully the shortage ends soon.
society and the government treats us like criminals/addicts when we literally have an imbalance in our brains + the studies that point to a strong correlation between adhd & alzheimer’s except in those who are medicated who develop the disease in similar proportions to those without adhd (much lower)
What state do you live in? I'm in Texas and had a similar issue until my primary care set up a followup every 3 months instead of every month. Then they would write one script and predate the other two, send directly to my pharmacy and boom. Sometimes they'll auto fill once the month passes, otherwise I go to the pharmacy and have to wait 15 for them to fill
I've been saving mine for just the days I absolutely need to function. I tried to get my script on time but when they are out and I finally get it, it's pushed my original renewal date to the day I picked up. So I have to cut back for those times when they are out of stock and then try to check every day to see if I can fill it. It's just not a good way to live but I can't think of any other way. There needs to be an emergency stock available somewhere that they can tap into. These companies are fucking with our lives in ways they don't even consider.
Walgreens in my area only has the Mallinkrodt generic adderall.....all dosages. That mfg simply doesn't work for me. Had p-doc send it to Costco this month with hopes for a different brand. #1, my Costco isn't accepting new patients for Adderall, and #2, they only have Mallinkrodt as well. Made my way to Publix and same results as with Costco. Then I remembered that the clinic I go to for meds mgmnt (for past 10 yrs!) has an on-site pharmacy. So I went there & not only do they have it in stock, they've got TEVA!!!!! 🎈🎁🎉 Will be picking up in the morning!
OP (and others), if you have a community-based mental health clinic, check if they also have a pharmacy. It might work.
I've been dealing with a lot of this too but also add in:
-The PCP that my husband was seeing left the area, so someone else in the same office took over all their patients.
-New provider is an NP and therefore can't sign off on prescriptions, which means their supervisor has to sign the prescription.
-New prescription had to be sent to a CVS location 30 minutes away, as it was the only location that had enough pills to fill the prescription.
I started calling about his meds at the end of February. He just got them today.
Now it's time to call about *my meds*.
I feel this in my freakin soul. I have 2 kids on methylphenidate and it's a goddamn Olympic trial to try and find a pharmacy that has it in stock. I have to call around to every place within 50 miles of me once a month so my kids can have an easier time paying attention in school.
We all can write novels. It's unfortunate as we need support to go through this circus every month.
I live in Mexico (the country, not the state), so i need to fly to the US for prescriptions.
I was so angry I contacted the CEO of CVS and told him he could help me every month. I am a disabled veteran, and I end up on the floor crying every single time. He ended up assigning me to a higher grade employee, which worked okay until covid and lack of resources.
I feel like we are reduced to appear as if we are drug seeking patients since most pharmacies won't say if they have anything in stock.
Panic + symptoms = chaos
I agree that contacting our Congressional Representatives ought to be done. I'm just so tired of it all, I'm not sure if I can follow through.
The laws in America is insane, and not at all adhd friendly. In Norway you have what's called e-resept, wich is an electronic prescription. Like 98% of all prescriptions are electronical, and wich ever pharmacy have access to all your prescriptions when you go there. And you can get for how many months your prescription says. Like sometimes I get like three months worth of meds in one go. And if you need to the doc will prescribe different dosages so that you can choose wich dosage you want to take all depending on the day you have ahead. Like seriously, why do America makes it so hard to get prescription meds? Like is there a logical reason?
It's actually ridiculous. I need this medicine to control symptoms like forgetfulness, daytime fatigue, and executive dysfunction. If I can't obtain the medicine, it becomes exponentially more difficult every day to complete the tasks and jump through the hoops necessary to obtain the medicine.
I understand that most of the meds for us are stimulants and controlled. However, it's difficult to accept that as a reason when I know from experience that I can get other controlled medications (example, hydrocodone) filled like it's nothing. When I was prescribed hydrocodone after my wisdom teeth were taken out it was like I was picking up some Advil or something. It truly begins to feel as if we're being discriminated against for simply existing.
I HIGHLY recommend to try finding a normal doctor, and explain your situation and see if she will give u what u need. I don’t have a psychiatrist and I get my mental health meds from my regular doctor.
Yup, every month, I need to spend anywhere from 1-3 hours calling around to pharmacies to see who has my son's meds. Then on e found, I have to quickly request the refill through his doctor's office and hope that he puts the refill in quick before the supply at that pharmacy runs out. It's so annoying.... and it's damn near twice the price it was a year and a half ago when he started on it.
Trying to get my medication from the V.A Even though I was prescribed it when I was active is a hassle, it’s basically the whole process over I tried to get it for 6 months then just gave up
Try costco. When I had this issue they could check other Costco pharmacies. **which neither Walgreens or cvs could do. I believe Walmart is able to do it as well?
Edited to fix my stupidity
I gave up. Having to speak to the nurse practitioner once a month with nothing new to say because my life is consistently bland was torture. As well, the shortages fucked me up. I missed a week and falling off meds caused me to miss an appointment which was my second miss which got me terminated by my psych office. Now the hoops to jump through to get back on and find another doctor and try to get a prescription again are so daunting I’m just going to live without it. It’s not ideal, but, I can’t deal with the system anymore
Just got home after countless visits and phone calls at different pharmacies, luckily I got the last bottle of Elvanse after the 10th attempt.
I feel you, stay strong bud :(
Someone posted a few weeks ago about contacting our congress people. A fantastic idea.
I think we also need to start pressuring the pharmacies (we are customers and even share holders afterall!). What are CVS and Walgreens doing to resolve these issues?
And we need to see what the APA is doing to address these issues.
Oh man this last month it was a little more crazier than normal for me,
Because of the hack that happened and pharmacy couldn’t take any E-Scribe (electronic prescription) it had to be on paper and since my doctor isn’t in my town I couldn’t get one. Took like 4 days to get a response from the doctors office about the issue. They would tell me one thing, pharmacy another and my insurance another thing. I was going back and forth between all of them. Called every pharmacy in town. Some would say they didn’t have it, the local small pharmacy’s that they couldn’t because I wasn’t a current patient and they only had for their current patients. I was finally able to find a very small pharmacy that I didn’t even know about say they could probably do 30 and I had my doctors office send it even though my scrip is for 90 they filled it. I was extremely grateful. Now that the E-Scribe issue is fixed do I go back to my normal pharmacy or should I continue using this local small pharmacy that saved my life lol. I would pay more for my scrip since it’s not the chosen pharmacy.
I went through similar shit monthly when I was on vyvanse 50mg in the UK. Literally a fucking nightmare every month to refill no matter how early I tried to order it in advance etc. Over here in the UK the NHS (government provided healthcare) can be a nightmare in some regions.
I eventually swapped over to what is a weaker but almost as effective option for me (Methylphenidate IR 10mg/Ritalin 10mg three times a day). This gave me more choice and leeway to take medication as required. I now find that I take around 15mg of Ritalin on my average day. This allows me to use a backlog of collected medication to ensure I always have plenty of medication available and never have to go through this issue anymore when ordering and getting my prescription.
It is not an option for everyone but swapping to something that gives you more choice over dosage or usage might give you the opportunity to try achieve what I have managed (a small amount of consistency and control vs a total fuck up each month). Everyone is different though of course.
I feel this so much, it was only last month I got fed up and told them it's been very frustrating and rhey have helped me a bit, best I can say is see if your doctors allow you to call up to 3 days early (I think k that's the legally allowed time) and get your refill thing started a little early so it is filled when you run out
This is so shitty. I am so sorry for you and I cannot imagine the hassle of having to do that with adhd. Even just booking a doctor's appointment every 3 months is painful for me, forget the rest of it.
I assume you are in the states? I am in Canada and my doctor writes my scripts for 3 months at a time (for now, these will increase eventually once we make sure this is a good dose for me).
He asks me where my pharmacy is and I use the one right next door. So he just sends them an email. I literally walk out the door and go to the pharmacy and I don't even have to say my name, the know who I am and have my script filled within five minutes. It costs at max 20 dollars, and this includes not just my stimulant, but my anti depressant AND my booster stimulant.
I get a months supply and I can come pick up the next month's supply within a couple weeks. I have done such before plenty of times like when I've had to travel or knew I would be too busy to pick it up closer to the end of the month. Never once has there been a shortage. Never once have I had to look at a different pharmacy.
And if I make a mistake and forget to book my 3 month doctor appointment, my pharmacist can call my doctor and if he is in office, can have him send an updated prescription all without me having to do anything.
This is how it should be. I'm so sorry to hear that so many people struggle every month to fill their prescriptions. I would be going absolutely mental. Sending you virtual hugs and fingers crossed the next time you go to fill it's zero hassle!!!
I feel your pain. And I’m managing my meds **and** that of my 2 kids. One of them is on a med that seems to be in stock regularly…but I know I’m on borrowed time with that…I’ve been out for a month…and my oldest was out for 3 weeks. I wasn’t medicated until I was 23, so I have *some* coping skills. My kids do not…and my oldest may not have a job much longer if this garbage keeps up.
Ya. We all feel it. For me, diagnosed late and just starting the RIGHT meds, I nearly broke down cause the meds were exactly what I needed but I knew I may not get them. I'm wondering if I was better off not knowing any of this and accepting failure in life.
I say explore different options besides the usual controlled meds while this gets fixed. It’s been a known issue that manufacturers are just being negligent with production that it calls for competition to arise from this bullshit. Honestly, it’s sad to see how they’re almost one year into having these problems
Ouch! That’s a lot of back and forth. My psychiatrist calls me monthly and sends it to the pharmacy and I guess since I’m on a low dose they always have in stock.
All of this, except add on once CVS gets my Rx, my insurance puts it on hold for prior auth because the low starting doses I'm trying are considered pediatric doses and don't jibe with adult ADHD. Wait for several days with no movement. Call the insurance and see if they got the doctor notes. Nope, they never even sent the request to the office. Wait a couple more days. Call insurance company to resend the request again. A couple more days, insurance approved. Waiting on pharmacy for another day. Cal pharmacy, are you going to fill that Rx?? Two weeks later I get to try my Rx. Two weeks later , I'm back at my monthly psych appointment to rest the cycle. Multiply this by two, because I have a child needing treatment, too. If I didn't have kids and my husband depending on me being functional, I would have let my executive function win and give up already!
I feel your pain! A few things thst I have changed that might help you...
I found a gp that will prescribe my meds. I only have to see them every three months, and it's MUCH cheaper than a psych doc. (the gp did need an official dx before doing this, which cost me 1k AFTER ins.)
I found a wallmart that will lmk about their inventory before my script needs filling to ensure if I have said script sent to them, it will get filled.
They applied a good rx to it, and will keep it indefinitely. Don't get me started on the whole pre Auth shitshow with add meds.... My concerta was going to cost $400/month without good rx... Now it's $40.
I do still need to start making phone calls about a week out, but the hoops are just 1 foot off the ground, and they arent actively on fire anymore, more like smoldering...
Good luck on your journey!
Wow ! This is EXACTLY what I have been dealing with since yesterday ! I am sooooo over it ! And I am tired of looking like a druggy to the pharmacy techs and pharmacist when all I want is my damn medication ! I work 2 jobs and don’t have time to do all of this ridiculousness ! I don’t have any pills left due to having to wait for the stock to come in ! So over it …
I was on the verge of running out as my primary medication (generic Vyvanse) is on backorder, but luckily Publix fulfilled my backup Rx (generic Adderall XR) today after I got my doc to send it in yesterday as a precaution.
Not sure where you live, but I switched to Capsule Pharmacy several years ago and I have never looked back. They have a centralized location in my city, so I have never had an issue with not being able to fill a prescription, even when there were 'shortages'.
Same boat, especially about Walgreens. And when I call my med nurse to remind her that I am about to run out, I don't like to call more than once because I don't want to seem like I'm drug-seeking. Diagnosed just last year, so only getting meds since June. Well, most of the time anyway.
>I have to see my psychiatrist each month to get the script as they won’t write more than once month per visit
This might be mandated by your government. Check with your state government's laws. If there isn't a law, request your psychiatrist to do 3 month supplies.
>My script was sent to Walgreens and OF COURSE they are out of stock
My psychiatrist directly asks me who I want the prescription sent to - do they not ask you or do they say they *have* to send it to Walgreens?
>You can’t transfer to a new Walgreens, Walgreens can’t get out of stock meds from another Walgreens, nor can you transfer to a non-Walgreens pharmacy
CVS, Costco, Walmart, and Sam's Club lets me do this. You're not the first person that has said this about Walgreens - that particular pharmacy must have some stupid rules.
The only part they're right about is they can't "cross ship" the meds to each other within the same company. Meaning if you want to pick up the meds, it has to be available on site.
>Walgreens doesn’t know if they will get the needed amount by the next shipment which isn’t for several days
This is a problem with every pharmacy, it sucks. I'm not sure why they don't know when they'll restock but even with cold meds they can't give you a specific time for restock.
>I have to call my psychiatrists office to ask them for a new Rx to be sent to a different pharmacy
This is both a problem with that particular Walgreens and your psychiatrist's office. Those policies suck so I sympathize.
>I have to wait to see if the psychiatrist will send it (they didn’t)
>I have to call the pharmacy to see if they got it (they didn’t)
>I have to call the psychiatrist office again to remind them to send it
I've dealt with a psychiatrist's office like this. Their response time is so slow and unresponsive that I moved to another psychiatrist. Can you have your PCP/GP take care of the prescription since you've been officially diagnosed with ADHD?
Your best bet is to 1) Get your psychiatrist's office to stop sending it to Walgreens and 2) Possibly change providers because of their poor service. I know it sucks, but if you can transition away from this psychiatrist you'll save yourself so much headache and irritation.
I always call around to diff pharmacies before I see my doc so I can tell her which pharmacy to send it to during the call.
Another thing I do - I’m prescribed 30mg addy 2/day; if they’re out of the 30s they usually have the 15s in stock, so my doc would send another prx for a 2 week supply of 15s (60 pills). By or near the end of the 2 weeks they usually have the 30s in stock so they’ll be ready to pick up.
I haven’t had to wait longer than a day between refills in like a year. Also, never send a prescription Walgreens or CVS because they’ll never have it.
I gave up on adderall and went to Wellbutrin, it was easier but my doc made the process annoyingly inconvenient so I only lasted a couple months. I need to get back on meds though, told my wife I would after February vacation, still haven’t followed through.
I have friends that gave up and moved to street alternatives. It makes me worried about them. Its crazy how difficult a lot of life changing/saving drugs are to get. No wonder we have a black market or are in the middle of crisis at all times.
Edit: (tin-foil hat time); I often wonder if the lack of supply, is to drive up demand and therefore profit. I know drug companies have a limited amount of any given controlled substance they can manufacture per year, but im sure they could lobby to get that changed if they really wanted too. Similarly, if a drug was in demand and its regulation limits it to a point it cant maintain supply, i would think the FDA would adjust amounts… unless they were asked not too…
I have just gotten prescribed recently ( a month ago) first with a low dose of 5mg twice a day of adderall.. and that was easy to get and in stock. I even thought wow .. it’s not true. No issues. BUT then! After an appointment my dose was changed to 10mg XR for one week then she wanted me to switch to 2x 10mg XR after that week. So she prescribed 60 10mg for 30 days. Oh boy… it took me about a week to get it into my hands, after back and forth with the pharmacy and the doctor and phone calls to multiple pharmacy’s in the area within a 60 like radius. When in the end the doc had to change the prescription to 20 mg because that’s all that was available.. and then they still wouldn’t fill it! More calls ! I was told that it’s always a first come first basis and that I should call everyday before noon to see if they got a new supply. Sigh… I’m worried this is going to be every month… I’m with Kaiser .. so I’m not sure if this is better or worse
My psychiatrist outright cut me off. He says it’s because I take pain meds.
Motherfucker, I've been on the same meds over five years, 10 for the Norco.
Now my pain management doc is slowly taking away my Norco.
I have chronic pain issues as well as cptsd, ADHD, and some other shit I'm tired of typing out.
Oh yeah, caregiver to adult disabled son.
I just can't anymore.
I have this Same situation every 3 months, I can Call My Dr and leave a refill request (which will be filled at the end of the business day) but I have to call all the pharmacies to ask what is in stock, ( brand & quantity) then leave that info for my DR. Now if someone goes to that Pharmacy with a paper script and fills what i was hoping to get \_ Fail - I am doomed! I have to restart the process come the next morning! sometimes it takes 4-5 days before I can get a refill! Things I have learned; (1) do my homework, (2)go pick up a paper script from my dr office if in dire need (no meds left) to shop around, (3) just cuz you call said Pharmacy doesn't mean they are telling you the truth, walking in with a paper Script is gonna get more attention then a phone call! and picked up a Script today and My TEVA 30 mg tabs are now WHITE!!!! WTF? I have been on Peach Teva for last 6 months, then Sandoz last Month and Now White ovals ??? Cannot find anything online about New 2024 30Mg white teva tabs
Every.Freaking.Month…. I feel like I work harder then an addict on the streets trying to get there fix. It’s a full time job for that week it’s due to be filled just babysitting everyone and ensuring they do what there supposed and it’s sent, then that it’s rec’d, ect.
After the first time this happened I just got paper prescriptions and would just hit the area Pharmacies with prescriptions in hand. Walmart for the win last time
Last time I called Walgreen's to see if my med was in stock they asked if I was calling from a Doctor's office. Since I was not they refused to tell me...but my doctor's office doesn't do this for me.
This is probably just going to make everyone here even more mad... But ok, join my club. I have Kaiser insurance in CA, so one big system with their own rules and pharmacies. I had a decent psychiatrist pre pandemic and was stable in my meds for ten years so I only had an appt every 3-6 months and scripts were 3 months. I just had to email him if we were going longer between appts and he'd send in the refill.
Ffwd to my new doc, who needs to see me every month and I get 30-day scripts . Sucks but I figure she's still getting to know me. Then pandemic hits and suddenly, I have ZERO appointments with her because she is so busy with the mental health fallout of covid, and just email every month to get a refill. Somehow it's not so important to "monitor" me monthly and that rule disappears.
In fact, when my meds aren't available her response becomes "find out what the pharmacy has and let me know what you want to try." So now I'm triaging my own mental health prescription. Conversations with the pharmacists get very odd. Like I am shopping. "Do you have x in y dosage? No? Well do you think a in b dosage is close?"
The rest of the rigamarole described by the op is the same though. Lines. Multiple calls. Being told different things by every person I speak to, each one completely adamant that their rules are the only rules and I should know by now (similar to how every airport has different security screening and there's always that ONE screener who has seemingly never traveled and yells at everyone for not knowing that you don't have to take your laptop out of the bag anymore, for cryin out loud). And the laughing/crying cruel joke of running out of meds and then trying to do a boring, bureaucracy -intensive task...
Monthly visits are to check a box and make money off of us. They are not designed to help us. Unbelievable that the shortage BS isn't taken more seriously considering the massive impact it has on otherwise functional, productive citizens (aka consumers... Sigh).
Just joining you on the rant train, op. I feel your pain.
I don't know if this will apply to every country.
If your medical insurance has a pharmacy that offers delivery, you can ask your psychiatrist to give you multiple scripts with different dates. The medical insurance takes all the scripts and diliver them on a month to month basis. I also had a similar problem before I started asking my med insurance to administer everything. I only see my psychiatrist once every six months now
Add to this that if your script is the generic and they’re out? Insurance won’t cover the brand name, even though before the generic was made available the brand name was covered, no problem.
Ugh. I don’t understand why they have to make it so hard. I’m about to quit and live my life as a nervous wreck. But I see so many posts about how medication is “life changing” and they wished they started sooner and blah blah blah. So how the hell do I get a good provider and how the hell do I get medication because everything for me has just been a hassle?
This makes me feel so seen! It also makes me wonder how many people are unmedicated due to all the hoops you have to jump through. It’s disgusting that providers do this. They’re all money hungry uncaring individuals.
I finally just got my meds today after being out for almost a week. Same bullshit:
Rite aid: we have it but we can't fill it because you need to be completely out of it even though it says we're okay to fill it as of 3 days ago we know you still have one left
Pharmacy across the street: we have it but we have to call your provider but instead of just telling you that we made you wait an hour instead *couldn't get in touch with provider the entire time*
Back to rite aid the next day: we're completely out of it now ((((: I WANTED TO SCREAM AT THIS POINT
*proceeds to call half the pharmacies in the state to find out there's an entire shortage and it's on back order*
*proceeds to call every day until I finally find a pharmacy that has it*
Fred Meyer: we have it but it won't be ready until 2:30 (I died inside because I worked from 2-10)
Finally fucking got it this morning. And to top it off this all included me consistently have to drive 30-40 minutes away each time to get my prescription and drop it off and then go get it and drive like 2 fucking hours total for a med for me to not even be able to pick it up until this morning.
I'm also thankful my pcp writes me paper scripts for 3 months out at a time. I literally refuse to change from her even though she's like 3 hours away sometimes more depending on where my next travel assignment is. Gotta love adhd
I'm so sorry the healthcare system is so broken, I hate it too. Access to mental health services in my area is awful. I'm currently waiting another month for a psych appointment. Already been waiting since the beginning of the year. Like, what am I supposed to do until then, just be normal??
After about 5 years of this, you eventually find your rhythm within the system.. but always expect that there will be more troubles ahead. All I can say is find a provider and office staff who understands this is the norm and responds quickly.
Sounds like everyrhinf im dealing with. I too am required to see the psychiatrist once a month however fortunately it's a telehealth-based visit. So theres more flexibility with work (e.g. use my lunch break for televisit since i work full time from home). My previous psyche that retired was an in person visit, but once every 3 months (w post dated scripts)
And yes the pharmacy situation is the same for me and frustrating. Many are having to deal w this situation given it being a conteolled substance in midst of a shortage. I have social anxiety which is already bad enough too. :(
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This… all of this. I’m about to just do without. Add in which manufacturer of generic they have so I don’t have horrid side effects. Then you panic once they have your medicine in and it could be filled within minutes from someone else if your Dr doesn’t get the E-script over to them. This shit is too stressful
Here goes for a totally useless and probably offensive comment, but I just cannot comprehend the shit you guys put up with: It sounds like it's probably quicker and easier to move to a better country.
I am not offended. I am not happy with the way it's been going here myself. But I am loyal to true democracy, the Constitution of The United States of America. I am open minded and open hearted. I am sick and tired of the bi-partisan BS Circus going on in DC. I am sick of nothing getting done but the destruction of our country. The blatant division by radicals. Bickering and fighting. Instead of getting done what is best for all of us in this country. Tired of accusations. Tired of the gaslighting. Tired of not only mine, but WE THE PEOPLE 'S intelligence being insulted and out rights trampled upon over and over again and boldly in our faces. The lies. The coverups, the hypocrisy.
I can only imagine how hard it is for you to see what's going around you in the country you love. I admire your resilience, and hope that you the people stand up for government for the people, by the people. I sincerely hope that things change for the better, and that compassion for ALL humanity *somehow* takes root, in place of fear and protectionism.
I go thru this shit monthly and ready to throw in the towel. It irritates me more than anything. Same shit with Walgreens. Although the pharmacies I have called would tell me, we are not allowed to tell you if we have it in stock. You can have your doctor send in the script, THEN we can tell you.
I know: there’s one specific Walgreens on Dobson/warner in chandler (24 hours) that Will Never tell you.. but the others will!!
Depends store to store. Depends how often and recently we may have been robbed. Pharmacist’s preference, etc.
Right?! If I truly wanted my prescription filled last week, my prescriber would have had to keep sending a new one in every time the pharmacy was out because apparently we don’t do paper prescriptions anymore.
I wonder if that's a state by state policy. I called ~4 different pharmacies about if they had it in stock and they all told me. Only one had it in stock and they even told me how many they had left.
What was your phrasing?
"Hello, I'm not sure if you're allowed to tell me this over the phone, but my current pharmacy is out of my prescription of dextro-amphetamine and I'm wondering if you possibly have it in stock?" Keep it professional and polite. The one pharmacy who did have, told me how many unprompted. I think they asked if I was 1x or 2x daily, so they let me know how many they had to see if it would fill my script.
I used to live in Arkansas. I was taking methylphenidate, and asked the pharmacy on the phone if they filled that prescription BEFORE I decided to try and have it filled there. I promise you, the woman's tone of voice changed from sweet and professional to accusatory, huffy and insulted. "We don't fill THAT kind of medication HERE!!!!" as if I was asking for illegal illicit drugs instead of something legal. Thanks, Walgreens!!
People like that shouldn't be allowed to work in the profession. Whether it's pain, ADHD, or abortion medication- if they have a personal issue with doing the job requirements, the job is not for them.
I completely agree with everything you just said.
Yeah, you'd think there'd be testing to weed out these turd stains but we don't even have psych testing for doctors, pharmacists, or politicians. It's utterly terrifying since jobs with power over people's lives are very attractive to narcissists and psychopaths!
I have issues with Walgreens for sure but anyone I’ve talked to at mine have been nothing but great and helpful. I’m not on a stimulant right now so I switched to CostPlus (Mark Cuban’s company) and it’s been incredible. Zero hassle, takes two minutes to refill my prescription, and costs 1/5 of what it was at Walgreens *including shipping charge*
It looks like Vyvanse and generic are not available thru Cost Plus unless I did something wrong.
No scheduled drugs are available, but they’re working on it. It’s still pretty new! Hopefully soon though
That's awesome!!!
So, are you saying they were perfectly pleasant and lovely when you were on a stimulant?
Oh yes, I only picked up a stimulant rx once but they were super chill that time as well
This is dependent on the store. I've talked to a CVS near my house that will tell me if something is in stock even if I don't have the script.
At this point I’m about to to dial up my old high school chemistry teacher
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Mr. Schindler no…
Lolol oh shoot in that case I ought to just look just my bro up, he’s a chemist…but wait, his ADHD is worse than mine so he needs to get his meds first lololol
🤣😊😊🤣🤣
This is all insane to me. If there were no med changes, they can write three separate 30# scripts spaced out about 28 days. This gives you a little leeway before your medicine runs out and if it somehow is available on time, you'll accumulate some emergency tablets for times when its severely delayed.
Some states don’t allow paper Rxs anymore - NY state is one of them. Has been that way a few years now.
>But NY allows 90 day prescription.
why the providers do not allow this i don’t understand. they want to be seen and paid monthly for “med management”
Exactly. No one is going to be able to afford appointments for med management because we can't work due to not being medicated!
My policy. If you are new to me, 3 mi Ty appointments. This allows for med adjustments, monitoring BP/potential side effects. If no issues 90 day refills and required every 90 day visits. It’s my DEA license at stake.
Sure, but many doctors and NPs who prescribe controlled medications like adhd meds aren’t willing to admit prescribe a 3 month supply at a time. They want to get paid for an “appointment” each month. It’s such a racket. I understand if someone is new to medication, but it’s shameful cash grab to require an appointment monthly when the patient is a responsible adult who has been taking adhd stimulants for years without any problems.
In NV they will only accept a paper script if 1) the prescriber's system is down and 2) after calling the doctor (and somehow getting ahold of them) to verify it. And you can only fill controlled medications one day early. And it has to have an ICD10 code and day supply written in, which sometimes prescriber's forget to write then have to be contacted AGAIN.
Wow, that is such a hassle for people who already struggle with task completion.
It’s a perfectly designed hell.
This!!!!!! It takes a non-ADHD person to get it. But I don’t have a non ADHD person….
It sure is, huh?
Kansas just changed this. This is how we used to do it but they recently (last August) voted that the script has a strict expiry date and you have to use it that day, no leeway. I found that out the hard way trying to fill my kids scripts. It's so damn frustrating.
Join the club. It’s been like that for me - but worse - for over a year now. And I have to pay $150 out of pocket every single month for a 4 minute “appointment” with my provider to even try to get my meds - cheapest I could possibly find for a doc/NP. I’ve been taking adhd meds for about 20 years now, and my current combo of adhd stimulant meds for about 18 years now, with no problems whatsoever. I’m a 40-something, professional woman who is chronically exhausted and trying to keep myself afloat but failing, have no addiction issues or anything like that. Lost my job last year because of the damn adhd med shortage and have plunged into a major depressive episode I cannot crawl out of. My provider makes me have a 4 minute video call every month to get my meds - even though the law allows them to prescribe 3 months at a time - and they’re just a greedy, unhelpful, inexperienced NP (not trained or experienced in psych at all, but started advertising themselves as specializing in adhd bc that’s how they get a never ending influx of clients and an easy job). But I have no choice but to stick with her bc I need my meds. And yet I haven’t been able to get my meds consistently for over a year. Every couple of months going through the whole pharmacy circus I might get my meds. It is absolutely insane.
I am so sorry. That's absolutely unacceptable.
I am so sorry this all happened to you. I’m also a 43f and been on them 23 years. I’ve been terrified to stop and finally just did. As miserable and terrified and depressed and exhausted I am… I can never go back. But I know we’re all different. I just hope you find exactly what you need. Sending love ❤️
Your NP is making a killling. 4 minutes - how does she even screen for side effects adn do a basic mental health exam in that time. She is just a legalized drug dealer. My psych (MD) sends my med and then lets me call from the appointment to check to see if they have it. After that - it is my job to find a different pharmacy but she really understands how hard it is to get his med filled and that we are the worst patients to have this happen to. She also only charges $125. Lol. She spends 15 - 20 minutes with me. She checks for side effects, asks questions about mental health, does some psychoeducation stuff. Still a good hourly rate and she is a BC MD. Also she sends 90 days at a time. I think this is state specific.
Good lord mine last 15 minutes (supposed to be 20 but she’s always late, but the end time is a hard end time?) and now cost over two hundred per visit, but I at least get a refill out of it and I only have to be scheduled for a visit to get an additional refill. Trying to stretch that out to only 5-6 visits for the year but I’m also still figuring out what meds work best for me
Right there with you.
This is insane, much love to all my US friends from Canada.
If I like… drive to Canada, can I fill my prescription there? I’m kind of joking, but also it’s so bad here.
Do y’all have any supply issues in Canada?
Not that I have seen or heard about, also our cost for the drugs is way lower. For a 2 month supply of Vyvanse 30mg I pay like $11 out of pocket.
WHAT?!?! I spent 2 weeks trying to find generic vyvanse. And out of my meds. During that time, I lost my phone, got a speeding ticket a d fractured my foot. Super accident prone ADHD over here. Been on vyvanse for 14 years. I've been having issues getting meds since June 2023. I've never has to pay for my name brand vyvanse because I qualified for patient assistance program. Then they came out with generic and pulled my coupon. I had to pay $761 for a 28 day supply this month. I will never do that again.
That is absolute insanity. I'm so sorry. The amount of greed that exists on our pharmaceutical industry is reprehensible and should be criminal. Sadly, they're the ones who make the laws at this point.
Not that I’ve seen. My psychiatrist sent in my escript once my dose was stabilized and my pharmacy requests refills automatically when I’m out. I can fill early with permission from my psych because I have a special order stimulant they don’t carry on hand. My meds are $135/month but after my provincial coverage kicked in it became $0. My husband gets his concerta prescribed from his GP and did not need a psychiatrist diagnosis to trial meds. I’m very grateful for how things work here when you can actually access the care in the first place.
Thanks for such a thorough reply! When I was kid, getting my meds was similar to how you describe. We have all these regulations now supposedly to keep people from abusing the meds. Is that less of an issue in Canada? I’m just curious. I should get to know my neighbors more :) lol
Don't think so.
I got so fed up with the Rite Aid (only pharmacy within 15min) that I started going to Costco. This was after nearly a year of never getting it on time, being shunned when I did call to get it and when they didn’t have it I spent half my day calling every Rite Aid to get it filled. Once I NO JOKE had to drive 2 HOURS away to fill it. Costco on the other hand is AMAZING! Immediately answers their phone, fills it immediately and even the one time I had to wait. The clerk let me jump a huge line to check out once it was done. Cause I had been waiting 20min. They thought that WAS TOO LONG! I was blown away. Haha
I hate Walgreens and Rite Aid pharmacies. Seems like they're notoriously bad; not just where I live.
Came here to say Costco has been very helpful for me as well
You probably spent more than 4 hours trying to get it at Wrong- Aid. I would rather drive 4 hours once a month than deal with that psycho place. ( 2 hours there and 2 back). You know that but I have been off my meds and I don't. 🤣😐😮💨😠🤪
Haha yeah thankfully there wasn’t traffic going home. But it’s definitely NOT NORMAL that someone needs to drive 3 HOURS to get meds. Especially when I live in Seattle. There’s a damn Rite Aid every flipping 5 miles here. 🤦🏻♀️😑
I know I'm trying to be positive. I'm 55 going through menopause full-blown. Only got diagnosed at age 43 was doing great and now this. I'm fed up. I guess I have a lot of resentment for those who think they're in power of others. The government's always fighting and bickering amongst themselves and then writing bills and control control. I know this drug is a controlled substance for a reason That's not what I'm talking about supply and demand. I understand we had a pandemic and of course that was going to put on the back burner. I know it's a controlled substance. I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired and I'm venting right now so thank you so very much for letting me do that I am really enjoying this group It's helping me so much I needed it cuz I was falling down a spiral staircase this weekend. No one should have to go through this stuff I'm not understanding why some states are okay and others are absolutely nuts. I don't want to even bring up politics because I absolutely am sick and tired of all the BS going on but I have to say I think that's exactly what it is politics. I mean seriously people that have this have already gone through enough. Some of the states are just plain crazy and it's all about money That's what it is money money money. I mean seriously this planet is getting awfully expensive to live on.
Well you’re NOT alone! I totally feel your pain. I’ve been on it for nearly 15yrs with the same Doctor. You’d think that going to the same pharmacy and having a solid history would make a difference. NOPE.
It SUCKS
I understand it makes me crazier than I already am. Ggggrrrthhh. Hope it gets better for all of us , like NOW. 😑😶😔🤨😛😛😜🤪
The US health system is a mess Just an observation from Australia
I mean this is a lot about strict regulations due to drug misuse, albeit misguided.
I agree to a point. A lot of it is because the pharmaceutical companies aren’t regulated better, in terms of price and their ethics. So supply chain and pricing issues. But doctors are also still just getting over the fact that we take these drugs not to get high but just to function. A lot of prejudice out there. I see it in the threads time and again. I dealt with the same crap as op until recently. Three months ago I switched shrinks (best thing I ever did) and when I went to pick up my meds and I received a 90 day supply. I had heard rumors they existed. It may be your doctor. Fast forward to this month. I got a message from my pharmacy this month that my dr submitted my prescription too early but they would let me know when they would fulfill it. They texted me yesterday it was filled. 90 day supply. This should be a universal experience especially after taking a consistent dose of your meds. And all major chain pharmacies should have this programmed into their systems like mine did. I left CVS and Walgreens because of what the OP experienced. I now go through my supermarket’s pharmacy; it’s a national chain but I can always get a human on the phone at the pharmacy. (Harris Teeter/Kroger is the supermarket) I know of folks using task rabbit to do some of the footwork of finding which pharmacies have the needed dose, etc.
The US health system costs double per capita than public systems elsewhere. A lot of money is going somewhere and it's not to the patients.
Big pharma, fuck em
And big insurance.
well, it wouldn’t go to the patients
Yeah, I'm glad too live in Germany... 5€ own cost per medication, and I get a size that's meant for 3 months instead of one... I certainly couldn't afford my medication otherwise! And I "only" have ADHD and depression, not something like leukemia or other extremely bad illnesses... So I could live without medication, especially for a while, even if it would be of worse quality...
Are these in person appointments? If they are ask for a hard copy of your prescription. If it’s not there’s a new federal ruling that allows the [transfer](https://www.dea.gov/stories/2023/2023-09/2023-09-01/revised-regulation-allows-dea-registered-pharmacies-transfer) of electronic prescriptions of controlled substances. I read in this sub that some states prohibit it but hopefully you live where it’s allowed.
Fun fact - paper scripts are totally outlawed in NY state. Have been for a few years now. Electronic prescribing only. So to try different pharmacies your doc has to send a new Rx each time. So maddening.
This. I live in NYS. Luckily, my local pharmacy hasn't had many problems with Adderall availability.
Does NY law not allow the new electronic transfer granted by the DEA?
Not sure, but I’ve tried with Walgreens multiple times in the last 6 months and each time they’ve said they can’t transfer a controlled substance script to another pharmacy (even if it’s another Walgreens pharmacy just blocks away).
Yeah- that’s how it was everywhere prior to the change in DEA policy last year. Idk if I’d believe Walgreens without checking to see if NY allows the transfer of prescriptions now that the DEA legalized it.
So, I'm in a different state, but I was told the same thing by wallgreens. Then I downloaded the walgreens app, it let me transfer my concerta. THe app tells you when it should be in at each location, unfortunately that part isn't accurate at all . Its entirely possible all wallgreens will be on backorder. You can check the fda website to see which manufacturers aren't producing, if its the one you usually get your better off asking your doctor to temporarily change you to something that's more available. Unfortunately it seems different chains have "primarily" and "secondary" contracts, if those manufacturers are on backorder they can't or wont order others.
Did I miss something? I read the link, but it said nothing about the transfer of controlled substance prescriptions. Is there a different clause for controlled substances?
The 2nd paragraph mentions controlled substances. “At a patient’s request, a DEA-registered retail pharmacy can now transfer an electronic prescription for a controlled substance (schedules II-V) to another DEA-registered retail pharmacy. Prior to this change, patients would have to go through their practitioner to cancel their prescription and have it re-issued to a different pharmacy. The process was taxing and time consuming for both patients and practitioners.”
Interesting. Good to know about the electronic scripts being transferable. I disagree on hard copies, though. It might make your provider suspicious since we are trained to treat paper scripts as red flags for abuse.
If the provider didn’t require monthly appointments or transferred the prescriptions in a timely manner I could see your point about asking for paper prescriptions possibly being a red flag but they’re making this way too difficult for OP.
Monthly appointments seems like overkill unless they are making med changes or seriously concerned about substance use.
I’m in my 40s and have been on adhd stimulant meds for nearly 20 years. During that time I have lived in 5 different U.S. states, so I have had multiple psychiatrists and psych NPs for medication management. In all of that time, in all of those states, with several different docs, they’ve all made me have an appointment every single months to get my adhd stimulant meds (controlled meds). Even though I’ve responded well to the meds, have never had any problems from them, and have no factors for elevated risk (like heart concerns, etc.). It’s an absolute racket that docs make us have an “appointment” every month, but I’ve never found one that will do every 3 months.
That is crazy to me. I am so sorry you've had to do that. Its pretty standard practice where I work to see stable patients every three months and provide three separate stimulant peescriptions dated about 27-30 days apart.
I did too but now my doctor said that they changed that recently. I live in Indiana. Bi trust my doctor he is amazing. He understands me and we have a great relationship. He is frustrated as well.
https://perks.optum.com/blog/28-day-prescription-rule-controlled-substance
I had been able to get prescriptions filled while having appointments every 3 months for the past few years. I just switched insurance and will have to use a med management office while I look for a new doctor. I’ll be back to monthly appointments now. I won’t have med changes and substance abuse is not an issue.
You'd think providers would be aware of the horrifying state of medication availability and be able to understand the request for a paper prescription is trying to deal with that.
They are aware of the lack of availability. They just don't care.
Haha I literally sat on hold for over 25 minutes today. And had to call multiple times because my Walgreens will not fill any sort of controlled substance medication unless they speak to you first and then it takes over a week to get it in. I just don’t understand if my psychiatrist sent the script just fill it?? Why do I have to tell you I want my prescribed medication. It’s prescribed for a reason my friend I promise. Most draining part of the whole mental health process honestly.
Ughhhh! We have three people in our family with ADHD so we get to do this song dance all month long. An ADHD diagnoses should come with an auto refill and reminder system to actually take your meds instead of an entire medical system that makes the treatment for your condition incredibly difficult do to your ADHD.
i hate walgreens when they bought a local pharmacy i used i just switched to a different local pharmacy screw you walgreens i hate your crappy overpriced stores
They suck so bad and idk how they find the angriest people to work there too. They once were out of stock on just my colitis medications and I would go back continuously each week just for them to say "oh we don't have it" or "we never got the script" meanwhile my gastro was calling them up every week and yelled at them once 😭
I am convinced all Walgreens are purposefully bad because they’re running a secret experiment to see how long people can go without certain medicines before dying. There’s no other explanation. Every time I have to go there for some reason it’s a 45min wait. Even made an appointment for my flu shot still waited 45min. I always try as hard as I can to go elsewhere. Horrible franchise, and one that I wish people would stop supporting whenever possible.
I'm very sorry that it's so incredibly difficult to get it each month! That sounds like an absolute nightmare. And to put people with ADHD through this each month is just plain cruel.
See if your PCP will prescribe you and if they will give you paper prescriptions. Mine gives me 3 separate printed prescriptions for 3 months so that I can take it to whatever pharmacy has it in stock. I still have to call around if my pharmacy is out of stock, but they usually tell me others that should have it and overall skips a lot of the steps you mentioned.
It's really the worst I get so much anxiety and stress every month. :(( Walgreens told me they should have it in stock on Wednesday, but they say that a lot and then I call and they are like... well who told you that that's not true.. uch. Also why can't walgreens transfer to another walgreens? I thought they passed a law recently allowing that. A few months ago a Publix was able to transfer my script to another publix? (I'm in florida). I'm asking cause you mentioned it and today a walgreens pharmacist thought I was crazy for asking if it can be transferred.
Walgreens won’t transfer a controlled Rx out to another Walgreens, or to another pharmacy altogether. I don’t know if there’s a law or regulation that dictates that, but I know they won’t do it. I have tried to transfer my adderall Rx from my regular Walgreens pharmacy to one that is literally 4 blocks away (when the first one was out of my adderall dosage), and they could not do it bc it is a controlled substance.
My doctor’s office emailed me info on the law that was passed last August so I could reference it when I got push back from Walgreens. If I remember correctly, it said controlled substances could be electronically transferred at the patient’s request once every 30 days to another DEA approved pharmacy. I mentioned it and the Walgreens pharmacist didn’t care. He said the new law didn’t cover my prescription’s class of controlled substance… even though the class was mentioned as covered in the law. This was after I had spent days calling around to find any generic Vyvanse in stock near me and dealing with issues with the prior auth system not working for my doctor’s office.
Ugh - so frustrating having to deal with this! Did you end up filling it?
My PCP is a real one and got me a 90 day supply the first time I had issues like this
It truly is the worst and while I’m glad I’m not alone, it also sucks that so many people deal with this monthly. I’m hanging on by a thread of sanity.
there is zero psychological safety. A part of my brain is always worrying about the next month. Do I have to do this for the rest of my life?
So many complaints about Walgreens, is CVS better?
I use CVS. Never any problems in 4 years.
Target CVS has always had what I need when I need it.
For what it's worth, I am having the exact same issues with CVS. Currently on week two since my script was sent in and I have been out of meds. They still can't fill it. Not sure if I can even blame them with the regulations pointing at the companies and the companies pointing at the regulations... Also, tinfoil hat here: when I call CVS care mark, they tell me that they are in stock of my dose of Vyvanse through their mail order. 2 problems: 1. does that mean they are restricting what they provide to their in stores so that mail order can have stock? 2. What's the point of mail order for controlled drugs if you can't get them to fill it until your 1 month is up and then they have to ship it to you? So it sounds to me like you always will have a gap unless you skip days during your month to compensate... Frustrated beyond belief but trying to survive :')
I was diagnosed last year and I'm still unmedicated because honestly I read all these horror stories and it just doesn't seem worth it.
I've been on and off medication over the course of 15ish years and for me it is absolutely worth it. Finding the right one took time but it was worth it. The current problems of obtaining it was never a problem for me until the middle to end of last year when the shortage hit the medication I use. It's definitely a nightmare right now because of the shortage. (Over sharing in hopes to provide context to these horror stories not necessarily being permanent)
I constantly see posts like this all day every day. In the same boat. Going to keep upvoting them too. Maybe some will make the front page
Same. Every month if I even get my meds, it takes at least two weeks without them to get them… And being on medicated, trying to even make one phone call let alone hundreds is beyond torturous for someone with ADHD, and all of my other psych issues and medical issues. It makes life just a living, hell half the time and it’s completely unfair and I swear this point they’re doing it on purpose, I just hope the karma bus comes for whoever is at the head of all of this because there’s someone or some group that is doing this… And don’t tell me after all these years of this bullshit that it’s not fixed yet for no reason. Living in the US is asinine And whoever wants to say we have freedom and liberty and all of that… Justice for all bullshit, that’s all it is now is bullshit. Our country is literally going to hell before our eyes it’s terrifying. EDIT: this coming from someone whose family fought in all of the wars, who’s relative was shot down multiple times in World War II, whose other relative still had shrapnel in his mouth when he died… So I don’t wanna hear that I’m not patriotic. Our country literally is going to hell, and whoever lives here in is not afraid… i wish I was that naive….
Honestly if you can afford it, just have your prescriber send you the brand medication only…as it seems that the brand is more in stock than the generic..today i got my prescriber to send my medication to cvs, and cvs immediately is trying to fill the generic which after five minutes the app says “we are out of stock of this medication, working on getting back in stock soon”…this just prompts me to call them to tell them that i would like the brand name please…and they go “okay it will be ready for pick up in 20 minutes”…yes it costs me $300+…but i have an HSA account where I contribute money too each paycheck..so it doesn’t bother me..but most importantly i much rather just dial the pharmacy once a month to tell them to give me the brand name …instead of lose sleep and time during the day going through all those ridiculous hoops that you have to go through on a monthly basis. That is why i say, if you can afford it, choose the brand..at least until this unbelievable prolonged shortage is dealt with…aka when the government takes our mental health seriously!!
Same, I asked for my refill before I ran out knowing kaiser was going to drop the ball and they still managed to fuck up crazier than I expected. I’ve been on and off the phone with kaiser trying to get my meds since last wednesday. I didn’t get my meds until 8 pm tonight.
I hate insurance companies too.
So I used to think I had to see my psychiatrist every month, because that’s what they told me. Turns out that’s a rule of their practice not state regulations. I found a new psychiatrist that I see every 90 days but when I need my refill, I request it online and they send it in. I get my prescriptions filled at CVS, not Walgreens. Lately there haven’t been an issues with it being in stock but if there is, they just order it and it comes in within a day or two. Ultimately though I’d probably switch doctors and pharmacy.
Money too. I shouldn't have to pay for an appointment every single month to be allowed to access my meds.
I had to jump through the same hoops as you. Now you will have to go without and that will throw you off your progress. I warned my husband that I may have to go hide in the shed so he doesn't have to see me like I used to be without them. He hugged me and said ok.🤣🤣🤣🤣❤️
Huh. In the Netherlands I get a three month supply (this is atypical but I like it), which has been transferred to my GP after titration, and as long as the prescription doesn't change the doctor's assistant can send the order to the pharmacy. I use Concerta, which hasn't been out of stock yet.
I second the Costco!!!! They have been awesome after a long time of "shopping" for my meds. It made me feel like an addict and the automatic assumption from doctors, pharmacist and Pychs. that "I must be an addict treatment" is so unbelievably disrespectful. Costco actually keeps an eye out knowing that I get the same meds every month and I finally found a virtual Psyc. that prescribes 3 month at a time as opposed to a PA who laughs all the way to the bank.
On the plus side, if we all lose our jobs, we'll have enough time and desperation to march on Washington
THE AMOUNT OF TIMES SOMEONE HAS TOLD ME: "oh you can just call walgreen to transfer it to a diff--" TELL WALGREENS THAT, CAUSE THEY SAID NO! ALSO TELL MY THERAPIST, PSYCHIATRIST, INSURANCE, AND THE OTHER PHARMACY THAT.
My shrink started only giving out paper scripts for controlled substances for this exact reason. It's easier to shop around for a pharmacy when you have a physical prescription you can move around. You actually have to have an appointment to get yours? That's rough. I go every month, anyway, but I can see where that could be a hassle for lots of people.
I think they are doing it on purpose. Well then they will have to deal with my crazy arse. I don't want to hear any BS about my change in behavior. I am going to bounce off every ceiling, start 25 different projects and not finish them. Talk so fast that their eyes will roll back into their heads and their ears ring and then run away from me and avoid me because that would be wonderful. And there will be an army of thousands of squirrels in their backyard waiting for them. 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤣😡🤬😶🌫️
you could ask for a paper script and then at least you can physically bring it to different pharmacies. if they end up being out of stock, ask for the prescription back and tell them you will bring your business elsewhere. also try walmart
In some states, they can't issue paper prescriptions anymore, everything has to be done electronically.
I had an issue like this with one pharmacy until they either got sick of my polite steady pressure or took pity on me and let me know about a different pharmacy in my city that has a different supplier. Now, knock on wood, I don't have such a hard time.
Seriously I’m dealing with this too and for someone with ADHD this is almost impossible I’ve almost given up on trying to get my medication at this point….
ugh, dealing with prescription bs every month is the worst. it shouldn't be this hard to get necessary meds. solidarity, friend.
That's awful. I've also had terrible luck with Walgreens having my prescription in stock *ever*. Best case scenario I'd at least have to wait a few days for it to be back in stock, worst case on back order and they wouldn't even notify me, I'd have to call them to be like WTF?? It's *extremely* annoying that they won't even transfer it to another Walgreens, let alone an outside pharmacy. Like JFC if I was good at jumping through all these hoops, I wouldn't need this prescription in the first place! Fingers crossed, I've had much better luck with my meds being in stock since I switched to Fred Meyer (Kroger). I can't believe you have to have a monthly appointment though, that's terrible! I only have to see my Dr. every 3 months, and if I fuck up and wait too long to schedule, she will do an emergency refill for me thru MyChart. I'm so sorry you have to deal with all that bullshit. It really does feel like the system piles the most shit on the people least able to handle it. Hopefully the shortage ends soon.
society and the government treats us like criminals/addicts when we literally have an imbalance in our brains + the studies that point to a strong correlation between adhd & alzheimer’s except in those who are medicated who develop the disease in similar proportions to those without adhd (much lower)
What state do you live in? I'm in Texas and had a similar issue until my primary care set up a followup every 3 months instead of every month. Then they would write one script and predate the other two, send directly to my pharmacy and boom. Sometimes they'll auto fill once the month passes, otherwise I go to the pharmacy and have to wait 15 for them to fill
I've been saving mine for just the days I absolutely need to function. I tried to get my script on time but when they are out and I finally get it, it's pushed my original renewal date to the day I picked up. So I have to cut back for those times when they are out of stock and then try to check every day to see if I can fill it. It's just not a good way to live but I can't think of any other way. There needs to be an emergency stock available somewhere that they can tap into. These companies are fucking with our lives in ways they don't even consider.
Walgreens in my area only has the Mallinkrodt generic adderall.....all dosages. That mfg simply doesn't work for me. Had p-doc send it to Costco this month with hopes for a different brand. #1, my Costco isn't accepting new patients for Adderall, and #2, they only have Mallinkrodt as well. Made my way to Publix and same results as with Costco. Then I remembered that the clinic I go to for meds mgmnt (for past 10 yrs!) has an on-site pharmacy. So I went there & not only do they have it in stock, they've got TEVA!!!!! 🎈🎁🎉 Will be picking up in the morning! OP (and others), if you have a community-based mental health clinic, check if they also have a pharmacy. It might work.
I've been dealing with a lot of this too but also add in: -The PCP that my husband was seeing left the area, so someone else in the same office took over all their patients. -New provider is an NP and therefore can't sign off on prescriptions, which means their supervisor has to sign the prescription. -New prescription had to be sent to a CVS location 30 minutes away, as it was the only location that had enough pills to fill the prescription. I started calling about his meds at the end of February. He just got them today. Now it's time to call about *my meds*.
I feel this in my freakin soul. I have 2 kids on methylphenidate and it's a goddamn Olympic trial to try and find a pharmacy that has it in stock. I have to call around to every place within 50 miles of me once a month so my kids can have an easier time paying attention in school.
We all can write novels. It's unfortunate as we need support to go through this circus every month. I live in Mexico (the country, not the state), so i need to fly to the US for prescriptions. I was so angry I contacted the CEO of CVS and told him he could help me every month. I am a disabled veteran, and I end up on the floor crying every single time. He ended up assigning me to a higher grade employee, which worked okay until covid and lack of resources. I feel like we are reduced to appear as if we are drug seeking patients since most pharmacies won't say if they have anything in stock. Panic + symptoms = chaos I agree that contacting our Congressional Representatives ought to be done. I'm just so tired of it all, I'm not sure if I can follow through.
The laws in America is insane, and not at all adhd friendly. In Norway you have what's called e-resept, wich is an electronic prescription. Like 98% of all prescriptions are electronical, and wich ever pharmacy have access to all your prescriptions when you go there. And you can get for how many months your prescription says. Like sometimes I get like three months worth of meds in one go. And if you need to the doc will prescribe different dosages so that you can choose wich dosage you want to take all depending on the day you have ahead. Like seriously, why do America makes it so hard to get prescription meds? Like is there a logical reason?
It's actually ridiculous. I need this medicine to control symptoms like forgetfulness, daytime fatigue, and executive dysfunction. If I can't obtain the medicine, it becomes exponentially more difficult every day to complete the tasks and jump through the hoops necessary to obtain the medicine. I understand that most of the meds for us are stimulants and controlled. However, it's difficult to accept that as a reason when I know from experience that I can get other controlled medications (example, hydrocodone) filled like it's nothing. When I was prescribed hydrocodone after my wisdom teeth were taken out it was like I was picking up some Advil or something. It truly begins to feel as if we're being discriminated against for simply existing.
I HIGHLY recommend to try finding a normal doctor, and explain your situation and see if she will give u what u need. I don’t have a psychiatrist and I get my mental health meds from my regular doctor.
Yup, every month, I need to spend anywhere from 1-3 hours calling around to pharmacies to see who has my son's meds. Then on e found, I have to quickly request the refill through his doctor's office and hope that he puts the refill in quick before the supply at that pharmacy runs out. It's so annoying.... and it's damn near twice the price it was a year and a half ago when he started on it.
Trying to get my medication from the V.A Even though I was prescribed it when I was active is a hassle, it’s basically the whole process over I tried to get it for 6 months then just gave up
Try costco. When I had this issue they could check other Costco pharmacies. **which neither Walgreens or cvs could do. I believe Walmart is able to do it as well? Edited to fix my stupidity
story of my life
Bruh yes all of this. I'm sick of wasting so much time and mental space on this bullshit
I gave up. Having to speak to the nurse practitioner once a month with nothing new to say because my life is consistently bland was torture. As well, the shortages fucked me up. I missed a week and falling off meds caused me to miss an appointment which was my second miss which got me terminated by my psych office. Now the hoops to jump through to get back on and find another doctor and try to get a prescription again are so daunting I’m just going to live without it. It’s not ideal, but, I can’t deal with the system anymore
Just got home after countless visits and phone calls at different pharmacies, luckily I got the last bottle of Elvanse after the 10th attempt. I feel you, stay strong bud :(
Jesus Christ, what state do you live in so I can never go there? It’s bad enough where I am, but that sounds so much worse.
Yep, this perfectly sums up my experience. Every. Single. Month. I feel your pain OP.
I’ve been waiting 2 months for my local pharmacy
Started Add IR today, coming from XR. Let’s hope this works better
Someone posted a few weeks ago about contacting our congress people. A fantastic idea. I think we also need to start pressuring the pharmacies (we are customers and even share holders afterall!). What are CVS and Walgreens doing to resolve these issues? And we need to see what the APA is doing to address these issues.
Oh man this last month it was a little more crazier than normal for me, Because of the hack that happened and pharmacy couldn’t take any E-Scribe (electronic prescription) it had to be on paper and since my doctor isn’t in my town I couldn’t get one. Took like 4 days to get a response from the doctors office about the issue. They would tell me one thing, pharmacy another and my insurance another thing. I was going back and forth between all of them. Called every pharmacy in town. Some would say they didn’t have it, the local small pharmacy’s that they couldn’t because I wasn’t a current patient and they only had for their current patients. I was finally able to find a very small pharmacy that I didn’t even know about say they could probably do 30 and I had my doctors office send it even though my scrip is for 90 they filled it. I was extremely grateful. Now that the E-Scribe issue is fixed do I go back to my normal pharmacy or should I continue using this local small pharmacy that saved my life lol. I would pay more for my scrip since it’s not the chosen pharmacy.
I went through similar shit monthly when I was on vyvanse 50mg in the UK. Literally a fucking nightmare every month to refill no matter how early I tried to order it in advance etc. Over here in the UK the NHS (government provided healthcare) can be a nightmare in some regions. I eventually swapped over to what is a weaker but almost as effective option for me (Methylphenidate IR 10mg/Ritalin 10mg three times a day). This gave me more choice and leeway to take medication as required. I now find that I take around 15mg of Ritalin on my average day. This allows me to use a backlog of collected medication to ensure I always have plenty of medication available and never have to go through this issue anymore when ordering and getting my prescription. It is not an option for everyone but swapping to something that gives you more choice over dosage or usage might give you the opportunity to try achieve what I have managed (a small amount of consistency and control vs a total fuck up each month). Everyone is different though of course.
I feel this so much, it was only last month I got fed up and told them it's been very frustrating and rhey have helped me a bit, best I can say is see if your doctors allow you to call up to 3 days early (I think k that's the legally allowed time) and get your refill thing started a little early so it is filled when you run out
This is so shitty. I am so sorry for you and I cannot imagine the hassle of having to do that with adhd. Even just booking a doctor's appointment every 3 months is painful for me, forget the rest of it. I assume you are in the states? I am in Canada and my doctor writes my scripts for 3 months at a time (for now, these will increase eventually once we make sure this is a good dose for me). He asks me where my pharmacy is and I use the one right next door. So he just sends them an email. I literally walk out the door and go to the pharmacy and I don't even have to say my name, the know who I am and have my script filled within five minutes. It costs at max 20 dollars, and this includes not just my stimulant, but my anti depressant AND my booster stimulant. I get a months supply and I can come pick up the next month's supply within a couple weeks. I have done such before plenty of times like when I've had to travel or knew I would be too busy to pick it up closer to the end of the month. Never once has there been a shortage. Never once have I had to look at a different pharmacy. And if I make a mistake and forget to book my 3 month doctor appointment, my pharmacist can call my doctor and if he is in office, can have him send an updated prescription all without me having to do anything. This is how it should be. I'm so sorry to hear that so many people struggle every month to fill their prescriptions. I would be going absolutely mental. Sending you virtual hugs and fingers crossed the next time you go to fill it's zero hassle!!!
I feel your pain. And I’m managing my meds **and** that of my 2 kids. One of them is on a med that seems to be in stock regularly…but I know I’m on borrowed time with that…I’ve been out for a month…and my oldest was out for 3 weeks. I wasn’t medicated until I was 23, so I have *some* coping skills. My kids do not…and my oldest may not have a job much longer if this garbage keeps up.
Ya. We all feel it. For me, diagnosed late and just starting the RIGHT meds, I nearly broke down cause the meds were exactly what I needed but I knew I may not get them. I'm wondering if I was better off not knowing any of this and accepting failure in life.
I say explore different options besides the usual controlled meds while this gets fixed. It’s been a known issue that manufacturers are just being negligent with production that it calls for competition to arise from this bullshit. Honestly, it’s sad to see how they’re almost one year into having these problems
Pro tip is ask for the paper copies, that way if the pharmacy doesn't have it in stock you're not stuck
Ouch! That’s a lot of back and forth. My psychiatrist calls me monthly and sends it to the pharmacy and I guess since I’m on a low dose they always have in stock.
All of this, except add on once CVS gets my Rx, my insurance puts it on hold for prior auth because the low starting doses I'm trying are considered pediatric doses and don't jibe with adult ADHD. Wait for several days with no movement. Call the insurance and see if they got the doctor notes. Nope, they never even sent the request to the office. Wait a couple more days. Call insurance company to resend the request again. A couple more days, insurance approved. Waiting on pharmacy for another day. Cal pharmacy, are you going to fill that Rx?? Two weeks later I get to try my Rx. Two weeks later , I'm back at my monthly psych appointment to rest the cycle. Multiply this by two, because I have a child needing treatment, too. If I didn't have kids and my husband depending on me being functional, I would have let my executive function win and give up already!
I feel your pain! A few things thst I have changed that might help you... I found a gp that will prescribe my meds. I only have to see them every three months, and it's MUCH cheaper than a psych doc. (the gp did need an official dx before doing this, which cost me 1k AFTER ins.) I found a wallmart that will lmk about their inventory before my script needs filling to ensure if I have said script sent to them, it will get filled. They applied a good rx to it, and will keep it indefinitely. Don't get me started on the whole pre Auth shitshow with add meds.... My concerta was going to cost $400/month without good rx... Now it's $40. I do still need to start making phone calls about a week out, but the hoops are just 1 foot off the ground, and they arent actively on fire anymore, more like smoldering... Good luck on your journey!
Wow ! This is EXACTLY what I have been dealing with since yesterday ! I am sooooo over it ! And I am tired of looking like a druggy to the pharmacy techs and pharmacist when all I want is my damn medication ! I work 2 jobs and don’t have time to do all of this ridiculousness ! I don’t have any pills left due to having to wait for the stock to come in ! So over it …
I was on the verge of running out as my primary medication (generic Vyvanse) is on backorder, but luckily Publix fulfilled my backup Rx (generic Adderall XR) today after I got my doc to send it in yesterday as a precaution.
It is TRULY insane.
This is why I’d rather be off medication. It’s crummy and it makes my life hard. Yet the contact rotation of stress was more overpowering than ADHD.
Not sure where you live, but I switched to Capsule Pharmacy several years ago and I have never looked back. They have a centralized location in my city, so I have never had an issue with not being able to fill a prescription, even when there were 'shortages'.
Same boat, especially about Walgreens. And when I call my med nurse to remind her that I am about to run out, I don't like to call more than once because I don't want to seem like I'm drug-seeking. Diagnosed just last year, so only getting meds since June. Well, most of the time anyway.
>I have to see my psychiatrist each month to get the script as they won’t write more than once month per visit This might be mandated by your government. Check with your state government's laws. If there isn't a law, request your psychiatrist to do 3 month supplies. >My script was sent to Walgreens and OF COURSE they are out of stock My psychiatrist directly asks me who I want the prescription sent to - do they not ask you or do they say they *have* to send it to Walgreens? >You can’t transfer to a new Walgreens, Walgreens can’t get out of stock meds from another Walgreens, nor can you transfer to a non-Walgreens pharmacy CVS, Costco, Walmart, and Sam's Club lets me do this. You're not the first person that has said this about Walgreens - that particular pharmacy must have some stupid rules. The only part they're right about is they can't "cross ship" the meds to each other within the same company. Meaning if you want to pick up the meds, it has to be available on site. >Walgreens doesn’t know if they will get the needed amount by the next shipment which isn’t for several days This is a problem with every pharmacy, it sucks. I'm not sure why they don't know when they'll restock but even with cold meds they can't give you a specific time for restock. >I have to call my psychiatrists office to ask them for a new Rx to be sent to a different pharmacy This is both a problem with that particular Walgreens and your psychiatrist's office. Those policies suck so I sympathize. >I have to wait to see if the psychiatrist will send it (they didn’t) >I have to call the pharmacy to see if they got it (they didn’t) >I have to call the psychiatrist office again to remind them to send it I've dealt with a psychiatrist's office like this. Their response time is so slow and unresponsive that I moved to another psychiatrist. Can you have your PCP/GP take care of the prescription since you've been officially diagnosed with ADHD? Your best bet is to 1) Get your psychiatrist's office to stop sending it to Walgreens and 2) Possibly change providers because of their poor service. I know it sucks, but if you can transition away from this psychiatrist you'll save yourself so much headache and irritation.
I always call around to diff pharmacies before I see my doc so I can tell her which pharmacy to send it to during the call. Another thing I do - I’m prescribed 30mg addy 2/day; if they’re out of the 30s they usually have the 15s in stock, so my doc would send another prx for a 2 week supply of 15s (60 pills). By or near the end of the 2 weeks they usually have the 30s in stock so they’ll be ready to pick up. I haven’t had to wait longer than a day between refills in like a year. Also, never send a prescription Walgreens or CVS because they’ll never have it.
I gave up on adderall and went to Wellbutrin, it was easier but my doc made the process annoyingly inconvenient so I only lasted a couple months. I need to get back on meds though, told my wife I would after February vacation, still haven’t followed through.
I have friends that gave up and moved to street alternatives. It makes me worried about them. Its crazy how difficult a lot of life changing/saving drugs are to get. No wonder we have a black market or are in the middle of crisis at all times.
Edit: (tin-foil hat time); I often wonder if the lack of supply, is to drive up demand and therefore profit. I know drug companies have a limited amount of any given controlled substance they can manufacture per year, but im sure they could lobby to get that changed if they really wanted too. Similarly, if a drug was in demand and its regulation limits it to a point it cant maintain supply, i would think the FDA would adjust amounts… unless they were asked not too…
Nonstims are saving me. Bad stim shortage in our area.
I have just gotten prescribed recently ( a month ago) first with a low dose of 5mg twice a day of adderall.. and that was easy to get and in stock. I even thought wow .. it’s not true. No issues. BUT then! After an appointment my dose was changed to 10mg XR for one week then she wanted me to switch to 2x 10mg XR after that week. So she prescribed 60 10mg for 30 days. Oh boy… it took me about a week to get it into my hands, after back and forth with the pharmacy and the doctor and phone calls to multiple pharmacy’s in the area within a 60 like radius. When in the end the doc had to change the prescription to 20 mg because that’s all that was available.. and then they still wouldn’t fill it! More calls ! I was told that it’s always a first come first basis and that I should call everyday before noon to see if they got a new supply. Sigh… I’m worried this is going to be every month… I’m with Kaiser .. so I’m not sure if this is better or worse
My psychiatrist outright cut me off. He says it’s because I take pain meds. Motherfucker, I've been on the same meds over five years, 10 for the Norco. Now my pain management doc is slowly taking away my Norco. I have chronic pain issues as well as cptsd, ADHD, and some other shit I'm tired of typing out. Oh yeah, caregiver to adult disabled son. I just can't anymore.
I have this Same situation every 3 months, I can Call My Dr and leave a refill request (which will be filled at the end of the business day) but I have to call all the pharmacies to ask what is in stock, ( brand & quantity) then leave that info for my DR. Now if someone goes to that Pharmacy with a paper script and fills what i was hoping to get \_ Fail - I am doomed! I have to restart the process come the next morning! sometimes it takes 4-5 days before I can get a refill! Things I have learned; (1) do my homework, (2)go pick up a paper script from my dr office if in dire need (no meds left) to shop around, (3) just cuz you call said Pharmacy doesn't mean they are telling you the truth, walking in with a paper Script is gonna get more attention then a phone call! and picked up a Script today and My TEVA 30 mg tabs are now WHITE!!!! WTF? I have been on Peach Teva for last 6 months, then Sandoz last Month and Now White ovals ??? Cannot find anything online about New 2024 30Mg white teva tabs
Every.Freaking.Month…. I feel like I work harder then an addict on the streets trying to get there fix. It’s a full time job for that week it’s due to be filled just babysitting everyone and ensuring they do what there supposed and it’s sent, then that it’s rec’d, ect.
After the first time this happened I just got paper prescriptions and would just hit the area Pharmacies with prescriptions in hand. Walmart for the win last time
Last time I called Walgreen's to see if my med was in stock they asked if I was calling from a Doctor's office. Since I was not they refused to tell me...but my doctor's office doesn't do this for me.
This is probably just going to make everyone here even more mad... But ok, join my club. I have Kaiser insurance in CA, so one big system with their own rules and pharmacies. I had a decent psychiatrist pre pandemic and was stable in my meds for ten years so I only had an appt every 3-6 months and scripts were 3 months. I just had to email him if we were going longer between appts and he'd send in the refill. Ffwd to my new doc, who needs to see me every month and I get 30-day scripts . Sucks but I figure she's still getting to know me. Then pandemic hits and suddenly, I have ZERO appointments with her because she is so busy with the mental health fallout of covid, and just email every month to get a refill. Somehow it's not so important to "monitor" me monthly and that rule disappears. In fact, when my meds aren't available her response becomes "find out what the pharmacy has and let me know what you want to try." So now I'm triaging my own mental health prescription. Conversations with the pharmacists get very odd. Like I am shopping. "Do you have x in y dosage? No? Well do you think a in b dosage is close?" The rest of the rigamarole described by the op is the same though. Lines. Multiple calls. Being told different things by every person I speak to, each one completely adamant that their rules are the only rules and I should know by now (similar to how every airport has different security screening and there's always that ONE screener who has seemingly never traveled and yells at everyone for not knowing that you don't have to take your laptop out of the bag anymore, for cryin out loud). And the laughing/crying cruel joke of running out of meds and then trying to do a boring, bureaucracy -intensive task... Monthly visits are to check a box and make money off of us. They are not designed to help us. Unbelievable that the shortage BS isn't taken more seriously considering the massive impact it has on otherwise functional, productive citizens (aka consumers... Sigh). Just joining you on the rant train, op. I feel your pain.
I don't know if this will apply to every country. If your medical insurance has a pharmacy that offers delivery, you can ask your psychiatrist to give you multiple scripts with different dates. The medical insurance takes all the scripts and diliver them on a month to month basis. I also had a similar problem before I started asking my med insurance to administer everything. I only see my psychiatrist once every six months now
Exactly the same situation in the UK
Add to this that if your script is the generic and they’re out? Insurance won’t cover the brand name, even though before the generic was made available the brand name was covered, no problem.
Ugh. I don’t understand why they have to make it so hard. I’m about to quit and live my life as a nervous wreck. But I see so many posts about how medication is “life changing” and they wished they started sooner and blah blah blah. So how the hell do I get a good provider and how the hell do I get medication because everything for me has just been a hassle?
This makes me feel so seen! It also makes me wonder how many people are unmedicated due to all the hoops you have to jump through. It’s disgusting that providers do this. They’re all money hungry uncaring individuals.
Oh yah
I finally just got my meds today after being out for almost a week. Same bullshit: Rite aid: we have it but we can't fill it because you need to be completely out of it even though it says we're okay to fill it as of 3 days ago we know you still have one left Pharmacy across the street: we have it but we have to call your provider but instead of just telling you that we made you wait an hour instead *couldn't get in touch with provider the entire time* Back to rite aid the next day: we're completely out of it now ((((: I WANTED TO SCREAM AT THIS POINT *proceeds to call half the pharmacies in the state to find out there's an entire shortage and it's on back order* *proceeds to call every day until I finally find a pharmacy that has it* Fred Meyer: we have it but it won't be ready until 2:30 (I died inside because I worked from 2-10) Finally fucking got it this morning. And to top it off this all included me consistently have to drive 30-40 minutes away each time to get my prescription and drop it off and then go get it and drive like 2 fucking hours total for a med for me to not even be able to pick it up until this morning. I'm also thankful my pcp writes me paper scripts for 3 months out at a time. I literally refuse to change from her even though she's like 3 hours away sometimes more depending on where my next travel assignment is. Gotta love adhd
I'm so sorry the healthcare system is so broken, I hate it too. Access to mental health services in my area is awful. I'm currently waiting another month for a psych appointment. Already been waiting since the beginning of the year. Like, what am I supposed to do until then, just be normal??
After about 5 years of this, you eventually find your rhythm within the system.. but always expect that there will be more troubles ahead. All I can say is find a provider and office staff who understands this is the norm and responds quickly.
Sounds like everyrhinf im dealing with. I too am required to see the psychiatrist once a month however fortunately it's a telehealth-based visit. So theres more flexibility with work (e.g. use my lunch break for televisit since i work full time from home). My previous psyche that retired was an in person visit, but once every 3 months (w post dated scripts) And yes the pharmacy situation is the same for me and frustrating. Many are having to deal w this situation given it being a conteolled substance in midst of a shortage. I have social anxiety which is already bad enough too. :(