thanks for listening. Another ? on changing a lock-in pharm.

Tough decision to make. You asked about filling scripts after the mom & pop place closes for the day. Since you have to use one pharmacy only you will have to wait until they are open & hope it never happens on a weekend. Getting something like an antibiotic would not be considered life threatening. I don't care for the hours thats for sure. You will have to decide what means the most to you from a pharmacy when making your decision.

Why do you not count your pills before walking away from the counter if they have shorted you in the past? Same with opening the bag up & making sure the medication inside is yours. Once we walk away from the counter with our meds its our word against theirs.

Let us know what you decide.

Who told you that it was a Medicaid requirement for Chronic Pain Patients ?

Hey Ang.I think it is a good idea.I love the Family Pharmacy I use.

The last time I got my pain meds filled it took 20 minutes.I didn't think anything about it.

They apologized for the wait and told me they were waiting on a delivery of Opana ER 10,for my prescription.

They close at 6 pm and are closed Sunday.

My current PMD scripts are due to be filled Sunday so I'll use another local Pharmacy.

Best of luck with whatever choice you make,

Rick

Ironically, I use a Walmart pharmacy but we've been using them for probably 20 years, so they know us, know what we take, have followed our health for years, and we know them by name. I'd go with the mom-and-pop pharmacy that treated you better, if you felt you could plan ahead and work around the more limited hours. That's something only you can decide, of course--well, the whole question is only something you can decide. But I do think there's a psychological benefit, if nothing else, from being treated well when one is sick and needs medication.

yes Mercy & Grace I will still be locked in for all my meds, but I can choose to switch my lock-in pharmacy. I just fear CVS doing to same as walgreens has, and they are so nice and understanding. I figure if in an Emergency and I need a script after 6 or on sat Tenncare won't fire me for a real emergency fill, and I'll schedule the rest to make sure I don't end up in a bad place. I"m just tired of the "your a druggy or criminal" feeling you get when I take my scripts to the CVS. I just chose it as it was new and 24 hours a couple years ago.
Thanks for the advice. To me being treated with respect and taken care of means the world to me.

Mercy/grace-to answer your question I don't think its an official "rule" that ALL CP patients be locked in, but a few years ago after the amount of schedule meds I receive (bozo's for seizures, pain meds, etc) they forced me to be in a lock-in, which wasn't really too big of deal as I only used one anyway, but it is a pain when mine is out of a drug or something....

Hi AngMichelle,

My own two cents here is that I absolutely prefer my own mom & pop privately owned pharmacy to the standard chain pharmacies. While the hours are certainly not as good and quite often if starting a new medication they often don't have it stocked and have to order it in for the next morning, I definitely prefer the personal care and service. I genuinely feel like they care about me as it doesn't matter which pharmacist is working - whenever I walk in they smile, address me by name, and ask how I am doing and whatnot regarding my condition. They often will give me suggestions to try and help improve the pain in other methods as well. It's a pharmacy where I don't feel like I'm doing something wrong for picking up a controlled-substance that I require to function.

On the other hand, I don't have the same lock-in law that you do so I still have the option of visiting another pharmacy in an after-hours emergency. Where I am from, the government has a "Narcotics Monitoring Program" which will only flag the pharmacist if you have filled a narcotic/controlled-substance from three or more doctors within the last 28 days, at three or more different pharmacies within the last 28 days, or if a prescription for the same substance was filled within the last 30 days and the supply should not have run out yet. So, in a pinch, it is not a problem for me to visit an after hours pharmacy if necessary and I have done so in the past after hospital visits. I also do not need to see my doctor every month for refills as he writes the scripts as partial fills for six months split evenly and dispensed every thirty days, giving the pharmacist permission to "refill" (even though they don't call it that for narcotics and 'partial' fills for some reason, at least here) every thirty days so I have it arranged that this will always occur during the week.

Ultimately this is your decision, obviously, but I really can attest to the personal care and friendly environment of a "mom and pop" pharmacy. It just feels so much more personal and there are so many great advantages that in my opinion far outweigh the disadvantages. And always know this: you can never be punished when you are doing nothing wrong. You are not guilty of any crime simply for wanting to switch pharmacies because you are unhappy with the service from your current one.

Whichever choice you make, I wish all the best to you and many pain-free days ahead.

Cheers
-KP

Mercy&Grace said...
KillerPain, what country are you in ?

I'm in Ontario, Canada. I wouldn't be surprised if we do see a lock-in type rule sometime down the road given the provincial government's stance on opiates but as of now there is no such rule other than those I mentioned previously. As far as I am concerned it should be up to the patient where their script is filled and switching pharmacies should not be looked upon as a crime.

Cheers

mtgman said...
I use a target pharmacy and it is amazing! Granted I fill many Rx's there not just pain meds but they are always super friendly know me trust me and are attentive. I was shorted 5 pills one time and freaked out after account the pharmacist called and apologized profusely. Another time I was 1 short. The pharm called me and said she noticed it rolled away from her workspace and she had it for me. I think its all about the pharmacist. The corporate pharmacies def have their strict rules. I won't go to Walgreens but even being a huge co with rules I still choose the target.

I have had success with my local Target pharmacy as well. Granted in Canada they are privately owned franchises as opposed to being corporately owned by Target it makes sense in that respect, so in essence up here they are basically big-box "mom & pop" pharmacies.