Mail In Pharmacies

Yes, I hate the mail order pharmacy..We are now forced to use them after our third refill otherwise our copay will double. I think it's ridiculous and we should be able to choose who we want to use. I have to use mail order for my Enbrel but prefer my local pharmacy since they know me by name.

I share your frustration!!!!!! We don't even have a CVS pharmacy here where we live so we are forced to do everything by phone/mail it is so impersonal. My worst fear is that they will make a mistake with my MTX, it will be late etc, and I really depend on it. The last time I spoke to them I was trying to explain to them that I need 32 pills per month, and the lady kept telling me that I would have 2 left over for the next month. I take 8 per week! She told me my mail order would be for 86 pills, it was terribly frustrating as I explained that I would need 96. I may just pay the extra

I doubt there is much we can do but either pay the extra or go along with it.

Just know you are not alone.

Hi Mel, I have Champva insurance. I can order mine either by mail or at the pharmacy.  Jeniffer Are you sure you can't get Lortab for the 4 dollars deal at Walmart. I remember once I had to pay a copay a couple years ago my co was 25% and walmart charged me 1.00. So that would have meant that if was 4 bucks without insurance. If you followed that. If I were you I'd call your dr. tomorrow and ask them to call him a weeks worth of predisone. They are real real cheap. Even without insurance. and it beats not having any. I usually go ahead and pick mine up at the pharmacy because my dr won't let me get my pain meds by mail. Even though my insurance will allow me to get lever 1 2 and 3 drugs as well. I hope you get this taken care of and try to keep a few around for times like this. I know it's frustrating.

hugs

carol

My pharmasist said to always check out the company you order frome. If they are mediciad approved, the they should be okay. He said just beware of drugs from countries that don't have the same restrictions on the manufacturing of medications as we have here. The Lortabs only 20.95 at Walmart and that's for 120 tabs. Haven't found it any cheaper anywhere else, even pparx.org doesn't have it. Best of luck to everyone. God Bless you.

Thanks for the input all. We are required to use Medco or we are penalized after the 3rd refill as well. I do plan well in advance as I stated I placed the request back in December when I ordered my other meds. That's what makes me so darned mad, this is not the first time this has happened, they've done this with my husbands blood pressure meds as well and we've had to get the doc to call in a script to the local pharmacy to get by! It happens quite often. In the beginning I was quite impressed with Medco and their promptness, as time goes on they are really going downhill fast.

Also, we have used the same local pharmacy for 30+ years, so that doesn't help any when Medco screws up. Our local pharmacy is very friendly, caring and you can literally park at the door and walk in and speak to someone. Mind you, they do not have $4 prescriptions, which is really helps many.

Jennifer, I can totally understand you using a mail in if you have no insurance, you are doing it by choice and to get the best price, makes perfect sense.

My husband reminded me that the docs are just as frustrated as we are. He had an appt. this week and his doctor asked his nurse to fax in his prescription to medco, she said "we can't, they prefer us to send e-prescriptions." He told my husband even the doctors have no control over the insurance companies and the prescription process, needless to say this doctor doesn't do email so he wrote the prescription and we mailed it in. Long story short, if the doctors have no control, I guess we as patients don't either, right?

Melissa

Hi! Melissa and Everyone,

I use my mail in pharmacy by choice and am more than satisfied. Medco is a big, big, company, but in 3 yrs. of using them, I only once didn't get a refill in time. It was for my prednisone, and I called my doc, terrified of missing any doses and he was more than happy to call in a 1 month script to be filled by my local pharmacy to hold me over until my 105 day supply came from Medco. They held the 3 month order back, until my current month wait for it time had passed. I had to pay the $3.99 copay for 30 tabs, instead of $10.00 for 105 days worth, but was grateful. And actually it was my fault since I waited too long to phone in for the refill. In fact, our local pharmacy, a Rite Aid, is so helpful, and actually called Medco for me. Here in NY, I was told they are trying to set up affiliation agreements with local pharmacies. We can choose our prescription plan, local or Medco, but it is far cheaper to get my 9 prescriptions through the mail.

sue

Hi! Melissa,

I don't mind at all . I live an hour from both Buffalo and Rochester. I go to docs at Strong Hospital. We are having a heat wave, it's 32 right now, but the snow banks are so high you can't see to pull out. We are looking forward to single digit cold mid week again. We have family in Texas, near Shreveport, and Georgia, and cold rain is almost worse than snow, because snow is alot prettier than mud. I have often felt I was driving to work in a snow globe. We live on a little lake, and I love to swim, so our 5 months of nice weather balances out our winters. I miss being able to be out in the sun alot. It's nice to chat, I hope you get to see your family often.

sue