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My husband is currently prescribed xanax. He takes a 3 mg ER in the morning, and about two .5 mgs. during the day. Both are prescribed by the same doctor.
He is given a 90 day supply of the 3 mgs. In October he ran out sooner than he thought he should, and looked at his reciept that he saves. The date was exactly 45 days before, so the pharmacy only gave him a 45 day supply. Also, the bottle was small, too small to hold 90 pills.
He went to the pharmacy to see if they could figure out what happened. They thought that he was lying and treated him like a corner crackhead. He called the pharmacy district manager, whose number was given to him by the manager of the CVS (who has zero control of what happens at the pharmacy).
He told the DM what happened, and how he was treated at the pharmacy (he was there for about 30 minutes and the lady was a you know what the whole time).
The DM called him back about 3 hours later, and figured it out. He actually went over the tapes of the pharmacy, and the medicine logs. The pharmacy, on the day that my husbands first script was filled, was short the xanax. They gave him how many they had, and wrote in some log book that they owed him half. That info was never entered into the computer, nor did anyone other than the DM try to figure anything out.
Now people treat him like an ******* whenever he goes into the pharmacy, and today, when he called for a refill on the .5's, they refused even though the insurance company and his doctor both approved it. They said based on his profile they believe that he doesn't need a refill right now because they filled it early twice before and he should have some left over...
Can they do this? He did have extra, but had to use them because he didn't have the 3 mgs for two days.
And is that even their freakin business if the dr and the ins approve it?
My husband is currently prescribed xanax. He takes a 3 mg ER in the morning, and about two .5 mgs. during the day. Both are prescribed by the same doctor.
He is given a 90 day supply of the 3 mgs. In October he ran out sooner than he thought he should, and looked at his reciept that he saves. The date was exactly 45 days before, so the pharmacy only gave him a 45 day supply. Also, the bottle was small, too small to hold 90 pills.
He went to the pharmacy to see if they could figure out what happened. They thought that he was lying and treated him like a corner crackhead. He called the pharmacy district manager, whose number was given to him by the manager of the CVS (who has zero control of what happens at the pharmacy).
He told the DM what happened, and how he was treated at the pharmacy (he was there for about 30 minutes and the lady was a you know what the whole time).
The DM called him back about 3 hours later, and figured it out. He actually went over the tapes of the pharmacy, and the medicine logs. The pharmacy, on the day that my husbands first script was filled, was short the xanax. They gave him how many they had, and wrote in some log book that they owed him half. That info was never entered into the computer, nor did anyone other than the DM try to figure anything out.
Now people treat him like an ******* whenever he goes into the pharmacy, and today, when he called for a refill on the .5's, they refused even though the insurance company and his doctor both approved it. They said based on his profile they believe that he doesn't need a refill right now because they filled it early twice before and he should have some left over...
Can they do this? He did have extra, but had to use them because he didn't have the 3 mgs for two days.
And is that even their freakin business if the dr and the ins approve it?
Try to understand, Xanax is one of the most abused prescription drugs in the country right now.
It has a high street value and is in great demand.
Pharmacy's always suspect abuse of a drug when someone looks to be trying to get an Rx filled so soon after the previous filling.
And yes, this IS their business. They are basically the front line defense in prescription drugs not getting into the wrong hands.
I am sorry this mistake has made your husband look bad in the eyes of your local pharmacy.
What I would do is have him talk to his doctor's office about this, get a brand new Rx and switch to a new pharmacy.
In addition, do be aware that Xanax is very addictive. In fact, doctors I know don't write Rx's for it with ANY refills because it's meant to be used short-term, not indefinitely. Please have your husband discuss THIS with is doctor too.
I know about how addictive it is, so does he.
He was prescribed it the first time when he lost his job back in 2008. That was when he first started taking the .5's.
Then on 2/21/2011 we found out our son is Autistic, and it was heartbreaking. Too much for him to deal with at the time.
As for the doctor that prescribed it...
I have been seeing him since 2001. He gave me an anti-depressant after 9/11 to help me back then.
He has been my other childrens dr since 2001 as well.
He totally, completely missed that my son is Autistic. Kept saying that he would grow out of certain things, and that him not walking at 20 months is "his normal".
I don't trust this dr at all anymore. My kids and I all have new drs.
My husband really, really wants to switch, but now he is scared to. He has been taking this xanax for so long now his body is used to it. He is sick of taking it, but after seeing him when he was out in October I worry what would happen, and then it was only one day!!
Thanks for answering me, sorry I went on and on, just venting!!
BTW, what new Rx would you recommend? He has tried a few, horrible results. Tried effexor and that one that is now said to maybe cause Autism, cannot remember the name.
BTW, what new Rx would you recommend? He has tried a few, horrible results. Tried effexor and that one that is now said to maybe cause Autism, cannot remember the name.
Wow, you guys sure have a lot on your plates. And I'm sorry to hear about all your difficulties.
My husband was out of work for over 12 months in 2008 and 2009, so I understand what you've been through.
Has your husband seen a psychotherapist during any of the time he's been on the Xanax?
Ideally you want to combine these two things - therapy and medication.
And yes, if he's been on the Xanax this long his body is a bit addicted I'm sure. I would highly recommend you get him in with a new doctor - someone with a different approach who can help him wean off the Xanax.
In addition, please consider hypnotherapy with a trained and licensed psychologist. People I know have had real great results in living with their social anxiety by using hypnotherapy.
Ultimately, it best to only use medications like Xanax until other ways of coping can be learned or incorporated.
I really wish you all the best with all you are dealing with!
I am sorry this mistake has made your husband look bad in the eyes of your local pharmacy.
What I would do is have him talk to his doctor's office about this, get a brand new Rx and switch to a new pharmacy.
Her husband should not look bad in the eyes of the local pharmacy. According to this description, the pharmacy was 100% wrong and the district manager had to fix it. They looked bad and they are taking it out on the customer. You don't have to get a brand new Rx, you only have to go to another phamacy and have them transfer the prescription. I would check to see if any pharmacy has some type of promotion going and take my business someplace where they appreciate having customers.
I don't mean this in a mean way, but I think it is a shame that people resort to taking drugs just to cope with life. Sometimes life sucks, for sure, but are drugs always the answer?
Also, it is common knowledge that Xanax is addictive . . .
There are many natural ways to cope with stress . . . I can see taking something short term for a crisis, but don't agree at all with drugging up to cope with life. Sorry, I guess that is judgmental, but I find it incredibly sad.
I think people get confused about the difference between clinical depression and just being sad. Everyone has highs and lows in their lives. Some people confuse those lows, when someone might say "I feel depressed", with what people taking anti-depressants are going through. Those lows can trigger depression, but that's not what depression is. It's an irrational, unabating condition that just doesn't stop day in day out and medication is needed to help them. It's a tough concept, this cartoon below is someone's comic depiction of a depressive episode and I think we can all agree that's not just regular sad. If her husband's going through this one hopes he'll continue to get the help he needs.
He is given a 90 day supply of the 3 mgs. In October he ran out sooner than he thought he should, and looked at his reciept that he saves. The date was exactly 45 days before, so the pharmacy only gave him a 45 day supply. Also, the bottle was small, too small to hold 90 pills. He went to the pharmacy to see if they could figure out what happened...
And is that even their freakin business if the dr and the ins approve it?
Definite breakdown in communication. Is it possible that the pharmacy explained he had received only a partial fill and he either didn't understand or forgot?
The cashier or pharmacist should have explained this very clearly before he even left the store the first time, and when he came back in it should have been a fairly simple transaction.
The partial filling of prescriptions is fairly common and I don't understand why a district manager was needed for this to be figured out. Should have been something the pharmacy manager could have figured out on his/her own.
I also agree with lovesmountains, pharmacist are a front line of defense in keeping prescription drugs off the street. Not sure about elsewhere, but our pharmacist have a pretty good relationship with local law enforcement. We've had quite a few arrests for phony scripts, so I can't really blame them when they are suspicious of things that are out of the ordinary. Some people do some crazy stupid things in their efforts to access more drugs. Sad that their actions affect the way legitimate customers are treated too.
They are supposed to charge for the full amount, then write on the RX bottle "owe 45" and, of course, record it everywhere it needs to be recorded. I've had this happen at times with controlled substances, but never had a problem getting a refill.
However, if, say, a patient wants just a short fill to try it out, or because they don't have the money then, whatever, then each refill becomes reset at that amount.
Say, for example, your doctor prescribes 100 tablets with 3 refills. you're not too sure if the drug will work, can't afford all at once, so, you ask for just 20 tablets. Ok, now your record reflects 4 more refills at 20 tablets each = 100 tablets. So, next time you go in, you get 20. They now figure 20 is your monthly supply, if you want more in the meantime, you need a doctor's override. The doctor says its ok, but they don't quite realize you're getting 20/month, not 100/month. With me so far? We haven't even included insurance yet.
I ran into that crap with blood pressure medicine I figured my BP was better off if I just didn't fiddle with the damned stuff!
Finally, I got around it by asking for another brand of BP medicine, went to a different drug store, and paid OOP---forget the insurance, sometimes you're better off without it!
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