I'm fortunate to have a local pharmacy that is good to me and will order just about anything I need in 24-48 hours turnover, but I'm in the city so it's an embarrassment of riches when it comes to finding a place to fill scripts. I can just go to the place around the block or make a few phone calls ... when I was on bupe, though, there were a few occasions where it took a little while to find a place to fill it, and that was a challenge for sure. Freaking out. The hardest script I ever had to fill was dexedrine, a few years back when it was on indefinite back order due to DEA limitations on synthesis, maybe it still is, IDK, I don't take it anymore, and now for some reason Sonata is hard to find, but I found another neighborhood pharmacy that sorts me out for that. Everyone stocks pain meds but I don't really get 'em anymore. Luckily I have insurance so I pay like $60 for refills on something like $2500+ worth of drugs, of course I pay a bit for the insurance but it sure as hell works out, and at the end of the day that's good money for the pharmacies I guess because they've always gone out of their way. One hand wash the others. I can't say enough for my local pharmacists who are good folks who know me by name and know what I'm prescribed and sometimes even have it out for me on refill day. It's a wonderful thing. Stay away from chains and support your local pharmacy FTW.
I agree for the most part on the chains, especially now since the biggest ones have been fined by the DEA, but it really depends on the pharmacist, the attitude of their corporate managers, and geography. I worked for 10 years at one of the biggest chains and never refused a controlled script unless it was a clear forgery, there was a pattern of abuse, or it was too soon. My supervisor told us he would reprimand us, up to dismissal if we lied and said we didnt have something in stock when we did. We had a list of every C-II we were expected to carry based on history and I had every single one. At one point, we were in the top 5% in the whole company in dispensed narcotics and this was at the height of the FL narcotic craze, where we were not located. My weekly narc order, just to get an idea of how much we are talking about, included anywhere from 40-60 bottles of oxycodone 30mg with my max being 86. Our friends at the DEA visited us a few times, but I followed the rules and kept on filling scripts.
I now work for a much smaller regional chain but continue many of the same practices. I can get narcs next day providing it isnt Fri or Sat and continue to manage the needs of my chronic pain patients as fully as I can. It bugs the shit out of me that as a group, pharmacists judge pain sufferers before they even have a discussion with them. Why many of us neglect our duty to ensure patients receive, understand and comply with their meds, regardless of what they may be has always puzzled me. Yeah we have licenses to uphold, but our first requirement should always be taking care of the patient. BL has given me a much broader perspective on just how difficult it can be being a PM patient and I am grateful for that.
Depending on what you take, SKL, that 2500 bucks may not be as good as you think. Sure its a big sale but the profits probably suck. The lack of adequate reimbursement (or even a loss) is one of the primary reasons mom and pop stores refuse rxs. The chains can absorb losses and because of economies of scale, may actually fill a script and independent will not. Sucks they are so strict on narcs now as the chains are best positioned to fill every script that walks through the door.
And it wasnt only Dexexrine, but Adderall too. The limits were, and still are, on the active ingredient, not the individual drug. It has been a bit more finessed now, and the DEA squeezes the wholesalers to limit each pharmacy monthly which is better than a national limit. Every month, I am unable to get oxycodone products at the end of the month because my limit is too low. I hate making my customers wait or scramble to fill their scripts but it is out of my hands. There could still be a global limit set by the DEA but they arent clear about it and neither are the wholesalers. The d-amphetamine issue seems to be resolved now though and is fully available and havent seen major shortages of any other narcs either.
Since this question is about opiates & waiting for them
