How about the new law on Hydrocodone???

[bersaguy]

There is a new law going in effect on October 6th that will be rescheduling Hydrocodone  to a level II now has rocked the medical industry and got a bunch of people panties in a wad. Me included. I take Hydrocodone because of all my joint pains and other pains I now have as i have gotten older and I am now reliving that truck smashing me into that wall and breaking about 60+ % of the bones in my body.

 

Anyway my doctor would write my prescription with 1 fill and 5 refills and I would go for semi annual checkup every 6 months. No Doctors can write prescriptions for Hydrocodone with refills any longer. You have to have a new hand written prescription each and every month which means trip to doctor every month instead of every 6 months.

 

 

I was just there two weeks ago and she wrote me the same as always and dropped them off this morning and my pharmacy called me and informed me that they would be able to fill it once but the five refills are nill and void. So on the 15th or a few days earlier I have to drive 96 miles round trip to get a hand written prescription. According to the Pharmacy and the law the doctor cannot call it in or fax it in but must be hand written each month.

 

I have looked the new law up and it says in some places it can be fills up to 90 days or 3 refills  and in other sections it says every month which tells me that they have passed a new law and shoved it down every ones throats but does not even know how it works yet............JMHO

[Oh Shoot]

Does the change in law require a doctor's visit for each script? Meaning, most docs will write a script with a phone call for their patients if it's within the parameters of what they'd give them to begin with.

 

- OS

Edited September 30, 2014 by Oh Shoot

[KKing]

Does the change in law require a doctor's visit for each script? Meaning, most docs will write a script with a phone call for their patients if it's within the parameters of what they'd give them to begin with.

- OS

No, it doesn't. There are plenty of providers that will write 3 separate scripts to last their trustworthy patients. Or, as you suggested simply write one for pickup with a phone call from the patient. All they do is future date the script to ensure they aren't filled before the time they should be. Now, is that the best practice? No, but as far as I know there's no regulation against it.

My suggestion...get used to it. My guess is before long, there will be a lot more drugs that make the same move.

[Pain103]

 Hydrocodone is already a schedule II in TN. It was changed from a schedule III almost two years ago. Your current script with refills shouldn't be affected. According to the new policy change as along as your prescription was issued before 10/06/2014 with refills you can get your refills as long as they are dispensed before 04/08/2015. Here is a link to it.  http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/fed_regs/rules/2014/fr0822.htm

 

 Also your doctor can write you multiple presciptions to give you a 90 day supply total and even call it in without a personal visit. So people who may have a legitimate medical condition who need them won't be screwed out of them.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Pain103

[R_Bert]

The black-market is going to skyrocket. (and it was already bad)

 

Saw a article recently where heroin was already rising in TN due to this.  It's getting easier to obtain get than the pills, and cheaper. 

[Pain103]

 Heroin is going through the roof. I remember around the beginning of this year I got heroin 2 or 3 times in one day. I hadn't seen heroin in several years and now it's back daily. All the opiate addicts are going to it because it is cheaper but it is causing overdoses quicker.

[E4 No More]

I, for one, am getting sick and tired of the government sticking their nose into medicine. Lavergne passed a stinking law requiring a prescription for Pseudoephedrine. Now an inexpensive OTC drug costs you and your insurance company a run to the doctor on top of it. Step over into Smyrna and you don't need it. Morons!!!

[Grand Torino]

The feds and a lot of states never should have gotten involved with this crap in the first place. Patient confidentiality used to mean something but unfortunately not anymore. The bullshit questions I've heard some doctors ask their patients is just insulting and for the most part none of their business. Ahhh....but Obama care to the rescue....what a steaming pile of  :poop:

[bersaguy]

ok I just got back from a long talk with my Pharmacist at Walgreens which I have been using for 17 years with no issues till now. My doctor wrote me a prescription for the hydrocodone I have been taking and had 5 refills. Walgreens said they will not be doing the refills but will fill it one time on the prescription as many doctors are still trying to sort this mess out.

 

Doctors are concerned about their patients. I found in the bill that as long as a prescription is presented before October 6, 2014 Pharmacies can honor that particular prescription as written and fill the refills as long as they are filled by April 10, 2015.

 

 

That was what i went and spoke with Walgreens about. The pharmacist explained to me that Walgreens is already in the process of reprogramming their computer system to not honor any refills on any prescriptions period on that particular medication. They said if they agreed to fill all they had before 10/6/2014 they would have to go right back in 4/10/2015 and reprogram the computer again and they said it would be counter productive to them. Well, Guess what? There being counter productive to me so when I return to my doctor to get my new prescriptions I will after 17 years be using a new Pharmacy because they just told me they don't care about me or my business.   The Pharmacist was nice enough to tell me how my doctor can get around Wlagreens rules but that just ain't gonna keep my business.

 

Oh Yea , according the DEA no prescriptions can be faxed in to pharmacies or called in. Must be hand written prescription by the doctor only and to think my doctor is only 58 miles one way to her office from my house.  116 miles round trip each month........... :rant:  :rant:  :rant:  :rant:  

[R_Bert]

And now, the dosages prescribed will double.  "Need two pills per day? Oh...Your pain has increased? Here. Have four. See you in two months."

[Chucktshoes]

As always, innocent people are punished because of potential misuse by others. Here's an idea, how about we quit trying to tell folks how to conduct their lives and let them do what they choose as long as they don't violate others. We must end this immoral war on drugs.

[DaveS]

My wife's pain management Doctor has to write the prescriptions one at a time. We have to pay a 30.00 co-pay for each monthly prescription as she must go in and physically see the doctor. Wow...

 

Dave

[Sam1]

Does the change in law require a doctor's visit for each script? Meaning, most docs will write a script with a phone call for their patients if it's within the parameters of what they'd give them to begin with.

 

- OS

 

 

That's what the Vanderbilt docs do, they've never given refills on it... but all you had to do was call in and they would send a new scrip to the pharmacy.

[bigun]

My walgreens has a sign up that they will also accept electronic scrips.

[bersaguy]

My walgreens has a sign up that they will also accept electronic scrips.

Mine said verbally that they would not accept them and the sign in drive up window didn't say they would so I have no clue but I don't think Walgreens store are franchised but all owned by same company but who knows this day in time........... :shrug: :shrug:

[bersaguy]

This is where I first read about it on computer...............................

 

 

 

http://www.pharmacist.com/hydrocodone-moved-schedule-ii-dea-final-rule

[joustin]

I'm on a sched 2 drug for ADD and all I have to do is call the Doctor and go pick up the prescription and no copay
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[bersaguy]

I'm on a sched 2 drug for ADD and all I have to do is call the Doctor and go pick up the prescription and no copay
Sent from my phone via Tapatalk

So is my grandson on a Schedule II medication for bi-polar and his doctor calls his in also?????? Evidently neither of ya'll are on a drug people are abusing I guess.......................jmho

[Sam1]

Mine said verbally that they would not accept them and the sign in drive up window didn't say they would so I have no clue but I don't think Walgreens store are franchised but all owned by same company but who knows this day in time........... :shrug: :shrug:

 

There may be some confusion with this so I looked up the changes.  The doctors can send in electronic prescriptions for them, but they can no longer call them into the pharmacy.. meaning, you can call your doc to get a refill, and they just have to send it electronically to the pharmacy. However, I don't think all doctors have those means, so that may require going back to the paper prescriptions for the small fry docs.

 

But, they can also do up to a 90 day supply on each one. (anything less than this is 100% a call by the doctor)

 

As far as Walgreens goes, they changed their policy on this a while back.  before you could just tell them your address at the drive up window and pick it up, now you have to let them see your driver's license.  It's really not that big of a deal on that part.

[bersaguy]

There may be some confusion with this so I looked up the changes.  The doctors can send in electronic prescriptions for them, but they can no longer call them into the pharmacy.. meaning, you can call your doc to get a refill, and they just have to send it electronically to the pharmacy. However, I don't think all doctors have those means, so that may require going back to the paper prescriptions for the small fry docs.

 

But, they can also do up to a 90 day supply on each one. (anything less than this is 100% a call by the doctor)

 

As far as Walgreens goes, they changed their policy on this a while back.  before you could just tell them your address at the drive up window and pick it up, now you have to let them see your driver's license.  It's really not that big of a deal on that part.

When I picked my last refill up last month all they did was ask me for my address as they have been for about 17 years now and if I stay with Walgreens I am going to let my doctor and their pharmacist fight it all out and figure out what to do. If they cannot come to a decision I can live with I will change Drug Stores.................jmho

[Guest Broomhead]

I'm on a sched 2 drug for ADD and all I have to do is call the Doctor and go pick up the prescription and no copay
Sent from my phone via Tapatalk

 

 

So is my grandson on a Schedule II medication for bi-polar and his doctor calls his in also?????? Evidently neither of ya'll are on a drug people are abusing I guess.......................jmho

 

It does depend on the medicine. The one I'm on used to be as easy to get on the street as aspirin. It made you do things "fast", if you catch my drift. It's just a legal, pharmaceutical version of it. Anywho, my Doc writes me three pre-dated scripts for the 90 days between appointments.

[joustin]

I'm on Concerta, basically time release Ritalin. I have to get a paper copy every 90 days. People probably abuse it but I couldn't say
Sent from my phone via Tapatalk

[bersaguy]

It does depend on the medicine. The one I'm on used to be as easy to get on the street as aspirin. It made you do things "fast", if you catch my drift. It's just a legal, pharmaceutical version of it. Anywho, my Doc writes me three pre-dated scripts for the 90 days between appointments.

yea I asked her one time about getting predated scripts and that was a no and I left it at that and that was about 10 years ago.... :up:

[macville]

Why can't your doc each time you need a refill just write a prescription, stick it in an envelope with a stamp on it and send it to you? I think that would be perfectly legal. However, it sounds like the pharmacy is going to be the bigger issue than the doctor.   

[bersaguy]

I called my doctors office this morning and made a Counsel appointment to just sit down and talk to her and get this all figured out before it's time to need pills before rushing to get something done. I don't procrastinate at all. I like to stay well ahead of any thing going on....................jmho

Edited October 1, 2014 by bersaguy