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I ended up getting two drugs. One is relatively important. If I don't take it regularly, eventually my aorta could blow up and I could die. Another is VERY important, and if I don't take it, I could get a stroke, etc....

Well, they TRY to give you only enough. basically, if you buy before a time, that is like maybe earlier than 10 days before, they say FORGET IT! If you try to get it even like a day early, they charge full retail. Seriously, it is a JOKE how it is run. But I get a surplus one way or another, even if I have to pay RETAIL to do it. That means with NO insurance!

It is a good thing too, because every now and then they mess up BIG TIME! THIS time, they did NOT renew, though they should have. They figure NO problem, we will just wait a couple days(after which I could be DEAD), and get the renewal(when it will then take me ANOTHER 3 WEEKS to get it!)! OK, THAT is a disaster! Well, a week passes and I check online(which NOBODY could do a couple decades ago, and many can't today), and find out that they STILL don't have it! They ALSO ******LOST****** the other renewal that they DID have!

Well, I called them and maybe 30 minutes later they got the lost renewal fixed. I STILL don't know WHY it just DISAPPEARED! I called up the STRANGER that supposedly renews the prescriptions, and it turns out they CHANGED THINGS without telling ANYONE! They told me to contact the monitor, and the monitor says they will call my doctor. And THEY took a day. NO PROBLEM, just wait a few days(after which I could be DEAD), etc.... The pharmacist seems to not care. TOMORROW, I have to check my prescriptions AGAIN! I swear, if this happens again, or doesn't get solved, I'm going to start talking to the FTC, FDA, AG, CVS CEO, maybe the AMA, etc...(Probably starting this WEDNESDAY!) There is NO excuse for this! When they fill my prescription, which I HAVEN'T asked them to do, they phone, but they won't phone if they can't renew? STUPID!

BTW The pharmacy is CVS!

Steve
  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    Steve,
    Sadly almost every pharmacy is like that. Its rediculous that I have no control over getting my refills.
    The other day I thought a cap was on harder than it really was. My arm flew up and dumped the pills all over they floor. I *think* I got most of them,but if it turns out I didn't and run out sooner than planned,they won't let me get more till THEY say when.

    And by the way,this is not a narcotic or a controlled sustance.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by KimW View Post

      Steve,
      Sadly almost every pharmacy is like that. Its rediculous that I have no control over getting my refills.
      The other day I thought a cap was on harder than it really was. My arm flew up and dumped the pills all over they floor. I *think* I got most of them,but if it turns out I didn't and run out sooner than planned,they won't let me get more till THEY say when.

      And by the way,this is not a narcotic or a controlled sustance.
      Well, the hospital, or at least the doctor, BROKE THE LAW without getting my INFORMED consent! That is SICK waking up to find out you have to have special drugs, and have a chunk of your right pec removed. You know, I never did find out if 1 or two heads of that muscle were removed. My right arm can now move past a point it should, which is NOT good.

      But I need that medicine for THE REST OF MY LIFE! And *****NOBODY***** knows how much I will need to get through even TODAY! It is a GUESS and reassessed constantly.

      So WHY should I need a prescription for it? They should give me a LICENSE to have it FOREVER. After all, what would I do? Would I poison someone, and cause them to bleed internally? Seriously, I could figure easier and more reliable ways to kill someone. My excess supply is MORE than enough to do that anyway! And limiting purchases certainly doesn't help ME!

      And at least YOU are in one spot, etc... I have to make sure I bring enough with me, have more at home, etc...

      But yeah, do ANYTHING you can to get more. Those jerks care NOTHING about the patient.

      But if I start calling on wednesday, my goal will be to get at LEAST two agencies breathing down their necks! and I am going to try it with BOTH the hospital AND the pharmacy. They BOTH showed an EXTREME lack of care! The hospital changed things at LEAST 3 times WITHOUT telling me! The pharmacy apparently NEVER really tried to get things filled! They had the AUDACITY to call me today, probably because I REALLY gave them an earful on friday and came just shy of accusing them of attempted murder, though I DID say they were guilty of extreme negligence. They told me that one prescription, which I TOLD them NOT to fill, since I couldn't pick it up, was filled, and to ask me what was happening with the other one.

      I told them that it should be taken care of monday, I will monitor it, and if it isn't recorded by the afternoon, I will followup. The doctor probably won't be there if I call. If he isn't, I am going to talk to the pharmacist and say I want it taken care of ASAP or I WILL make a federal case out of it, LITERALLY. I did it with rosche diagnostics, so I mght end up making it my HOBBY! With Rosche, I was literally HOURS away from calling te FTC and AG! There is NO reason for this to be so complicated.

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Don Schenk
    I swear, if this happens again, or doesn't get solved, I'm going to start talking to the FTC, FDA, AG, CVS CEO, maybe the AMA, etc...(Probably starting this WEDNESDAY!) There is NO excuse for this!
    A lot of people are in the same boat. I wonder how you could get a grass roots campaign going to push some changes.

    One of the meds I take I can't get in Utah because it is so expensive the insurance companies in Utah don't cover it. Never mind that my insurance is through an Ohio company. The national chain pharmacy I buy it from in Ohio has a store about 20 minutes from our Utah home, but can not get the drug because the wholesalers in Utah don't carry it! Funny thing, there is an older, non time-release version of the med that is really inexpensive, but they can't give me that because I don't have a prescription for the older med.

    And when I am going to be in Utah for several weeks, I will run out. Fortunately, this is not a life or death situation as could be for you and Kim. Lack of the medicine only creates a bit of discomfort.

    :-Don
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by Don Schenk View Post

      I swear, if this happens again, or doesn't get solved, I'm going to start talking to the FTC, FDA, AG, CVS CEO, maybe the AMA, etc...(Probably starting this WEDNESDAY!) There is NO excuse for this!
      A lot of people are in the same boat. I wonder how you could get a grass roots campaign going to push some changes.

      One of the meds I take I can't get in Utah because it is so expensive the insurance companies in Utah don't cover it. Never mind that my insurance is through an Ohio company. The national chain pharmacy I buy it from in Ohio has a store about 20 minutes from our Utah home, but can not get the drug because the wholesalers in Utah don't carry it! Funny thing, there is an older, non time-release version of the med that is really inexpensive, but they can't give me that because I don't have a prescription for the older med.

      And when I am going to be in Utah for several weeks, I will run out. Fortunately, this is not a life or death situation as could be for you and Kim. Lack of the medicine only creates a bit of discomfort.

      :-Don
      OH, have I got one for YOU!!!!!!!!

      When I went to MA, and first had to get my prescription for coumadin filled, I had to WAIT because the drug was backordered! WHAT you say? This VERY popular drug had to be BACKORDERED!?!?!?!? Yep! WHY? It is ILLEGAL in MA to prescribe coumadin! YEP, you heard right, ILLEGAL! WHY? Because they have laws in effect to lower healthcare costs and one is that commercial drugs can NOT be prescribed unless there is an adequate reason that a generic can not or should not be prescribed. So the drug stores stocked up on the cheaper WARFARIN!

      OH you say, so WHY didn't they just give me WARFARIN? TWO reasons!

      1. The prescription said "dispense as written", so giving a generic was ILLEGAL, since I had NO prescription for it!
      2. The company that makes coumadin has a SCAM in the industry and most "professionals" are towing the line. The SCAM is that it has different binders or whatever so the dosing is different. My MA doctor told me that was a SCAM that they worked hard to promote, and was FALSE! It appears he was RIGHT!

      I am now on warfarin. SAME drug, just a different shape/color, and CHEAPER! OH, and MA is stocked up on IT!

      BTW some may ask how/why the FDA/FTC/AG, etc....? Well my take will be it is extreme negligence, and COULD even lead to negligent homicide! It is thus a CRIME! We are now past the 1970s! We should be using good old 1970s technology to have adequate feedback between any system used to convey medical info such as this. HECK, they have better technology in handling the sales of BONDS! If the hospital changes policies/procedures/prescriptions, they should LET the patient know!!!!! If asked for prescriptions, they should respond in a timely manner! If a pharmacy doesn't get a response in a timely manner, they should follow up with the doctor and the patient.

      I made like a dozen calls to handle the rosche fiasco. I probably made over 8 so far in this. The DOCTORS and the pharmacists are the ones paid to handle this.

      Anyway, the FDA and AG should definitely look into this. With all the commercials these places make, etc... I bet the FTC has a reason ALSO!

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    You know, one jerk at the pharmacy even seemed to suggest I should have someone help me. YEAH RIGHT, give a FRIEND access to my private stuff, and have them lie, and keep calling the pharmacist, monitor, and doctor to get them to do their jobs? Trust someone else, and probably pay $20+/hour? NO THANKS!

    And the next pass will be my THIRD, THIS TIME! My problem is NOT me, it is THEM! THEY should ask for a renewal when it expires, but they DON'T! OK, I guess I can live with that! When I order, they should renew if it has expired! OK, they usually do that. *****BUT***** they DON'T follow up! They ****DON'T**** tell the patient that there has been a problem. They basically just don't do ANYTHING! The hospital is apparently guilty of the SAME thing. HECK, I called them at LEAST 3 times. The first 2, they had me calling and waiting. Only the THIRD time did they tell me they changed things.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author focused
    What I found is that sometimes if you're completely out of a prescription
    they will give you a few tablets to get you by until they will give the full
    refill. They've done that on occasion, but other times refused.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by focused View Post

      What I found is that sometimes if you're completely out of a prescription
      they will give you a few tablets to get you by until they will give the full
      refill. They've done that on occasion, but other times refused.
      A FEW TABLETS? A FEW TABLETS? REALLY? OK, 3 tablets means I only have to make about 10 trips! Only TEN trips! SO, what does that cost?

      Lets see, about 20 DAYS, maybe about $40,000, a back, my health, and a CAREER! I am NOT some retired 65 year old!

      WELL, they got a prescription for 11 refills, and I got a scary call that implies I might get it pulled AGAIN, because I didn't spend the $4,000, 3+ days, and CAREER to meet their requirements that I was not aware of because I wasn't sent the info.

      So YEP, I don't think those 3 tablets would help me. MAYBE if I lived a thousand miles away from here. I checked just this morning, for another reason. From HERE, it is only about a 5 hour drive ONE WAY! But it is too late, and 10 hours is too much.

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Welcome to the wonderful world of "reform" and government run health.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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    • Profile picture of the author Don Schenk
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      Welcome to the wonderful world of "reform" and government run health.
      Actually I am dealing with private insurance, and a nationwide pharmacy. It is not a life and death situation for me, but I can understand where Steve is coming from.

      The insurance company wants to make as much money as possible for the owners and CEO.

      A year ago an Opthamologist discovered I was losing a little peripheral vision in one eye. Nothing serious yet, except for the fact it could become serious. The loss is caused by something putting pressure on the optic nerve, and that something can only be either:

      1. A brain tumor or
      2. Glaucoma pressure

      My eye pressures are normal, and that pointed to possible tumor, so the doc ordered an MRI of my head. The insurance company said it wasn't a needed test, and they didn't want to cover the $3,000 or so. The doc and one of his assistants spent (wasted) 2 hours of their time on the phone trying to convince the morons at the insurance company this was a necessary test.

      Fortunately they gave in, and I had the MRI. Also fortnuately there was NOT a tumor. So the final diagnosis was "normal pressure glaucoma" and is treatable with a single eye drop each night. The doc said he would be remiss if he had not ordered the MRI and it did turn out to be a tumor.

      I was listening to an interview with copywriter Brian Keith Voiles. He had a vision problem, and fortunately they gave him and MRI - it was a brain tumor!

      :-Don

      BTW The MRI tech did give me an extra copy of the MRI files on CD. Now I can scan through my head on the computer, and go in from any direction. The only strange things were an image of skis and the letters WSO inside my brain!
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      • Profile picture of the author seasoned
        Originally Posted by Don Schenk View Post

        Actually I am dealing with private insurance, and a nationwide pharmacy.
        Not REALLY! The GOVERNMENT controls prescriptions, and what drugs are available!

        It is not a life and death situation for me, but I can understand where Steve is coming from.
        Well, to tell you the truth, there is only an EXTREMELY good chance I will get a stroke. But that leads to MANY things INCLUDING death.

        The insurance company wants to make as much money as possible for the owners and CEO.
        AND the HCP plan SAYS that they have to charge AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! The SAME thing recently happened in the credit card industry. The SAME thing happened like 15 years or so ago with CAR insurance in california. In ALL cases, they were told that they could NOT raise prices too much based on risk, and could NOT cover some forms of risk. So what did they do? They RAISED the prices for EVERYONE! If they don't, and there is a problem, they will be BANKRUPT!

        A year ago an Opthamologist discovered I was losing a little peripheral vision in one eye. Nothing serious yet, except for the fact it could become serious. The loss is caused by something putting pressure on the optic nerve, and that something can only be either:

        1. A brain tumor or
        2. Glaucoma pressure

        My eye pressures are normal, and that pointed to possible tumor, so the doc ordered an MRI of my head. The insurance company said it wasn't a needed test, and they didn't want to cover the $3,000 or so. The doc and one of his assistants spent (wasted) 2 hours of their time on the phone trying to convince the morons at the insurance company this was a necessary test.

        Fortunately they gave in, and I had the MRI. Also fortnuately there was NOT a tumor. So the final diagnosis was "normal pressure glaucoma" and is treatable with a single eye drop each night. The doc said he would be remiss if he had not ordered the MRI and it did turn out to be a tumor.

        I was listening to an interview with copywriter Brian Keith Voiles. He had a vision problem, and fortunately they gave him and MRI - it was a brain tumor!

        :-Don

        BTW The MRI tech did give me an extra copy of the MRI files on CD. Now I can scan through my head on the computer, and go in from any direction. The only strange things were an image of skis and the letters WSO inside my brain!
        I wish I could remember the details, but I heard of a guy that basically enabled the inventor of MRI to invent it, and they scanned HIM and found something. Imagine if the Insurance company or medical industry said NO!

        $3000 is reasonable in so many ways to save your vision. Frankly, I would have suspected an eye problem, because I couldn't see pressure from a tumor causing only loss of peripheral vision, but HEY, I could be wrong. Nobody knows how eletricity can affect a person, for example. They SAME amount could flow through you, stop your heart, or FRY you.
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    It looks like they are going to PULL my prescription!!!!!! INCREDIBLE!

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Ragz
    Time to visit some of the "underground" forums. Plenty out there.
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    I am VERY seriously thinking about writing a letter. HECK, given the nature, what I will say, etc.... I may EVEN send one to the president and all of congress. If I do, I may just post it for the world to see. I have a LOT of gripes that NOBODY could honestly debate. In MY ONE case, it could save the medical industry over $400/year EASY! Doesn't sound like much? OK, maybe an extra $2500 every few years? STILL doesn't sound like much? Multiply it by the MILLIONS AND MILLIONS in my EXACT same case!(bleeding disorder, stents, imperfection of arteries, heart attacks, heart surgery, artificial valves ALL lead to use of this!) STILL doesn't sound like enough? OK, HOW many people have strokes, etc????? In short, BILLIONS of dollars WASTED! MAN CENTURIES WASTED! And all because of the stupid garbage over ONE drug! Just ONE!

    And this doesn't just affect old people. Some BABIES have heart surgery, etc... There are some bleeding disorders that are the opposite of hemophilia, etc... GEE, imagine if it were so hard for diabetics! Imagine if THEY needed SPECIAL and restricted permission to avoid having to go to a hospital for testing! Many would be in REALLY sorry shape by the time the ambulance arrived! Blindness would increase, etc...

    Steve
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