Having trouble & need to share

By c21tamit Monday, February 01, 2010

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I'm sorry this will be quite a rant. Over the weekend I ran out of some of my medication. The pharmacy says they faxed a refill request, the doctors office says they sent it back. Where is the breakdown? Worse, This is not the first time there was a problem. Although last time it was caught before I ran out of meds. I was assured this would not happen again. It did. Now What? I'll admit I'm upset. I'm scared. I'm confused. I'm scared. I'm afraid that making this into the issue it needs to be, will cause a problem with pain management. I'm 42. I have a long life of pain ahead of me. I rely on my medical partners to be partners. You are my experts. You are supposed to help me. You are not helping when this stress is added to the situation.

What do you do when someone you trust lets you down? What do you do when you're so scared that you can't figure out what you need to do? When walking away isn't an option, but staying where you are will only hurt you worse?

How do you go about leaving pain management

Comments (12) | Add comment

MillieKeyLargo

2/ 1/10 3:15pm

Since I take schedule II medications, my pain managment Doctor can not fax my refills to my pharmacy, I have to go see him every month to get my hard copy scripts, and then I take them to the pharmacy myself. Mistakes do happen and that is unavoidable. My Grandmother used to say; "If you want something done the right way, do it yourself". I think in this case, you are going to have to go monthly to your PM Doc's office to get your scripts, that way you can make sure that you will never run out of medications and that the refill's would be done correctly because you did it yourself. Take it as a lesson learned.....

Take care,

Millie

Tim

2/ 1/10 9:30pm

I get my pain meds from the veterans pain clinic. I call to my doc at clinic

and then she mails hard copy to hospital and they mail certified to me.

I always call 4 days or so to pharmacy to see when or if they have been mailed out. I have had it come down to where they had to express before becaus eit is a big system. The other person was right that you have to manage yourself.

Good luck. Blessings, tim

c21tamit

2/ 2/10 9:32am

Unfortunately, it does seem that I'll have to pick up the hard copy myself. My frustration comes from having to do something that everybody tells me I shouldn't have to. The doctor & pharmacy both say that they can do fax requests. That due to how often I need to see the PM anyway, and the schedule that does not meet at the right time, that needing to pick up a hard copy is not required. BUT, Obviously I can't trust that someone is doing their job, so I have to take responsibility for someone else. I'm getting incredibly concerned that there may be more to this situation than meets the eye. I honestly don't know if I want to open that can of worms.

Karen Lee Richards, Health Guide

2/ 3/10 4:52am

Try not to read too much into it – at least not yet. Doctors offices and pharmacies can be busy places and people do make mistakes. It's possible your doctor's office thought they faxed it, or someone at the pharmacy misplaced it – and sometimes faxes simply do not go through as they should, so nobody may be at fault. When it's something as important as your pain meds, it's probably best not to rely on technology working. As the others suggested, picking up a hard copy and taking it to the pharmacy yourself is probably your best option. It may not be ideal, but at least you'll know you have your meds when you need them. Good luck!

c21tamit

2/ 3/10 12:07pm

I know it's possible that the fax is wandering in limbo & not in the wrong persons hands. My concerns come from the simple fact that this is not the first time this specific medication has gone missing. I'm talking to many sources to try to determine what I should do. I know that picking up a hard copy of the script is most likely what will have to be done, but I can't help but look at the bussiness practice of the office. That is the part that I'm starting to question.

Karen Lee Richards, Health Guide

2/ 3/10 7:28pm

I know what you mean. I've had a similar situation with my pain med (tramadol). The doctor's office said they called it in. The pharmacy said they never got it. I called the doctor's office back and they insisted they had called it in. The pharmacy still said they didn't receive it. I finally talked the pharmacy into rechecking their voice mail messages and there it was. This same thing happened two different times with the same med. Later my doctor told me they've had the same problem with this particular pharmacy before. I'd change pharmacies, but they have the cheapest prescriptions in town and I don't have insurance, so I'm trying to hang in there with them. Anyway, that's why I said you just never know where the glitch may be. I do hope you're able to find out what is going on in your situation and get it settled so you don't have to go through this again.

c21tamit

2/ 4/10 9:47am

It's sad that we rely on technology so much that human mistakes are overlooked. I have been dealing with the same pharmacy for 42+ years. I have confidence in them, & while I do have other local major chains around, I will not use them again. They have given me the wrong medication in the past. ( a minor error that was easily fixed, but leaves me no confidence in the people) The missing perscription is in FAX land. I'm letting it go, not letting it upset me, that does my health no good. I have spoken with someone to give me legal avdice on this situation. Again it's someone I trust. He has advised me on what needs to be done & when.

I'm working hard on not taking this situation (while potentially serious) so seriously that it interferes with my health. I'm just trying now to decide which road to take, while standing at the fork in that road. Hopefully soon I'll know which way is right for me.

Nan from the Dunes

2/ 4/10 1:41pm

Since you have been dealing with this pharmacy for awhile and believe it is the doctor's office, find out their lead time, that is how many days can you get it early...and start the day before. I just had this happen with a schedule II which needs a piece of paper rx, not a fax. Don't get angry with the staff of you doc's office, cause that will just make it worse. Sometimes we wait to long. Start while the staff is still in the office. Try working the schedule to early or mid week so you have some days to correct any problems before the weekend hits.

Good Luck

You have to be the one in charge of your own healthcare. No one else can handle it for you. If you honestly believe the pharmacy is ok and the above doesn't work get the script and deal with it.

RachelRoxanna

2/ 3/10 6:13am

Almost the exact same thing happened to me. I had just left the Dr.s office where my Dr. had told me my perscription refill had been sent to my pharmacy. I went straight to the pharmacy and they said they hadn't heard from my Dr. It was just after 5 by then and my Dr. had gone home for the day. The answering service said they werent allowed to contact my Dr. for a perscription refill. I had made the trip to the pharmacy and it was wasted. I am in constant pain and I am only able to do a few things a day before my pain it so bad I need to lay down. It was so upsetting and frustrating. The next day my Dr. called me to see why I was asking for a refill on my perscription that he had already approved. He said he would take care of it but it took several more calls back and forth from the pharmacy to the Dr.s office to finallly get my perscription.

2/21/10 12:36am

It is unfortunate, but I have similar problems all the time! I am on both methadone and valium, 2 meds. that will put me in the hell of withdrawal and also a potentially life threatening position if I am without them. I must remind my doctor every month days in advance to assure he calls, sends, or faxes my med. perscriptions to the pharmacy. I have had more than one situation that put me at risk, i.e. the perscription was sent to the pharmacy, never got to them and then turnned out that the docs. receptionist never mailed it......."ooops, sorry." It is difficult for me to understand how a doctor can put a patient on medications that can be fatal, but not be responsible for following up on these meds. and the state of the patient. I really believe it is complete irresponsibility by the medical professionals. Being busy, or having too much to do, or too many patients is NOT A VALID EXCUSE!!!!!!!! Doctors took an oath and they are the ones that should be protecting their patients, or they should have chosen a profession that would not affect peoples lives!!!!!!!!!

The medical profession does NOT impress me!!!!!!!

Please stay on top of your medical situation and be your own advocate. Clearly the pharmacy and doctor is not your advocate! Don't stop fighting for yourself!!!!!!

PainSufferer22

2/23/10 7:14pm

You are SO right! The medical profession has taken on a "fast food" type of persona where any one requiring more than the usual assembly line service gets lost in the shuffle. When it's at it's worst, it seems far too many doc's now a days are only capable of dealing with the usual stuffy nose or skinned knees. Those with complicated and complex medical issues like chronic pain and getting the desperately needed controlled meds out in a timely manner, get lost in the shuffle or maybe shipped out to a specialist. One time when I needed my script for Oxy Contin, I called my Rheumatologists ofc and his nurse/receptionist said that "she didnt know" if he would give it to me "again" since he had already given it to me 3x!!! Trying to explain to this numb skull that CHRONIC PAIN requires CONTINUAL medication would have been a waste of time. So I told this nazi to just tell the doc I needed my script and I'd then get it but only at the "next to the last" minute. After that miserable wretch kept harassing me every month when I called, I had my internist prescribe it every month-but again, he was a total jerk about only giving me the script at the LAST minute every mo-making me wait till 30 days from the last one!!! I told him I needed it at least a few days or up to a week before I run out to allow for problems like the pharmacy ran out (happened 3x) and had to find another pharmacy, or bad weather (1x), or that he was out and they needed to track down another doctor to write it (3x)!! He was completely uncooperative and stupidly and wrongly suspicious that I was making "an issue" of this like I go and sell the stuff out of the back of my car every month!! LOL!! I ended up being switched to Fentanyl 100 dose patches, which were a HUGE improvement over Oxycontin!!! I would whole heartedly tell anyone using Oxycontin to switch to the Fentanyl patch. There is no comparison between the two. No awful side effects as with the Oxy. And FAR better pain management. Its too bad that on top of dealing with our pain we are also forced to deal with incompetent, rude and often obnoxious physicians & their office staff when we need to get our meds. I've often wondered how THEY would feel if the tables were turned.

2/24/10 2:50am

PainSufferer:

This will be somewhat brief, as it is late on the eastcoast. I think it is sooooooo well known that we all go through hell to even find ANY doctor that will believe that we only want to be painfree, whatever that takes, and not just searching for meds. to use for "fun" reasons. I don't think I've spoken with one chronic pain sufferer that has not been treated as an addict by more than one doctor. As I mentioned in my earlier reply, it makes me furious that I must stay on top of my meds. and when they should be refilled. These meds. are very potent and serious for many reasons. If a doctor is liscensed to dispense these meds., he/she should understand the ramifications of stopping perscriptions without warning or referral, or not perscribe at all!!!! I get extremely upset almost each month because I must remind him to send/write/call in perscriptions, but also I had to actually bring him in research so he could see that stopping my meds. cold turkey could result in a fatal withdrawal, let alone the absolutly living hell of just withdrawal without worrying about heart attacks and seizures. In addition to my ongoing pain, (meds only take the edge off), monthly I must experience great anxiety that I will go into withdrawl because of an error, vacation, "not the exact date," etc., in getting my meds. Please be sure you are aware of the withdrawal symptoms of your meds. Some classes of meds. can cause fatal reactions, in addition to the general hellish experience of withdrawal!!!! Stay in touch!

Compassion

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