It's that time again. Time to schedule a doctor nurse practitioner appointment for a 6-month checkup to get my prescription refills. Funny how I've been taking the same three medicines for over 20 years, but one prescription runs out a month before the other two...
I don't know how these prescriptions got unsynchronized. I call in their refills on the same day. They are all 30-day prescriptions, because for obvious reasons, we can't trust the mail to be delivered and not stolen if we were to get the 90-day mail order version.
Anyhoo... my thyroid medication says NO REFILLS. It's not expensive. It's generic. Costs me $4-something, except for the past several months, it's been free because I've met my insurance deductible. So it's not a medicine that insurance might be trying to scam me out of, or switch me to something cheaper. I don't see why I have to make an appointment to get the prescriptions renewed when 2-out-of-3 still have one month left on the refills.
Every time I have my appointment, I tell the doctor nurse practitioner that my prescriptions need to all come due at the same time. He smiles and nods and says, "We'll fix that." Yet they never do!
Mrs. HM is getting crotchetier in her old age. I'm putting my foot down! I told Farmer H that I was going to call the doctor nurse practitioner office and see it they could just send in a 1-month refill on that thyroid med. Then I'll get the appointment within the next month, and all should be back on the same schedule when I get refills for the next six months.
Then I remembered that sometime, I had seen that the office doesn't want patients calling for refills, but that we should let the pharmacy handle it. Surely I didn't dream that! I can see how it would cut down on many phone calls which the nurse has to return (since they rarely speak to you, but have you leave a message). I would imagine it's more of a streamlined process for the pharmacies to submit their requests online at the same time each day. So there's a routine to granting refills.
I know that one time, my pharmacy called because one ran out (quite possibly that very thyroid med in question), and then told me they got my refill, but the doctor (NURSE PRACTITIONER) said they wouldn't do it again, because I had to come in for an appointment.
SWEET GUMMI MARY! It's not like I'm seeking opiates! I "only" have the thyroid, blood pressure, and heart-slower meds. Two are generic. AND, during the pandemic, the office most certainly did not want me to darken their door (nor parking lot), and called in my prescriptions anyway. So I don't know the big deal. I guess maybe they don't want to get sued if I drop dead of side effects. But if I DID, I wouldn't be suing anybody!
More likely, they want their money for the selfish reason of keeping their business going, heh, heh! I don't begrudge them an office visit every six months for financial purposes. But I'd like all my prescriptions to be in sync.
Anyhoo... I called my pharmacy to discuss the matter on Friday morning (before 11:00 a.m.!). The gal said no need for me to call my doctor (NURSE PRACTITIONER), that the pharmacy would contact them when it was time for refills, and my prescription was out.
That's certainly convenient for me. What could possibly go wrong?
I think you should keep the appointment and when you see the doctor have him call up your prescriptions on his computer, ask him to cancel the two that still have two months on them and write new scripts for all three so they are back in sync.
ReplyDeleteRiver,
ReplyDeleteI am sure you mean NURSE PRACTITIONER, heh, heh! The problem should solve itself if indeed he renews the one that's out of refills when the pharmacy contacts him. Since they made a to-do about me coming in for the appointment last time, I'm sure he won't renew it for the whole six months, but only for ONE month, so I don't run out of the thyroid med. Then all three will be the same when I go to my appointment and get the six months of refills.
I have made a big deal about this one being off, for my last several appointments. He glances at his computer, and says they'll fix it, but that never happens! I'm afraid if I mention anything about canceling them, that I'll never get new prescriptions!
Everything. Everything can and probably will. When there is an easy and convenient "solution," problems line and clump up and jostle each other, eager to rear their heads...
ReplyDeleteSioux,
ReplyDeleteYes, those problems can behave like unruly Angus cattle on the way to the chute for pregnancy checks on "The Incredible Dr. Pol."
I guess I should mentally prepare myself to go without the thyroid pill until I get an appointment! It won't kill me. Just make everything more painful. I've had to go off it before, for test purposes.
Do they need to test your blood on these visits? Mine are every 6 months and they do a blood draw before the visit so the doctor will have the teults in hand when I get there. They have to test blood levels to see if they need to change your dosage or eliminate a drug altogether, or change to a different one.
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteYes. Every 6 months. I have no problem with that. I know that I have to go in every 6 months for lab and office visit, to get my refills for the next 6 months. I just don't see why the one prescription would expire before the other two! He has never adjusted them. They've all been the same since I had my thyroid out WAY BACK about 15-20 years ago. I don't mind going in every 6 months, but I don't want to cut it to 5 months, just because that one runs out early.
I also think this push for 90-day refills is a CONSPIRACY (heh, heh) by the drug companies to scam more money! Sure they say it's to save YOU money. I remember when it really DID save money (not that I could ever do mail order), like 1/3 or more off your costs. NOW it will save you 1/6 the cost. Not such an incentive for all the worry about getting it on time. My mom used to have a lot of trouble with hers being late, but she couldn't order the refills any earlier than what she did.
Anyhoo... how many people who pay for their 90 day prescriptions DIE before taking them all, or have to CHANGE their prescriptions, or DISCONTINUE them? THEY are not saving money! They are paying more! And the drug company already has their money. Can't return prescription drugs!