Is it like this everywhere?

I am just so frustrated right now. I recently changed primary care doctors (4-6 months ago) and re-started going to see my endocrinologist. Now, completely my fault, I ran out of my long acting insulin - lantus pens (opticlick) and cannot for the life of me get the darned thing refilled! I ran out Sunday, realized it Monday morning when I went to get a new cartridge, put in the refill to my pharmacy that morning, and heck broke loose!

The script was written by my old primary care - when I redirected them to my endocrinologist, I decided to call the endo to make sure this got pushed along. To no avail! I cannot get through to a useful person on the phone! Their new phone service drives you round and round in circles and never gets you to anyone. You hit 3 to request a prescription and it drops you back into the main menu. The Operator (hit 0) told me she'd let the pharmacy folks know that the pharmacy left them a message - but how could they do that! There's no way to get to an answering machine! So she said she'd tell them I left them a message - SAME COMMENT! I finally got her to say she'd tell them to call me, but they never did.

Now it's Tuesday, and the same non-sense. I finalluy got thru to a "medical questions" line at my endo - a real person, and she listened to my whole story, then said "I can't help you with that - you have to talk to the pharmacy people - FINE! Send me to them! So I got dropped into a voicemail box for "emergency prescriptions" that ended with "Please allow 72 hours for a response"… 72 HOURS!!! How is that an emergency! I'm supposed to do without Lantus for up to a week??!!

I called my primary care and they redirected me to the endo. I got them to call the endo and they told me they left a message with someone who "promised to hand carry the note" and if they didn't call back within an hour to call them back. Well they haven't - and who would I call anyway - the 72 hour voicemail box???

Why is it so difficult to get medicine for a lifelong condition - not curable - not likely to change treatment anytime soon. Fine - require me to hand in a Doctor's note annually or something, but why is this so hard!!!

[Laceybug77]

I know how you feel..and it is ridiculous.  I remember when people would flal over to help you if you just mentioned you were diabetic.  I think part of the problem is that type 2 diabetes is an epidemic now, so when you say you're diabetic it's nothing new anymore.  Everyone is diabetic now so they just are numb tothe needs of those of us who require insulin.  It's sad.  New phone systems don't help...I hate not being able to talk to a real person.

I had the same thing happen to me before, but it lasted a lot longer than a week, unfortunately.  I had to go back to NPH and regular insulin becasue those were the only insulins I could get over the counter.  that can't be good to switch like that, but it did keep me alive. I'm so gald those days are over!

Anyway, good luck..I hope everything works out soon.

[seadraem]

Heh - about over the counter - the pharmacy actually offered to sell me the Lantus cartridges over the counter - for cash price - Over $860!!! Eek! I declined...

After one more very frustrating call, I just gave up. I just got back from walking into the local endo's office and saying "maybe you can help me -  your central phone service downtown s*&^%s - can someone here write me a script?" - amazingly (after all tat) it actually worked! I guess face time beats phone calls anytime (plus the endo's intern and the pharmacy guy agreed with me about the phone system!!).

problem solved - but how much of a pain is that. I miss the days when my script ran out and I could pay the $20 for a vial of NPH or Regular... I know it's more now, but still affordable. This Lantus (outrageous cost) and Humalog (not without a script) just kill me!

:-) Thanks for the sympathy!