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Need an Awnser Please!
So im gonna be leaving the day after tomorrow due to a death in the family. Im supposed to get a refill for my pain meds on the 22nd which is 8 days from now and il be gone for close to 3 weeks. There's no way i can go that long without it. Can my doctor refill the prescription before i leave so i wont run out?
I've had scripts filled early when I went to Mexico last year but had to pay cash due to the insurance. Another time, my doctor was okay with it, but the pharmacist at my regular pharmacy wasn't. I ended up bringing it to a different pharmacy (ticked me off, though. I feel my doctor is aware of all the circumstances while the pharmacist is not.)
Once I had to get a script filled in RI (not a narcotic) and the CVS had to call my doctor to make sure it was okay. (At that time all my scripts were filled at CVS in Mass so I didn't think it would be a problem.
I was going to run into the same problem in August when I was going on vacation. My doctor was okay with me getting it filled early. Walgreens (one particular pharmacist) said I couldn't. I checked on a map to see where the closest Walgreens was to where I was going to be and it was over an hour away. (And driving at times can be hard for me.) Then the pharmacist said they would fill an out-of-state prescription. I got so much different information it was driving me crazy.
In the end I didn't even go on vacation since the metal in my hand was migrating out to the point it was visible under the skin. My kids still went on vacation but I had surgery instead.
It's a worry, though, when you're traveling. I plan on getting away again this winter so it's likely I'll run into it again.
Hope you let us know how this works out. There are so many variables I think it's different with everyone.
And very sorry for your loss.
Once I had to get a script filled in RI (not a narcotic) and the CVS had to call my doctor to make sure it was okay. (At that time all my scripts were filled at CVS in Mass so I didn't think it would be a problem.
I was going to run into the same problem in August when I was going on vacation. My doctor was okay with me getting it filled early. Walgreens (one particular pharmacist) said I couldn't. I checked on a map to see where the closest Walgreens was to where I was going to be and it was over an hour away. (And driving at times can be hard for me.) Then the pharmacist said they would fill an out-of-state prescription. I got so much different information it was driving me crazy.
In the end I didn't even go on vacation since the metal in my hand was migrating out to the point it was visible under the skin. My kids still went on vacation but I had surgery instead.
It's a worry, though, when you're traveling. I plan on getting away again this winter so it's likely I'll run into it again.
Hope you let us know how this works out. There are so many variables I think it's different with everyone.
And very sorry for your loss.
If it's a schedule II narcotic requiring a paper prescription, that will definitely require you to ask your doctor to fill out a post-dated form or have someone else pick it up for you. Sandee makes a good point that you should check the statutes in your destination state to see if you can even fill it there. If your doctor will allow someone else to pick up the prescription for you, their office will probably want you to put the request in writing.
If you usually call in a refill for your medication directly to the pharmacy, that's an easier proposition if you use a national chain. Call the pharmacy as usual when the time comes, and ask them to transfer your scrip to a location at your destination. When you get back home, just have them transfer it back.
Most insurance plans do have a once or twice a year vacation policy for early refills. Call the 800 number on your insurance card for information on your particular plan. Believe it or not, my insurance company was very helpful the two times I had to do that in my life. Those employees aren't always little demons just waiting to deny coverage that we sometimes think they are.
You have 3 calls to make: your doctor, your insurance company, and your pharmacy. I'm so very sorry for your loss and that you now also have the added stress of worrying about medication issues. Increased pain is a direct result of stress, so try not to worry too much if that happens. When my mother passed away this year my pain skyrocketed to levels I haven't experienced in quite some time. It just took time and some time on the shrink couch to get it back under control again. Hope everything works out smoothly for you. :-)
If you usually call in a refill for your medication directly to the pharmacy, that's an easier proposition if you use a national chain. Call the pharmacy as usual when the time comes, and ask them to transfer your scrip to a location at your destination. When you get back home, just have them transfer it back.
Most insurance plans do have a once or twice a year vacation policy for early refills. Call the 800 number on your insurance card for information on your particular plan. Believe it or not, my insurance company was very helpful the two times I had to do that in my life. Those employees aren't always little demons just waiting to deny coverage that we sometimes think they are.
You have 3 calls to make: your doctor, your insurance company, and your pharmacy. I'm so very sorry for your loss and that you now also have the added stress of worrying about medication issues. Increased pain is a direct result of stress, so try not to worry too much if that happens. When my mother passed away this year my pain skyrocketed to levels I haven't experienced in quite some time. It just took time and some time on the shrink couch to get it back under control again. Hope everything works out smoothly for you. :-)
Even if the doctor and pharmacy don't have a problem with filling the script early, your insurance still may deny it. At that point, some pharmacies will let you pay cash for the script (most of the time they will want to talk to your doctor first though to make sure he/she is aware that you are filling it early and they are ok with that) - however, not all will allow that.
Your best bet is what has already been suggested - if your script is at a chain pharmacy, such as Walgreens or CVS, then there should be no problem getting it filled on the due date at an out of town pharmacy. I would definitely suggest taking your bottle with you when you go to get it filled, however, so they can have all the information right in front of them - they will either call your local pharmacy to have it transferred or sometimes it can be done through their computer system. If you have more than one refill available ( doubtful), request that ONLY one of the refills be transferred - that way when you get back home you don't have to go through the transfer again (some pharmacies/meds can only be transferred a certain number of times in a year)
If your medication needs a hard copy script, I also agree with explaining the situation to your doctor and asking for a post-dated prescription with the exact authorized fill date written on it. I only had something similar to this happen to me once while I was on the fentanyl patches - my doctor was actually the one who was going to be out of town when my medication was due - so she was able to give me a post-dated writen script before she left and put the authorized fill date on it.
Best of luck and I'm sorry to hear of your loss.
Your best bet is what has already been suggested - if your script is at a chain pharmacy, such as Walgreens or CVS, then there should be no problem getting it filled on the due date at an out of town pharmacy. I would definitely suggest taking your bottle with you when you go to get it filled, however, so they can have all the information right in front of them - they will either call your local pharmacy to have it transferred or sometimes it can be done through their computer system. If you have more than one refill available ( doubtful), request that ONLY one of the refills be transferred - that way when you get back home you don't have to go through the transfer again (some pharmacies/meds can only be transferred a certain number of times in a year)
If your medication needs a hard copy script, I also agree with explaining the situation to your doctor and asking for a post-dated prescription with the exact authorized fill date written on it. I only had something similar to this happen to me once while I was on the fentanyl patches - my doctor was actually the one who was going to be out of town when my medication was due - so she was able to give me a post-dated writen script before she left and put the authorized fill date on it.
Best of luck and I'm sorry to hear of your loss.
If you have a medication that can be refilled then you can set it up o have it refilled on the date due at one of the chains like Walgreens. If it is a medication that has to have a paper prescription then ask your Doctor to post date one and then either check with the state your going to to see if they can fill it or have a friend or family member have it filled and Fed ex it to you.
Some states allow prescriptions in or out but you will have to check with the state your going to.
If the Doctor is not willing to post date a prescription then as I said have a family member pick up the prescription and have it filled(set this up before you go) and fed ex it to you.
Some Doctors and Pharmacies will allow a prescription to be filled 7 days early. Try and wait till the last possible minute to have it filled though.
Some states allow prescriptions in or out but you will have to check with the state your going to.
If the Doctor is not willing to post date a prescription then as I said have a family member pick up the prescription and have it filled(set this up before you go) and fed ex it to you.
Some Doctors and Pharmacies will allow a prescription to be filled 7 days early. Try and wait till the last possible minute to have it filled though.
Some doctors will give you a written Rx that says "DO NOT FILL UNTIL _____" and they enter the date... thats what my doctor does for me... I would ask if that is possible....
Hi JSteeley,
Welcome to the Pain Management Forum.
You've asked a good question. It's one that I no one can answer but your physician and insurance company. I can tell you that my physician has written a prescription early for me in a similar instance. I assume this is a scheduled RX that requires a written prescription.
Talk to your prescribing physician. He/she will be the one to answer this question. It's my guess he will work something out with you.
Best of Luck,
~Tuck
Welcome to the Pain Management Forum.
You've asked a good question. It's one that I no one can answer but your physician and insurance company. I can tell you that my physician has written a prescription early for me in a similar instance. I assume this is a scheduled RX that requires a written prescription.
Talk to your prescribing physician. He/she will be the one to answer this question. It's my guess he will work something out with you.
Best of Luck,
~Tuck
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