Refilling Prescription (Urgent!)

[Guest ValerieD]

My endocrinologist was going to mail me some lab work to get done and mail back a month after starting HRT. Since my initial prescription was only 30 days and I have yet to receive any lab work in the mail (and I'll run out of hormones by Thursday), I was planning to refill my prescription. The bottles say I have 2 refills on estrogen available and 11 of spiro, so I didn't think this would be a problem. On Friday I sent in the refill order to WalMart online; later that day, I got an email saying that they were still processing my order and would not have it done by my requested pickup time (Fri at 3, which I later found out is pacific time and not eastern for some stupid reason). I STILL haven't gotten an email saying that they're ready to be picked up, and when I attempt to view the details online, I just get an error page. Should I be worried? I'm thinking I'm not gonna be able to refill in time. What can I do? There's only one other pharmacy in my area, and I don't have the prescription papers any more either (WalMart took them when I first filled the prescription).

[Guest ~Brenda~]

It's Sunday and probably the server is down, try again tomorrow during business hours. Do you have a phone number to call at WalMart? I am sure it is available online. Just relax and everything will work out. Missing a few days won't change a thing.

Love.

Brenda

[Guest Melissa~]

Generally the info on the bottle is as good as it gets in the system and not accidental. If it said you have 2 refills of E and the balance of the year on Spiro, I'd not worry about it. The lab work probably was forwarded to the ordering physician, they like to leave the patient out of the info loop if possible, you have to be proactive to get your data.

[VickySGV]

Walk into the pharmacy at the time the meds would normally be ready and they will see that you leave with them, even if the internet order has not been worked at their central pharmacy. I will be doing that with my health plan pharmacy tomorrow. They have installed a new web format recently, and it has more bugs than Carter has liver pills. GRRRR

[Guest]

Hi Valerie,

The last thing to remember is that the effects of hormones are not immediate. Remember how it took a month for noticeable effects to appear? If you miss a dose or two, it isn't going to suddenly reverse everything. Not to worry!

Love, Megan

[Drea]

Talk to a human and ask what the story is. Maybe it is a comptuer glitch.

Maybe there is an availability problem.

Walk into the pharmacy at the time the meds would normally be ready and they will see that you leave with them, even if the internet order has not been worked at their central pharmacy.

Won't make a difference is them having a problem getting the medication.

[Guest Eliza_S]

Any progress, Valerie?

I'll just say what I've said to my daughter (and believe me, I know about that endo/blood work/Rx runaround) and that is: DON'T PANIC.

I'm a big fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe, and an approximate quote is that "the guidebook said on the cover DON'T PANIC in large, friendly letters."

If you're a fan, too, you'll get the joke when I say that as long as you have your towel, you'll be okay. If you're not, just ignore me.

All the advice here. Everything is slow and everybody gives you the runaround these days, and it's not just for trans hormones. I expect that Megan is right and a missed dose or two won't make a huge difference overall.

My guess is that you have the prescription by now. If not, there is always a workaround. Believe me, my daughter is an asthmatic, my mother has Parkinsons, and I have panic attacks. I know just about all there is to know about prescription crises.

Even if Walmart has the paperwork, you can ask the other pharmacy to get the prescription transferred. If you're away from home, and find out you've forgotten to bring that vital bottle of meds, you can get the prescription transferred and then transferred back again to your home pharmacy when you get home.

Am I right in thinking that your endocrinologist is not near to your current location? My daughter has this problem because she's away at college. Have you called them and asked about the paperwork? Make them send it to you again if you haven't gotten it. If you have access to a fax that's not too public, have them fax the paperwork to you. Keep calling on a regular basis (every 48 hours, perhaps) until you get the paperwork. If they say they've just sent it out, give the mails 3-4 days and if you still haven't gotten it, call back and remind the endo's office that this is very important.

[Guest ValerieD]

WalMart's email system must be glitchy, because they had it ready for pickup when I checked today. Too bad the advertised "$4 to refill online" doesn't apply to transgender HRT. Should I give them my insurance info? I've never used insurance for anything but doctors visits before, but they do cover my endo and labs, so they might cover the drugs too.

One month since my endo sent the prescription would be last Saturday, so I'd give it a few more days yet. For some reason, Mom can mail a package from Rochester to Potsdam in 24 hours without paying anything over the standard rate, but a regular letter from my endo's office in Syracuse to anywhere takes a week.

[Drea]

The $4 program certainly does apply if the medication is on the perscription list and only applies to a 30 day supply. If the perscription is for a 90 day supply it will be 3 x $4 = $12. If it is for a higher dosage than what the program lists, again it is multiplied. Still it isn't a bad amount.

Personally, if your doctors office hasn't furnished something within 30 days, I expect the office has forgotten. Unless there is some test that takes a long time which will remind them when results come in or something similar, they aren't likely to remember after all this time so a call to the office might be in order.

[Guest]

If I think I have to stretch to make the arrival I use one of those handy little pill cutters from Walgreen. I slice the remaining pills and wait. If they come quickly I just take both halves at a time, no worries, that way I missed half a dose instead of no dose. Jody

[Guest katiemarie90]

Never get your refills online, i work for wm pharmacy and its the biggest pain in the rear. People use the automated systems and don't go through the full processes and get upset when their meds aren't ready. Always call and speak with someone, trust me they aren't going to judge you we fill tons of prescriptions for tons of people with bigger problems than hrt. They can also let you know if they're running low on meds such as estradiol which has been on short supply. ALWAYS give them your insurance card, unless you just want to pay cash price for all of your meds it never hurts to give them your card to try. I don't know about your wm pharmacy but when your in the situation where you need a refill for a recurring prescrip and you havent heard anything we give people "loaners" so they won't fall off track. It's usually up to the pharmacist to decide but i know we give people loaners like candy. Good luck!