Question re: Using a Second Pharmacy

[Eva 14]

I thought I'd ask for any opinions or advice re: my dilemma.

My pharmacy has had my script for morphine injectable for 2 weeks and STILL no meds. I think there may be a problem with the distrubuter. They only have ONE distrubuter, so perhaps another pharmacy would have access to other distributers.

In my pain contract, I think it just said that my doctor would prefer that I use one pharmacy. (Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of my pain contract. They never gave me one and I've never asked for one).

When I first started seeing my pain doctor 3.5 years ago, I did ask him: What if for some reason I am NOT able to get ALL of my meds from ONE pharmacy? He told me that it would be okay for me to go to a second pharmacy, but that I should make sure to tell him about it at my NEXT appointment. I recall him saying, "I'd need to know about it".

Overall, things have been GREAT with my pain doctor and I don't want to do anything that could jeapordize our good relationship of trust.

I've read a few horror stories of people doing totally innocent things such as using a second pharmacy and getting DROPPED by their pain doc, so I'm scared to take any chances. Another CPer once told me that since I only had VERBAL consent from my doctor to use another pharmacy, I'd better be careful. What if he FORGOT that he gave me permission? (I didn't ask my doctor for his written consent because it seemed overly paraniod on my part).

My doctor is not in on Fridays. He doesn't have an answering machine, either.

I have to go to my pharmacy TOMORROW (Friday) to pick up another prescription for something else. I'm thinking about ASKING for my script back so I can try to take it to another pharmacy. (Actually, I recall asking for a script back once before when they couldn't get a med and they REFUSED to give it to me). I THINK I have the right to MY script, right?

My pain levels are so HIGH without the morphine that it will be very difficult for me to even make it out of the house. When I do go to the pharmacy tomorrow (IF they give me my script) I would then go to another pharmacy while I'm out.

I can't just call up random pharmacies asking them if they carry morphine INJECTION, though. I really fear going to a brand NEW pharmacy where they don't know me, bringing in a script for MORPHINE INJECTION. What if they think I'm some kind of a druggie? I worry that they'll think I'm trying to get an early refill by going to another pharmacy.

I'm worried that my doctor may think something like that, too. In the 3.5 YEARS I've been seeing him, I've done NOTHING wrong. But I suppose that doesn't matter where pain management is concerned?

MY doctor DID give me a NEW script 2 weeks ago, so presumably his office has some sort of record of my pharmacy order problems.

I guess I'm just scared. I haven't been in this much pain in YEARS. And when my pain levels are this high, it's hard for me to think clearly. I'm not usually so paraniod about things, but I have read so many horror stories re: pain management and its plethora of rules.

Another option would be to wait all the way until MONDAY and call my doctor's office. I'm pretty certain that no matter WHICH pharmacy I go to they will need to ORDER the morphine injectable, and that will take at least a couple of days (in the very best of circumstances). I don't know how much longer I can suffer like this, but I'm also scared to inadvertantly do something wrong.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Eva

[Diandra]

Eva, Do you have health insurance that pays for your prescription meds? I am sorry that I do not recall. If you do have insurance, can you call them and tell them about your regular pharmacy not being able to fill your script and ask for advice from them? I used to have Medco and now have Caremark(CVS) via my company and they were always very helpful with issues like this.

I signed a pain contract as well and do try to use the same pharmacy but I do tell my doc if I have to use another pharmacy and he does not have a problem as long as I tell him.

One time I was going to be away from home for a month and needed all my meds filled before I left and my regular pharmacy did not have everything so I went to to other pharmacies in my own town. The problem I had is, when you walk into a pharmacy where you are a stranger and you have a script for a large amount of narcotics, I was refused at 3 pharmacies before I realized what was going on, they thought the script was fake or did not want to take the chance it was. I think if you walk into a new pharmacy looking for injectable morphine, you will meet with the same suspicious stares and denials.

I know I said this before but will say it again, if you don't have this sorted out by monday, call the attorney general in your state, call their number and tell them you have a health related consumer issue. If you gave your pharmacy this script so long ago and they cannot fill it and cause you worsening of symptoms, they may offer to call the pharmacy on your behalf to find out what is going on.

Honestly Eva, at this point, it sounds like something has gone very wrong at your pharmacy and no one wants to fess up and you are the one that is suffering.

I would also like to mention, if you cannot find injectable morphine, I know there is a suppository that I took when I had the flu because I was vomiting and could not keep anything down and they worked very well. I know it is not injectable but might help until the injectable issue is sorted out. I found them very effective.

I wish you the best....I know this has been a horrible situation for you.
Take care, Diandra

[Eva 14]

Thanks, Diandra. I have insurance that covers most of my meds, but for some crazy reason my insurance does not cover injectables. It's okay--the morphine is cheap. I hadn't thought about calling my insurance company; I'm not sure if or how they could help with this problem. But thanks for your advice.

I tried calling my chain pharmacy's 1-800 "customer service" number. That turned out to be a joke. I explained that my pharmacy hadn't filled my script for 2 weeks and wondered what was going on. They just said, "Someone will call you within the next 2 days" and I never heard back from them. The people who answer the phones are clueless.

I think the problem is a shortage on the part of the distributer. So I think that my pharmacy isn't entirely to blame. They've certainly been inept at handling this, but if they can't get the med from the distributer, there's not much they can do.

Thanks for telling me about the treatment I might face if I go into a brand new pharmacy as a stranger with a script for morphine injection. That's exactly what I was afraid of! My doctor isn't located close by, either, so they might really think I'm up to something. I'm sure I'll just be told that they can't get the morphine injectable or something. And they wouldn't even be able to call my doctor until Monday.

I think I will wait until Monday and call my doctor again. I hate to have to keep calling his office, but at this point, I really don't know what else to do.

Thanks for your advice.

Eva

[Eva 14]

Update----I learned that it is NOT my chain store pharmacy's fault. Their distributer has a shortage of morphine injectable, so there's not a thing they can do to get it. That's why I posted on here to begin with---to see if other people might be experiencing the same med shortage. I know not many people take morphine injection, but Tigerlilly posted that she can't get morphine injection anywhere, either.

I did NOT want to file a complaint on a pharmacist unless I was CERTAIN that the pharmacist had done something wrong. They haven't done anything wrong---they just can't get the med.

I went to MY pharmacy today and spoke with the pharmacist that I've been dealing with for 3.5 years. She was sympathetic to my plight. She told me that she and that other (new) pharmacist had done everything in their power to try to get the morphine. I told her I was really confused---what should I do NOW? She wasn't quite sure, at first. But then she gave my my paper script back and told me to try other pharmacies. I asked her---wouldn't that look a little weird for a patient to be calling up random pharmacies asking if they have morphine injectable? She told me to just try it. (I decided to go in person, script in hand.)

My pharmacist recommended that I try a grocery store pharmacy, as they have different distributers. I went directly to the nearby grocery store pharmacy and told them that I'd just spoken with my "W" pharmacist and she recommended I try them. I'd actually filled a few prescriptions for non-narcotic meds (antibiotics) there in the past, so they recognized me. This may explain why I was actually treated very WELL by their pharmacist. I think I look respectable enough, but opiates make me sweat, which is really embarassing.

If their pharmacist hadn't known me, I can only imagine how it would look for a lady to be holding a script for morpine injection, sweating the whole time, at that! But the pharmacist was very POLITE. He looked through HIS computer at HIS distributers, and eventually told me that he was really sorry, but he couldn't find a thing. (My doctor wrote the ALTERNATE script for a multi-dose vial of morphine that usually only HOSPITALS use, so it's going to be virtually IMPOSSIBLE for me to get that dosage of morphine).

When I saw my doctor, he made me give back my USUAL script for the small 1 ml morphine vials----for this month and the next month.

So that's where it stands----a morphine shortage that will last God only knows how long.

For the record, I am NOT a whiner. I've handled chronic pain and cancer all on my own for years. I just needed to VENT about these pharmacy issues, because if I didn't talk about it I think I might go crazy from the PAIN. I used to post a lot BEFORE I found good pain management, so I guess I tend to post when I'm in a lot of pain, just to try to divert myself from the severe pain.

Thanks for the replies. I actually do have oral morphine plus Dilaudid suppositories. Sadly, my pain levels are SO HIGH that even that isn't enough to knock my pain down to a more livable range. It helps---don't get me wrong. But the MORPHINE INJECTABLE is the ONLY thing that gets my pain down to nearly a ZERO. I literally have not been in this much pain in years. Not since I found my great pain management doctor.

Blessings to all,
Eva

[Tigerlilly50]

Eva, maybe this will help uoy understand how this happened.. Morphone injections were made by Baxter up until this year. They stopped making it and west ward took over. They have new NDC numbers and it took time for them to catch up with the manufacturing. Injectable ms is not a very commonly prescribed med for use in a home setting. Hospitals got the bulk of it and the distributers couldn't get it and in some cases like Caremark (cvs) don't really want it anymore. Cardinal will only sent one multiuse vial a month to a pharmacy. I need 11 so they can't help me. Not the pharmacists fault, they are at the end of the line, well, we are at the end really. It's a matter of time none of us have bu I don't blame any of the pharmacists.

[Eva 14]

Tigerlilly, I understand that the MS injections used to be made by Baxter and that Westward recently took over and they will have new NDC numbers. Thanks for posting that info.

I actually had to call up my pharmacist and inform her of this, not the other way around. My pharmacy kept me waiting in pain for 3.5 weeks and never knew a thing about a morphine shortage. It's a sad day when the PATIENT knows far more about a med shortage situation or new manufacturer than the pharmacist! I was able to find out all of this info online, just by googling "morphine injectable shortage". I'm amazed that the pharmacist didn't even check their internet resources. Instead, they kept promising to get my meds "any day now".

If a pharmacist CANNOT get a certain med from their distributer (for whatever reason) I understand. But I expect the pharmacist to be AWARE of the situation and to tell me about it. Then I could try another pharmacy and if necessary call my doctor. My two pharmacists made so many mistakes (which I've posted on here) that the situation got ridiculous. They should have given me back my script weeks ago. I had to be incredibly proactive to get this problem solved, using every Internet resource at my disposal and also calling and visiting several pharmacies. So the pharmacists did make some major mistakes, which I've discussed in earlier posts.

Most importantly for both of us, is the "one vial" rule a temporary measure until the morphine shortage has ended? I hope so. It's not a new law, is it? I need 30 of the 10 mg/1 ml small vials every month, so I hope that eventually things will go back to normal and I'll be able to get them again. Just as I hope that you are able to get the 11 multi-use vials that you need. I think you said you take 15 mg. morphine injection every 4 hours? I usually take 10mg. per day.

I just wondered if you know if this situation is going to get better, rather than worse? Once this morphine shortage ends, do you think that things will get back to normal?

I hope you are feeling okay. I know my life was Hell without the injectables, because my pain levels are so high. Sounds like you are in a similar situation. I wish you the best of luck in getting the meds that you need!

Eva

[shinty]

I don't think it's a big deal what or how many pharmacies are used. With the prescription drug monitoring programs what difference does it really make??? Nobody can get a prescription early, no duplicates, etc.. Making pain patients nowadays use one pharmacy is simply unnecessary-especially when the pharmacy doesn't have your medicine in stock.............

[Pharmacist.steve]

@shinty.. You may not think that it is no big deal.. But I can assure you that all too many pharmacists will see. Report on a patient going to multiple pharmacies for controlled substances.. Will not look at the detail of the information and will quickly label the patient as a " pharmacy shopper/abuser".. Onced labeled .. Hardly ever erased... You can think/believe what you want ... I know what is said and done "behind the counter"...

[tortoisegirl]

So if we do need to visit an alternate pharmacy, is it in our best interest to then only have one alternate pharmacy? Its easy to have a couple times a year where you need to use an alternate pharmacy, so if you used a few different ones, it could look worse than it is. I've only had to do this once since I started my contract (since my pharmacy can order meds really quickly), but I told my doctor at the next visit per my contract. So are you saying that all states now have databases? Are they linked together, or does each have their own? Last I'd heard there were still some states without them, and there weren't many that were multi-state. I don't keep up on all the news though. Best wishes.

[Eva 14]

This is becoming a terrible problem for ALL pain patients who need to take injectable pain meds.

I just spoke to my pharmacist, and due to the DEA, the pharmacist is only allowed to order ONE vial of morphine per month or something crazy like that. She told me she could get #20 prefilled syringes, 10 mg. each. I've never used prefilled syringes and worry that if I put one in my purse, some of the liquid may leak out. I've only used vials in the past. I asked her if the pharmacist if she could order some more, and she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to order another #20 prefilled syringes OR if she'd be able to get them for when I need them next month! What the heck is going on??

I ask the pharm if the ordering restrictions were due to the morphine shortage. She said that was "one reason" but that there are "other reasons"/ I asked her to please tell me exactly WHAT those "other reasons" are. She told me that the DEA is closely monitering injectable pain meds AND trying to LIMIT the amount that patients can recieve each month!

WHAT IS GOING ON??? Is there a NEW LAW??? I've been getting #30 morphine vials, 10 mg. for 3 and a half YEARS and have NEVER had a problem with the pharmacy being able to get them and fill my order.

The WORST part is the DEA restricting how much morphine the pharmacist can order. My prescription has ALWAYS been for #30 morphine vials, 10 mg. each. I'm prescribed ONE per DAY and I cannot get by with less than that. How dare the DEA tell me that I have to get by with #20 per month when my DOCTOR writes me a script for #30 a month!

I am absolutely FURIOUS at the DEA for trying to RESTRICT the amount of pain medicine I can have! I really am livid over this. I cannot function without the morphine. I need it to live even a semi-normal life. I was without the morphine for 3.5 WEEKS and learned just how SEVERE my pain is.

As for using a second or third pharmacy, it looks like I'll need to do that. I already used a second pharmacy near my doctor's office (30 miles away). I can't drive that far every 28 days. I'm going to try to look for a third pharmacy near my home that might be able to order the morphine. But if ALL pharmacists are subjected to these ridiculous DOSAGE restrictions, I'll be in a world of pain and misery!

I just hope that going to these different pharmacies doesn't look bad on my DEA report. My doctor knows about the situation with the pharmacies NOW. I was only really worried about my doctor and my pain contract. I didn't really think that the pharmacists at other pharmacies might think I'm trying to do something shady. God, this is a NIGHTMARE!

Incidentally, I was able to get a large multi-dose vial of Dilaudid at the pharmacy near my doctor, so it doesn't seem like ALL pharmacists are subjected to these NEW RESTRICTIONS. Does anyone know if a NEW LAW was passed? Maybe the pharmacist near my doctor's office is more "courageous" than other pharmacists? Or maybe it is up to the pharmacist's individual discretion?

I am totally confused here.

Pharmacist Steve, if you have any info about this new "law" or the new restrictions on injectable pain meds please let me know. I'm not about to let the DEA make me SUFFER when I'm a LEGITIMATE PAIN PATIENT who is in EXCRUCIATING PAIN without the injectable pain meds. I CANNOT go to LESS than one 10 mg. injection per day. I need #30 per month of the 10 mg. morphine vials.

Thanks for any info. I don't know when I've been so angry. America---land of the free??? NOT if you are in pain! I was watching the Republican Convention when my pharmacist called. I don't know if it's the fault of the Democrats, the Republicans, or WHOEVER! I just know I'm furious about the GOVERNMENT trying to dictate how much morphine I'm "allowed" to take.

Thanks,
Eva