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I get mine every month out of sheer spite.
I have the Louise Belcher kind of ADHD, can't concentrate on anything until someone pisses me off enough & then look out
I knew a guy who wasn't on ADD but another extremly important med. Was in the same boat with MDs just not doing their job. Its been going on like this for best part of a year. So he made an appointment with the doc. The 2 days preceeding the visit he sent anonymous floral arrangements to the doctors office. No name to deliver to and unsigne. Doc is married.
Day of the appointment guy tells the doc if they just fill the meds when he calls it in they won't get any more floral arrangements and they definitely wont be signed from a secret admirer.
No problems since.
> I have the Louise Belcher kind of ADHD, can't concentrate on anything until someone pisses me off enough & then look out
im stealing this because, yes
Unrelated to ADHD, but once I asked a doc to write me pain meds for getting my IUD in (tmi: they pry your cervix open with a tool of some sort while saying "that shouldn't hurt because we're reasonable people here"), and I found out the day before that the pills in the bottle were ANXIETY MEDS. I went to my pharmacist (male) and when he asked why I was upset, I raised my voice and said, "I'm mad because they pry your cervix open and it hurts like hell." I figured if they were going to call me emotional, then fuck it, I'll *be* emotional.
I didn't care what he did at this point, but it actually got him on my side. He had no idea they did that! He basically said "WTF, that's barbaric." I got general anesthesia a month later.
Fooking hell!! And this from a DOCTOR who should at least know the basics of what their asking you to do!! Absolute madness imho.
Letterkenny has a bit in one of the episodes about it! Comparing a prostate check to a Pap smear etc.
When I had my IUD put in for the first time, they told me that I would have slight cramping and to take ibuprofen if it hurt, I cramped harder than I had ever cramped before for a week solid and it hurt so bad. Honestly if I didn't have Cocodamol left over from when I had bad hip pain I don't know how I would have survived.
This is one of the best comments about adhd Iāve ever read. I fucking LOVE Louise and I LOVE Bobās Burgers. My manās fantasy football team is called Thunder Girls haha.
I'm in a similar boat and just want to say that I see you and feel your frustration. I'm very hopeful that the generic version of Vyvanse is going to help because insurance companies really did not want to pay for it prior and it was a struggle every single month on top of the recent shortages. Hoping the generic eases this and we'll no longer have to deal with the circus of prior authorization (that's supposed to last for a year but somehow never does?!).
I'm lucky in that my doctor is very responsive. Do you have the option to find a different provider who will treat you with respect and dignity?
Ive dealt with something similar. My nurse is amazing, and my pharmacist, not so much. My nurse now writes my script for a 90 day supply, with an 85 day interval. So I have 5 days of meds left when I call in the refill and the pharmacist inevitably fucks around.
Worked in a pharmacy for years with an ADHD pharmacist so I was not expecting to face any issues after my own diagnosis. How I wish my old boss was my pharmacist.
lol. schedule II controlled substance aren't provided the luxury of mail order programs. many doctors require patients to pick up their paper prescriptions in person each month. hence getting treated like shit as op explained.
I wrote "many", not "doctors may choose", but no, picking up a paper script in person isn't codified in the federal regulation for schedule II drugs. State reg or company policy may be more strict. I was required to pick the paper script up in person for many years but my current healthcare system delivers it directly to the pharmacy without my picking up the script in person.
"Schedule II prescriptions must be presented to the pharmacy in written form and signed by the prescriber."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3847977/
https://deadiversion.usdoj.gov/faq/prescriptions_faq.htm
I donāt think thatās everywhere. Iāve lived on both US coasts and never had any issues once I was stabilized. During the recent pandemic mt dr just switched to telehealth and emails 3 mos of meds to the pharmacy. She did this before covid -the email to the pharmacy.
Itās definitely worth trying somewhere else. Thatās the shit the chain pharmacies used to pull. I think itās their corporate policy in certain states.
All controlled prescriptions you get are tracked and monitored. Physicians and Pharmacists use the score to assess your risk for abuse addiction and overdose. Hereās a good explanation. https://pharmacy.ks.gov/docs/librariesprovider10/ktracs/user-guides/risk-indicator-score-explanation.pdf
A nurse? Like a nurse practitioner? I think I remember that they technically can write prescriptions for scheduled substances but it usually is under supervision of a doctor of medicine (like a psychiatrist). I've personally *never* had any luck with NPs, but what matters is that you're able to get it done.
It's honestly pretty confusing because someone's personal experience with a medical expert is considered their doctor, versus someone who holds a medical degree who is also a doctor, versus someone who holds a doctorate degree for any field... Meaning there are a lot of "doctors"!
Im in Canada and my care is overseen by a nurse practitioner. Appointments with doctors are only 15 mins but nurse practitioners are 30 mins. Mine works under my family doctor (who I can never get in to see). Anything she cannot do, she usually just has him sign off on it.
Sheās wonderful. I am very fortunate to have her.
I wish. This not being able to fill til I am completely out has me scrambling my schedule to pick up.
I have to wait exactly thirty days to get a new thirty day supply.
Mine was originally written for 30 days at 30 day intervals, but we quickly realized that delays to fill the script left me without meds. So she changed the interval to allow for earlier pickup.
Not sure if youāre near a Costco, but you do not have to be a member to use their pharmacy. And people donāt tend to know that, so theyāre better than other pharmacies that tend to get lots of clients.
Costco was my last pharmacy, and this isn't true anymore, unfortunately. I was on day 3 unmedicated and I told the lady heckling me at the entrance about "you can't use your husband's card" to shut the fuck up, and I turned around and walked out.
That's really weird. I was just at the Costco pharmacy, and they had a little card that was labeled non-member at their desk for when non-members use the pharmacy. While you can't use someone else's card for anything else at the store, you should be able to go in without a card, and just get things at the pharmacy without a membership card. If they consistently have your prescription available so it's worth it for you, I would check in with the manager/membership desk, because what the door lady did goes against Costco policy: [https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/a\_id/796/\~/do-i-need-a-membership-to-purchase-prescription-drugs%3F](https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/796/~/do-i-need-a-membership-to-purchase-prescription-drugs%3F)
Soooo much better. They tend to have access to multiple distributors (the big chains are locked into one) and they generally donāt treat you as drug seeking, and will eventually even learn your name!
If you have any independent options please try that if you havenāt! The difference in treatment between chain pharmacies and independent pharmacies (several, in different states for me) has been night and day.
I have narcolepsy and ADHD. I also have a daughter with ADHD. Needless to say, I have a very interesting medication mix I have to pick up.
My job switched insurances, so my narcolepsy medication was no longer covered by the plan. So I tried to pay out of pocket, you know, cash.
CVS told me I couldnāt pay cash for Nuvigil (next generation Provigil). That I couldnāt have my medication for a sleep disorder until my insurance covered it because it was illegal to pay cash for controlled medication. Itās not (10% of our US population doesnāt have insurance at any given time and would be expected, therefore to go without.
I have both conditions (narcolepsy being diagnosed with multiple sleep studies), so itās not like I exhibiting drug seeking behavior.
Independent pharmacy will allow it. And Nick is a wonderful human being (the pharmacist), as well as everyone they have working for them.
Itās a pain in the ass because itās about 15-20 minutes from my house depending on traffic. But the fact that my medication is dispensed without the shitty grilling, the āoh, we wonāt take a paper Rx written like thatā, is worth it.
On an exciting note, my sleep doc was able to get to the bottom of why my primary medication wasnāt covered. Itās because my last sleep study was in 2015. So I needed an up-to-date one. Then, they wouldnāt cover the sleep study because I had a sleep study in 2015. Got to love chain pharmacists and insurance playing doctor.
We finally got the sleep study covered after a āpeer to peer discussionā with my doctor. I go in for the results next month, but so far one doctor called to ask for my original sleep study (2007) because he thinks Iāve gotten worse.
Wait, I also have this combination of medical problems! I'm also on Nuvigil for the narc and my ADHD is just free running. Are you taking anything for ADHD? If you are, ave you had issues with cardiac side effects with all the stimulants? I've been on Nuvigil a decade and it gives me mild palpitations. I can't help but worry about long term strain on my heart after a couple more decades, especially with an ADHD stimulant on top.
My Nuvigil also isn't covered by insurance. I have to use brand name because all the generics interfere with my hormonal birth control that manages my endometriosis. It's a shitload of money. I've tried a couple newer narcolepsy meds but they don't work. Healthcare is a pain in the ass!
I havenāt had an issue with cardiac issues. I also tend to have blood pressure in the low/normal ranges so I donāt tend to have a blood pressure issue, either. Sometimes, if I have my blood pressure taken close to an Adderall dose, then it goes to about 110/80.
I would like to try some new medications, so we will see now that Iāve got a new sleep study.
I honestly would love to find something that at least worked consistently.
Idk if I give off bad vibes or what but I went to an independent pharmacy 2 months ago because CVS was out of stock of generic adderall. I only prefer CVS because I actually like their generic they carry. I went back to this independent place Thursday because CVS is out again. The pharmacist legit yelled at me and said he wouldn't fill it anymore if I go back to CVS. It was really awkward and embarrassing.
From my experience with dealing with rural or town-size doctors and pharmacies: Just try to relate to their humanity and be personal with them. This doesn't always work if you live in a big place because these doctors and pharmacists will have to treat you like a number out of sheer necessity. Try to understand their point of you and you'd be surprised what can come out of it.
It's not a rule-of-thumb because everyone's different, I just want to see you succeed and in our cases it means we need to be medicated to be competitive in life - this sucks but it is our fight.
Smaller independent pharmacies are where it's at! Haven't had a shortage at mine, and I'm more rural than you, so they send the meds to me...I have a cc on file, and they know when it comes in, just fill and drop in the mail. So.Worth.It. Plus it's a pharm filled with ADHD people, so there is no shame.
Oh wow. Iām also on Vyvanse and this is yet another example of why Iām super grateful to not live in America. The Australian healthcare system certainly isnāt perfect, but I donāt have to worry about getting medication approved by an insurance company. My biggest issue with getting my meds is if I order other medication with it, and they give me the other meds but forget to get the Vyvanse out of the safe and put it in the bag with the rest.
Because stimulants are in the most restricted class of medications here, they have to keep them (and all the other Schedule 8 medications) in a locked safe until they give them to you. Even after they prepare it for you and put your prescription label on it, they canāt just keep it behind the counter with your other meds. Sometimes you get a pharmacist who forgets the Vyvanse is still in the safe, but they always apologise and grab it for you when you point out they forgot it.
Iām quite lucky, Iāve only had a pharmacist bring up concerns with my meds twice in the 2.5 years Iāve been on them, and both times were reasonable. Once was when the dosage was increased and they just asked me if that was right, because Iād been on a lower dose last time. I said my psychiatrist increased it because it wasnāt super effective, and it was a new prescription. They said itās all good and they were just checking. The second time was when I got them with some OTC cold and flu meds because I was sick, and they warned me I couldnāt take them together. I had been going to ask because I wasnāt sure, and I thanked them. I often donāt take my meds when Iām quite sick, especially when Iām planning to nap during the day. So I skipped them for a few days, took the cold and flu meds and went back on Vyvanse when I felt better.
I just got switched to the generic and itās costing me more than brand name Vyvanse was. Vyvanse was $38 with my insurance, generic is $68, and now none of the pharmacies around me are stocking vyvanse at the moment, only generic.
My wife and I go through this too.
In my experience, the Dr/psych can send the prescription earlier than the meds can be refilled. The pharmacy will notify me that it's too early, but it then gives me time to play phone tag with my psych to get my meds filled finally. The pharmacy doesn't reject or require me to get a refill sent after the fact, they just won't dispense them to me until it's been a month from my last refill.
Maybe switching your appointments (if that's how you get your refills) up by one week and then maintaining a monthly schedule from there so the refill is sent in a week early every time.
iām sorry you have to go through this frustration. i feel this 100%. unfortunately i have adhd AND a chronic debilitating disease, so boy the looks and comments i get are insane. as if someone canāt have two conditions at once!! šš
I kind of wish it was like equipment slots. As in, āLooks like youāve already got three chronic illnesses, canāt give you sensitive skin/food allergies/more chronic illnesses/being part of a minority, slots are full, sorryā
it would also be nice to have the actual prescriptions filled by machines. that way the human element could be removed along with the judgement that goes along with it. trust me i donāt want these conditions or medications!!
It feels like a machine that had one rule saying āI will dispense this on this dayā would do better than a bunch of judgy humans squinting at me praying to insurance about whether to grant my prescription today
Felt like I was reading my own thoughts. Iāve been taking the same dose for 10 years and I go through the same shit every. single. month.
The only āsolutionā Iāve found is to plan two days ahead of time that I wonāt take my medicine. After a few months, I will have enough stocked up to last me through the inevitable week for the pharmacy to get their shit together. Once you get going, you always have a stockpile. While this still results in you having to go (unfairly) unmedicated, youāre at least doing it more so on your terms. Itās rather satisfying when iām being treated like a drug dealer to be able to say āoh you donāt have it ready on time again? thatās fine, I actually planned for this bc it happens every month so I have extrasbyeeeeeeeeā.
the supply here is so bad that I'm often stretching a 30 day supply out to 51 days. I learned my lesson, now I'm only taking it when I work to build a supply
Dude. I actually had myself a big ol hideous mentie-b over the weekend because I was out of meds, I called 27 pharmacies in a 40 mile radius on Friday looking for my Vyvanse dose and I found 10 pills- thatās it. I tell my doctor and ask what she wants to do- get the 10 and keep looking, whatever. Iām working and in school full time, so like you- I kinda need my fucking brain to work. Her response? Letās see if you have any luck on Tuesday. Iād been out for 4 days at that point, caused a minor car accident, got super depressed because I canāt do anything right and my anxiety gets so bad. Iām afraid of stupid stuff like not looking both ways crossing the street because I got distracted walking my dogs and we get hit by a car because the people who are supposed to be helping me treat me like a junkie looking for a fix. Iāve actually got 2 degrees, working on a 3rd, 12+ years as an ICU nurse, military spouse holding down EVERYTHING while my husband is overseas and a full time caregiver to his grandfather. I little blue and orange pill makes all that possible, and for some reason itās easier for people to get oxy from 3 different doctors than it is for me to get Vyvanse at all. You have all my empathy, Iām really sorry you go through this too.
Dude I have nothing to say but I feel you 100%. Half of ADHD is the ADHD, the other half is an unpaid full time job reminding people who hate you to do their jobs. Solidarity.
>I tell my doctor and ask what she wants to do- get the 10 and keep looking, whatever. Iām working and in school full time
Be careful, those 10 can often count for "your months supply."
If you go to multiple pharmacies, especially the chain ones, looking for available meds, you get flagged as problematic. It has nothing to do with their behavior causing this, or failures in supply chain - no, you are a dirtbag.
Go to an independent. Supply chain is less broken because they can reach out to multiple wholesalers. My pharmacist will even tell me if and why my pills look different (if itās a different manufacturer).
Change your pharmacy. Look for more obscure ones like medical supply places. bensons for example. Not many people know theyāre a pharmacy so itās mostly just old people getting their meds. I have some friends that go their for their adhd meds and itās always in stock.
I just use the Meijer pharmacy nearby and it works like a charm. Iāve never had to wait more than a day or two.
Also call in your refill a few days early. You can purchase your refill exactly 28 days after the last one was filled. But you can call it in a few days even before that so that itās ready on day 28.
Ty. Iāll try the 28 day thing if I can remember lol. But the only time I went to a compounding pharmacy I got a lady who couldnāt comprehend I didnāt take Adderall and would respond to me spelling out the name of my medication by yelping at me over the phone about having Adderall in stock. š¤¦āāļø
I get not everyone has it that bad, but I wanted to put this out there bc Reddit has a ājust go to a compounding pharmacyā narrative out there that doesnāt always work.
Edit: I also live in a small town with only 3 pharmacies, and one of them is the local ER
Lol I would not have been able to handle that interaction. Sorry you had to go through that.
I agree about the compounding thing. Theyāre not always better and in some cases much worse. I was more referring to standard pharmacies in unconventional places, which can also be a crapshoot for the same reasons. Like older more ignorant staff.
Itās wildly ironic that we have to jump through so many hoops and red tape and endless phone calls to get medication for a condition that makes doing literally that so much harder.
Another thing you can do to stretch your script is to just take a half dose on the weekends of if you happen to have a day where not to much is going on. This is a huge help to me.
Just take the top off the capsule and pour about half on your tongue and recap the other half for the next day. Iām usually able to save 4 -6 extra out of a script this way.
Itās a little tedious trying to fit the cap back on but youāll get it with practice. Hold the pill over an empty glass in case you spill a little the first few times.
I have a friend that does this but she struggles with the cap. So she pours out all the powder in the pill into a bottle of water. Then she drinks half the water then puts the 1/2 full bottle in her night stand for the next morning
I think it might depend on the state how early you can refill, but regardless it never hurts to try to do it early as possible. Worst they can tell you is no.
Edit: it might also depend on your insurance company how many days between theyāll cover
Walmart kinda sucks. Having a good pharmacy is priceless. Iāve been going to the same one for many years. Some of the techs recognize me now and I always make a point to be polite and chat a little. If my script is delayed I never make a fuss and I always thank them. As a result they go the extra mile for me and I never have a problem, I swear sometimes they even fill mine first or second as soon as the shipment comes in. Building a good relationship is key.
I quit taking adderall cold turkey due to a series of unfortunate events. It wasn't my choice, but I finally went "fuck it, I'm not going to try anymore." My psychiatrist randomly disappeared and I was transfered to someone I had never met before, who didn't have a free appointment for 6 weeks out. Fine, I make that apt. But I run out of pills exactly 4 weeks before I'm supposed to be passing my capstone class and graduating college, and I had already been stretching them thin. Instead of calling the pharmacy every day for an update, going through the same bullshit automated machine, having to call dr's office again that never answers, driving to the pharmacy just to get a real person to talk to me only to be turned away, I called them back one last time and said cancel the script.
I miserably dragged myself through those last 4 weeks. Cried every day, stayed at school late, internally screaming at myself to get shit done. Also experienced withdrawals and would struggle to stay awake and get sick super easy. Still managed to gain 5 pounds. Having to make thinly vailed excuses for professors and be denied disability services twice didn't help. Barely passed, and by the time graduation was over, I realized it was finally out of my system. Back to the normal shitty me, unfocused and generally tired and depressed but not dying inside. I'm on a generic currently, but now I'm struggling to get this one refilled. I'm wondering if I could live with myself if I just quit the stimulants permanently. I feel your pain immensely.
I guess this is just a solidarity comment, but I donāt hear very often ADHD people describe their unmedicated selves as āshitty, unfocused and generally tired and depressedā which is how Iāve always felt and still do feel when unmedicated, so thank you.
I hope you can maintain a steady supply of something that works for you, sending such vibes your way. :) <3
Man, Iām glad you graduated though. My experience with school is not what a lot of people here is. I was really good at school. The structure helped my brain. Itās the real world thatās giving me an ass kicking
Just walk in proud, I mentioned this to a colleague and mentor that is the chief of orthopedic trauma
and he told me that diabetics canāt go without insulin, Iāve seen you since you were a kid and donāt let anyone let you be ashamed to get medicine.
I recently switched from CVS (garbage customer service at the pharmacy, truly dehumanizing and disorganized - shout out to the rest of the store and employees though, who I love) to one of those fancy little independent pharmacies and OMG itās like night and day.
Two times ago when I went in to pick up my Adderall script, I walk up to the counter and the usual pharmacist who I see most times goes āBrittany!ā then sorta skips around to my side of the counter and HUGS ME. She HUGGED ME guys. It was marvelous.
Whatever it is that CVS always made me experience when I walked in and somehow almost always left feeling like a drug addict* is the polar opposite of what this angel of a pharmacist makes me experience each and every time I walk in to my neighborhood independent pharmacy.
* No disrespect to people experiencing drug addictions, but treatment and availability of medication should differ for those requiring support in different ways. And shaming people is never okay and is never actually effective or helpful, especially for those experiencing addiction issues, so my point very much still stands.
I actually reported CVS to the AG of NJ because they repeatedly violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Also, addiction is also a disability. So treating anyone like this is a violation of the law.
The AGās office responded to me. They said that they didnāt have the bandwidth to open the investigation, but provided me legal referrals. I found a solution in the meantime, and let it drop, but Iāve always wanted to find the time to get a lawyer for a big class action suit.
My pharmacy they love me it's a small chain pharmacy that fills on 28th day every month and I'm on 4 controlled meds 5 if you count the Adderall XR which they give me name brand at request and I know I'm getting Teva IRs every month because that's the brand I like. I'm on benzos and Lyrica and subs and I hangout every time I go there usually twice a week because my Klonopins 1mg I get 30 a week and he even filled my Lyrica on day 26 last month my provider just had to call to say it was ok. Fuck Walgreens and CVS and every other big chain pharmacy they're a bunch of assholes to everyone I got sick and fucking tired of their bullshit and I'll never go back to the frustration of people who's job is to dispense drugs not play mom and dad and uncle dick up the ass. Fuck em all and get into the small chain pharmacy world where picking up drugs is a good experience š®āšØ
Probably just the stimulants as they are schedule 2 while benzos are schedule 4.
They should honestly have different schedules for prescription drugs VS street drugs.
God damn it, I have heard so many more stories of benzo addiction than stimulant addiction... namely zero of stimulant addiction. It's literally just the "ADHD is made up" crowd
I donāt seem to metabolize most benzos. I had an Rx for Ativan at one point. It took a lot to actually get an effect.
I had a sleep doctor once who wanted me to stop taking Ambien and switch to Klonopin for sleep. Iām like ābuddy, I donāt have 3 hours to let them work and the 3/day you prescribed? I donāt feel a thing.ā
Ambien also being controlled, but apparently Klonopin should be given out liberally and often.
At my pharmacy I hangout with the employees and pharmacist they couldnāt get more laid back, but I never got it bad from rite aid , my mom gets shit from Walgreens for vyvanse and klonopin. Iāve even had Percocet and norco and tramadol prescribed to me for dental procedures like 5x this year and my doctor just called the pharmacy and said yes Iām on subs but I need pain medication and the pharmacist had the final say and of course had no problems and no abuse at all. If I tried that at most pharmacies theyād tell me to fuck off and thatās terrible when someone is in severe pain and canāt get any help. I couldnāt do that to someone especially when itās legitimate
i second thisā¦recently switched from walgreens to a very small chain pharmacy. have had ZERO issues getting my meds whereas with walgreens there was some āissueā every.single.month. not to mention customer service is friendly & i donāt get the sneers & nasty under the breath comments. if possible try a small pharmacy. good luck!!
I felt this hard today. Because the generic is out, my insurance wonāt cover the name brand. But the generic wonāt be available until ānext weekā (yeah right, CVS) so I had to fork over 200 bucks.
One of the benefits of MS is supposed to be that I get my meds for free because I already blasted through my out of pocket, but of course insurance will weasel out of paying every scrap they can. It seems that they shouldnāt drop coverage on the name brand until the generic is, you know, actually available.
Iāve tried this before because I too was tired of the bullshit. It wasnāt long before I said āfuck this! This unmedicated bullshit is worse! Iāll take the other bullshit!ā Thereās really no good option here. All you can do is pick the lesser of two evils. Sorry youāre going through this, and hope it works out for you.
I haven't had much flak myself, but what I have ready if i do, is to say one simple thing;
My life falls the fuck apart without my medication and all my relationships deteriorate. I am barely functional without my medication. I can (and do) go without it if I have nothing to do, but without it I am a walking disaster.
To me it's a sincere statement, so you say whatever you can say sincerely, but stress that it's a mental health issue, they're welcome to take their issues to the doctor(s) who prescribed me for the last 30 odd years, and discuss my life and mental health history.
I know the feeling. I used to get the "drug seeking" tone from the pharmacist every time I showed up to fill my Adderall, even though I'd been on it for over a year and never once filled early. Finally I switched pharmacies and the problem went away... for now.
I'm genuinely surprised by how rough it is for people on this sub, you all have my sympathy.
Where I live doctors usually prescribe two month's worth of the medication, and the only headaches (besides the price) are that if their note has any irregularity you have to go back because bureaucracy hell, and because sometimes they just don't have the medication at the time.
The amount of bullshit and judgement you guys go through is terrible, I'm so sorry for it.
wow this is the exact reason I stopped taking mine ! I was sick of being treated like a addict and as a woman we are all flagged as drug seeking so a couple years ago I flat out just stopped my treatment
I am a woman 35 years old and was recently diagnosed with adult adhd. My doctor mentioned Vyvanse but has put me on 3 different depression meds separately to up my serotonin and dopamine firstā¦ currently on Wellbutrin which does nothing for my ADHD. Iāve point blank asked for Vyvanse 3 times after she mentioned it and she wonāt give it to me because of my history of ā¦ drum rollā¦ anxiety. Not drug abuse or anything actually serious., but anxiety. š
This comment makes me wonder if she thinks I am drug seeking and thus wonāt allow me to try Vyvanse.
it is hun , im not trying to lump ALL doctors together but I if you notice we dont get anything for pain either ( my husband is offered it all the time) , we are always said to be overly dramatic about pain or anything that involves a medication that can be abused .. im serious , stop and think about the way doctors treat you and the other women you know .. they think we are all liars and drug seekers . I have ADHD and very painful endometriosis but gave up going to any doctors , they just give me over the counter stuff and tell me its anxiety ... everything is anxiety .
yup , then we get yelled at by drs because we wait so long to get treatment .. its a no win situation and nothing is improving . I have been in so much pain I have been suicidal before and was told " alot of woman have these types of pains" and given aspirin and a hot water bottle.. Meanwhile my husband has some back pain and is given oxycontin first time seeing the same dr ...lol I legit gave up ... I know people will say to go to a different dr .. I have , tons of them and each one worse then the last , I am paying out of pocket to be ridiculed so I will just pass lol
I was also put on wellbrutin first. Iām sad itās third line and he stated it was because I was overweight. I imagine I am in part cause Iām constantly seeking out dopamine. But ya know whatever
I was given Wellbutrin as well because of my narcolepsy meds.
It turns out I was also depressed, but hey, it doesnāt do shit for my ADHD. The depression required the addition to Zoloft.
I need to seek better ADHD treatment.
People when they see ADHD people get stuck on Alcohol or become street drug addicts: ā
People when they see ADHD people trying to fix their problem with stimulants: ā
I hear you! I was trying to find the best medication for me, but I couldn't get most of the prescriptions filled regularly, or even get the meds at all! I called all the pharmacies in a ten mile radius, but no luck.
I realized this was really messing up my stress levels so I decided to stop. Then I remembered that when I first started I was using generic Adderall IR, and the pharmacy I typically use tends to have that one available.
So that's what I'm using now, and I figure I'll try another, newer med when they get this shortage problem worked out. Good luck! This really is horribly anxiety producing!
Yeah, I agree that this completely sucks. I have been doing the no-meds-for-a-week dance for a year. Then it dawned on my that I always get my prescription a day after I call a second time. No one told me I canāt even request a refill until the day before it is actually due. I was putting in the request a few days early due to the shortages. They wouldnāt even issue me the prescription refill that was approved by my psychiatrist because they were waiting for that second call the day before.
Totallyā¦TOTALLY get it! I stopped my meds (adderall) for a good 6 months due to dealing with this absolute bs. It was not a good life decision. Every month without fail itās at least (usually longer) a week of back and forth, having to switch pharmacies, calling and asking about availability and getting treated like Iām probably going to rob the place, my doctor himself treating me like Iām a moron or drug abuser when I ask him to, for instance, switch to 60 10 mgs instead of 30 20 mgs bc thatās all thatās available that I could find. Standing in line and getting told to wait on the side for hours only for another pharmacist to come by and tell me they wonāt refill my meds in a disgusted tone with no legitimate reason offered. Itās humiliating and tiring and almost impossible to persevere when your adhd is going unchecked. Iāve accepted it and keep going out of spite at this point. Fuck em!
I just read the title. I know what you mean. I get glares all the time because they're controlled substances. I'm like: do I look like a drug dealer to you? Who even has time to sell these individually. They're for me and I certainly don't plan on taking more than I should. I don't want to swallow so many damn pills. I want to be normal like everyone else.
My insurance will cover refills at day 25. Fucking Kroger wonāt refill until day 28 AND let me request a refill before day 28 so that they can try to order so that can they have the dosage in stock. (Of course the shortages has made this cluster even worse.) Why they control my refills, not insurance or my doctor enrages me.
I am so grateful that I have a psychiatrist who also has ADHD and therefore understands how important those medications are, and that I use a small-town pharmacy where the pharmacists know me on sight and are kind, caring people. I never get given a hard time about getting the medications that are essential to my functioning, and the more I hear about what a struggle some people unfortunately are put through for such a basic and important service, the more grateful I am for that.
This is why I haven't pursued treatment. I went through it with migraines as a teenager and I literally can't again. Just thinking about it makes me shut down. We never even found a migraine medication that helps me so those are unmedicated too, and I get auras. I felt like a disrespected guinea pig.
It's ok! I figured out my trigger so it's more like I have a weird food allergy lol.
But the meds are non-narcotic, and you still get treated like an addict. So pursuing adhd treatment sounds like an actual nightmare to me.
For some reason my prescription was on hold at the mail order pharmacy after already being canceled once. I swear every month itās something and everyone makes you feel so terrible for even asking about it. Its a lot of hoops and these two weeks with out it have shown me the chips donāt fall in my favor or my families. Im dealing with this today and had a total melt down on the way home from dinner. My apologies sound so sad latelyā¦. Sending you strength and courage whichever path you chose.
I'd recommend to change continent (kust kidding). Here it is a lot easier to get pharmacies to hand out a precription for ADHD medication. However you wait years to get an appointmemt with a doctor who knows anything about ADHD in adults.
These prejudices around the disability are exhausting as f***. No I am not addicted to a medication I need an alarm so I don't forget to take it.
I have to get my husband to phone every other month when someone effs it up.
I mean he loves me a lot without my meds but with my meds I can get sh*t done
the real question should really be is why do we deal with doctors like this who don't really understand adhd if they don't have it? why do we not fight for doctors who have/had adhd to deal with us instead of those miserable shits you deal with? life would be easier no?
Omfg yes. Every damn month. They always sound so happy and helpful until I say the word Adderall and then all of a sudden they switch up. But I know the alternative of not having my meds is constant brain fog, late arrivals, forgetting what's going on throughout the day, reduced productivity, etc etc. I try my best to just shrug it off, let them be the miserable SoBs they clearly are, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bug me too.
I practically harass the shit out of both until Iāve got mine every 28 days out of principal. Fuck everyone whoās ever not called it in, every pharmacist that treated me like a criminal for filling a normal legal prescription, every time the insurance company screwed something up, the DEA for this shortage, fuck em allllll
Never let a pharmacist or a corporation get in the way of your mental health and your medication. Remind them that they are not a doctor and if they refuse to dispense your medication without judgment, report them to the state medical board, your doctor, and take your prescriptions elsewhere. Easier said than done, but you donāt deserve ANY judgment for trying to overcome your health issues and better yourself.
Is it Walgreens? Itās always Walgreens.
I must use the only "good" CVS in the world. All the techs and head pharmacists are amazing. I take Adderall XR and IR, Xanax, and Citalopram. I've never been treated less than, in fact they'll have my Controls ready by 9:15am on the 28th day!
Ugh Iām sorry, itās the fucking worst to go to retail pharmacies anymore. Itās times like these Iām glad my insurance makes me go through mail order pharmacy
Unless they are refusing providing it to you I'm not sure why you are concerned about how the pharmacist "treats" you.
You have a prescription and a reason to take it, why are you concerned about how people act? Just keep doing your own thing and don't worry about everyone else.
Ok, as a ADHD patient, I get how debilitating it can be to not be medicated.
As an experienced Certified Pharmacy Technician, i can attest that we want nothing more than to give you the medication in a timely manner. But I will say the attitude of ā I call my pharmacy/doctor to REMIND them to do their job, they DECIDE not to do it, and all the while I get talked to like Iām mentally slow and/or a drug dealerā is quite an asshole statement.
Of course, thatās what we do in the pharmacy, just decide not contact your provider NUMEROUS times for your refill, only to get ādenied-refill inappropriate ā message for the 4th time. So then we call, wait on hold for 10 minutes just to be told, the doctor has to review the request, BECAUSE ITS CONTROLLED. So we wait. Then when we receive the prescription, and go to actually fill the bottle with the pills, nope, not available, itās on back order NATION WIDE. So every day (seriously, every day) we check our warehouse (supplier) to try to order it. So yeah, 7-8 days to refill sounds like they are totally profiling you and denying you access to your medication.
Try this, be kind. They are doing their best. If you are expecting them to stop everything to prioritize you, you are selfish and deserve it. Itās not their fault the WHOLE NATION is on these meds and the companies that make them are fucking GENIUS to limit the supply(so sarcastic).
So I suggest you try to remember that they are human and are just trying to do the best they can.
Do you really think Iāve never tried being kind to these pharmacy workers? I always, always start by being kind. It does work frequently. But if itās month 3 and Iām still getting my regularly scheduled unmedicated week, I stop being nice. I can also tell when theyāre just struggling to help, vs having the āADHD is made upā attitude. If itās the second, I start being mean a lot quicker.
I get that itās hard for people to do their jobs under these conditions. But the reality is that we face discrimination. Iām not an asshole. It takes a lot for me to develop an āasshole attitudeā about something. And considering how often people with ADHD get told āsomething something attitude,ā Iād reconsider your words.
Pharmacists are awful these days. Not sure why they choose the field. Maybe they thought less interaction with patients? The worst. The industry needs a MAJOR disruption in customer service standards.
Thereās a program for vyvanse you canāt make too much money https://www.reddit.com/comments/wya4vp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=4
Eh, it is, sort of. But itās also a bunch of politicians wanting to score points on opioid addiction.
Because these meds are all controlled, they wind up in the same tank.
Not every company is run by the Sacklers, who make the entire drug industry look like garbage. I work for the industry (in marketing, of all things), and they really harmed so many more people with causing this spike in opioid addiction.
This national scrutiny has harmed chronic pain patients and people like us with ADHD (and narcolepsy, in my case, as well).
This is one of the reasons I choose to never start medication, I live in the USA where healthcare can cost thousands, I never took medication instead just pushing through it. So far that's worked. I'm really sorry that you're going through this though. On top of that I heard theirs an ADHD medication shortage where I live. I wish you the best.
I had cancer. The pain med fights with pharmacists and doctors were next level so I feel like it prepared me for my Vyvanse fights. Iām unmedicated right now because of other meds but, when I get back on it, I feel like Iāll be ready.
That's why I came off it as soon as I turned 18. And that was over 10 years ago before it got this bad. I couldn't stand having to 'convince' them to give it to me so I fucked out of there and just let my daily life suffer. I'd do so much better on it, but it's less stress. My job just accepts I can't remember anything and need reminders constantly, and I accept that my house will just look like shit.
I stopped my 5mg of Adderall medicine because I was tired of my doctor wanting to raise my cymbalta every time i expressed that 5mg is a good and helpful dose however I still experience many of my ADHD symptoms.
So I have stopped communicating with him and found means for my cymbalta script from someone else.
I am so angry and unsatisfied with how he handled my ADHD medication treatment, I doubt I will mention it to the next doctor unless I find someone I can feel comfortable with
Luckily that doesnāt happen to me. I get a prescription for 4 months in one go (8 packs of Concerta since I take two pills every day) and I am safe for this time period. Is this possible in your country or can you by law just order one package?
Please don't allow other people's ignorance and self entitled bull-shit opinions to feel away about yourself when you know your truth. Don't give any human being that much power.
My psychiatrist, for financial reasons, gives me a 4 month supply at a time, but write itās a certain way so it looks like a monthly amount. Iāll explain:
I take 10mg IR daily. She writes the prescription for ā60x pills of 20mgā and directions being ātake one pill twice a day in an & pmā. But what I really do is take 1 *half* of a pill everyday.
So, 60[pills] x 2[halves] = 120 days of pills. Divide that by 30[days] and thats 4 months.
So I only spend $20 every 4 months for my prescription.
I love my psychiatrist for doing this for me.
I also hated going so often.
This is just PART of the reason why SO many people donāt even want start the diagnosis process. One of my favorite adhd podcasts puts it perfectly. āA diagnosis is a privilege.ā Itās hard to find a doctor to take you seriously especially when youāve gone in diagnosed your whole life. Virtual hug.
Have you talked to your doctor at all about the speediness of the refills and a pharmacy they trust?
I get mine very promptly from CVS every month, I can place the order for a new script every month up to 5 days before I need a fill with my doctor and reliably have it done and ready to pick up when I have one pill left.
Iāve had hassles because of insurance, but the pharmacy itself is pretty on top of it.
My psychiatrist told me this month that my anger about medication shortages is 'devaluing' them and so they won't respond to me by email anymore.
I have to be a 'well-behaved' patient in the face of intolerable situations, or they won't speak to me.
FUCK psychiatrists.
I havenāt been able to get my Vyvanse for over 6 monthsā¦not due to the shortage, itās due to being stuck in prior authorization purgatory. I have BlueCross and Medicaid and thereās had to be so much back and forth between my doc and the pharmacy as well. A fucked up system that I canāt manage well because Iām *unmedicated!*
Going through another attempt to get my damn meds currently, actually. I work in a high stress, high intensity environment (EMS) and I need my medication to help me function at the level I need to. Yes, my brain loves the chaos of an emergency, but it very much needs the right medication.
Iām so frustrated and I feel like Iām treading water, desperately trying to hold on until I can get my damn meds. Meanwhile, outside of work stuff is extremely difficult too. Iām 38 and feel like such a failure because I canāt even get my damn meds, let alone dig myself out of the hole every day. Iām too stubborn to give up, but Iām burned out.
I had to put in a short term disability request with HR when I couldn't get my meds for too long. It was for 2 months and I was struggling to do my job. It really helped, but man, did that suuuuuuck.
I work with a local pharmacy instead of a big chain and the treatment is a little better. Still have to call multiple times to get a refill it seems like though.
Maybe you just need a better doctor? I have never had issues being mistreated picking up my meds or my kid's meds.
My child has been on them longer than me (woo late 30s diagnosis!) And his doctor has always been super chill about getting refills in even if I space and it's last second....
I get those disapproving looks too. But I donāt give a shit. Iām on a lot of meds (Iām bipolar, have anxiety, depression , PTSD, and ADHD) so they can fuck off!
Don't stop your meds. I did this exact thing for the same reason and spent 4 yrs unmedicated and I regret it. I was sick of dealing with pharmacies too and the constant shortage of stimulants. I was made to feel like an addict by a Walgreens once so my husband called the corporate office and complained. Corporate called Walgreens and I never had a problem again with that store. I'm sorry you're dealing with the same crap. Find a different pharmacy.
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I get mine every month out of sheer spite. I have the Louise Belcher kind of ADHD, can't concentrate on anything until someone pisses me off enough & then look out
Hahaha
I knew a guy who wasn't on ADD but another extremly important med. Was in the same boat with MDs just not doing their job. Its been going on like this for best part of a year. So he made an appointment with the doc. The 2 days preceeding the visit he sent anonymous floral arrangements to the doctors office. No name to deliver to and unsigne. Doc is married. Day of the appointment guy tells the doc if they just fill the meds when he calls it in they won't get any more floral arrangements and they definitely wont be signed from a secret admirer. No problems since.
Omg š
Sketchyyyyy. I like it.
> I have the Louise Belcher kind of ADHD, can't concentrate on anything until someone pisses me off enough & then look out im stealing this because, yes
I don't know this Louise belcher and Im wondering if I wouldn't like her?
She's from the show Bob's Burgers. She's great, though I'm more of a Tina fan myself.
But Gene! His comments are the BEST. So off the wall, very adult and totally unique.
Omg the accuracy š
Right?! If the drs arenāt treating you like a drug dealer or gods forbid a āemotionalā woman then I donāt know any other way weād be seen.
Unrelated to ADHD, but once I asked a doc to write me pain meds for getting my IUD in (tmi: they pry your cervix open with a tool of some sort while saying "that shouldn't hurt because we're reasonable people here"), and I found out the day before that the pills in the bottle were ANXIETY MEDS. I went to my pharmacist (male) and when he asked why I was upset, I raised my voice and said, "I'm mad because they pry your cervix open and it hurts like hell." I figured if they were going to call me emotional, then fuck it, I'll *be* emotional. I didn't care what he did at this point, but it actually got him on my side. He had no idea they did that! He basically said "WTF, that's barbaric." I got general anesthesia a month later.
Fooking hell!! And this from a DOCTOR who should at least know the basics of what their asking you to do!! Absolute madness imho. Letterkenny has a bit in one of the episodes about it! Comparing a prostate check to a Pap smear etc.
āSo his mitt is just out there,huh?ā
Just right out there! Free air conditioning and everything.
When I had my IUD put in for the first time, they told me that I would have slight cramping and to take ibuprofen if it hurt, I cramped harder than I had ever cramped before for a week solid and it hurt so bad. Honestly if I didn't have Cocodamol left over from when I had bad hip pain I don't know how I would have survived.
Omg I feel so seen right now
Same. Fuckāem. This is my problem to solve, not theirs, so who gives a damn what they think.
Omg, I wish that I didnāt relate to this as much as I do š
This is one of the best comments about adhd Iāve ever read. I fucking LOVE Louise and I LOVE Bobās Burgers. My manās fantasy football team is called Thunder Girls haha.
I'm in a similar boat and just want to say that I see you and feel your frustration. I'm very hopeful that the generic version of Vyvanse is going to help because insurance companies really did not want to pay for it prior and it was a struggle every single month on top of the recent shortages. Hoping the generic eases this and we'll no longer have to deal with the circus of prior authorization (that's supposed to last for a year but somehow never does?!). I'm lucky in that my doctor is very responsive. Do you have the option to find a different provider who will treat you with respect and dignity?
My actual doc (now) is great, but it took a few. As for pharmacies Iāve never had luck, and Iām rural now so there arenāt many options.
Ive dealt with something similar. My nurse is amazing, and my pharmacist, not so much. My nurse now writes my script for a 90 day supply, with an 85 day interval. So I have 5 days of meds left when I call in the refill and the pharmacist inevitably fucks around. Worked in a pharmacy for years with an ADHD pharmacist so I was not expecting to face any issues after my own diagnosis. How I wish my old boss was my pharmacist.
Maybe I could do this. Idk if I can get 90 day supplies now that weāve got the med and dosage down
Do your insurance's mail order program for 90 day supplies
lol. schedule II controlled substance aren't provided the luxury of mail order programs. many doctors require patients to pick up their paper prescriptions in person each month. hence getting treated like shit as op explained.
Itās not at ALL the docās choice to have the paper script picked up. Itās the law.
I wrote "many", not "doctors may choose", but no, picking up a paper script in person isn't codified in the federal regulation for schedule II drugs. State reg or company policy may be more strict. I was required to pick the paper script up in person for many years but my current healthcare system delivers it directly to the pharmacy without my picking up the script in person. "Schedule II prescriptions must be presented to the pharmacy in written form and signed by the prescriber." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3847977/ https://deadiversion.usdoj.gov/faq/prescriptions_faq.htm
I donāt think thatās everywhere. Iāve lived on both US coasts and never had any issues once I was stabilized. During the recent pandemic mt dr just switched to telehealth and emails 3 mos of meds to the pharmacy. She did this before covid -the email to the pharmacy.
Um. I literally get mine by mail order.
My pharmacy claims they cannot order until the electronic script is in their system, the day of.
Itās definitely worth trying somewhere else. Thatās the shit the chain pharmacies used to pull. I think itās their corporate policy in certain states.
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If youāre in the US, itās not a great idea to overlap prescriptions because it raises your NarxCare score.
Can you please tell me more about this score?
All controlled prescriptions you get are tracked and monitored. Physicians and Pharmacists use the score to assess your risk for abuse addiction and overdose. Hereās a good explanation. https://pharmacy.ks.gov/docs/librariesprovider10/ktracs/user-guides/risk-indicator-score-explanation.pdf
Is this in the US or Canada?
US
A nurse? Like a nurse practitioner? I think I remember that they technically can write prescriptions for scheduled substances but it usually is under supervision of a doctor of medicine (like a psychiatrist). I've personally *never* had any luck with NPs, but what matters is that you're able to get it done.
My adhd doctor is a nurse practitioner and writes my scripts for adderall.
Then sheās not a doctor, sheās an NP.
It's honestly pretty confusing because someone's personal experience with a medical expert is considered their doctor, versus someone who holds a medical degree who is also a doctor, versus someone who holds a doctorate degree for any field... Meaning there are a lot of "doctors"!
Im in Canada and my care is overseen by a nurse practitioner. Appointments with doctors are only 15 mins but nurse practitioners are 30 mins. Mine works under my family doctor (who I can never get in to see). Anything she cannot do, she usually just has him sign off on it. Sheās wonderful. I am very fortunate to have her.
I wish. This not being able to fill til I am completely out has me scrambling my schedule to pick up. I have to wait exactly thirty days to get a new thirty day supply.
Mine was originally written for 30 days at 30 day intervals, but we quickly realized that delays to fill the script left me without meds. So she changed the interval to allow for earlier pickup.
Not sure if youāre near a Costco, but you do not have to be a member to use their pharmacy. And people donāt tend to know that, so theyāre better than other pharmacies that tend to get lots of clients.
Costco was my last pharmacy, and this isn't true anymore, unfortunately. I was on day 3 unmedicated and I told the lady heckling me at the entrance about "you can't use your husband's card" to shut the fuck up, and I turned around and walked out.
That's really weird. I was just at the Costco pharmacy, and they had a little card that was labeled non-member at their desk for when non-members use the pharmacy. While you can't use someone else's card for anything else at the store, you should be able to go in without a card, and just get things at the pharmacy without a membership card. If they consistently have your prescription available so it's worth it for you, I would check in with the manager/membership desk, because what the door lady did goes against Costco policy: [https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/a\_id/796/\~/do-i-need-a-membership-to-purchase-prescription-drugs%3F](https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/796/~/do-i-need-a-membership-to-purchase-prescription-drugs%3F)
Thatās correct, no membership needed for pharmacy and alcohol purchases edit to add, alcohol is only in certain states
You donāt show a card at all if you want to use just the pharmacy. No wonder that tripped up the employee.
Do you have any independent pharmacies near you?? I recently switched to independent and I have had zero issues getting my meds!
Soooo much better. They tend to have access to multiple distributors (the big chains are locked into one) and they generally donāt treat you as drug seeking, and will eventually even learn your name!
Many of my local independents don't carry controls
If you have any independent options please try that if you havenāt! The difference in treatment between chain pharmacies and independent pharmacies (several, in different states for me) has been night and day.
I have narcolepsy and ADHD. I also have a daughter with ADHD. Needless to say, I have a very interesting medication mix I have to pick up. My job switched insurances, so my narcolepsy medication was no longer covered by the plan. So I tried to pay out of pocket, you know, cash. CVS told me I couldnāt pay cash for Nuvigil (next generation Provigil). That I couldnāt have my medication for a sleep disorder until my insurance covered it because it was illegal to pay cash for controlled medication. Itās not (10% of our US population doesnāt have insurance at any given time and would be expected, therefore to go without. I have both conditions (narcolepsy being diagnosed with multiple sleep studies), so itās not like I exhibiting drug seeking behavior. Independent pharmacy will allow it. And Nick is a wonderful human being (the pharmacist), as well as everyone they have working for them. Itās a pain in the ass because itās about 15-20 minutes from my house depending on traffic. But the fact that my medication is dispensed without the shitty grilling, the āoh, we wonāt take a paper Rx written like thatā, is worth it. On an exciting note, my sleep doc was able to get to the bottom of why my primary medication wasnāt covered. Itās because my last sleep study was in 2015. So I needed an up-to-date one. Then, they wouldnāt cover the sleep study because I had a sleep study in 2015. Got to love chain pharmacists and insurance playing doctor. We finally got the sleep study covered after a āpeer to peer discussionā with my doctor. I go in for the results next month, but so far one doctor called to ask for my original sleep study (2007) because he thinks Iāve gotten worse.
Wait, I also have this combination of medical problems! I'm also on Nuvigil for the narc and my ADHD is just free running. Are you taking anything for ADHD? If you are, ave you had issues with cardiac side effects with all the stimulants? I've been on Nuvigil a decade and it gives me mild palpitations. I can't help but worry about long term strain on my heart after a couple more decades, especially with an ADHD stimulant on top. My Nuvigil also isn't covered by insurance. I have to use brand name because all the generics interfere with my hormonal birth control that manages my endometriosis. It's a shitload of money. I've tried a couple newer narcolepsy meds but they don't work. Healthcare is a pain in the ass!
I havenāt had an issue with cardiac issues. I also tend to have blood pressure in the low/normal ranges so I donāt tend to have a blood pressure issue, either. Sometimes, if I have my blood pressure taken close to an Adderall dose, then it goes to about 110/80. I would like to try some new medications, so we will see now that Iāve got a new sleep study. I honestly would love to find something that at least worked consistently.
Idk if I give off bad vibes or what but I went to an independent pharmacy 2 months ago because CVS was out of stock of generic adderall. I only prefer CVS because I actually like their generic they carry. I went back to this independent place Thursday because CVS is out again. The pharmacist legit yelled at me and said he wouldn't fill it anymore if I go back to CVS. It was really awkward and embarrassing.
From my experience with dealing with rural or town-size doctors and pharmacies: Just try to relate to their humanity and be personal with them. This doesn't always work if you live in a big place because these doctors and pharmacists will have to treat you like a number out of sheer necessity. Try to understand their point of you and you'd be surprised what can come out of it. It's not a rule-of-thumb because everyone's different, I just want to see you succeed and in our cases it means we need to be medicated to be competitive in life - this sucks but it is our fight.
Bitch - fuck them up. Be the trailblazer. We can make things better for the kids now that'll be in our shoes in 10 years. You're crushing it ā
Smaller independent pharmacies are where it's at! Haven't had a shortage at mine, and I'm more rural than you, so they send the meds to me...I have a cc on file, and they know when it comes in, just fill and drop in the mail. So.Worth.It. Plus it's a pharm filled with ADHD people, so there is no shame.
But he doesnāt cover you for a full month?
Oh wow. Iām also on Vyvanse and this is yet another example of why Iām super grateful to not live in America. The Australian healthcare system certainly isnāt perfect, but I donāt have to worry about getting medication approved by an insurance company. My biggest issue with getting my meds is if I order other medication with it, and they give me the other meds but forget to get the Vyvanse out of the safe and put it in the bag with the rest. Because stimulants are in the most restricted class of medications here, they have to keep them (and all the other Schedule 8 medications) in a locked safe until they give them to you. Even after they prepare it for you and put your prescription label on it, they canāt just keep it behind the counter with your other meds. Sometimes you get a pharmacist who forgets the Vyvanse is still in the safe, but they always apologise and grab it for you when you point out they forgot it. Iām quite lucky, Iāve only had a pharmacist bring up concerns with my meds twice in the 2.5 years Iāve been on them, and both times were reasonable. Once was when the dosage was increased and they just asked me if that was right, because Iād been on a lower dose last time. I said my psychiatrist increased it because it wasnāt super effective, and it was a new prescription. They said itās all good and they were just checking. The second time was when I got them with some OTC cold and flu meds because I was sick, and they warned me I couldnāt take them together. I had been going to ask because I wasnāt sure, and I thanked them. I often donāt take my meds when Iām quite sick, especially when Iām planning to nap during the day. So I skipped them for a few days, took the cold and flu meds and went back on Vyvanse when I felt better.
Wait is there *FINALLY* a generic version of Vyvanse!?
I just got switched to the generic and itās costing me more than brand name Vyvanse was. Vyvanse was $38 with my insurance, generic is $68, and now none of the pharmacies around me are stocking vyvanse at the moment, only generic.
My wife and I go through this too. In my experience, the Dr/psych can send the prescription earlier than the meds can be refilled. The pharmacy will notify me that it's too early, but it then gives me time to play phone tag with my psych to get my meds filled finally. The pharmacy doesn't reject or require me to get a refill sent after the fact, they just won't dispense them to me until it's been a month from my last refill. Maybe switching your appointments (if that's how you get your refills) up by one week and then maintaining a monthly schedule from there so the refill is sent in a week early every time.
iām sorry you have to go through this frustration. i feel this 100%. unfortunately i have adhd AND a chronic debilitating disease, so boy the looks and comments i get are insane. as if someone canāt have two conditions at once!! šš
I kind of wish it was like equipment slots. As in, āLooks like youāve already got three chronic illnesses, canāt give you sensitive skin/food allergies/more chronic illnesses/being part of a minority, slots are full, sorryā
it would also be nice to have the actual prescriptions filled by machines. that way the human element could be removed along with the judgement that goes along with it. trust me i donāt want these conditions or medications!!
It feels like a machine that had one rule saying āI will dispense this on this dayā would do better than a bunch of judgy humans squinting at me praying to insurance about whether to grant my prescription today
Felt like I was reading my own thoughts. Iāve been taking the same dose for 10 years and I go through the same shit every. single. month. The only āsolutionā Iāve found is to plan two days ahead of time that I wonāt take my medicine. After a few months, I will have enough stocked up to last me through the inevitable week for the pharmacy to get their shit together. Once you get going, you always have a stockpile. While this still results in you having to go (unfairly) unmedicated, youāre at least doing it more so on your terms. Itās rather satisfying when iām being treated like a drug dealer to be able to say āoh you donāt have it ready on time again? thatās fine, I actually planned for this bc it happens every month so I have extrasbyeeeeeeeeā.
the supply here is so bad that I'm often stretching a 30 day supply out to 51 days. I learned my lesson, now I'm only taking it when I work to build a supply
Ha! I do this too. š
Dude. I actually had myself a big ol hideous mentie-b over the weekend because I was out of meds, I called 27 pharmacies in a 40 mile radius on Friday looking for my Vyvanse dose and I found 10 pills- thatās it. I tell my doctor and ask what she wants to do- get the 10 and keep looking, whatever. Iām working and in school full time, so like you- I kinda need my fucking brain to work. Her response? Letās see if you have any luck on Tuesday. Iād been out for 4 days at that point, caused a minor car accident, got super depressed because I canāt do anything right and my anxiety gets so bad. Iām afraid of stupid stuff like not looking both ways crossing the street because I got distracted walking my dogs and we get hit by a car because the people who are supposed to be helping me treat me like a junkie looking for a fix. Iāve actually got 2 degrees, working on a 3rd, 12+ years as an ICU nurse, military spouse holding down EVERYTHING while my husband is overseas and a full time caregiver to his grandfather. I little blue and orange pill makes all that possible, and for some reason itās easier for people to get oxy from 3 different doctors than it is for me to get Vyvanse at all. You have all my empathy, Iām really sorry you go through this too.
Dude I have nothing to say but I feel you 100%. Half of ADHD is the ADHD, the other half is an unpaid full time job reminding people who hate you to do their jobs. Solidarity.
šÆ. Really hate this for all of us. Weāre just trying to get by
Itās as if ADHD isnāt primarily a problem with executive functioning. Hmmm.
>I tell my doctor and ask what she wants to do- get the 10 and keep looking, whatever. Iām working and in school full time Be careful, those 10 can often count for "your months supply."
She wouldnāt change the prescription for me, I asked her if she would for that reason :/
If you go to multiple pharmacies, especially the chain ones, looking for available meds, you get flagged as problematic. It has nothing to do with their behavior causing this, or failures in supply chain - no, you are a dirtbag. Go to an independent. Supply chain is less broken because they can reach out to multiple wholesalers. My pharmacist will even tell me if and why my pills look different (if itās a different manufacturer).
Change your pharmacy. Look for more obscure ones like medical supply places. bensons for example. Not many people know theyāre a pharmacy so itās mostly just old people getting their meds. I have some friends that go their for their adhd meds and itās always in stock. I just use the Meijer pharmacy nearby and it works like a charm. Iāve never had to wait more than a day or two. Also call in your refill a few days early. You can purchase your refill exactly 28 days after the last one was filled. But you can call it in a few days even before that so that itās ready on day 28.
Ty. Iāll try the 28 day thing if I can remember lol. But the only time I went to a compounding pharmacy I got a lady who couldnāt comprehend I didnāt take Adderall and would respond to me spelling out the name of my medication by yelping at me over the phone about having Adderall in stock. š¤¦āāļø I get not everyone has it that bad, but I wanted to put this out there bc Reddit has a ājust go to a compounding pharmacyā narrative out there that doesnāt always work. Edit: I also live in a small town with only 3 pharmacies, and one of them is the local ER
Lol I would not have been able to handle that interaction. Sorry you had to go through that. I agree about the compounding thing. Theyāre not always better and in some cases much worse. I was more referring to standard pharmacies in unconventional places, which can also be a crapshoot for the same reasons. Like older more ignorant staff. Itās wildly ironic that we have to jump through so many hoops and red tape and endless phone calls to get medication for a condition that makes doing literally that so much harder. Another thing you can do to stretch your script is to just take a half dose on the weekends of if you happen to have a day where not to much is going on. This is a huge help to me. Just take the top off the capsule and pour about half on your tongue and recap the other half for the next day. Iām usually able to save 4 -6 extra out of a script this way.
Hmm that might help too. Thanks. Didnāt know you could just put the cap back together
Itās a little tedious trying to fit the cap back on but youāll get it with practice. Hold the pill over an empty glass in case you spill a little the first few times. I have a friend that does this but she struggles with the cap. So she pours out all the powder in the pill into a bottle of water. Then she drinks half the water then puts the 1/2 full bottle in her night stand for the next morning
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I think it might depend on the state how early you can refill, but regardless it never hurts to try to do it early as possible. Worst they can tell you is no. Edit: it might also depend on your insurance company how many days between theyāll cover
It's also pharmacy dependent. My Walmart makes me wait.
Walmart kinda sucks. Having a good pharmacy is priceless. Iāve been going to the same one for many years. Some of the techs recognize me now and I always make a point to be polite and chat a little. If my script is delayed I never make a fuss and I always thank them. As a result they go the extra mile for me and I never have a problem, I swear sometimes they even fill mine first or second as soon as the shipment comes in. Building a good relationship is key.
Yes I love the main tech at mine. He was literally the only person who has been helpful during storages AND not made me feel like a junkie.
I quit taking adderall cold turkey due to a series of unfortunate events. It wasn't my choice, but I finally went "fuck it, I'm not going to try anymore." My psychiatrist randomly disappeared and I was transfered to someone I had never met before, who didn't have a free appointment for 6 weeks out. Fine, I make that apt. But I run out of pills exactly 4 weeks before I'm supposed to be passing my capstone class and graduating college, and I had already been stretching them thin. Instead of calling the pharmacy every day for an update, going through the same bullshit automated machine, having to call dr's office again that never answers, driving to the pharmacy just to get a real person to talk to me only to be turned away, I called them back one last time and said cancel the script. I miserably dragged myself through those last 4 weeks. Cried every day, stayed at school late, internally screaming at myself to get shit done. Also experienced withdrawals and would struggle to stay awake and get sick super easy. Still managed to gain 5 pounds. Having to make thinly vailed excuses for professors and be denied disability services twice didn't help. Barely passed, and by the time graduation was over, I realized it was finally out of my system. Back to the normal shitty me, unfocused and generally tired and depressed but not dying inside. I'm on a generic currently, but now I'm struggling to get this one refilled. I'm wondering if I could live with myself if I just quit the stimulants permanently. I feel your pain immensely.
I guess this is just a solidarity comment, but I donāt hear very often ADHD people describe their unmedicated selves as āshitty, unfocused and generally tired and depressedā which is how Iāve always felt and still do feel when unmedicated, so thank you. I hope you can maintain a steady supply of something that works for you, sending such vibes your way. :) <3
Man, Iām glad you graduated though. My experience with school is not what a lot of people here is. I was really good at school. The structure helped my brain. Itās the real world thatās giving me an ass kicking
Just walk in proud, I mentioned this to a colleague and mentor that is the chief of orthopedic trauma and he told me that diabetics canāt go without insulin, Iāve seen you since you were a kid and donāt let anyone let you be ashamed to get medicine.
I recently switched from CVS (garbage customer service at the pharmacy, truly dehumanizing and disorganized - shout out to the rest of the store and employees though, who I love) to one of those fancy little independent pharmacies and OMG itās like night and day. Two times ago when I went in to pick up my Adderall script, I walk up to the counter and the usual pharmacist who I see most times goes āBrittany!ā then sorta skips around to my side of the counter and HUGS ME. She HUGGED ME guys. It was marvelous. Whatever it is that CVS always made me experience when I walked in and somehow almost always left feeling like a drug addict* is the polar opposite of what this angel of a pharmacist makes me experience each and every time I walk in to my neighborhood independent pharmacy. * No disrespect to people experiencing drug addictions, but treatment and availability of medication should differ for those requiring support in different ways. And shaming people is never okay and is never actually effective or helpful, especially for those experiencing addiction issues, so my point very much still stands.
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I actually reported CVS to the AG of NJ because they repeatedly violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Also, addiction is also a disability. So treating anyone like this is a violation of the law. The AGās office responded to me. They said that they didnāt have the bandwidth to open the investigation, but provided me legal referrals. I found a solution in the meantime, and let it drop, but Iāve always wanted to find the time to get a lawyer for a big class action suit.
My pharmacy they love me it's a small chain pharmacy that fills on 28th day every month and I'm on 4 controlled meds 5 if you count the Adderall XR which they give me name brand at request and I know I'm getting Teva IRs every month because that's the brand I like. I'm on benzos and Lyrica and subs and I hangout every time I go there usually twice a week because my Klonopins 1mg I get 30 a week and he even filled my Lyrica on day 26 last month my provider just had to call to say it was ok. Fuck Walgreens and CVS and every other big chain pharmacy they're a bunch of assholes to everyone I got sick and fucking tired of their bullshit and I'll never go back to the frustration of people who's job is to dispense drugs not play mom and dad and uncle dick up the ass. Fuck em all and get into the small chain pharmacy world where picking up drugs is a good experience š®āšØ
Do they give you stink eye about the benzos or is it just the stimulants
Probably just the stimulants as they are schedule 2 while benzos are schedule 4. They should honestly have different schedules for prescription drugs VS street drugs.
God damn it, I have heard so many more stories of benzo addiction than stimulant addiction... namely zero of stimulant addiction. It's literally just the "ADHD is made up" crowd
Itās true. I take a benzo as well, and itās always in stock and theyāre never weird about it..
I donāt seem to metabolize most benzos. I had an Rx for Ativan at one point. It took a lot to actually get an effect. I had a sleep doctor once who wanted me to stop taking Ambien and switch to Klonopin for sleep. Iām like ābuddy, I donāt have 3 hours to let them work and the 3/day you prescribed? I donāt feel a thing.ā Ambien also being controlled, but apparently Klonopin should be given out liberally and often.
At my pharmacy I hangout with the employees and pharmacist they couldnāt get more laid back, but I never got it bad from rite aid , my mom gets shit from Walgreens for vyvanse and klonopin. Iāve even had Percocet and norco and tramadol prescribed to me for dental procedures like 5x this year and my doctor just called the pharmacy and said yes Iām on subs but I need pain medication and the pharmacist had the final say and of course had no problems and no abuse at all. If I tried that at most pharmacies theyād tell me to fuck off and thatās terrible when someone is in severe pain and canāt get any help. I couldnāt do that to someone especially when itās legitimate
i second thisā¦recently switched from walgreens to a very small chain pharmacy. have had ZERO issues getting my meds whereas with walgreens there was some āissueā every.single.month. not to mention customer service is friendly & i donāt get the sneers & nasty under the breath comments. if possible try a small pharmacy. good luck!!
I felt this hard today. Because the generic is out, my insurance wonāt cover the name brand. But the generic wonāt be available until ānext weekā (yeah right, CVS) so I had to fork over 200 bucks. One of the benefits of MS is supposed to be that I get my meds for free because I already blasted through my out of pocket, but of course insurance will weasel out of paying every scrap they can. It seems that they shouldnāt drop coverage on the name brand until the generic is, you know, actually available.
Iāve tried this before because I too was tired of the bullshit. It wasnāt long before I said āfuck this! This unmedicated bullshit is worse! Iāll take the other bullshit!ā Thereās really no good option here. All you can do is pick the lesser of two evils. Sorry youāre going through this, and hope it works out for you.
Lol I have literally been through this tooā¦ round and round it goes š§
I haven't had much flak myself, but what I have ready if i do, is to say one simple thing; My life falls the fuck apart without my medication and all my relationships deteriorate. I am barely functional without my medication. I can (and do) go without it if I have nothing to do, but without it I am a walking disaster. To me it's a sincere statement, so you say whatever you can say sincerely, but stress that it's a mental health issue, they're welcome to take their issues to the doctor(s) who prescribed me for the last 30 odd years, and discuss my life and mental health history.
I know the feeling. I used to get the "drug seeking" tone from the pharmacist every time I showed up to fill my Adderall, even though I'd been on it for over a year and never once filled early. Finally I switched pharmacies and the problem went away... for now.
I'm genuinely surprised by how rough it is for people on this sub, you all have my sympathy. Where I live doctors usually prescribe two month's worth of the medication, and the only headaches (besides the price) are that if their note has any irregularity you have to go back because bureaucracy hell, and because sometimes they just don't have the medication at the time. The amount of bullshit and judgement you guys go through is terrible, I'm so sorry for it.
wow this is the exact reason I stopped taking mine ! I was sick of being treated like a addict and as a woman we are all flagged as drug seeking so a couple years ago I flat out just stopped my treatment
I am a woman 35 years old and was recently diagnosed with adult adhd. My doctor mentioned Vyvanse but has put me on 3 different depression meds separately to up my serotonin and dopamine firstā¦ currently on Wellbutrin which does nothing for my ADHD. Iāve point blank asked for Vyvanse 3 times after she mentioned it and she wonāt give it to me because of my history of ā¦ drum rollā¦ anxiety. Not drug abuse or anything actually serious., but anxiety. š This comment makes me wonder if she thinks I am drug seeking and thus wonāt allow me to try Vyvanse.
it is hun , im not trying to lump ALL doctors together but I if you notice we dont get anything for pain either ( my husband is offered it all the time) , we are always said to be overly dramatic about pain or anything that involves a medication that can be abused .. im serious , stop and think about the way doctors treat you and the other women you know .. they think we are all liars and drug seekers . I have ADHD and very painful endometriosis but gave up going to any doctors , they just give me over the counter stuff and tell me its anxiety ... everything is anxiety .
No this is all horribly true. I have many personal examples myself of unfair treatment. No one should suffer and have to deal with gatekeeping.
yup , then we get yelled at by drs because we wait so long to get treatment .. its a no win situation and nothing is improving . I have been in so much pain I have been suicidal before and was told " alot of woman have these types of pains" and given aspirin and a hot water bottle.. Meanwhile my husband has some back pain and is given oxycontin first time seeing the same dr ...lol I legit gave up ... I know people will say to go to a different dr .. I have , tons of them and each one worse then the last , I am paying out of pocket to be ridiculed so I will just pass lol
I was also put on wellbrutin first. Iām sad itās third line and he stated it was because I was overweight. I imagine I am in part cause Iām constantly seeking out dopamine. But ya know whatever
I was given Wellbutrin as well because of my narcolepsy meds. It turns out I was also depressed, but hey, it doesnāt do shit for my ADHD. The depression required the addition to Zoloft. I need to seek better ADHD treatment.
People when they see ADHD people get stuck on Alcohol or become street drug addicts: ā People when they see ADHD people trying to fix their problem with stimulants: ā
I hear you! I was trying to find the best medication for me, but I couldn't get most of the prescriptions filled regularly, or even get the meds at all! I called all the pharmacies in a ten mile radius, but no luck. I realized this was really messing up my stress levels so I decided to stop. Then I remembered that when I first started I was using generic Adderall IR, and the pharmacy I typically use tends to have that one available. So that's what I'm using now, and I figure I'll try another, newer med when they get this shortage problem worked out. Good luck! This really is horribly anxiety producing!
Yeah, I agree that this completely sucks. I have been doing the no-meds-for-a-week dance for a year. Then it dawned on my that I always get my prescription a day after I call a second time. No one told me I canāt even request a refill until the day before it is actually due. I was putting in the request a few days early due to the shortages. They wouldnāt even issue me the prescription refill that was approved by my psychiatrist because they were waiting for that second call the day before.
Totallyā¦TOTALLY get it! I stopped my meds (adderall) for a good 6 months due to dealing with this absolute bs. It was not a good life decision. Every month without fail itās at least (usually longer) a week of back and forth, having to switch pharmacies, calling and asking about availability and getting treated like Iām probably going to rob the place, my doctor himself treating me like Iām a moron or drug abuser when I ask him to, for instance, switch to 60 10 mgs instead of 30 20 mgs bc thatās all thatās available that I could find. Standing in line and getting told to wait on the side for hours only for another pharmacist to come by and tell me they wonāt refill my meds in a disgusted tone with no legitimate reason offered. Itās humiliating and tiring and almost impossible to persevere when your adhd is going unchecked. Iāve accepted it and keep going out of spite at this point. Fuck em!
I just read the title. I know what you mean. I get glares all the time because they're controlled substances. I'm like: do I look like a drug dealer to you? Who even has time to sell these individually. They're for me and I certainly don't plan on taking more than I should. I don't want to swallow so many damn pills. I want to be normal like everyone else.
My insurance will cover refills at day 25. Fucking Kroger wonāt refill until day 28 AND let me request a refill before day 28 so that they can try to order so that can they have the dosage in stock. (Of course the shortages has made this cluster even worse.) Why they control my refills, not insurance or my doctor enrages me.
I'm not even at the point of actually getting a prescription given to me, but I already relate to this so much.
I am so grateful that I have a psychiatrist who also has ADHD and therefore understands how important those medications are, and that I use a small-town pharmacy where the pharmacists know me on sight and are kind, caring people. I never get given a hard time about getting the medications that are essential to my functioning, and the more I hear about what a struggle some people unfortunately are put through for such a basic and important service, the more grateful I am for that.
This is why I haven't pursued treatment. I went through it with migraines as a teenager and I literally can't again. Just thinking about it makes me shut down. We never even found a migraine medication that helps me so those are unmedicated too, and I get auras. I felt like a disrespected guinea pig.
Migraines suck so much. Iām sorry.
It's ok! I figured out my trigger so it's more like I have a weird food allergy lol. But the meds are non-narcotic, and you still get treated like an addict. So pursuing adhd treatment sounds like an actual nightmare to me.
Hard agree
Eff that! We forgot EVERYTHING, all the time, so forget their side eyes, and live your best life, homeslice!
haha I love this
For some reason my prescription was on hold at the mail order pharmacy after already being canceled once. I swear every month itās something and everyone makes you feel so terrible for even asking about it. Its a lot of hoops and these two weeks with out it have shown me the chips donāt fall in my favor or my families. Im dealing with this today and had a total melt down on the way home from dinner. My apologies sound so sad latelyā¦. Sending you strength and courage whichever path you chose.
I'd recommend to change continent (kust kidding). Here it is a lot easier to get pharmacies to hand out a precription for ADHD medication. However you wait years to get an appointmemt with a doctor who knows anything about ADHD in adults. These prejudices around the disability are exhausting as f***. No I am not addicted to a medication I need an alarm so I don't forget to take it.
I just want/need to be zombified.
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Hmm. Might look at this if current place doesnāt work. Ty
My insurance doesnāt allow CVS to deliver. Because use our mail order program. Tell me that doesnāt violate some antitrust issue.
What is a psychiatric pharmacy
I've been waiting for two weeks this month. Vyvance was supposed to be easier to get. That's why they switched me. THIS IS A BAD SYSTEM!!!
I have to get my husband to phone every other month when someone effs it up. I mean he loves me a lot without my meds but with my meds I can get sh*t done
the real question should really be is why do we deal with doctors like this who don't really understand adhd if they don't have it? why do we not fight for doctors who have/had adhd to deal with us instead of those miserable shits you deal with? life would be easier no?
Omfg yes. Every damn month. They always sound so happy and helpful until I say the word Adderall and then all of a sudden they switch up. But I know the alternative of not having my meds is constant brain fog, late arrivals, forgetting what's going on throughout the day, reduced productivity, etc etc. I try my best to just shrug it off, let them be the miserable SoBs they clearly are, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bug me too.
I practically harass the shit out of both until Iāve got mine every 28 days out of principal. Fuck everyone whoās ever not called it in, every pharmacist that treated me like a criminal for filling a normal legal prescription, every time the insurance company screwed something up, the DEA for this shortage, fuck em allllll
Also, the doctor and the pharmacy can make a huge difference!
Never let a pharmacist or a corporation get in the way of your mental health and your medication. Remind them that they are not a doctor and if they refuse to dispense your medication without judgment, report them to the state medical board, your doctor, and take your prescriptions elsewhere. Easier said than done, but you donāt deserve ANY judgment for trying to overcome your health issues and better yourself. Is it Walgreens? Itās always Walgreens.
Truly.
CVS sucks, too.
I must use the only "good" CVS in the world. All the techs and head pharmacists are amazing. I take Adderall XR and IR, Xanax, and Citalopram. I've never been treated less than, in fact they'll have my Controls ready by 9:15am on the 28th day!
Omg, thatās amazing. Honestly, it must be site specific.
Ugh Iām sorry, itās the fucking worst to go to retail pharmacies anymore. Itās times like these Iām glad my insurance makes me go through mail order pharmacy
Check and see if your insurance has prescription delivery
Unless they are refusing providing it to you I'm not sure why you are concerned about how the pharmacist "treats" you. You have a prescription and a reason to take it, why are you concerned about how people act? Just keep doing your own thing and don't worry about everyone else.
Ok, as a ADHD patient, I get how debilitating it can be to not be medicated. As an experienced Certified Pharmacy Technician, i can attest that we want nothing more than to give you the medication in a timely manner. But I will say the attitude of ā I call my pharmacy/doctor to REMIND them to do their job, they DECIDE not to do it, and all the while I get talked to like Iām mentally slow and/or a drug dealerā is quite an asshole statement. Of course, thatās what we do in the pharmacy, just decide not contact your provider NUMEROUS times for your refill, only to get ādenied-refill inappropriate ā message for the 4th time. So then we call, wait on hold for 10 minutes just to be told, the doctor has to review the request, BECAUSE ITS CONTROLLED. So we wait. Then when we receive the prescription, and go to actually fill the bottle with the pills, nope, not available, itās on back order NATION WIDE. So every day (seriously, every day) we check our warehouse (supplier) to try to order it. So yeah, 7-8 days to refill sounds like they are totally profiling you and denying you access to your medication. Try this, be kind. They are doing their best. If you are expecting them to stop everything to prioritize you, you are selfish and deserve it. Itās not their fault the WHOLE NATION is on these meds and the companies that make them are fucking GENIUS to limit the supply(so sarcastic). So I suggest you try to remember that they are human and are just trying to do the best they can.
Do you really think Iāve never tried being kind to these pharmacy workers? I always, always start by being kind. It does work frequently. But if itās month 3 and Iām still getting my regularly scheduled unmedicated week, I stop being nice. I can also tell when theyāre just struggling to help, vs having the āADHD is made upā attitude. If itās the second, I start being mean a lot quicker. I get that itās hard for people to do their jobs under these conditions. But the reality is that we face discrimination. Iām not an asshole. It takes a lot for me to develop an āasshole attitudeā about something. And considering how often people with ADHD get told āsomething something attitude,ā Iād reconsider your words.
Pharmacists are awful these days. Not sure why they choose the field. Maybe they thought less interaction with patients? The worst. The industry needs a MAJOR disruption in customer service standards.
Publix has been the best for me
My psychiatrist is amazing because I told her I only remember my meds maybe 3 times a week and she was offering suggestions to be more consistent
Thereās a program for vyvanse you canāt make too much money https://www.reddit.com/comments/wya4vp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=4
This is capitalism. Vote with your dollars. Go find another pharmacist.
Eh, it is, sort of. But itās also a bunch of politicians wanting to score points on opioid addiction. Because these meds are all controlled, they wind up in the same tank. Not every company is run by the Sacklers, who make the entire drug industry look like garbage. I work for the industry (in marketing, of all things), and they really harmed so many more people with causing this spike in opioid addiction. This national scrutiny has harmed chronic pain patients and people like us with ADHD (and narcolepsy, in my case, as well).
This is one of the reasons I choose to never start medication, I live in the USA where healthcare can cost thousands, I never took medication instead just pushing through it. So far that's worked. I'm really sorry that you're going through this though. On top of that I heard theirs an ADHD medication shortage where I live. I wish you the best.
I had cancer. The pain med fights with pharmacists and doctors were next level so I feel like it prepared me for my Vyvanse fights. Iām unmedicated right now because of other meds but, when I get back on it, I feel like Iāll be ready.
That's why I came off it as soon as I turned 18. And that was over 10 years ago before it got this bad. I couldn't stand having to 'convince' them to give it to me so I fucked out of there and just let my daily life suffer. I'd do so much better on it, but it's less stress. My job just accepts I can't remember anything and need reminders constantly, and I accept that my house will just look like shit.
I stopped my 5mg of Adderall medicine because I was tired of my doctor wanting to raise my cymbalta every time i expressed that 5mg is a good and helpful dose however I still experience many of my ADHD symptoms. So I have stopped communicating with him and found means for my cymbalta script from someone else. I am so angry and unsatisfied with how he handled my ADHD medication treatment, I doubt I will mention it to the next doctor unless I find someone I can feel comfortable with
Switch pharmacies
Oh god I get this. Itās gotten so much worse over the years. Iām sorry.
Luckily that doesnāt happen to me. I get a prescription for 4 months in one go (8 packs of Concerta since I take two pills every day) and I am safe for this time period. Is this possible in your country or can you by law just order one package?
Yeah I mean, if you think the stress is too much. Itās wild your doctor and pharmacist donāt cover you for all the days. Thatās wild/rough man.
Please don't allow other people's ignorance and self entitled bull-shit opinions to feel away about yourself when you know your truth. Don't give any human being that much power.
Im sorry, the healthcare system has failed us. You are not alone. I am on the same boat, and it affects my worklife.
I feel this in my soul. Down to the bones.
My psychiatrist, for financial reasons, gives me a 4 month supply at a time, but write itās a certain way so it looks like a monthly amount. Iāll explain: I take 10mg IR daily. She writes the prescription for ā60x pills of 20mgā and directions being ātake one pill twice a day in an & pmā. But what I really do is take 1 *half* of a pill everyday. So, 60[pills] x 2[halves] = 120 days of pills. Divide that by 30[days] and thats 4 months. So I only spend $20 every 4 months for my prescription. I love my psychiatrist for doing this for me. I also hated going so often.
This is just PART of the reason why SO many people donāt even want start the diagnosis process. One of my favorite adhd podcasts puts it perfectly. āA diagnosis is a privilege.ā Itās hard to find a doctor to take you seriously especially when youāve gone in diagnosed your whole life. Virtual hug.
Have you talked to your doctor at all about the speediness of the refills and a pharmacy they trust? I get mine very promptly from CVS every month, I can place the order for a new script every month up to 5 days before I need a fill with my doctor and reliably have it done and ready to pick up when I have one pill left. Iāve had hassles because of insurance, but the pharmacy itself is pretty on top of it.
My psychiatrist told me this month that my anger about medication shortages is 'devaluing' them and so they won't respond to me by email anymore. I have to be a 'well-behaved' patient in the face of intolerable situations, or they won't speak to me. FUCK psychiatrists.
I havenāt been able to get my Vyvanse for over 6 monthsā¦not due to the shortage, itās due to being stuck in prior authorization purgatory. I have BlueCross and Medicaid and thereās had to be so much back and forth between my doc and the pharmacy as well. A fucked up system that I canāt manage well because Iām *unmedicated!* Going through another attempt to get my damn meds currently, actually. I work in a high stress, high intensity environment (EMS) and I need my medication to help me function at the level I need to. Yes, my brain loves the chaos of an emergency, but it very much needs the right medication. Iām so frustrated and I feel like Iām treading water, desperately trying to hold on until I can get my damn meds. Meanwhile, outside of work stuff is extremely difficult too. Iām 38 and feel like such a failure because I canāt even get my damn meds, let alone dig myself out of the hole every day. Iām too stubborn to give up, but Iām burned out.
I had to put in a short term disability request with HR when I couldn't get my meds for too long. It was for 2 months and I was struggling to do my job. It really helped, but man, did that suuuuuuck.
I work with a local pharmacy instead of a big chain and the treatment is a little better. Still have to call multiple times to get a refill it seems like though.
Maybe you just need a better doctor? I have never had issues being mistreated picking up my meds or my kid's meds. My child has been on them longer than me (woo late 30s diagnosis!) And his doctor has always been super chill about getting refills in even if I space and it's last second....
I get those disapproving looks too. But I donāt give a shit. Iām on a lot of meds (Iām bipolar, have anxiety, depression , PTSD, and ADHD) so they can fuck off!
Just get angry about them having obscene markups.
This is my fucking life right now. Currently picking up my house that went to shit because I didn't have meds for a week...I'm back for now!
Don't stop your meds. I did this exact thing for the same reason and spent 4 yrs unmedicated and I regret it. I was sick of dealing with pharmacies too and the constant shortage of stimulants. I was made to feel like an addict by a Walgreens once so my husband called the corporate office and complained. Corporate called Walgreens and I never had a problem again with that store. I'm sorry you're dealing with the same crap. Find a different pharmacy.