Prescription Refills - FEMA State of Emergency

[Lisa in Katy]

Not necessarily heart talk, but not small talk either. FEMA has declared a state of emergency for the following Texas counties - Aransas, Brazoria, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Hidalgo, Jackson, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Liberty, Matagorda, Nueces, Orange, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Wharton, and Willacy.

Don't leave town without getting your prescriptions refilled because you never know when you'll be able to return or if your pharmacy's computer systems will be operable (especially if you use a small pharmacy, if there is such a thing anymore). Anyway, if your managed care plan normally restricts your refills based on when you received your previous refill, they have probably lifted the restriction for now. For example, if I get my Warfarin refilled on September 4 and then try to get another refill on September 20, it will be denied as "too soon." The major managed care plan that I work for has lifted the restriction in the above mentioned counties so people won't be caught evacuating without medicine.

 

[skeptic49]

Everyone in the path of IKE is in my thoughts. This is good information, Lisa.

Best wishes,

Jim

 

[hall]

Great to remind people to get their meds refilled. Glad you posted. My prayers are with the people in the way of all these storms. Take care and God Bless.

 

[Jkm7]

Excellent reminder. I have made it a point to renew each prescription 4 or 5 days early each month until I work up to having a full months extra supply on hand. I do that with all of my DH and my Rx's.

Prayers for all in the path of this horrible storm.

 

[MrP]

Best of luck to you and your family, Lisa...and to everyone along the Texas coast, especially to all of my friends in Houston and Galveston!
MrP

 

[catwoman]

Lisa:

I'm praying that the hurricane will come ashore at a relatively low-populated area.
(I have tentative plans to ride to the Sheraton near IAH to watch a cat show Saturday and Sunday and visit with relatives in Spring -- if the weather holds. I have my fingers crossed.)

Can your doctor write Rxes for double strength dosages, so that you can halve the tablets so you won't be caught short in case of any emergency?
Sounds like your co-pay must be so low that even the $10/90 tablet deals are too high.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I get my Warfarin for $4 a month. This is a special deal with the pharmacy. My insurance would actually be $10 a month. Mail in would be $15 for 3 months, more than I pay for individual months. I used mail in prior to my surgery, but have never gotten it set up since then. Since it's only every 3 months, I tend to forget to call a week or two ahead of time so I end up at the pharmacy filling a month while I wait for the other. It seems like you could authorize them to automatically send it at 80 days.

Anyway, latest projections put it 50 miles closer to Galveston. Most coastal schools are closed until Monday. Some closed today. Looks like I may get at least a day off work! Hopefully that will be the "worst" that happens!

 

[catwoman]

Lisa:

One of my nephews-in-law has gone south to help with evacuations. (My mom was unclear if it was Houston area or San Antonio area.) He's a captain/EMT with the Frisco (TX) Fire & Rescue. The fire department got a call this afternoon seeking help to prepare for the hurricane.

Good luck to everyone down south!

 

[hensylee]

how is Houston being affected? somebody fill me in? I have a nurse cousin there with her family. Also sister is in Dallas and heard they, too, are gearing up.

This one is worrisome to me. Cat 4 is a really strong one and I hope you are all safe and in good places by now. Don't take chances.

Pharmacies: I have a little one that's private near my house, so, yes they do existe. Actually we hve another one uptown.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Nothing in Houston yet. Mandatory evacuation on west end of Galveston. Voluntary evacuation in storm surge areas. Recommending boarding up the windows in all above counties. NO TAPE! IT DOESN'T WORK AND LOOKS REALLY TACKY A YEAR LATER! Yes, that does seem to be a pet peeve of mine. There are still some people with tape from Rita. We're staying put because we're not in a surge area. I figure that most area schools will be closed on Friday because too many people will be absent otherwise. They've canceled football games and homecomings that were scheduled for the weekend. What's Texas without football?

 

[zipper2]

It never ends and all over the weather channel here
about Texas....oh we pray for you Lisa and your
family and all effected by these storms...Please stay safe and in
touch with us when you can (Worried about all of you there)
Good to see your post and reminder of meds for all.....PRAYERS!!

zipper2 (DEB)

 

[Duff Man]

I have at least 3 years worth of Tenormin, 1.5 years of vasotec and a few months supply of verapamil. Even though I'm not in a hurricane zone, it makes me feel more self sufficient and secure. I don't like the twinge of anxiety refill times give me, because I really feel it in my chest when I don't take the meds.

You can go to walmart and buy many months or even years in advance at the 4 dollar rate as long as the pharmacist is ok with it. Don't try to do it with a controlled substance though.

 

[kfay]

Aaron, are you not concerned that the medicine might not be good when you finally get to it in three years? Can't it lose it potency or worse?

Kim

 

[Duff Man]

Aaron, are you not concerned that the medicine might not be good when you finally get to it in three years? Can't it lose it potency or worse?

Kim

Actualy, no not really . I think the medicines expire in something like two years, and as long as I keep them in a fairly well controlled environment away from moisture/humidity, they should do well.

The medicines' ingredients are changed in to what they call "metabolites" usually by the kidneys through chemical reactions. I have to believe a normal household environment would have a hard time degrading the composition of the solid pills.

Besides, I've taken 3 year old pills of vasotec and tenormin. Or at least I'm pretty sure they were... and I'm still here I didn't even notice a difference. I imagine that eventually my blood pressure will elevate if the pills expire, which will be a good indication something's wrong with them. I honestly believe though, alot of pills can last 10 years. Please don't take expired medications because I said so though.

I believe there are some medications that can harm you if taken after they expire, like doxycycline. You would probably feel and look unwell though and probably the changes would be reversable.

At the end of the day, they're so cheap I can just throw them out if I think something's wrong with them and start over. That's the beauty of the inexpensive generic presription programs out there now.

I'd like to be able to just go out and get lost in the woods for a year or two but I think the pills would melt together from the humidity.

 

[AgilityDog]

Marsha, I don't think they'll hold that cat show, do you? They're evacuating parts of Houston, and Spring's not that far north. I think 45 and 35 and I-10 may get turned one-way Northbound before too long.
We just got word one of the clubs cancelled a retriever hunt test being held this weekend near Fairfield (on I-45, about the same area as Waco, which is on I-35).
Having judged such a test in the pouring rain, even without the winds, I have to say "duh, good call guys!"

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Aaron - Sounds like a good plan, but....Aren't you concerned about getting prescriptions filled from a pharmacist who thinks nothing of breaking the law? If he'll do it there, what else will he do?

 

[catwoman]

Marsha, I don't think they'll hold that cat show, do you? They're evacuating parts of Houston, and Spring's not that far north. I think 45 and 35 and I-10 may get turned one-way Northbound before too long.
We just got word one of the clubs cancelled a retriever hunt test being held this weekend near Fairfield (on I-45, about the same area as Waco, which is on I-35).
Having judged such a test in the pouring rain, even without the winds, I have to say "duh, good call guys!"

Manager canceled the show this morning. She lives in Galveston.

My cousin's son's high school homecoming is Saturday. He's in special ed and my cousin has prepaid for a dinner with his classmates & a ride in a stretch Hummer limo. Hope that can be rescheduled.

 

[Duff Man]

Aaron - Sounds like a good plan, but....Aren't you concerned about getting prescriptions filled from a pharmacist who thinks nothing of breaking the law? If he'll do it there, what else will he do?

It's not a violation of law to dispense in the manner prescribed and/or knowing that cardiac medications are usually the last drugs to be abused, the pharmacist can dispense the meds at his discretion. My doctor writes every cardiac script for one year's worth at a time.

It's not as if they're controlled substances. I have no idea where you inferred that it's illegal, but I've done this same thing at multiple pharmacies at different corporations. There was one time where a tech, not the pharmacist thought that it was somehow illegal or unethical and she was quickly rebuffed by the pharmacist. I'd love to see some caselaw or precedents that you might have about the legality issue though.

 

[Jkm7]

Three year old meds worry me.

What do I know but time and again we hear we should dispose of medications which have passed their expiration date. Can every pharmacist and doctor and health agency telling us to dispose of old meds be eager to sell more and having us discard them so we'll make the drug companies richer?

 

[catwoman]

Here are some things I found about expiration dates and meds:

http://murphy.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=28809

http://www.endtimesreport.com/Prescription_longevity.html