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Post by Zee on Feb 12, 2019 21:48:34 GMT
I swear it gets more ridiculous every time I ask for a refill. I had to sign a controlled substance contract and submit to a drug test before I could get my refill. I've been taking this drug as prescribed for about 17-18 years. Nothing else works, this was established years and years ago. Yes, it's all mental, as I can sleep during the day without medication. I think eventually the only drugs anyone will be allowed to take will be Tylenol and meds for diabetes and high blood pressure. Also really expensive brand new name brand drugs for skin conditions, because those make lots of money. Is this a new thing all over? Just my doctor's office? I thought they only did these contracts and drug tests for narcotics. I wonder how much I'll be charged for this drug test. I can't wait to see the bill! Well, at least I passed.  |
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Post by its me mg on Feb 12, 2019 21:51:11 GMT
That's crazy.
The only thing I can think of is from a liability stand point. Maybe the doctor does it to say he prescribes responsibly?
He has to protect himself against people who shop doctors for pills and so he has to enforce the policy with everyone?
I can't see why else he would do that?
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Rhondito
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Post by Rhondito on Feb 12, 2019 21:52:05 GMT
I had to do a drug screen to get my sleeping med too - no contract though. I was told it was a new law because of all the opioid abuse and the drug screen was to check that I was actually taking my medication and not selling it.
ETA: The new law is for all controlled substances
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Post by Zee on Feb 12, 2019 21:59:35 GMT
I've come to realize that no one wants me to sleep, period. Not the dog, not my insurance, not Walgreen's, and not my doctor. Lol
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Post by mellyw on Feb 12, 2019 22:15:37 GMT
I had to do a drug screen to get my sleeping med too - no contract though. I was told it was a new law because of all the opioid abuse and the drug screen was to check that I was actually taking my medication and not selling it.
ETA: The new law is for all controlled substances
Do you know if that is a Federal or State law? So far I’ve managed to not be caught in drug screening for my monthly opioid prescription. @z*G , I’ve been warned my Gabapentin may be headed the way of your Ambien. I know it’s used for a lot of off-label things, I believe the Trigeminal Neuralgia I use it for is off-label. Should be fun times ahead for all of us who need these drugs. And you probably just jinxed Tylenol and insulin. Someone’s working to figure out how to get high right now off Humalog because of you.  |
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Post by mom on Feb 12, 2019 22:27:04 GMT
I've come to realize that no one wants me to sleep, period. Not the dog, not my insurance, not Walgreen's, and not my doctor. Lol So what drugs are they looking for? |
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Post by Zee on Feb 12, 2019 22:52:19 GMT
I've come to realize that no one wants me to sleep, period. Not the dog, not my insurance, not Walgreen's, and not my doctor. Lol So what drugs are they looking for? You mean in the drug screen? Probably the usual--amphetamines, benzos, opioids, THC, cocaine. I don't even know if there is a quick urine drug screen for Ambien, but I overheard the MA say "it's all negative" when the PA asked for my results and since I took Ambien at 11pm last night and peed at 9am I'm thinking it wasn't tested. So they're just checking just to check, a nice extra cost for me and all the rest of us. |
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Dani-Mani
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Post by Dani-Mani on Feb 12, 2019 22:54:17 GMT
Wow. I just got my ambien and Ativan yesterday through the CVS drive through, nobwuestions asked or ID.
What insurance do you guys have?
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Post by cahwoo on Feb 12, 2019 22:54:52 GMT
Last September I was too early to get my prescription so the dr wouldn't give a renewal. I spent a week not sleeping after taking zolpidem which is the generic Ambien for 14 years. Did you know after taking it for so long it's not just mental. Your dependent and to even wean off you need to be hospitalized. I was able to get my script after a week and the Dr telling me all this. Plus don't even try to renew the script until you only have 1 pill left.
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Post by Zee on Feb 12, 2019 22:59:33 GMT
Last September I was too early to get my prescription so the dr wouldn't give a renewal. I spent a week not sleeping after taking zolpidem which is the generic Ambien for 14 years. Did you know after taking it for so long it's not just mental. Your dependent and to even wean off you need to be hospitalized. I was able to get my script after a week and the Dr telling me all this. Plus don't even try to renew the script until you only have 1 pill left. I'm not dependent on it, other than to sleep (why else would I take it?), and no one needs to be hospitalized to stop taking Ambien. Those are scare tactics that are being used. I've gone for almost two weeks at a time without it, but I prefer not to because I can't naturally fall asleep until 4 or 5 AM. This has been true since I was a teenager, and part of why I started working nights in the first place. If I work 4 nights in a row, I don't take it for 4 days. There is no withdrawal. |
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Post by Zee on Feb 12, 2019 23:00:49 GMT
Wow. I just got my ambien and Ativan yesterday through the CVS drive through, nobwuestions asked or ID. What insurance do you guys have? It's getting the script in the first place that's the problem. I don't have to show ID or answer questions to get it at Walgreen's, I just have to deal with ineptitude (different story than this one). It's always something. |
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Post by mom on Feb 12, 2019 23:01:36 GMT
So what drugs are they looking for? You mean in the drug screen? Probably the usual--amphetamines, benzos, opioids, THC, cocaine. I don't even know if there is a quick urine drug screen for Ambien, but I overheard the MA say "it's all negative" when the PA asked for my results and since I took Ambien at 11pm last night and peed at 9am I'm thinking it wasn't tested. So they're just checking just to check, a nice extra cost for me and all the rest of us. Wow. It would never have occurred to me that they would check for all of that just for a sleeping pill. Geez. |
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Post by Zee on Feb 12, 2019 23:04:14 GMT
You mean in the drug screen? Probably the usual--amphetamines, benzos, opioids, THC, cocaine. I don't even know if there is a quick urine drug screen for Ambien, but I overheard the MA say "it's all negative" when the PA asked for my results and since I took Ambien at 11pm last night and peed at 9am I'm thinking it wasn't tested. So they're just checking just to check, a nice extra cost for me and all the rest of us. Wow. It would never have occurred to me that they would check for all of that just for a sleeping pill. Geez. Overkill backlash from the opioid epidemic. Screen everyone for illegal/unprescribed drugs so you can get a drug you've taken for years, because it's a "controlled substance". |
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Post by SweetieBugs on Feb 12, 2019 23:10:17 GMT
Lunesta is now a type of a controlled substance. I had to sign a contract last year some time and have to go in to the DR for a paper written prescription every 5 months and every time they ask questions to make sure I still need the prescription. You can not call in a refill until you only have one pill left too. I can't sleep without Lunesta and Trazadone no matter what (for the past 7 years now ever since my gallbladder surgery).
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melissa
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Post by melissa on Feb 12, 2019 23:20:14 GMT
I bet your doctor doesn't really want to be making you sign your life away in these forms either.
I have to get a consent for vaginal delivery for every single woman who comes in labor. Not only do I have to get her to sign consent for vaginal delivery, I have to tell her the risks that include things like incontinence which is really a risk of pregnancy itself! I swear people should have to sign these consents before conception as it includes everything from the usual risks (infection, bleeding, etc) to the rare like pulmonary embolism and cardiac arrest.
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Post by scrappintoee on Feb 12, 2019 23:22:32 GMT
I'm so sorry for you and everyone else who's going through this CRAP !!!!!  I have a dear friend who is suffering SO MUCH because of all of these recent changes. I don't know all the details, but she had to start going to a different pain-management doctor who she does NOT like; and she had a great relationship with her previous one. The new doc made a HUGE mistake, and she suffered horribly for a few months! Aside from screwing up the legit daily narcotics she takes/ NEEDS, he ALSO ---without warning or explanation---suddenly stopped the refills on her VERY MUCH NEEDED antidepressant (Effexor). Are you KIDDING me? I was so shocked and mad when she told me, I thought there is NO WAY he is a legit doctor. Annd, she was on a pretty high dose of it, too. OMG, she suffered  Her narcotics were also reduced, too, but she was okay with that....it was the Effexor being suddenly cut off that was so hard !!! She did FINALLY get the Effexor refilled, though---after some verrry stressful, time-consuming phone calls, emails, etc. Annnd, with the amount of medical problems she has, just making a lot of phone calls, emails, etc. was verrry exhausting for her!  ---------------------------------------------- Ugh and just last night, a friend who just had TWO abdominal surgeries told me they gave her a PRESCRIPTION for.... wait for it... Tylenol ......what the HELL !??! And as an aside, not only am I PISSED that she's in so much pain, but....I would have torn up the PRESCRIPTION and just bought the cheaper store brand of Acetaminophen. Did they give her an RX maybe to get her insurance to pay for it? That seems stupid to me, but what do I know? |
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Post by mom on Feb 12, 2019 23:29:30 GMT
Wow. It would never have occurred to me that they would check for all of that just for a sleeping pill. Geez. Overkill backlash from the opioid epidemic. Screen everyone for illegal/unprescribed drugs so you can get a drug you've taken for years, because it's a "controlled substance". So WHAT IF you had an unprescribed medicine in your system? What are they going to do? I guess I don't know all this works since I never have to have prescriptions, but - say you have a small amount of something (like a prescription pain killer) in your system. Would they really withhold your sleep medicine? |
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Post by scrappintoee on Feb 12, 2019 23:34:20 GMT
re: my friend who I mentioned above just had a gallbladder removal, then two days later, they removed a stone from her common bile duct. ( I wonder why those surgeries weren't done at the same time, but....aside from that...) Maybe some of you can tell me---after those surgeries, would TYLENOL normally be enough? I just realized maybe my anger is unjustified  |
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Post by mom on Feb 12, 2019 23:38:24 GMT
re: my friend who I mentioned above just had a gallbladder removal, then two days later, they removed a stone from her common bile duct. ( I wonder why those surgeries weren't done at the same time, but....aside from that...) Maybe some of you can tell me---after those surgeries, would TYLENOL normally be enough? I just realized maybe my anger is unjustified Surely she got Tylenol 3? |
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Post by SweetieBugs on Feb 12, 2019 23:39:13 GMT
re: my friend who I mentioned above just had a gallbladder removal, then two days later, they removed a stone from her common bile duct. ( I wonder why those surgeries weren't done at the same time, but....aside from that...) Maybe some of you can tell me---after those surgeries, would TYLENOL normally be enough? I just realized maybe my anger is unjustified No. I took one or two Percocet or it may have been Norco a day for the first 4 or 5 days after gallbladder removal. The first two weeks were rough for me. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Feb 12, 2019 23:56:23 GMT
What is this world coming to? My sleep clinic closed. I went to the medical supply and asked for a new CPAP mask. The woman gave me a ten minute lecture on how it was federal law I have a prescription. I didn't realize my doc had been sending a new script each year to my old clinic. The federal government regulates breathing at night! Who in their right mind wants to buy a CPAP mask that doesn't need it?
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Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,660
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Post by Rhondito on Feb 12, 2019 23:56:47 GMT
I had to do a drug screen to get my sleeping med too - no contract though. I was told it was a new law because of all the opioid abuse and the drug screen was to check that I was actually taking my medication and not selling it.
ETA: The new law is for all controlled substances
So far I’ve managed to not be caught in drug screening for my monthly opioid prescription. @z*G , I’ve been warned my Gabapentin may be headed the way of your Ambien. I know it’s used for a lot of off-label things, I believe the Trigeminal Neuralgia I use it for is off-label. Should be fun times ahead for all of us who need these drugs. And you probably just jinxed Tylenol and insulin. Someone’s working to figure out how to get high right now off Humalog because of you. I'm not sure? |
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Post by stormycat on Feb 12, 2019 23:58:33 GMT
I had to do a drug screen to get my sleeping med too - no contract though. I was told it was a new law because of all the opioid abuse and the drug screen was to check that I was actually taking my medication and not selling it.
ETA: The new law is for all controlled substances
Do you know if that is a Federal or State law? So far I’ve managed to not be caught in drug screening for my monthly opioid prescription. @z*G , I’ve been warned my Gabapentin may be headed the way of your Ambien. I know it’s used for a lot of off-label things, I believe the Trigeminal Neuralgia I use it for is off-label. Should be fun times ahead for all of us who need these drugs. And you probably just jinxed Tylenol and insulin. Someone’s working to figure out how to get high right now off Humalog because of you. I hope Gabapetin isn’t messed with, my 2 yr old takes it. Not sure what they would do if it’s a minor. It seems like drug addicts will keep finding different things to use anyway. Then everyone will have to jump through hoops to get what they need for their medical conditions |
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Post by birukitty on Feb 13, 2019 0:03:06 GMT
I hope this doesn't impact my Trazodone. Technically it's an antidepressant but lots of people, including me, use it as a sleep aid. I just picked up a refill 6 days ago and it was fine. I can fall asleep but I can't stay asleep unless I take this, and I have been taking it for years-it has helped so much.
This kind of thing burns my britches. I hate this "police state". These decisions should be left between the doctor and the patient. It has gotten so completely out of control. I have a medical marijuana card and for me if they required a drug test of course I'd fail-I have THC in my system because of this and it lasts for a long time in your system.
Scrappintoee what you wrote about your friend had me livid! Oh my gosh-as a doctor you do not ever take away an antidepressant cold turkey from a patient. Ever! I had a doctor do that to me years ago when he insisted I was bi polar and I knew I wasn't-that I had clinical depression. He told me to get out of his office and refused to refill my anti-depressant medication too. It was absolutely the worst thing to do to a person suffering with depression to be cut off the meds like that. It took me awhile to find a new doctor, get an appointment, be seen and get a refill. I should have filed paperwork on that doctor against him but I never did. Scrappintoee when your friend feels better suggest she file paperwork against this doctor. Report him because this is so incredibly wrong and dangerous for a patient! I feel so sorry about what she had to go through.
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Rhondito
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Posts: 4,660
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Post by Rhondito on Feb 13, 2019 0:06:01 GMT
Other than the inconvenience, it really doesn't bother me. Maybe it will stop some of these people who are abusing prescription meds? I know I'm taking my medications as prescribed so I have nothing to worry about.
BUT - it's a shame things like this keep happening. I know it does make things difficult for some people who really do need their prescriptions.
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Post by Zee on Feb 13, 2019 0:15:14 GMT
Overkill backlash from the opioid epidemic. Screen everyone for illegal/unprescribed drugs so you can get a drug you've taken for years, because it's a "controlled substance". So WHAT IF you had an unprescribed medicine in your system? What are they going to do? I guess I don't know all this works since I never have to have prescriptions, but - say you have a small amount of something (like a prescription pain killer) in your system. Would they really withhold your sleep medicine? Yes, if I don't have a valid Rx for it. That would nullify our contract. They don't report you to the authorities but they will blacklist you for controlled substances. |
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Feb 13, 2019 0:16:20 GMT
The federal government regulates breathing at night! Who in their right mind wants to buy a CPAP mask that doesn't need it? Inhale stuff they shouldn't??!?! I have NO clue. |
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Mystie
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Post by Mystie on Feb 13, 2019 0:19:03 GMT
scrappintoee That whole story is upsetting, but I'm horrified that the doctor cut off your friend's Effexor. That is one antidepressant you do not want to stop cold turkey. Just missing one dose can fuck you up for a couple days. My idiot GP assured me it was fine for me to just switch from Effexor to Celexa without tapering off. I fell into a depression where I was basically non-functional for more than two months. That was five years ago and although I'm better, I really think it did some permanent damage to me. Rant and hijack over, I'm so sorry for your friend and for everyone who can't get the medication they need because dipshits run rampant.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Feb 13, 2019 0:19:53 GMT
I have a medical marijuana card and for me if they required a drug test of course I'd fail-I have THC in my system because of this and it lasts for a long time in your system. If it is within your Rx amount, it should be no problem. |
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Post by Zee on Feb 13, 2019 0:20:23 GMT
I bet your doctor doesn't really want to be making you sign your life away in these forms either. I have to get a consent for vaginal delivery for every single woman who comes in labor. Not only do I have to get her to sign consent for vaginal delivery, I have to tell her the risks that include things like incontinence which is really a risk of pregnancy itself! I swear people should have to sign these consents before conception as it includes everything from the usual risks (infection, bleeding, etc) to the rare like pulmonary embolism and cardiac arrest. I'm not sure if she does or doesn't want me to sign a contract. Is it the practice that changed? Or new laws? IDK. Lol at signing a consent for vaginal delivery 🤣 |
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