I went to the pharmacy yesterday to reorder my insulin. I have been hiking and using a bit more (burning fat I guess?)The pharmacist says according to the prescription they gave me enough for 3 months last time and I can't HAVE any more yet! I tried to explain to them that I am a Type 1 and my insulin needs can change DAILY. They would not refill my prescription! Do they think I am selling it? How dare they?! I am going to call my doctor to complain. Sheesh! Has anyone ever had problems with this before?
I've never had this happen, but I also developed some practices that help me avoid this situation. These are my secrets, so please don't tell anyone. First, I always ask my doctor for more insulin than I actually expect, rounding up on my prescription. Second, I hoard. Yes, I admit it, I hoard my diabetes supplies. I try to not be unreasonable, but I often keep three months ahead. I will often order my prescriptions when they become available for the next refill instead of when I "run out."
So that being said, lesson learned. The thing to do now is simply have the pharmacist call your doctor and either get a new prescription or "change" the current one. I would actually recommend asking your pharmacist to request a "change" to reflect the increased use, many doctors will just do this over the phone, no charge. Others rake you over the coals and make you come to the office and pay for a visit.
Incredibly frustrating. Could have been insurance limitations? or perhaps a pharmacist that knows you better than you do? Hope your doc can straighten things out. I find this sort of thing less likely to occur at busier pharmacies as they seem to have less time to mess with you.
I feel like I have to hoard accucheck strips. They only want to give you enough for 4 checks a day! When I am working, I have to either check every hour or risk passing out daily. I am a nurse and when I have to move, I burn energy! but insulin? NEVER. I don't WANT to have to feel worried about using a little more and running out at the end of a month! Life is hard enough!
You are so right, ThunderOwl! Life with diabetes is hard enough and then we have to fight with the pharmacy, the insurance company, the "health coach" who asks me "why do you test so often when you have a cgm"... for the fun of it I guess.
This has happened to me at the pharmacy with my insulin also. When they told me I couldn't have any more, I asked them if I was just supposed to go home and die? Good grief people.
I guess this is a good example of why I live in Canada. Insulin is not a prescription drug. I can get as much as I want. ( I do hoard as well just in case)
i noticed you posted you were allergic, anaphalatic shock (sp?) with all allergies, what insulin are you using with your pump?
I do as Brian does -- get the scrip written for more than I actually need, and accumulate a stockpile. I estimate right now I have enough to last almost a year.
It also helps that one of the insulins I use is available without a scrip. It costs more that way, of course, but at least I CAN buy it over the counter should the need ever arise.
I have deadly allergies to all insulins except Humalog and Levemir. I use Humalog in my pump. I believe it is one of the more expensive ones. My local pharmacy has to order it for me. They only carry Novalog as a rule. I guess I am the exception.
By the way, there are NO agencies that will help with insulin in my area if you don't have insurance and cannot afford it. What is the world coming to?
By the way, the pharmacist wanted to know WHY I was using more insulin. As if it mattered!! I told him: It's rainy, I'm happy. It's that time of the month. My job is stressful. I ate a slice of pizza. I took a longer walk than usual. PICK ONE.
I had that problem with strips, and it was getting very close with insulin after I started the pump. My prescriptions said that I should test only so many times per day, and my basal insulin was only for meals, rather than the 24/7 that was necessary to run my pump.
With a change in DX due to a lack of insulin resistance and testing positive for antibodies and a very low GAD number, they decided that the reason oral medications weren't working is because I was a LADA diabetic, rather than type 2. My endo rewrote all my diabetes prescriptions and, much to the dismay of my insurance carrier, I get all the strips and insulin that I need.
Maybe your endo or CDE can intervene and you can get some relief.
I did have a couple problems getting Insulin and even strips. I just talked to my Doctor and he just wrote me a script adding a little more for the month. One of the reasons some pharmacy do this is cause insurance but also to keep people from getting to much insulin and it going out of date.
Pharmacists can't refill more than your prescrption allows, so not point arguing there. So not his business why!
Have your doctor call in a new Rx for more.
Once they tried to go to one bottle. I don't refill it unless I need it but one isn't enough. These limits come from insurance but it's a very sinister relationship between the doc, the insurer and the pharmacy. The $$$ pulls the strings. This happened to me with test strips before (and seems to be happening again...) and I was able to resolve it with a 4 way call to the doc, the pharmacy and Blue Cross, although I got Blue Cross on the line first, to punish them for being evil by listening to $#!++% hold music the longest. This is the number one evil that people with diabetes face, "oh, you don't get any more and, since it's not rx'ed, you have to pay the ridiculous markup for no insurance for supplies". It makes me want to watch "Drugstore Cowboy" again...
hum, humalog is a standard insulin and older then novolog, never ever heard of a pharmacy not having it in stock or having to special order it. never heard of anyone being 'deadly' allergic to analog insulins either..but, oh well.
unopened insulin lasts for a year so it 'going out of date' wouldn't really be an issue; a pharmacy doesn't care how much insulin you (we) have, they following the guidelines and protocol of your insurance company. otherwise, they could care less and it's more profitable for them (any pharmacy) to give you more rather then less.
True insulin allergies are vanishingly rare. Mine is an anaphylactic allergy, and it could be to the type of preservative used in the insulin, but I am NOT gonna risk my life to find out! It is also possible my body once made a mutant form of insulin and thus Novolog is an allergen to me. Don't ever forget...these created insulins are NOT exactly what our bodies once produced. Nothing we can make works faster or better than our natural insulin. Yes, our hospital formulary is for Novalog only. They have started ordering Humalog and supplying it just for me. Other folks get switched to Novolog, in what they call 'therapeutic interchange', or as I call it "the other brand is essentially the same, only we can get it cheaper." Usually, it is safe to do this. There are only about 5-10 folks with this most extreme form of allergy to insulin in the USA. Yes I have been to an allergist, and yes, I almost died!
As Sarah stated above unopened insulin last for a year this is a total myth. Even unopened the insulin will loose its strength. It is basic chemistry. No one should take any insulin that is over 60 days old. And no you pharmacy can not sell any insulin that is out of date. Basically if you need more supplies then you need to have your doctor to rewrite your prescription it is as simple as that. And not all pharmacies carry Humalog. Nova log is a more common and less expensive insulin
Beg to differ. One vial lasts about 3 months for me and the potency does not fade, unless my meter is lying. Which I profoundly doubt since I check it against the hospital lab every 90 days.
humalog is just as common, it's been around longer then novolog and probably more diabetics use it. novolog is not 'less expensive'...many insurance companies will not cover novolog and only humalog and patients need a doc preauth to get novolog; it's dependent upon insurance company has nothing to do with the pharmacy. unopened insulin lasts a year. i never mentioned anything about a pharmacy selling out dated insulin.