Tuesday, September 25, 2018

A Visit To The Pharmacy


I hate taking medicine. It is a real pain in my neck. However in order to live take it I must.

As I have told you before I have epilepsy. In order to not have seizures I have pills I have to swallow.

I am one of the fortunate ones. My seizures are well controlled. It has been a long time since I had one. Because I learned the hard way to take my medicine.

When I was younger if money was short I often chose to feed my family and put off buying my medicine.  I would often have a seizure because of it.

Each epileptic seizure is worse than the previous one.  They take a longer recovery time. Often it would take me two days to have the strength to get out of bed for anything more than going to the bathroom... with assistance.

I had to make sure there was money enough for my pills. I had four children to care for. So I did not have seizures as long as I had my medicine.

I was seeing a doctor who decided that I was a good candidate to be weaned from my medicine. Yay! Not having to take pills every day would be so nice. Naturally I agreed to try it.

I would take fewer pills each day until I no longer was taking any. Once a week would pass with no pills I would have to take no more medation. It sounded like a good deal to me.

My husband was not happy about it but I wanted to try it. Imagine not having to take any more medicine. It would be wonderful.

I took two different medications. One is a controlled substance meaning that I was addicted to barbituates physically.

The second night without any medication I knew I was in bad shape. I sat shivering like every junkie I had ever seen on TV. I was wrapped in a blanket but I was cold on the inside. My nose was running and my eyes were watering. I knew I would have a seizure if I fell asleep.

When my husband came home he was furious. He said he knew this would happen. He told me to go to bed and he would take care of getting the kids to bed.

As I knew I would I had a seizure that night. The doctor had said that if that happened I should go straight to the hospital and they would contact him.

I was admitted and settled into my room. I promptly had another seizure.

When I regained consciousness I was in a different room. The nurse told me they had a hatd time getting me to breathe. I had almost died.

Of course I began to take my medicine regularly after that. There were a few times I did not have the money to pay for my medicine. (My husband no longer lived with us.)

I almost died two more times. My poor children had to care for me.

Finally came the time when I was able to have my medicine all the time. I have not had any serious problems since... except with my prescriptions.

As I said one of the medications is a controlled substance. I have been taking it for 55 years. Physically I am addicted to it. I do not get high or crave a larger amount. I DO need to take it in order to stay alive.

My doctor cannot give me a prescription for more than 30 days. And no refills.

Okay. I understand the need to CONTROL controlled substances. But really this is going too far.

The doctor is somewhat governed by laws pertaining to controlled substances. I understand the need for those laws. There are people who use barbituates to get high and for other illegal reasons.

But I cannot even refill my prescription a day early! And the hoops I have to jump through if  the day for refill is on a weekend.  Not to mention that I have to drive 50 miles (round trip).

I have to fight the doctor, the insurance company, and the government.

This month my medicine ran out on a Saturday. I called the pharmacy and put in for renewal. Of course there were no refills allowed. They would contact the doctor. This has happened before.

I also contacted the doctor. I explained why I was requesting a refill 2 days early.  He said he would take care of it. I could pick it up on Friday. That was my plan.

Friday I went into the pharmacy. My prescriptions were ready... except for the controlled substance. .

It took almost an hour to wait while they once again contacted the doctor. He finally approved the refill.

My whole afternoon was spoiled because I allowed myself to be angry. After a good meal and a little time I am over it. But I should not have to go through this every month just to stay alive.  






26 comments:

  1. Same here. I hate taking medicines. Here's wishing you better! :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  2. A truly scary post and it isn't even Halloween. I am so sorry you have to put up with such stupidity on the part of the government, the pharmacy, the doctor, etc. The good part is, you are still alive. I'm sure it seems like 'no thanks to them' at times.

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    1. It is just so inconvenient sometimes and I get tired of arguing with everyone.

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  3. This should not be the situation for you. You should be able to get your prescription filled a week early. It is just wrong.

    I am sorry you have to deal with this.

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    1. The sad thing is that I am sure I am not the only one.

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  4. Dear Emma, I did not know that you suffered from the disease - and I can only imagine how hard that is. I cannot understand why they are making such a fuss over a day od two-medication. I hope you stay well (and anger will not be good for you).

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    1. The medication I take is not often used to treat seizures any more. For me it works. I agree that I should be able to refill it reasonably rather than strictly.

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  5. Rules are a must where medicines are concerned, but rules ar also there to be broken in an emergency!!! Our pharmacy here will give an extra course to what is on the scrip but only once so I think that is fair. We see the Dr every 6 months for our medication and he gives us a 6 month scrip. Stupidly one of the boxes only has 30 tablets in it so by the time 6 months is up I never have quite enough !! Take care and take the medication come what may. Diane.

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    1. My seizures are extremely painful. I will continue to take it as I should. And I understand the reasons for watching the controlled substances. I simply want to be able to pick up a refill when I drive 50 miles rather than have them tell me I have to wait and come back the next day.

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  6. How sad! I don't know why they control medicines like this. If a person have to take them forever, why control them?
    Hope you're fine.

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    1. Barbiturates are controlled because a person will become physically addicted to them. They are also used by those who only want to get high. They are also a valuable medication. The other medication I take in conjunction is not controlled and ther is no problem with that.

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  7. Yes, Emma, the regulation of narcotics and users in this country is insane.Any factory time and motion person could devise a sensible system to separate bona=fide users from overdosing addicts, and devise a sensible system. Instead, the system is intended to punish everyone alike, and hope we all go away.

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  8. Oh no... That is such a pity that you have to go through all that... and THEN ALL THAT!
    But, as you mention, the important bit is not getting angry. That is just a waste of energy that could be spent on something far more pleasant. Hugs and kind thoughts from New Zealand...

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    1. You are absolutely right about my frustration. I am the one who suffers.

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  9. This is ridiculous. Instead of denying good people the medications they need, perhaps they should spend more time trying to deny criminals the guns they buy so easily.

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  10. I have seizures too but not as bad as yours. I take a few medications but non are controlled, at least not yet.
    I wonder if the law in your state allows for a prescription dated for when the first on runs out. The pharmacy could hold on to it until the date is right like with a check.
    Maybe there is a pharmacy closer to home that is open every day.

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    1. The medications used to treat seizures now are not controlled substances. I do stay on top of this subject. The laws are quite strict here. Insurance companies also keep watch. That is the closest pharmacy to me.

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  11. You are right it is not good for you to stress about this. Tell your blogging friends and we will be angry for you!

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  12. What a hassle, Emma. You would think that due to your medical history and the fact that you nearly died without medication, that refills would not be so difficult. I was sorry to read about your illness, but glad it has been under control with the proper meds.

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    1. you made me cry dear Emma!!!!!!

      i am sorry that you are dealing with such miserable disease !

      bad about it that you skipped your medicine due to limited income and worst about it that your husband was departed!

      you are such an inspiring and daring soul to fight against all odds and survive as winner ,i am proud of you my friend!
      HUGS!

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    2. Please do not cry. There are so many worse conditions and even a lot of epileptics who cannot be successfully treated. I am fortunate.

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