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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by joe schmoe on July 18, 2012, at 19:00:00
I was shocked recently to discover my insurance is now forcing me to either order any medication they consider a "maintenance medication" (which includes anything you take regularly, like antidepressants) from them by mail, or else. They will pay for three fills at a walk-in pharmacy, and from then on, will never pay for it again unless you get it by mail order.
I find this most upsetting, as not only does mail order remove control over exactly what you're getting (I have had some bad experiences with certain generic manufacturers), but it also means the medicine will be delivered by mail (or UPS or whatever), which at this time of year where I live means potentially sitting out in 100 degree weather for days at a time in the sun in the back of a truck, where temps might well go over 140 degrees. Could anything ruin meds faster?
It has always been my assumption that drugstores get their meds delivered by distributors using climate controlled trucks, since when I special order something they get it the next day.
I would be interested in anyone who can shed light on the heat issue as it affects meds you get from a pharmacy vs mail order. Am I right in thinking pharmacy meds have not been exposed to days of high heat in transit?
Anybody else running into this "forced mail order" with their insurance for maintenance medications? I have never encountered this before or even heard of it. I would imagine the pharmacies are upset about it.
The irony is it would actually be cheaper for me to buy it at Walmart without insurance than get it through the mail via my insurance.
In the past insurance companies have tried to get me to go mail order to save money, but it was always voluntary, and when I raised the heat issue, they never had an answer for me. Nobody seems to talk about it.
Posted by Zyprexa on July 18, 2012, at 23:17:25
In reply to Forced to mail order maintenance meds - heat?, posted by joe schmoe on July 18, 2012, at 19:00:00
I get all my meds mail order. The heat never seems to affect anything. Also you can get your doctor to RX a particular generic manufacturer if that one works better. You just write on the script Sandoz only (or what ever manufacturer you want), dispense as writen. Yes and you write the generic name on script. Your doctor has to do this.
Posted by Phillipa on July 18, 2012, at 23:23:32
In reply to Re: Forced to mail order maintenance meds - heat?, posted by Zyprexa on July 18, 2012, at 23:17:25
That is upsetting. Only thing I know of the heat and transport is I was using bioidentical hormone creams and could be shipped by compounding RX and they assured me the hear wouldn't effect them. But I always picked them up due to the fear you have. Why label a med keep away from moisture and temp changes if doesn't also apply to mail order. Phillipa
Posted by ceebee on July 19, 2012, at 21:40:36
In reply to Re: Forced to mail order maintenance meds - heat?, posted by Phillipa on July 18, 2012, at 23:23:32
Lol... I worry about this too. I get my medications via mail order now as well.
Posted by Emme_V2 on July 21, 2012, at 17:52:07
In reply to Forced to mail order maintenance meds - heat?, posted by joe schmoe on July 18, 2012, at 19:00:00
Hi. Yes, my health insurance requires use of a mail order pharmacy for maintenance meds, and we can get 3 months at a time for two copays. To be honest, I've been quite happy with the arrangement. The mail order pharmacy we've dealt with has been responsive and has sent me the brand of generic that I requested for lamotrigine.
Regarding the heat issue, I really don't have an answer for you. Googling might turn something up (sorry, no time for me to do it right now). But I simply never worried about potentially elevated heat during some portion of the 2 days or so of transit. I suspect it might take high heat sustained for a longer time to break down the drugs. And my meds never seemed to lose effectiveness when I received summer shipments.
Now shipping chocolate in the summer..... :)
emme
Posted by phidippus on July 26, 2012, at 21:18:10
In reply to Forced to mail order maintenance meds - heat?, posted by joe schmoe on July 18, 2012, at 19:00:00
I wouldn't worry about the heat issues. It takes a lot of heat to degrade a medication. The real enemy is UV light, but I doubt that's an issue.
Eric
This is the end of the thread.
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