2012 Oxycodone 30mg Shortage In Florida (Page 49)

My spouse, who is in severe, chronic pain, has been a customer of Walgreens for many years. We live in Pinellas County, Florida. Everyday this week we have driven from Walgreen's to Walgreen's trying to fill his prescription for Roxicodone 30mg, to no avail. I cannot get any help from his regular pharmacy. I know that it's dangerous for them to tell a total stranger which store has them in stock, but I don't understand since they know him, why they can't call around or give us any assistance. I am at a total loss as to what to do & would appreciate any information that you could provide. It is so hard to see him in so much pain. Thank you.

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Here's what's really going on, Winn-Dixie stores carry both the oxycodone 15's and 30's, however they only get a certain amount so they have now started to refuse people who aren't already on their patient list because they don't have enough for everyone. I went to the Medicine Shoppe and she was negotiating a price of either 4 or 5 dollars a piece finally settling on 5 dollars a piece, and she cut my script in half. I am prescribed 150 30s every month and she only had enough to give me 100 so my prescription cost me 500. Its almost the price of buying them on the street!! It should be illegal what they're charging people who don't have insurance!! I don't sell my meds, I have 2 fractures and 4 bulging discs in my mid back and neck area so I really need my medicine! My husband gets his filled, I wont say where, but he gets 180 15's...he only pays 110.00 for his entire script. I tried getting in there but again was told they only have a certain amount so therefore they cant bring on any news patients. Alot of pharmacie's are going to start doing this so if you werent " grand-fathered" in in time then youre going to have an extremely hard time getting them filled. I have 3 seperate ones I try each month and one of them always has it for me, its just the price they charge me is just incredible...my SSI check barely covers my meds let alone all the bills I have to pay. I'm just so mad at how they treat you and how they can get away from price gouging people for those meds. They need to be reported!!!

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NEWS FLASH:WALGREENS: If you have been on oxycodone for a long time, they will NOT fill, thats the new rules from the DEA. In in NJ, They say go on something else or get your problem fixed!!!!! I would be more worried about the NEW patients!!!!!!!

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Something is definitely going on in FL! I've gone to the same Doc. for 30 years, been on same meds. for 6 years, gone to the same Walgreens for 13 years same dose and amount and all of the sudden NOBODY in N.E. FL has it! (Morphine Sulfate) What really pisses me off is, WHY can't/won't they just give me an answer that is not complete B.S.?? I'm just SO sick of being in pain, being treated like an idiot or worse, a drug addict/criminal! I'm gonna go withdraw for a few day's and pray for God to take me!

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that's true, if you are in pain, you don't feel euphoria or get high from painkillers. I wish more people would realize this,, also, i am getting gouged every month because even tho i;ve had no problem filling up until 2012 at cvs,, I tried mail order but they sent back saying i don't have insurance, ( i wrote the member # group # of my florida discount card in the place of insurance card, like most places would do,) my question for anybody,, isn't it unconstitutional or discrimination if they don't fill for people without insurance? thanks

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You need 150mg of oxycodone a day for full bulging discs? That's more medicine than my uncle was prescribed before he died of bone cancer. No wonder you can't get it filed. No one but an oncologist should be prescribing that much pain medicine. Sounds like you and your husband have a serious problem.

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Often a cancer patient does not develop tolerance, a natural phenomenon, because of the time course of the disease. Higher doses are needed at times in chronic non-cancer pain. The dose of medication does not by itself indicate a problem.

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@ academicpaindoctor: finally, someone who knows their stuff! That's exactly what I've learned recently as well. Pharmacists are constantly judging patients based on their dosage and actually telling them they don't need that much, when in fact they haven't been trained in diagnoses and don't know things like this.

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Yes, it is illegal for any online pharmacy to fill any kind of narcotic medication, especially the controlled II pain meds. Unfortunately, oxycodone is being slowly done away with. It's more than evident with all the so-called shortages, pharmacies wanting cash money, and insurance companies no longer helping to pay for them There has been so many major isues with oxycodone in particular; crime, addiction issues, robberies, and even homicide and suicide surrounding the use of this drug. While ppl may not want to accept that this is happening it is, indeed. I was on oxycodone 30 mg for over 3 yrs, I also lived in Pinellas County and had the same issues in trying to obtain my prescription for oxycodone way back starting in late 2011. I moved to North Florida to a small town and none of the pharmacies here carry it all anymore. It's unfortunate as many ppl very much need a strong pain killer for major problems. For others who don't have severe pain issues and maybe have become dependent on oxy's should maybe consider being taken off this drug or just stopping it altogether which is what I had to do bc of not being able to obtain them anymore. It wasn't pleasant but I did it and have been off of them for almost a year now. It was well worth what I went through to get off of them so as to not have to go through what everyone on here is going through.

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I live with severe chronic pain for 3+ years, degenerative disc disease, cervical spine. Life is at times and quite often, hell. I don't know how else to describe it and the worst if the constipation from the percocets.
Are the fentayl patches a reasonable alternative to percocets? Do they cause constipation? Should my doctor consider prescribing me patches to try ?
Cannabis by the way has helped me reduce my opioid intake my 75%. Do a search for beyondthc.com and find out the facts.
Unfortunately my pain is more severe and so a combination has helped me do this major reduction however the constipation is still a problem. Help!

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Hi Tudor, I'm sorry you are suffering but hey, if marijuana is making a dent in the pain and cutting your need for rx pain pills, keep doing it! It has been a life saver for many in pain, and shouldn't be illegal for that use in any state (my opinion). Anyway, Fentanyl patches can still cause constipation, but taking an all natural stool softener will really help, and it won't have negative side effects. Narcotic pain meds in general all have that constipation factor for most folks. Your doctor can also write you a script for a stronger laxative if you need it, but generally the drugstore OTC stuff works just fine.

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Brim is correct. Most narcotics cause constipation. fentynal patches ( I know its misspelled) is 100 x's stronger than morphine. That is 1 drug that unless you're in very severe pain, is over the top. It's also very pricy as I have a family member w/ stage 4 cancer that is using them. Roxycodone is almost non existent here in FL. The family member I spoke of also takes 40 mg oxycodone, and can fill them more problem. It's up north though.I was also taking them for over 2 yrs, & haven't been able to fill them on over a yr. I don't understand, BC I know someone who goes to PM & gets theirs thru mail order pharmacy. I too gave up, it's over, and have switched to another very expensive drug. My next step is to either go cold turkey or get RX for suboxone. I believe now more than ever why they won't fill roxycodone. It's not only the terrible misuse & crime, it's all about the $$$. It's cheap, & there's no $ to be made. The risk of any pharmacy carrying them isn't worth it financially and legally. Take care, as you're not alone.

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* I meant family member takes 30 mg roxycodone. For constipation, try the combo Brim spoke of, it's sennokot & stool softener combo.it comes in generic form to save $ as well as miralax too. Also miralax. Prune juice works well too. Rx for lactulose works well too.

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Spell check nightmare! Family member can fill roxycodone with NO problem @ any of the pharmacy chains up there.

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a dude- you sound like one of those a**hole pharmacist trying to play doctor. people develop a tolerance moron. obviously you've never dealt with chronic pain.

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Chronic pain is a debilitating condition, no matter what the cause. The vast majority of patients go thru months and even years of treatments that simply do not work. We all have tried so many different medications, OTHER than opoiods to relieve the pain we are in every day. We do NOT want to have to take these powerful narcotics, but alas, the medical research has not kept up with what we are going thru. Personally, i have tried over 8 different medications over the course of 15 months in an attempt to find ANYTHING that might ease my pain and allow me to function on some level of normalcy. For me, they simply do not work. I have also tried a "synthetic" narcotic pain medicine and i may as well have been taking a baby aspirin for all the relief it brought, which was NONE.

Law makers are so focused on the "abusers" of these medicines and what they need to do to stop them, that they have totally lost sight of who these drugs were designed to help. We are NOT looking for the next high. We do NOT get a buzz from taking these meds. We do NOT even get adequate relief in many cases from taking these drugs. Too many of us suffer every day because of the laws that have been passed in the last few years. Our doctors and pharmacists are afraid to prescribe and fill our medicines and we are the ones that suffer. Yes, accidents happen, but that is not confined to this particular class of drugs. You can OD on just about anything, even OTC medicines.

Before you can pass judgement on anyone surrounding this issue, ask yourself this.... if your mother, father, sister, child were in extreme pain every day but they are not "allowed" to obtain a medication that would allow them to function outside of the bed they are lying in, wouldn't you insist that this medication be made available to them? That's what it's like...every day. Without these meds, patients become bound to bed rest and are suffering horrendously every day. I feel that there are more suicides from being unable to endure the pain any longer than there are lives saved by restricting addicts from getting them!

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Well said Karin. I'm so sick of being judged, & looked upon like a piece of trash by some. I never thought I would need pain medication to live a quality of life. I hate it, I beat myself up everyday BC I'm ashamed I'm not stronger. This is not how I thought I would spend my older yrs. I raised kids, worked hard all my life & am a good person. I've tried many other options, & got little relief. I take med as needed, & use hot/ cold therapy & lidoderm patches also. Most of us didn't choose this path, so before some are quick to judge us, refer to Karin's post on if it ead 2 of your loved ones suffering day after day, for yrs. It's a basic human right to get some sort of pain control. BC of the severe abuse, CPP's are being made to suffer needlessly. I've had to switch to another med,& now deal with chronic nausea & vomiting. I get some pain relief, but being constantly nauseated & the cost of the med, makes me wonder if I'm better off w/o med or not living at all. I would never choose the latter, BC I love my family. But the last yr has been almost intolerable. God Bless those that are living this life of chronic pain. For those who are quick to pass judgment, I wish you could feel how we feel, just for a short time, then you'd possibly understand a day in the life of a CP sufferer.

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Ignorant people need to realize that these drugs were created FOR pain patients, to limit their pain! Morons like dude seem to think junkies make these meds in their basement to sell on the street. Nope, just prescribed by doctors (you know, the only people qualified to say whether or not it's needed?!) for legitimate conditions for the most part. The junkies abusing it for fun came after. The pain patients suffering here would certainly rather trade all the pain meds in the world to get their lives back and not have to suffer daily. Think about that. And I agree- if your family member (or you, seeing as you sound shallow and selfish) was suffering from global arthritis would you be whining about them taking medication Southey can get out of bed every morning? I think not. Use your brain.

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By the way "a dude", what medical training do you have? Right. None. Thought so. Therefore your post is meaningless and based on nothing but the opinion of a random person with no education on the subject. Your uncle was ONE person. Each patient has different needs, different pain levels and different pain tolerance. To say only oncologists should be writing that dosage just sounds like an uneducated response from an uneducated kid.

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Dude knows nothing. The relative I spoke of has stage 4 CA, & is going to a PM Dr to recieve his pain meds. The amt he's prescribed is a very high dosage. 12- 30mg roxycodone daily + 100mg fentenyl patch x every 3 days. The person is also receiving tx from an oncologist too. Before you post, educate yourself. Like many have posted, each person is different, whether if its an illness, accident etc. You only prove you're a judgemental jerk. Why people are posting here that aren't in need of pain meds is ignorant.

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Wow, Read all this for four hours. I have been getting sick and stressed out so much over this issue for a year. Nobody was talking about it though (not in "real" circles), only on these blogs I guess. I hope to post more soon, but just to let you know, I am a pharmacist, I work at a chain that is mentioned here over and over again. I have been as honest as I could to my patients I have relationships with them. I have seen seem leave crying when I was unable to fill for them (for many reasons I will divulge later). I hate it. I really do. Believe me, I loved throwing junkies out, and I thought this was all going to get better, where I, as a pharmacist, was finally allowed to use my profession judgment, and judgment is what it is, to fill or not to fill without worrying about an addict complaining to a pencil necked manager that I was rude, and have to just doll the crap out to all the junkies. But that is what corporate wanted, and the DEA hammered them, then us. Now, I can no longer fill for those of you on this blog, "because I am filling to many". If they had always let Pharmacists do what we were trained to do (and no, we are not God, we do not diagnose, but with a given diagnosis, we are trained to know the best medication for that condition and all aspects of how that drug works, that part the doctors do not know, they learn how to find the problem, then they prescribe recommended treatments for that problem, pharmacists learn all about that "treatment"). Many years ago before the oxy epidemic in Florida, I had more autonomy. I didn't fill for obvious addicts and pill mill doctors. But I did for real chronic pain patients and board certified physicians. And sure, many fooled me over the years, and yes, I probably judge some wrong....that's how medicine (and humans) are. But now, I can't fill anything for anybody because we can't get it, and when we do, its not enough for all the patients that need it. And I hate deciding who needs it more than the other. I have no idea how many weeks I have left as a retail pharmacist. I try not to take my emotions to work, but I do feel for many of you, and I do know many of you will be better off the meds (after many months of feeling like crap, because it will take your body a long time change after having that medication in you for so long)...but for some of you, I know how good it makes you feel. How productive you are, how much energy and life you feel. But the Government does not think you have this chemically induced happiness, because you don't show up in the headlines, only the dead youths, addicted babies, and well-fare recipient drug dealers do.

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