Norco Shortage In Michigan (Page 5) (Top voted first)

Is anyone else having problems finding a pharmacy to fill their scripts of Norco? I have been taking them for a few years now for my chronic pain. I always go to the same pharmacy chain, and its always the same doctor who writes my scripts, but since the new law change no one seems to have them in stock. Some pharmacists told me it was a manufacturer back order. We are told not to go without our meds, but yet how is that possible if we can't get them? Anyone knows of a pharmacy that has Norco 10/325 in the metro Detroit area?

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I apologize for the mix up and basically letting you have it in such a firm fashion! I am so fed up with people not believing the hell that we are being put though! Memorial Day weekend left me without medication for almost a week and finally I went to the ER. Even the doctor did not believe me when I showed her my prescription which was for a narcotic and told her I was unable to fill it! So, they called over to a Walgreen and was assured that they had my medication. My friend who had taken me to the ER then left the hospital and dropped the script off, they came back and got me and took me home until the prescription was processed! About 30 minutes after getting home I got a call from Walgreen informing me they had made an error and did not have my medication! My friend and I both returned to the Walgreen and explained that the ER doctor had called to be sure that I could get my medication before releasing me! I explained that I was desperate for my medication or I would not have went to ER! They still said that they did not have my medication! Back to ER I went, but this time they wrote me a prescription for a few tablets in hopes that I would be able to fill my prescription after Memorial Day weekend; before the medication that they wrote for me was gone! I was able to fill that prescription at the hospital pharmacy but they would not fill my doctors prescription there! I went home and found two Sheriffs waiting for me! Walgreen had called them and told them that they were worried for my safety! Even after showing the Sheriff that I that just returned from another ER visit and now had some medication; they insisted that I be taken for an examination! The so called examination turned out to be them taking me and having me Baker Acted! (at my expense both financially and emotionally) Three days later I was able to talk to a doctor and in less than 5 minutes was on my way to being released! God only knows what I have been though and where I am going because we are a group of people that are being forgotten because of the war on drugs! Again I apologize!

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Patty- I read your response late last night and I figured I'd wait till today to respond. My God..one thing I am happy about it that we don't have The Baker Act here in Michigan! Your story sounds exactly like something that I would go through. It is appalling and I can't believe how many slaps in the face you experienced in just the one day! I know the desperation of deciding to sacrifice your pride and making that dreaded trip to the ER when you're out of meds and in extreme pain. The looks the nurses and doctors give you when you explain what's going on, and the comments made when you inform them of your current meds. The last time we visited a ER for the same situation, they really made me feel like not only a druggie, but a faker and liar. I am 34 and began with two herniated disks at the age of 21. I had been a patient at a Pain Clinic for 5 years up till a year ago due to losing my insurance. Sadly right now the only relief I have is at self physical therapy and pain meds. The doctor at the hospital read me the right act. I take 5-10mg Norcos a day and she questioned my motives for the pain pills with undeniable sarcasm. She asked Why don't I try inj's., why aren't I in physical therapy or traction, and why don't I see about having back surgery? I replied I received inj's. every 3-4 months for 4 years, complied with orders for 6 rounds of physical therapy, 4 rounds of traction, and have had 3 trips to surgeons for assessment and approvals. Since I have two disks herniated and degenerative disk disease, all 3 suggested that at my age, surgery would be a bad idea and that with two, they'd rather just manage the pain and look at surgery further in the future. I walked out of there with 10-5mg Norcos. The way we are treated is unfair and belittling. It's basically mocking someone with a disability and makes us feel worthless. My heart goes out to you though Patty. That story is so appalling, and these laws are causing more harm than good! It scares me that it will never get better...and it HAS to!

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The news has run some stories here in Florida; they did one just last week! They run a story however and then they do not continue with it; it is another 6 months or longer and they might do another evening report of someone else! I know i am not the only one that is in this situation, Florida, I know has been hit hard! If you google Florida and Walgreen or CVS .. or anything about chronic pain patients it is loaded with descriptions of people that are SUFFERING because they can not get their pain medications refilled! I say SUFFERING because that is what it is! I have been though so much ... besides being baker acted as I have described below; just last month I was 10 days without my major pain medication; 100 mic fentanyl patch! That came just 3 days after changing my break though medication to a lesser medication because I had continued to have problems getting the one i had been on filled! I can not help but think if I were an addict I would have gotten help sooner than 10 days! I fight the best when I know I have someone fighting for me and with me but the fight feels impossible when everyone continues to turn their back on me and knowingly leaves me without medication!

I did not mean to make this all about me! As I stated; I know there are many out there walking this same road! I appreciate all the people who are trying to solve this problem however and maybe between us we can do something that will lead to easier access for our pain medications!

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I went to ER twice last month because i was unable to get my 100 mic fentanly patch! This is not a break though med but my main pain medication which I was without for 9 days! It is one of the strongest pain medications on the market! The ER doctor gave me what I will call minimal treatment; but in fact it was no help at all! I was given a shot of toradol as well as a lecture! This doctor was able to see that I had not had my patches in atleast a week at that time from the Federal drug monitoring system! I can not tell you if it is ignorance on these doctors part or fear; but my best guess from all that I have been though and therefore heard is that it is fear! They are more fearful of the DEA than they are devoted to my well being! When they took an oath to do no harm, did it not include pain patients who are now suffering from pain and now going though withdrawal because pharmacists are refusing to fill our prescriptions? Does or physical and mental well being not count if a doctor is fearful of the DEA! I did speak to a lawyer who did not have any suggestions or offer to try to help! May God have mercy on us!

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Hello Jerry,
Nurses are everything you say & more! My own sister is a nurse & they are KNOWN to be the WORST DRUG ABUSERS EVER!!! Not just my sister~she has told me about others, & I have heard from my friends who know them personally. When I was in Rehab. after my hip replacement & the nurses come by with your pain & other pills, MANY times they did NOT have my pain pill on them...they would either play the DUMB act like, "Oh, I didn't see it on your record...or told me "they just changed the color sweetie~don't worry about it, & of course I would ask for the ndc " mft., & when did they change it & I need the phone number to verify this, & I also went over hr head, 7 I have not seen that nurse in there ANYWHERE anymore~I HOPE they fired her stupid ass! The next day I got my regular percocet, & it wasn't changed. I walked around with my walker to other patients & they said the same thing has happened to them about it is different color now, & they said it didn't help their pain at all!!! I truly have NO respect for nurses & PA's. I was in the office & SUPPOSED to talk to the Doctor, & this B**** nurse kept saying that she wasn't sure that she wanted to give me percocet because she thought I needed a long acting drug. I do not know which she was talking about...she wouldn't tell me. I did get my percocet 10/325 thank God, as I heard the Doctor told her to give it to me. From then on, I INSISTED that after being intimidated for a damn hour telling me how addicting these drugs are~ I am NOT putting myself thru that again. My Fiance wanted to haul off & deck her~I should have let him!!! (he has NEVER hit a woman either)~he was THAT MAD! These women get these "power heads" & they have crap jobs~they aren't as important as Doctors & like my sister says always, that nurses can't STAND Doctors, so thought i would share that with you. I must say tho, I have NEVER had a problem with men nurses or men pa's! Good luck to you. It is heart wrenching when I read about others in pain. I don't wish pain on anyone, but maybe it would be good thing to give it to those who judge...those who intimidate...those who are simply mean & ignorant!

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I wonder when all this crap is going to stop and/or what it is going to take to stop all these ignorant pharmacists from playing god with our meds. I see on other threads that more and more people can't get their prescriptions filled because the judgemental i**** pharmacist says "no". Just read in the local paper about how many people are now overdosing on H because they had to get some kind of pain relief even if it now means going to the street. How sad is that? Even with a legitimate prescription! I can't stand these pharmacists who give you "the look" as if we are drug seekers looking for a fix. They are hypocrites too because my friend used to work in a large pharmacy and one of the pharmacists was chewing vicodin when nobody else was there. The pills were all of a sudden getting less and less in the bottles and then they put up a hidden camera and caught her standing right in front of the camera and putting vicodin in her lab coat pockets. So they think they are better than we are? LOL

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We were having luck about 4 months ago at Spectrum. My husband has severe Carpal Tunnel and gets less than me and a lower dose( 7.5/325 2X a day) and we both had our own script. We brought our two dogs in the car and on top of it being too hot to leave them in the car, there was not ONE spot for us to park. We decided that he would stay in the van out front while I gave them mine and then I would wait in van while he went in. The pharmacist recognized me and I handed her my script. She was like "alright Michelle, it'll be about 20-30 mins and gave me a pager. I went out front and got in the van with the dogs while he ran in, after making sure the pager would be fine in the van by security. My husband came back out an said that they, very rudely, handed it right back to him and said they didn't have 7.5s (different woman). Soon as he closed the door my pager went off. It had only been about 10 minutes. I looked at him, knowing something was wrong. I went back inside and this older rude woman, without eye contact, roughly handed it back and said "We can't fill this" (the younger nice girl looked embarrassed and gave me a sad like look). I just stood there baffled, and stuttering. " oh. I....um so you don't have it?" She was like "nope. Give me the pager." I knew from her cruel and cold attitude that something happened. Well after a confusing ride home, I figured that they must had thought, possibly, that we were trying to get one over on her, like since they took my fake script, they'd take his. And I guess him not coming in with me made us sketchy? I didn't even think of that because IT WAS A LEGIT SCRIPT FROM A LEGIT DOCTOR THAT HAD BEEN FILLED AT THAT HOSPITAL THE THREE PAST TIMES! Just feeling defeated. And sorry about the b****ing and the stories, but it feels so good to talk to others that have been through some of the same degrading situations and can understand. I wish there was a lawyer that would take something like this on. I'm sure if I have a stroke, I could get someone to take the case....LOL....rather not though!

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Jerry~AMEN TO THAT STATEMENT!!! OBVIOUSLY ~ BL does not have horrible Pain like most/all have on this site!!! SHAME on him/her! It is SO easy to judge & criticize others when you are not in the same situation I guess...sad. If he DOES have pain & doesn't get help, I guess thats' his problem. Yes, there are those who abuse, but you are right, all WE want is to try & live a somewhat normal life, & do simple things like pick up a dish without sharp pains going up your arm, or ok mr. BL wipe yourself in the bathroom without screaming from stretching (don't mean to get technical, but he needs it!) or simply bending to tie your shoe & I could go on, but he wouldn't get it~he obviously has NO CLUE. If you want to tear up your stomach, move to Petoskey, Michigan (or for that matter the whole west side & middle of Michigan) because all they give you is motrin & crap that are not narcotics that will totally ruin your stomach, & that is why I am also on 2 stomach pills a day!!! Thank God I moved! I wish all on this site nothing but prayers & hope in finding something that works for you as I have found that even tho there are different narcotics out there, they all work differently on each person. I DO know I would NEVER touch Activis with a 10 foot pole because ALL their drugs are BAD! I ended up in ER with their drugs & have heard alot of people are fed up with them because they do NOT work & have dangerous side affects. Their "inactive ingredients" are different than the old Watsons or anyone elses' & they should totally be shut down! I have made reports against them & they have gotten me NOWHERE. To ALL~try & have a Happy New Year by finding what works for YOU & do not give up TRYING. Also, I have found that working with Pharmacy managers is the best~don't mess with anyone else! They can sometimes order for you what your Doctor prescribes.

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When Norco was reclassified as a c2 it automatically reduced its availability as pharmacies are restricted as to c2 ordering amounts per month. Also purchase price doubled and insurance reimbursement has not. Many pharmacies choose not to carry the drug due to monetary loss and liabilities.

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I love how one guy gets his script and declares SHORTAGE over...wait till Feb dummy when you try to get it filled again.
Its like 70/30 chance your not getting them from first place you try. I just got my 10/325 from Walgreens. However it was a pain as usual. I took it there 1/02/15 well couldn't fill it bc the date was 1/04/15 ok fine so I go back today.....I said to the same girl that helped me or didn't help really lol on Friday. I said can I fill this today, she says whats the script for? I said Norco right away she says oh no we've been out for months. I said ok well you were going to fill it Friday? Soooo whats up, she looks at the script says sorry with her s***ty attitude and filled it. just thought it was funny she right away said oh no were out and have been out. its pretty sad I could go buy a bag of marijuana and any damn type I want in 20 mins from my house in St clair shores. Meanwhile It's like pulling teeth to get one fricking script filled. I get the pharmacies hands are tied, but a little less everyone is a drug addict attitude would be nice. they've effectively created a worse stigma and culture for a class of drugs. You feel like a junkie trying to get 60 norcs what the hell. Im a mailman I have 5 discs herniated,canal stenois etc walk 12 miles a day, I cant get 60 pills without jumping through 15 hoops its stupid. Heres an FYI everything is bad for, sugar is one of the biggest poisons in this world. Anything addicting will have addicts whether its sugar or narcotics or alcohol. How about making it a little easier for those of us not eating 10 pills a day and dr shopping. Had to vent...that being said try walgreens, and cvs riteaid etc..ive personally found its a better chance of getting a place that has them in stock by trying those mom n pop drug stores. they're few and far between now days. but if one is near you, chances are a lot less people are trying to get pain pills from them as say a major chain. Good luck everyone wish I could trade in these stupid adderal for the norcs like an exchange service lol

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I don't understand what you mean by they are not manufacturing the yellow norco anymore because I just got my rx re-filled yesterday at Walgreens and they are the yellow onces 10/325 with the V on them by Qualitest. I thought the white ones with the red dots were made by Watson as I have some old ones of those and they make me sick.

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The ones with the red dots are Watson 5/325 the yellow ones are the 10/325 they are also Watson.the white ones are the 7.5/325.

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Im currently in full blown withdrawals, sick as a dog. All the pharmacies in my town are out of the meds that my Doctor prescribed. Has anyone thought about filing a legal suit for unnecessary pain and suffering? This is beyond BS.

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Oh trust me. I feel your pain. I have been going through withdrawals all weekend. Friday - Saturday I called around 50 pharmacies. I can't even walk and my legs give out on me constantly. I went to put my tiny dogs wintercoat on and my legs gave out and it lost my balance and fell over a table and into a craft box. I didn't even know till that night I banged my head so hard on the wall I have a huge bruised goose egg on my forehead. I've had to double up my percocets and been out. I'm lost. I just feel like giving up. I can't take much more of this.

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If you have insurance, Call Customer Service & explain to them that the participating pharmacies on their plan (which you pay them for every month) will not fill your prescriptions. If they cannot find you a pharmacy then kindly explain to the Insurance company "they are in breach of contract." Apparently when you sign up with an insurance co. it is a contract. They may be able to at least find you someone via mail order pharmacy to fill your script.If not, file a complaint. It was the only way after 26 days of looking, that I was able to fill my prescription. At least for now, until this whole mess, hopefully, gets straightened out. I took that advice from Pharmacist Steve. He is an advocate on line & will help you in these hard times.

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Sorry Missy! I had posted it but the link didn't show? So it's up now! I wish I had someone more professional to write it since I was in a lot of pain and emotion when I wrote it! And PAUL- a GP can write a prescription for anything. I have had a GP for over a year an half now. I used to go to a Pain Clinic for 4 1/2 years. Had inj's., physical therapy, traction, and then lost my job and they promised to work something out for me and wouldn't just kick me off. Within two appointments, since I could only come up with $100 on December 23 instead of $150 they called me said I was done and they would begin writing me scripts to wean me off my meds. So they basically were going to leave me with no type of pain relief whatsoever. I've never felt so disregarded in my life and did lots of crying. Yet I just went and got a GP and now all I have for relief is meds and at home PT. This is a cruel cruel world.

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TO: things need to change - no, the link, for your petition, still has not shown up on any of your posts. I will sign any petition, as I'm certain others will, who are suffering from this catastrophe. I read a story, from a member of the DEA, who stated that this debacle is NOT their doing. It is the pharmacies and their staff who are 'playing God' with our lives. I will try to find the article, and post it (although I thought that I had already done that). Florida pain patients, especially those in Central FL, do NOT even attempt to fill your scripts at Walgreens or CVS. They will NOT fill them! Every month, I go back and forth, between Walmart and Publix pharmacies, and (even on the same day, even within a couple of hours) I am told a different story, by a different person. The last time I got my Rx for generic Norco 10/325 mg, I saw a female pharmacist, outside the pharmacy, speaking with two Walmart employees, who I assumed to be store managers. I asked to speak with her privately, told her that, in addition to my long-term, chronic pain, for which I am on Disability, I have hypertension, a heart condition, and a family history of brain aneurysm (my mother), which is highly hereditary; and, how an abrupt withdrawal from my meds could potentially cause very serious consequences, and even death, she assured me that my prescription would be filled. It was, almost two days late, but it was filled. It's the same every month. It is also a violation of my PHI and HIPAA rights, to have to explain my multiple conditions to a pharmacist, when my doctor knows all about my conditions, is a highly regarded physician, and one whom I have follow-up appts with every 3 months. We are at the mercy of not just pharmacists, but pharmacy tech's, who have not been to school and received any type of degree. I will do more research, and try to provide a link that proves the DEA is not responsible for the actions of these pharmacies.

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Pattycakes - your post brought tears to my eyes but please don't commit suicide - then it's like the bastards have won. I know it is extremely difficult going through withdrawals and pain as I have been through it more times than I want to count. If I don't have some kind of pain meds every day I can't even get out of bed much less move around all day. You are worth more than the bastards that are doing this to all of us - please hang in there it will get better it has to - I don't know how but it just has to.

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Jimmy you really took the time to write that? LOL

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I am replying specifically to ... (Things need to change and others who reached out to me at what I can only describe as the darkest period in my life)

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words and apologize for those that would attack your generosity! It appears that they do not like your beliefs which you conveyed in your very kind message to me~ Believe me when I tell you that I a so mixed up right now and so desperate that your caring words and your encouragement mean a great deal to me!

I am desperately trying to hold on, to the point that I have done some research about Mexico and how I might possibly get some help from somewhere other than my own Country! The problem is, I am in such bad shape that I do not know how I could possibly get myself there and then try to find a doctor when I can barely get out of bed!

I have so many things to live for ... I am not rich but I am financially secure! I have so many things that I still want to do if only my health would allow me to do even some of them! I have grown children and grandchildren who adore me almost as much as I adore them and can only say that pain and then the anger that goes along with pain can make you do things that you never thought you would find yourself considering~

I am divorced but have a gentleman that I have been with for seven years! He is a happy go lucky fella who has done many things in the past to help me but he has never had to care for me nor did I think that he would even consider it ... however since coming home from the hospital he has been my rock~ he moved my bed from my home to his so I could feel as comfortable as possible and he has been trying to reassure me that someone will listen to us and finally get me back on track!

He set me up with a new primary care doctor near his home and today we got a phone call that they got me in with a new pain specialist this coming Monday! I am praying for anything at this point that can ease my pain even a little! One thing that I am grateful for is even though I have felt so desperate, I am as clean as a bean and can pass a drug panel! I am really praying that for all I have been through that there will finally be someone willing to help me! Needless to say, my mood is like a yoyo but I am hanging on~

I am so confused about this federal database that was suppose to have been implemented so that doctors and pharmacists could be sure that no one was getting prescriptions from multiple doctors and then filling them at multiple pharmacies! I believe it is active now in all but one state but with all the money that went into implicating this system ... things have only gotten worse and continue to get worse yet! Our doctors are afraid to write prescriptions for pain medications and will outwardly tell you they are afraid of the DEA! Pharmacists on the other hand will not fill a prescription even if it is legitimate and will give you 101 excuses why they are unable to fill it! Believe me, I have heard them all; including they would only fill my script if I paid cash and the cash price was triple what my insurance would be charged for the medication!

I know I am not the only one suffering like this so know I am praying for everyone who is being put thought this hell!

Again, my thanks for all the kind words that everyone has written!

Ms. Patty

I do believe in God ... but I do not believe that this was what God wants for all of us that are suffering and have lost their ability to even care for themselves because pain is so front and center in our lives!

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