Pharmacy Refuses To Stock Qualitest, Which Is The Only Kind That Works For Me (Page 2)

I have two medications that are made by Qualitest (which I understand both have been moved to other Pharmaceutical Co.) 1. Hydrocodone 10/325 cannot find locally in Qualitest brand so I have been prescribed Mallinckrodt. They cause my ears to ring at an extremely high level that I can't think or do anything. I am extremely nauseous constantly. This ringing in my ears is driving me crazy. No pharmacy will get the Qualitest brand. 2. Phentermine (also the same situation), no pharmacy will carry Qualitiest brand. If the drug works for said person, is still being made and the said person has legal prescription, why isn't there a way to force the pharmacy to get it? Why are we forced to purchase drugs we know won't work for us? Are there any lawyers out there that can find a way to make them get these medications for us? I have Fibromyalgia and there is very little that works for me and my system. Please help me. I am close to beating my head against the wall to stop this ringing in my ears.

REPLY

REPORT

Re: Kevin (# 1)


I went to CVS to get my Clonazepam refilled. They said they "ran out and have no idea when it will be in stock again." I called my primary care doctor and he thought of a chewable version that comes in tin bubble packs. They all had a dent in them and when I pulled back the tin foil, every single pill was powder. There was zero potency. They also shorted me 10 pills and made me pay a co-pay for this garbage. I called CVS who told me to bring them to a police pill bin, that they cannot take them back." They made me call my doctor again, and by this time, they had the normal pills in stock. They also tried charging me $77.00 for Synthroid. I stood there saying nope. Look back at what I paid in the past. I have been taking Synthroid for 2 decades. "You paid zero, but we do not know why YOUR insurance is charging." I called my insurance in front of them and they said, "there still is no co-pay for a 90 day supply." CVS refused to take my phone but called them back 5 hours later, and made me make another trip back. This is outrageous. Something is going on, because others in front of me went through the same mess. My insurance did not "do something to make the price higher." CVS is the one trying to "rope-a-dope" us into a higher price tag. DO NOT FALL into step with stupid. QUESTION everything and write it down so you can report them to your state Consumer Protection or Public Health.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Justhuman (# 14)

Takes humble bow :) It’s hard enough nowadays just to get them to fill ANY script for pain, much less one particular type that you prefer!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Comments (# 2)

Will your insurance cover a brand? Your doctor will have to write on your prescriptions Brand Name Medically Indicated or Brand Name Medically Necessary. He or she will also have to check the No Substitution Allowed. Even then, some insurance companies will not pay for brand.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

If u r set on this pain med, then try promethazine 25 mg tabs with it. Its the best nausea med, and helps with the side effects u mentioned. I went off the pain med u r on. I switched to morphine 30 MG's er, 3x's a day. It works so much better for me. Good luck, and I am sorry u r having a difficult time.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Rootsgal (# 21)

Or....just STOP going to CVS!!!! Why are you bothering your doctor because ONE pharmacy is out? Say ok thanks, and go across the street!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Rootsgal (# 21)

I have never heard of clonzepam running out. I get 90 1mg pills for a 3 month supply for $23 with no insurance. Walmart also always has this med.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Call around to some independent places..... Mine helped me

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Comments (# 2)

I dont take hydrocodone, i take a different medication with the same type of problem. The generic versions of the drug vary greatly. Some make my medical condition worse.

I called the FDA and they told me they don't inspect or evaluate medication at the factory!! FDA relies on reports from factories diagnostics to analyze drugs! I think that's why we encounter these types of issues.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Justhuman (# 14)

Fact Tylenol causes ringing in the ears if you slightly have it take tylenol it will make the ear ringing much worse .may have to stop all tylenol products .I did and ringing isn't near as bad .

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Ok lets just get real for a minute....... YES your local pharmacy COULD get ANY brand they wanted to get. I also need Qualitest for effective treatment (and quit dealing with several retail outlets for this reason) but lets be honest....... if the pharmacist wanted to they could special order your request and have it the next day, 2 at most (i had a couple places that would do this in past)....but this is a lil more WORK (the real issue). As for cost... if you have insurance it should cost you the same if still ordering a generic. When i first moved to texas the local heb was great, they ordered Qualitest for me, got it next day for 6 months (+/-) then the pharmacy manager either got a bug up his butt or got involved (first time i actual dealt with gerald... he was rude and treated me like an addict and refused to fill my script at all (never went to fill any script for the same med from more than one clinic nor did i try to fill early & my insurance ok'ed payment). I asked why he was giving me the attitude and he said (he felt) i was getting too much medication.

I told him he is not my doctor & does not know the details of the case & is not even a doctor in the first place. He proceeded to tell me he was a dr... i said well do you have prescription writing privileges (it just declined from there)...... needless to say i dont go to heb anymore (FOR ANYTHING). I complained to the store manger to no avail and they actually defended the jerk... these similar circumstances have also taken place (other than them saying they are a dr) at a couple other pharmacies in the state i moved from. My GUESS is special order cost a lil more up front in cost & in labor cost in paperwork & manager bonuses are profit driven (& be honest most people would fold and accept the treatment NOT ME) fortunately for me a new store opened & they have been great & get a lot of business & deliver if you are so inclined.....

Point being, a cent or to seems like a trivial amount, but 2 cents per pill adds up fast for the big chains that order 1000s of pills a week for 100s of stores... yes it is $$$$. It's almost always $$$$ (& of course laziness). Anyway, as has been stated many times basically it's UP 2 YOU TO DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO GET WHAT WORKS. A couple phone calls aint nothin. I have spent many hours on the phone with both many pharmaceutical retailers & my prescription insurance company.... & believe me its not easy with a debilitating medical condition but who else is gonna do it...... bottom line IT'S UP TO YOU..... start your calling.... including state & federal representatives. Nothing will change if you just sit back & do nothing but suffer. IT'S UP 2 YOU. Do nothing and keep suffering, or help work on the solution.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Roro (# 30)

If you're in Fort Worth, Texas go to Country Day Pharmacy near Harris Southwest hospital in City View. This is where I go and have been for 20+ years and they'll order any generic you want as long as it's available from their supplier. Sometimes the most sought after generics aren't available because of the DEA and DOJ limiting the number of pills said manufacturers can make or bring into the country these days... This pharmacy is where you won't be treated like a drug seeker, but be treated like a human being! They know that all generics don't work the same on all people and will work with you! Anyone who uses a chain pharmacy these days is pretty much guaranteed to get the crappiest generic available and get treated poorly like you're a drug seeker!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: Mark (# 31)

Thhx mark but i am south of san antonio & i have a great store now they opened as heb turned crappy been there couple years now but thats the point i was making if they want to they can usually get it ...... thx again

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Face it, things change. Big business including pharma has changed a huge amount since the world trade agreements kick in. Businesses have gone out of business or been bought up. Many meds are no longer produced to be sold in the US and many have shifted to poor countries. One of the biggest problems is greed, investors wanting quick returns on their money, you cant make mega bucks selling 10 cent meds and that is why we find our self in this problem. Those who have big money continue to buy and those who are poor go without.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Mark (# 31)

You got that right Mark!! The generics we are forced to purchase are pure garbage!! They dont work and cause many bad side affects. Why cant this be regulated!? We need an attorney to stop this crap!! Ive been on the same medicine for years, take it the same way every day. I had no issues or problems until they started messing with the amount of active medicine and filling it in with poison!! And its NOT because my resistance!! I wont buy that horses***!! My problems started when these pharm companies changed the amount of medicine that makes it work!! Resistance my ass!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: ThunderHeart (# 34)

Here's what's happened in a nutshell and is the actual cause of most inferior opiate medications... With a synthetic opiate 25% of the pain reduction comes from the synthetic opiate itself. The rest 75% comes from Oxytocin (Oxytocin is the euphoric effect, that warm fuzzy feeling) which is an excretion by the pituitary gland from chemicals added in the medication.
So let's say everyone is saying that 20% of the synthetic opiate has been removed. With that analogy you could take 2 pills and get adequate pain reduction... Well that's BS because you could take more than that and your pain would pretty much be the same... What they've done is altered the chemical structure to greatly reduce and even eliminate the Oxytocin release from the pituitary gland! Some of these medications you could literally take a handful, only get sick to your stomach and get zero euphoric effect from the medication!

So now you know what they've have actually done to mess up the medications so people can't/won't be able to abuse them, but with that said those of us who actually need them in severe chronic pain are up the creek and the government is behind it playing stupid as usual! Because we're all too dumb to know what's best for us the government with the help of big pharma will protect us from ourselves!

Now there's a heroin explosion in this country beyond belief because of the tampering with pharmaceutical opiates to stop the euphoria and the government still has the nerve to try and blame us the pain patients for the nightmare heroin epidemic they created! How insane!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Of course they are!! They have to make up for lost dollars from no more beer and wine or liquor sales... No more cigars or cigarettes. Or anything to do with smoking, lighters, lighter fluid, matches, rolling papers for tobacco and loose tobacco in a can... I expect them to start selling / closing locations soon.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Mark (# 35)

Oh my gosh Mark!! Thank you for the information!! I suspected as much!! Big pharma and the stupid politicians are DIRTY and corrupt!! I KNOW pharma is doing us dirty on pain medication!! We have rights and they are being violated!! What can we do to stop this? And you are right. People are going to start buying it on the street more and THEN they can cry about opiate abuse!! This makes me furious!! Many of us have documented health issues that can ONLY be helped by pain medicine. Why are we being targeted!! The is a war on people with chronic pain and it has to STOP!! Dont those ***** politicians realize they are making the problem worse!!??

I take medicine responsibly!! Ive never lost medicine, had it stolen or tried to get it early. Isnt that proof enough Im not, and many others are not, the problem!!! It's the effing people who are buying it on the street not knowing what they are getting and od'ing and causing the problem!! I resent being put in the same category as those!! POLITICIANS DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!! Stop penalizing people who take medicine responsibly!! Check medical records!! It will show where people are abusing. Someone needs to help us and make the medicine right again!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

It sounds like maybe you have an allergic reaction to the fillers. Tell the pharmacist you think that & they should make the change, although it may cost more.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: ThunderHeart (# 13)

That’s all because they are allowed to use up to 20 percent less of active ingredients to make medicine, so I would not doubt if that plays a major role in why people are having problems with Medication working properly

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Mark (# 35)

Sadly Mark, you are VERY wrong. Its sad because I can tell by your response there isn't a snow balls chance in hell of ever changing your mind, you are way too convinced of yourself, so I’m not going to bother.

And more sad you will continue to speak as if you were a chemist at a pharmaceutical company making the pills.

I will state the real FACTS though..

In short, the reason Heroin exploded was NOT because they reduced the "euphoric" feeling of the pill. Ridiculously absurd. That's the addict in you telling yourself make believe stories in an attempt to figure out why you don't get high anymore..

It was because they redesigned the way it is made and made it in such a manner that it could no longer be snorted or done intravenously and THAT is what caused them to move on to Heroin.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My pain doc recently increased my hydrocodone by an extra pill per day. When I went to get this filled on my usual refil...

7 REPLIES

My name is Kendra. I am a 25yr old single mother. I have been suffering from chronic back pain from the age of 17yrs old...

10 REPLIES

Help PLEASE.. Can't find Pharmacy near Cape Coral/Fort Myers area that has Oxycofone 15mg or Morphine SulfateER IN S...

6 REPLIES

I have been taking oxycodone for nerve damage due to surviving a terrible case of West Nile Virus. I had encephalitis an...

2 REPLIES

I am an addict who has successfully utilized Suboxone & Subutex as a means to keep a handle on my addiction. Medicar...

4 REPLIES

is a customer able to request week in advance for the pharmacy of their choice actually have specific manufacture delive...

2 REPLIES

For years I have gotten the yellow Norco 10's for chronic back pain. They helped so much and made my day to day acti...

2 REPLIES

anyway;this place supposably,gives out methadone 10mgs;but they are in a green@black capsule;its a compound form i guess...

2 REPLIES

I have been taking Norco for pain management & I cant find any pharmacies in the Grapevine, TX 76051 area to get the...

5 REPLIES

The generic Prozac I am looking for is 4346 40mg capsule made by Teva. They do not carry it where I live. Does someone k...

1 REPLY