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

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.

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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!!

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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!!!

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Re: Master Plumber (# 3)

Well I may not be being reasonable but they are in the service business. My insurance will only work so far and insurance is something I have to rely on. Unfortunately, in the rural area in which I live, the small mom and pop pharmacies have pretty much all shut down. They have retired, closed for one reason or the other or been over taken by the large, big name pharmacies. No, I disagree because the pharmaceutical companies I have spoken to ensure me the brand is still available and is available in my area. I have switched pharmacies many times and my doctor and insurance company have worked very well with me. It always bounces back to the particular pharmacy. If a customer pays and asks for a particular brand, that brand is available and ready to be shipped, there is no reason why they cannot make that order. It is not an unheard of thing to provide the right customer service. It is simply a matter of pushing a few more buttons on the computer these days. Not like yesteryear when tons of paperwork had to be filled out and mailed (snail mail) and wait for a return letter or package. It is not the same as those days. The idea of good customer service has fallen off the counter and been swept under the rug. People seem to accept anything as a "given" anymore. It is a shame that I cannot tolerate generic meds, I more than anyone wish I could. Purchasing name brand meds is very expensive for me and my insurance company. The pharmacy still gets what they ask, so why do they make it so difficult? I don't even like thinking this, let alone saying it, but I see a not so pretty end to this whole ugly story...Something that is not Godly accepted, but necessary. It will be the Pharmacist I write about in my note.

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Re: Roro (# 41)

I just wanted to know who mentioned euphoria? I just would like to have a level of pain to deal with where I am not curled up in a ball, crying and on top of that having a hammer in my hand wanting to break my head open and make this ringing in my ears STOP. I do not take pain meds everyday because sometimes I handle it very well. Some days I don’t. I take them reasonably and the way they are meant to be. I have never wanted to have that euphoria like other people do. I like being in control of my mind.

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Re: myst (# 66)

If you find a pharmacy that carries what works for you, here in florida you can tell your dr, that you had to change pharmacies, because other one no longer carries it, they understand and hasnt been a problem here.

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Do you know were i can get this medication?? As it us the only medication that helps my anxiety.

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You need to get the code from the pill, most of the meds are distributed but are actually made by companies from around the world and repackaged by numerous companies in the US

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What are the codes stamped on the pill you need? Insurance companies are hindering many meds being carried by wholesalers, Express Scripts is causing many problems. Many insurance companies have made deals with pharmacies and no matter what pharmacies you use they charge the same price. I stop telling pharmacies i have insurance and asked for the best cash price and found i could get my meds far cheaper than the copay i was paying. The system is rigged. If you live close to the Canadian border i found i could get my meds legally for pennies on the dollar compared to the US. People in the US are getting ripped off by big business.

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Re: Kevin (# 6)

I've been with Independent Pharmacies. If the Drug Wholesaler is now not buying the drug you were on, the Independent Pharmacy can no longer get it for you. Trust me, this happened to me on 2 different drugs. The Pharma is still making it, the drug wholesalers are no longer buying because they can get something else cheaper.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 .

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Re: Kevin (# 6)

some of the Mom and Pop pharmacy won't accept new patients for controlled substance I tried that and they are only honoring the customers that they have because they only get a certain amount so good luck

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Re: ThunderHeart (# 37)

As soon as I hear someone say we have rights, that tells me they do more complaining than actually doing anything about a problem. You can't force anyone to continue to make the same products forever. If we could I would force Ford to build me a 1964 Ford Galaxie. You have to change and try other meds to see if they work until you find something that will. Everyone does not respond to meds equality. Everyone wanted free trade with the world, well welcome to it. Everyone listen to Ruch Limbaugh who said free trade would not hurt the US! Ross Perot said in his speeches what would happen if the free trade act would pass. Now big pharma meds are made in countries like china and india where very little quality testing is performed. Now there are some but very little good meds from those countries but the cost is much more in the US due to all the middlemen who manipulate prices.

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Re: Comments (# 52)

I agree with you 100%!!. Generics make me sick too and I DO NOT LIKE having generics forced on me! If I have to pay more for the better medicine, I will! NO ONE AND NO THING has the right to take this right away from me!!

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Re: Comments (# 56)

Yes exactly!! What euphoria!!?? What a crock!! I just want the pain to stop!! Planting FALSE INFO!! I wish I got "euphoric!!"

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