Why Am I Not Able To Fill My Tramadol And Hydrocodone Together Anymore?
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Hi, I have been taking 100mg tramadol and hydrocodone 10-325mg for 6years together for chronic pain. I recently tried to fill both my scripts and was told by the pharmacist that I can no longer fill both since tramadol has been classed as a controlled substance that I would have to pick one that I want to take. I am pretty upset. Is there a way around this, I am a nurse and have patients that get multiple narcotic perscriptions at the same time how are they able to do that. Many people are on different types of narcotics at the same time for chronic pain because they work differently I dont see how the government can do this to people.

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21

It sucks how the government has taken over our bodies. I can guarantee if one of them is in pain he or she would have no problem getting what they would need to control their pain. Good ol' US of A that we live in. Good luck.

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20

Your pharmacist has overstepped his legal authority; he is not a formal clinician and is not considered to be treating you. There is no limit to the number of opioid types that you can take; there is a soft limit of 100mg Morphine Equivalent. Try a different pharmacy and if the pharmacy that denied was a big chain, you might file a formal complaint. BTW - you did not tell us how much hydrocodone you are taking - are you above the 100mg ME cap? Dr. Tim

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19

The government IS doing this ..we have an opiod epidemic most primary care providers have STOPPED prescribing opiods they are subject to DEA inspections, same as pharmacies,,, I live in Delaware...the only way around this is to go to a pain doctor...there u sign a contract to take what ever they give you and to prove youre taking them, u are giving random tests to see you are taking them...addiction? YEP IN 6 MONTHS

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18

Doc (# 16) & Etowah (# 12) --

I know what you mean about CVS. It is crazy what they are doing. I worked for them for 6 years awhile back as a tech and intern and a pharmacist eventually. We never ever had an issue filling narcotics. This is going to sound bad but they were just numbers on a page; the more scripts we filled the better our Iives became. My particular store was known for having every narcotic available and anyone could fill with us within reason. We didn't intentionally fill addicts scripts or for people who were selling them, but we also didn't ask the question. Now CVS has gone insane with their policies. They truly are getting in the way of the doctor/patient relationship which is something we are taught in pharmacy school not to do. I read the news article that said if not now then really soon they will requine you to tell them your medical condition and based on that determine if you should be on immediate release or extended release meds and for how long. I asked myself how could this possibly be legal? I shouldn't have to divulge my disease/condition to them nor should they ever be allowed to dictate dose, meds, and lengths of time. AVOID CVS EVERYONE! If I wasn't disabled and I was currently still working for them I would quit in a heartbeat and go somewhere else. I could never have treated patients this way.

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17

Re: WorkingMan (# 3) Expand Referenced Message

That's not true anymore. With the new laws the pharmacist has the right not to fill any prescription he or she does not want to fill. Look it up the information is there. And stay away from CVS.

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16

Re: Etowah (# 12) Expand Referenced Message

I agree stay the hell away from CVS. Google it and start reading some information about what CVS is doing it's unreal. They're basically working with the DEA and others. CVS is nothing but a mess. Stay away.

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15

That is so strange. I'm sorry for your trouble. I hope you have gotten this worked out by now. This is a pharmacy issue not a law issue. My suggestion as I'm sure others have said is you need to find a new place to fill your medicine. Many of us pain patients need more than one different narcotic to treat our pain me included. As a former pharmacist who keeps up with any new laws since I stopped practicing, I haven't heard a peep about anything like this except when I worked with other pharmacists that just had personal feelings about filling two narcotics or their company does. Find a better place to go that will treat you as the actual law dictates.

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14

Re: Verwon (# 1) Expand Referenced Message

I think this country doesn't care about people who are disabled n have chronic pain, n the only thing that helps is surgery but what about when they cant fix what is wrong with us? Then they have pain pills which have been used for a thousand years, but now because some *****s take pills recreationally n dies from it, they take the pain pills off the markets for everyone, and this way people won't die. All I know is pain pills are the only thing that let me live some way of life with not so much pain. When you are in pain you don't feel euphoric from the pills, the pain just goes away for a few hours, but when you don't have any pain then you get euphoria. So this country should come up with a way to see who has real injuries and real pain and not just a craving to feel high. I wouldn't wish this life I live to anyone to live like this in pain every minute of the day and now we all have to worry about how n where we are going to get our pain pills to help us. We need help n we need help fast before we are all screwed over by these *****s who are the prez and his cronies who don't know what it's like to care about others. We will all have to move to another country so we don't die from the our pain we have. It's so sad to live like this...

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13

I might know why they won't fill them cause they are both IR or instant release where you need one ER and one IR that's the only reason seeing they wouldn't fill it. Have you tried a different pharmacy? Or a mom and pop spot. But if start with those two suggestions I mentioned please let me know the out come I'm very interested to know what happens

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12

You’re going to the wrong pharmacy. I do it every month along with 60 klonopin. Stay FAR away from CVS. My pharmacy also fills as soon as my insurance and doctor allow, sometimes three days early, usually two or one day early. I use a supermarket pharmacy. You might ask your doctor for a pharmacy referral they may know but CVS is meddling with the doctor/patient relationship. I tried them about 3 years ago. They called me all the time, tried to auto-fill everything, and would not fill pain meds earlier than 30 days. I think my doctor knows what I need better than my pharmacist.

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11

You are correct who has the final word, but you are not a Dr. Your interaction with the medication use is based on the written warnings and waving at the patients as the the pharmacy tech inputs the written prescription. Written by a medical Dr who has direct interaction with the patients and understand their clinical needs. The pharmacist is a chemist. They don't even understand why you are prescribed them and your medical problems. Your Dr has to call the Corp pharmacy and give approval. The pharmacy wants each Dr to call for each patient and they can't take time from there scheduling to do this. And just so u understand. An actual chemist requires more education than a pharmacist degree.

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10

hollywood florida i had a fall and require more for pain

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9

I take Norco 10 mg 3 times a day and 6 50mg tramadol a day. Maybe you could get lower dose of tramadol ?

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8

The pharmacy doesn't have the final say the doctor does, if they write on your prescription take it back to the doctor and get a new one. I had a pharmacy pull the same crap with me but 2 different drugs...She said I have to call the doctor to make sure you didn't alter this!! I looked at her like she had 3 heads...I could could hear my doctor yelling over the phone! My medicine was ready in 2 minutes. Just remember, it is your money and your choice where you fill your meds! If they treat you like crap go elsewhere.

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7

Yep.....government wants control of all pain meds...doc needs to insist it b filled..dont go to another pharmacy for the other or you'll get nailed for med shopping.

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6

Does the same doctor prescribe both. I ask because Pharmacists, by law, are allowed to refuse a prescription that is not a life saving drug and while Pain pills may feel like a life saving medication, they are not. If they are 2 different doctors, big red flag.

All of my HIV and anti-anxiety medication is prescribed through my infections diseases doctor because he is my PCP. Oh, he also prescribes my Ambien and Vicodin. All are prescribed for very legit reasons. Even my psychiatrist want me to take Ambien daily for now but told me as long as Dr. XXX (they are all from the same hospital) has been prescribing them, you don't have to switch them to me. That's not really a mood disorder, it's a sleelp disorder, which is being dealt with my psychologist.

By now, you must have gathered I have medical conditions. HIV/Psyschosomatic/and Hep C until the recent treatment did work for me...every body I wanna hear a "Amen" even though I'm an atheist. My, what I call my head pills, Effexor and lamotrogine for depression and mood stabilizer (bipolar, can never remember 1 or 2, I don't go on shopping sprees and then they hang in a closet with the tags on and never worn. I would if I could, but I'd wear them. My form one can exhibit signs of aggression, in me that's my loss of patience. My major degree of bipolar is the down, the depression. I've suffered depression since I was a child. I'm 59.

Obviously my liver doctor, who I still have to see once a year, my HIV doctor who I see monthly, and my psychiatrist whom I see every 2 months and my psychologist know exactly everything I'm on.

I do apologize. I've been told I go on about myself. Anyway, my tramadol is taken so I can take 2 Vicodin (I use the brand term but get generic) first thing after my coffee beeps that it's done. That is when my back with slipped disks and some curvature now but will progress, is at it's most painful. Then the next 3 single doses during the day are taken with one 50mg Tramadol. And then my 6th Vicodin I take with my Ambien.

I have a strong fortitude to drugs. I started out at 13, speed, marijuana, acid (lots of acid, oh for the late 60's and early 70's), Valium, dilaudid. I don't believe with god, but those two drugs were Paradise...for a while. Also, back in the 70's we had our Placidyls and Qualudes 500's, and seconals and tuinals were like m & m's.

Alas, today. I will be 59 soon. after the 70's were over and the availability was so openly and easily attainable. Never liked the drug, but it was easy to get and you felt really good for about 5 seconds. Problem for me was it was an IV drug but going out I was forced to take it by other means. And then for about 3+ years Methamphetamine finally happened. By far the worst drug in the world. This I beg people, and I think I've explained I've done a lot of drugs or have a lot of drugs for fun experience. STAY AWAY FROM METHAMPHETAMINE. TURN AWAY AND RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN. I don't know if they still use the adage "once you try opiates you're hooked." Once you have Methamphetamine, get used to it for a long time. Worst part is, it's cheap.

Anyway, I'm picking up my Vicodin (hydrocodone) and Tramadol both on Wednesday, September 9. My Part D will not pay for those drugs a day earlier than they are do, but I have never and this I would not stand for is have a pharmacist tell me I can have one or the other...if they are prescribed by the same doctor.

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5

Ask ur doc...i dont see how a pharmacist can over ride a docs orders...or just change pharmacys...lots of different people turnin into mules rearends in the meds markets of late..i hear you tho seen far greaters meds filled together then those...

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4

Actually, pharmacists have the final say. They do NOT have to fill any Rx they feel is detrimental to patient health. I agree, take your Rx somewhere else... But beware, I had to do that once and the pharmacist wrote on the Rx "Turned away at "..." ". It was a pain to get it filled.

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3

I encountered a similar problem. The doctor has the final word on this -- not the pharmacist. If the pharmacist has a concern they're supposed to contact your doctor, to verify you indeed need to take both together. Perhaps the pharmacist in your case did try to place a call to your doctor (to verify) and was unable to reach. You know how some doctors are hard to reach by phone, right away. But the doctor's say trumps the pharmacist's on this. At least once you can get your doctor on the horn with the pharmacist.

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2

Quite simply, the pharmacist is wrong. There is no law (federal law at least) that would support what your pharmacist has told you. What state do you live in?

The way around it is take your scripts to a new pharmacy.

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