Doctor won't call in my Lantus

[nicole]

I ran out of Lantus a few days ago and had told my mom before I was out that I needed more. We tried to get it, but realized I had no more refills. My mom and the pharmacy tried to call my endo and get her to call in a prescription, she wouldn't do it.

I try to call and schedule an appointment but they won't see me. They say I owe $800. Unfortunately the billing department had made a mistake.

My dad called today to have the doctor call back so she could get the info to call in a prescription. Well she hadn't called back after 2 hours and it was getting late, so my mom called again and 5 minutes later the doctor calls. My dad asked if she would call in a prescription to CVS and she said No, because my dad had called her at 9 p.m.

She said that I should have thought about that earlier in the day and called back at 5. What was going to make me think to call at 5 when nobody would tell me anything.

The doctor hung up on my dad after he mentioned the hippocratic oath. She said that my dad would need to take me to the E.R. if I wanted insulin. Hmm.. makes me wonder what kind of doctor she really is.

Were having dinner, phone rings, its the doctor she decides to call back and say that shes going to call it in, but I can find a new doctor now if I'm going to call at 9 needing insulin.

We think she called back because my dad said he was going to call the Medicla board and report her for putting a patients life at risk.

Either way I got my insulin and I WILL be looking for a new doctor. And on top of that she's going to clear my balance and I will owe nothing, and it turns out it was only like $147 that I owed. Okay should have told me that in the beginning instead of saying $848. I could have paid the $147.

Anyone else ever have that problem? Or have a doctor who's office couldn't get it together?

[HuskerMychal]

I have never had that trouble with a Dr. over a needed for life script. I have had issues with my PCP not listening about my pain pills, told him that the tramadol he scripted does me no good at all (no effect). So he overs to refill them., HUH???? Got him to listen and now taking oxy for it. My issue has been with my pharmicist and to dense to do basic math on my Insulin. I know U-500 is hard to figure but I showed her and showed and still she stuck by her guns. No worries now though because I went and quized walmarts pharmicist, he answered his math problem easy :star: and they got the script. Kinda hurts me though because Costco was a lower price and I have the black Costco card so there is a lose of about 30 a year on my rebate :(.

Anyway, Merry Christmas Nicole and Bobby
:rock: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock:

[Carwy]

I meet the PA at the place I go and have not been back to see him or the endo since. He informed me he did not have to look at my medical records before giving me any meds.
That's when I left and contacted my onc. He told me from now on he will take care of all me medical needs.

[HuskerMychal]

I work for a teaching Hospital, OHSU Home (http://www.ohsu.edu), and it is still hard to find a good Dr. and pharmicist. And we have them all on campus. It is oregons largest employer, around 17000 employees.

[hodgsonsurvivor]

OMG! No...I've never experienced anything that bad. I've tried getting new scripts from my doctor when my refills ran out and they'd give me a partial supply script because I hadn't been in to see the doctor for months. :o And, sometimes it took like 24 hours to get a script because I'd request it too late. Usually my fault though. :o I remember a time I had trouble getting a new script for test strips and ended up purchasing a new meter just so that I could test :confused: .I'm glad you're going to find a new doctor, because that was the first suggestion I was going to make. The other thing is that you can go to the ER if you need insulin and can't get it through your doctor/pharmacy. It's a lot more expensive though.:(

[owlyn]

Ask your GP to renew the Rx for you. If you use the word "renew", the GP won't feel wrong for Rxing Lantus.

[Cormac_Doyle]

I thought you could get most Insulins over the counter in the US?

In Ireland, you need an Rx, but the chemists will give you an emergency supply based on an old Rx if you are waiting for an appointment!

[Tattoo azz]

Sounds like this doc is a right cow!! As soon as you can get a new one. I've had a couple of bad docs before, but the one i have now is pretty good.

[art]

Get a new doc immediately!!
Tell the new Doc why you're there and what happened. If that Doc displays any sympathy or understanding for the old (idiot) Doc leave and find another Doc.

I would consider calling the medical board.

Art

[lorilei]

these days a new script takes three seconds as most of the info is computerized and can be sent from a handheld blackberry thing...especially a renewal...would have taken her less time to do that than to call you twice for a lecture...sounds like the doc felt that she had more to the story...strange way to try to teach a lesson! get a new doc!!!

[Jan B]

The care I get from my doctor is separate from the accounting department. I believe that's the way it should be. I have NEVER been refused insulin, even if I was late to my appointment (every 4 months comes around really fast).

The only thing I am told, is that if I need refills & haven't been to the doc in 4 months, I need to make an appointment.

Cormac Doyle - In the U.S., the good, newer insulins like Lantus and Humalog, require prescriptions. You can buy Regular, Lente, and Humulin, over the counter.

[Penny]

I never have trouble with my doctor and prescriptions. The insurance company is another matter....sometimes they want to tell me my doctor is wrong. I have a good relationship with my doctor, see him every 3 months, so he knows me fairly well. I think you need to search for a doctor like that. If he/she knows what is going on with you, there shouldn't be a problem getting needed medicines. Even when I have had a problem with the insurance co., my doctor saw to it that I had insulin when I need it. There are good doctors out there who care about what is happening with you.

[poodlebone]

I know some doctors won't renew a prescription if you haven't been in for an appointment for awhile. I now get all of my prescriptions written by my CDE (nurse practitioner) and she's really good about it. I go through mail order and get 3 months at a time so the prescription is good for a year. I would suggest having her write the script for a little more than you need but if you're paying out of pocket for it the expense can sometimes get in the way; you can't afford to have a little stockpile.

I'd say in the future to always order a refill at least 10 days before you run out, so you'll have time to fix things when problems come up.

I also agree that if you have a primary care doctor, have him/her write the prescriptions. They usually know nothing about diabetes and if you say the endo writes for x units, they'll go along with it.

[morrisma]

Nicole,
The doc ought to be ashamed of herself and may be criminally liable for her actions. Not saying that would be a fun course but forcing an emergency room visit and/or withholding access to insulin is really loony and dangerous.

I love my online pharmacy even more as they remind me when I am able to re-order - usually about 1 month ahead. They HAVE made errors but a phone call has easily fixed the problem.

Cormac_Doyle,
I have purchased an emergency bottle of insulin from a pharmacy a couple of times when I'd left my kit home or didn't have my spare bottle available. When I was on MDI, I was even able to buy (I think they gave me) a U-30 needle. The drawback is cost. With insurance, I get a significant discount while retail costs were nearly $30 and that was some time ago.

Nicole, good luck find a new doc. I would caution you against bad-mouthing the old doc when you first meet the new one. Get to know him/her before you do anything like that as it may flag you as a troublemaker up front and that could make it harder for you.
Mike

[nicole]

Yeah I think I need to start looking for one asap. Seeing that it does take a few months before you can get in to see these doctors around here.

A primary care doctor can prescribe my insulin if I really need them to?

My dad is supposed to call the Medical Board and report what she did. Who knows if he did though, lol.

[HuskerMychal]

If you are not sure if he did, take charge, do it your self. You can make a anon report. Also consider ordering from Canada too, no script needed

[RobiJo]

I've had it happen with another medication, not diabetes related.

It's annoying for sure, dangerous when it's for something you really need. I can certainly see the point for many meds....doctors don't want to prescribe things when you are not actively under their care (missed/cancelled appointments etc or it has been a long time since they've seen you last.) This makes sense for a lot of prescription drugs, not so much for an insulin, a basal insulin at that.

[Psycho Penguin]

My PCP doctor prescribes my insulin sometimes, **** even his nurse practicioner can and does. They know it's hard for me to get to my endo.

[fenagle]

If the doc acted as you say, shame on her and maybe she should be reported to the state medical board.

I just have a sneaky suspicion that there is something else going on here. Ran out of Lantus a couple of days ago? I thought this was something that needed to be injected daily.

[JediSkipdogg]

This is another reason I urge every diabetic to always have 1 full bottle of insulin EXTRA on hand. Generally for me, I won't go with less than 3 vials in the fridge. Before I waited our insurance change out and filled no scripts, I had 8 vials EXTRA. Basically, I have my doctor add a little extra to the script and then I stockpile it over time. That way I can have a safe buffer in case I lose my insurance and/or job. Not to mention any problems with the insurance and/or doctor's office.

[JediSkipdogg]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]If the doc acted as you say, shame on her and maybe she should be reported to the state medical board.

The slight problem with that is doctor's technically don't have to prescribe anything without seeing you. If you can't get in during normal business hours, then the ER is the place to go to get a refill.

My doctor writes my scripts for 5 refills at a time and I see her every 3-4 months so when I see her I get new scripts all the time. Part of it is patient responsibility to stay prepared.

[HuskerMychal]

This is another reason I urge every diabetic to always have 1 full bottle of insulin EXTRA on hand. Generally for me, I won't go with less than 3 vials in the fridge. Before I waited our insurance change out and filled no scripts, I had 8 vials EXTRA. Basically, I have my doctor add a little extra to the script and then I stockpile it over time. That way I can have a safe buffer in case I lose my insurance and/or job. Not to mention any problems with the insurance and/or doctor's office.


Just remember to watch out for the shelf life. My U-500 is 180 days

[JediSkipdogg]

Just remember to watch out for the shelf life. My U-500 is 180 days

I only use Novolog, Apidra, or Humalog and all of those when I get them generally have over a year and I always use the oldest first. And 8 vials for me is only 3 months worth.

[nicole]

If the doc acted as you say, shame on her and maybe she should be reported to the state medical board.

I just have a sneaky suspicion that there is something else going on here. Ran out of Lantus a couple of days ago? I thought this was something that needed to be injected daily.


Theres nothing else going on here. I had told my mom I needed more Lantus a week before I ran out. We tried to contact the doctor and the pharmacy (to see if I had anymore refills.) We called the pharmacy first, they said I didn't have any. So they tried to call the doctor and they couldn't get ahold of her. We tried to call again and never got to her. We kept getting the secretary, so finally we called her answering service at the hospital and had her paged, finally she called back, but gave my dad a hard time, and said she wasn't calling anything in, then she said she won't see me anymore. She called back around 10 p.m. and said she would call it in, but I need to find a new doctor. But in the end I got my insulin. Yeah I was out of it for a day but that was it. Since I didn't have my Lantus for the night I took some humalog in its place and woke up fine with a normal blood sugar.

And as far as having an extra bottle goes.. I use the Lantus solostar pens, so I have 5 of them and each one lasts me about 2-3 weeks. Sometimes longer.. it all depends on wether I'm sick or how high my blood sugar is.

When I see my doctor its every 6 months and I get 12-15 refills on my prescription. They know its something we need and something were going to need for the rest of our lives, why don't they just give you a prescription for like 6 months - 1 year. It would save a whole lot of time and problems if you ever come close to running out like I did. I mean get a 6 month - 1 year Rx and just go back to see the doc when you have to you know.

[poodlebone]

A primary care doctor can prescribe my insulin if I really need them to?


Yes, pretty much any medical doctor can prescribe it. My sister used to get various prescriptions written by her gynecologist if she didn't have plans to see her primary care doctor soon!

[HuskerMychal]

She is right. My back surgeon has refilled my 70/30 when i was taking that and my endo has refilled my oxycontin. His only question, knowing I am a ex meth head :eek:, was that the amount I took every day and that I was not on a script contract anywhere. I was not and was very glad my Endo took the time to check I was not abusing. Go Fast junk up my nose was my only drug of choice but it makes me feel good to know my dr.s care enough to check on me

:D

[Funnygrl]

My endo's policy is to never call in scripts. They give you enough refills to last 6 months, and you're expected to be seen every 3 months, so if you plan well, it shouldn't be an issue. If you need refills between appointments you can send in a SASE with note saying what you need and they'll mail the scripts to you.

[Funnygrl]

I meet the PA at the place I go and have not been back to see him or the endo since. He informed me he did not have to look at my medical records before giving me any meds.
That's when I left and contacted my onc. He told me from now on he will take care of all me medical needs.
Oncologists specialize in, well, oncology, though. The oncologists I work with are GREAT doctors, and if I ever got cancer, I'd absolutely want to be under their care. But they can't handle blood sugar issues worth beans. They do stuff like completely take a person off insulin over one hypoglycemic episode, and go up on Lantus doses by 10 units a day if someone is hyperglycemic. Why? Cause diabetes isn't their specialty. Oncology is. Doctors have specialties for a reason.

[valc3]

When I see my doctor its every 6 months and I get 12-15 refills on my prescription. They know its something we need and something were going to need for the rest of our lives, why don't they just give you a prescription for like 6 months - 1 year. It would save a whole lot of time and problems if you ever come close to running out like I did. I mean get a 6 month - 1 year Rx and just go back to see the doc when you have to you know.

Nicole, sorry you've had such a miserable experience. Some Dr's do right scripts for a year. My Dr. rights them for a year, but I've shown him that I do/will come in every 3-4 months.

Hope you have good luck.

[hodgsonsurvivor]

Wow...I think I'm going to ask for more refills. I thought doctors purposely wrote the scripts for just enough refills to last until you see them again (which for me is every 3 months). Then if you miss an appointment, you have to call and request a refill order. They usually don't give me a hard time about it until I've gone longer than 5-6 months without seeing them or having my labs done. Now, if I get the labs done and don't go see them, then they usually don't start tripping until about the 6th or 7th month. :o

[Worldcrzr]

My Endo has to write the prescriptions for my pump supplies and strips since they are considered Durable Medical Equipment. My family doctor writes the prescription for my Novolog and gives me 3 vials per month and a year's prescription. He writes a three month at a time refill which is great for all of my prescriptions.

I am on Medicare but continued my private insurance because Medicare wouldn't pay for the pump supplies and all the testing strips and insulin I need.

When a physician acts as you say yours did, you have an obligation to document each contact about the situation and file a written complaint with the medical board in your state. She may have done this to others too. After my heart surgery, I filed a complaint against my cardiologist and he was terminated from the practice. Without documentation, the medical boards cannot take the corrective action they need to. Encourage your father to file the complaint. If he doesn't you should. If she is in private practice, your complaint may just be the one that causes the medical board to sanction her or take her license. Don't delay...do it today.

[poodlebone]

If you get your prescriptions filled monthly at a local pharmacy I think the maximum you can go is 6 months. The original prescription is good for Month 1, and the maximum # of refills is 5. I'm pretty sure that's standard, not something the doctor can change.

If you get 3 months at a time (usually through mail order, but some can do it locally) you get the original prescription (Months 1-3) and 3 refills (Months 4-12).

[sweetlife]

here in India we don't need such prescription to get insulin,just today I bought Lantus for my kid.

[Worldcrzr]

In California, prescriptions are good for one year. Insurance companies dictate how many refills they will pay for at one time. My insurance pays for three months at a time with three co-pays. So, my doctor writes a year's presctiption and authorizes a 90 day amount dispensed since my insurance will pay for three months at a time. I don't trust the mail for my insulin. I want to pick it up at the pharmacy.

[Eddy]

You can buy Regular, Lente, and Humulin, over the counter.


AFAIK, Lente has been discontinued. I'd try it if I could find it...