20 replies to this topic

[Raeden]

Does anyone know if person can have their narcotic pain managment drugs (fentanyl and oxycontin) written in one state and filled in another? We live in Oklahoma and will be spending time in Texas and Colorado for sure and likely other states eventually. I would assume it would be an issue with all the regulations. I do plan on asking my pharmacy about my husbands meds but just want to know what others experience is with it.




Thanks in Advance
Shelle

[dosbeagles]

I am not sure about the legalities but probably your best bet would be a national pharmacy like Walmart Walgreens and they would be able to answer your question.

[rockylarson]

Regardless of the legalities you might run into local sentiments and difficulties. Not to mention imposed availability. As mentioned get a committment from a national chain and inquire 10 days to two weeks ahead prior to submitting the prescription at a particular pharmacy. Don't leave home state until you have the cooperating pharmacies verified and committed.

[avan]

You might want to read through a similar thread

[HamRad]

Definitely check with a national chain and then check again. When I was on the Oxycontin it was a major pain. I live in California and my doctor was also in California and we had trouble getting the drug. First we had to have a quadruple paper prescription which was good for only a few days. We were leaving town for a month or so and wanted to fill the prescription ONE day earlier than normal. ONE DAY! They would not do it. We were afraid to try filling it out of town. We feared they would not honor the prescription. Out of state we never even tried. Thankfully was able to get off the Oxy and so now don't have any problems. Good luck. Dennis

[bobsea43]

DW prescriptions were filed with Walgreens in FL and we have been on the road for the last year + and never had a problem getting them filled at a Walgreens whereever we are in the US! I am sure it would be same with Walmart, CVS, etc. Doc renewed them last year when we passed thru home territory and she had annual checkup. Now the question we will get answered shortly is will they accept in AZ a renewal from FL. We figure if not we will get her doc to phone in refill to the Walgreens at home where she has gotten her prescriptions filled for years before we hit the road!

[KayC]

I agree that you should double check to make sure that the drug prescription ~ & strength~ is available in other states. I needed a prescription of Morphine, and it was so highly regulated, there was only one drug store in the whole town that even carried it. It was difficult to get because I had no prior record with them to know if I was an "abuser". The pharmasist himself had to come out and "ask me a few questions" first, I guess to make sure I wasn't an addict. Thankfully it was the only time I needed it.

I had an issue yesterday when I needed Sudafed. I handed them my out of state DL, they scanned it, and after about 20 seconds the computer told them they couldn't establish a link to the state I reside in, (so they couldn't approve the sale). They rescanned it about 15 minutes later and all went through alright. If there was a long line, or computer problems, it could be a real drag.

Just a FYI. North Dakota has a law in effect that disallows any commercial pharmacies to sell within their state. Therefore, if you need to get a prescription filled and happen to be in ND, there isn't a pharmacy inside a WalMart, CVS, Walgreens etc. I don't know if any other state has such a law, but when we needed to transfer a prescription up there, it was a real task.

Edited by KayC, 17 December 2011 - 01:37 PM.

[HamRad]

KayC,
We live in California and travel in Oregon at least two or three times a year. I always try to leave with a months supply of my Claratin D. We have used Walgren Drug stores for years. Getting Claratin D in California is difficult but in Oregon it is impossible. And Walgren's is no help what so ever. They will give all kinds of reasons they can not fill the prescription (Yes. I have a prescription for Claratin D. I did that to make it just a tad bit easier to get it filled) when in fact they have no intention of filling the prescription. This last trip we ended up driving into Washington just to get some Claratin D. Had no trouble at all getting it in Washington. I don't know why Walgren's doesn't just come out and say they won't fill it. I know Oregon is the Meth capitol of the PNW but like so many states they punish EVERYONE because some folks buy drugs that they can use to make their illegal drugs.

We've had no particular problem in Arizona getting our prescriptions filled. We have used drug stores from Lake Havasu to Blythe. Parker is usually where we get our drugs but couple of years ago we found a good drug store in Q. That saves a trip of about 35 miles (one way). I doubt anyone will have any problem getting your prescriptions in AZ. Good luck, Dennis.

[Kirk]

I think that you need to discuss this with your pharmacist to make sure as I have been told that some you can but........ I really do not have a source for this that I would be comfortable in relying upon. You could do us all a favor by returning to post what you do learn. Poking about on the internet I did confirm that both are schedule II drugs and classified as narcotic. In looking for the rules that apply, I found this page which addresses the pharmacist rules and records that they must keep, but it does not address the issue of state lines. I'm not sure that this is everything related to the question.

On ASK.com I found the following information:

Who gives permission to transport legal drugs across the state line?

who do u need permission to transport schedule 2 drugs across state line?

<a href="http://www.ask.com/a...tern?qsrc=3100" class="pImgLink">
lewestern: 9 months ago The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is always has the last word in drug control. Schedule 2 drugs or otherwise. No prescription is written in state or across state lines without a valid DEA number assigned to the doctor by the DEA. All legal drug traffic of any schedule is governed by the DEA.

It would seem that state laws on such issues vary quite widely and probably would not be the same for each one.

[firedoc]

Generally if you have a valid prescription for a med, even a schecule II narcotic and you carry the pill bottle that the med comes in with you with the pills in that bottle, and it is your name on the bottle and you can prove identity you should have no problem carrying any meds from state to state (at least from LEO)

[dosbeagles]

KayC,
We live in California and travel in Oregon at least two or three times a year. I always try to leave with a months supply of my Claratin D. We have used Walgren Drug stores for years. Getting Claratin D in California is difficult but in Oregon it is impossible. And Walgren's is no help what so ever. They will give all kinds of reasons they can not fill the prescription (Yes. I have a prescription for Claratin D. I did that to make it just a tad bit easier to get it filled) when in fact they have no intention of filling the prescription. This last trip we ended up driving into Washington just to get some Claratin D. Had no trouble at all getting it in Washington. I don't know why Walgren's doesn't just come out and say they won't fill it. I know Oregon is the Meth capitol of the PNW but like so many states they punish EVERYONE because some folks buy drugs that they can use to make their illegal drugs.

We've had no particular problem in Arizona getting our prescriptions filled. We have used drug stores from Lake Havasu to Blythe. Parker is usually where we get our drugs but couple of years ago we found a good drug store in Q. That saves a trip of about 35 miles (one way). I doubt anyone will have any problem getting your prescriptions in AZ. Good luck, Dennis.

Don't know where in California you live but if there is a Ralph's grocery store that has a pharmacy they are owned by Kroger who also owns Fred Meyer. When in Oregon we have never had a problem getting an RX filled at Fred Meyer.
Just our experience FWIW.

[HamRad]

Chris and Joni,
We live in the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Bakersfield. I don't think there are any Ralph's stores in Bakersfield. But we use them all the time when we travel into Oregon. Thanks for the info. Happy Trails, Dennis

[Scottiemom]

When I tried to refill a prescription for a narcotic through Walgreens in south Texas, they refused to do it, even though I had refills remaining. They said that drug required a Texas doctor's prescription. They told me that was the law in Texas. The original prescription was written by my Indiana doctor and originally filled there. That was about three years ago. I assume it is still the rule.

Dale

[Budd]

In general, this issue is not something that can be predicted in generalities. The Controlled Substance Act (CSA) of 1970 created a schedule of 5 tiers or classes of drugs. It also established a baseline for the issuance of scripts and the release of the drugs, by class through authorized businesses.

But this schedule is amended as needed and is subject to local modification by states, counties and communities as to how much farther they may be controlled so what is OK in one pharmacy may not be OK in the same chain in a different city, county or state. As has been shown in the anecdotes so far presented, experiences may vary but the causes may often not be clear. Whether due to local or federal law, computer connectivity problems or human misunderstanding, one's experiences at getting scheduled drugs filled can vary a huge amount. It is unlikely that even a phone call to a specific pharmacy could get an accurate verbal answer of what will happen when a script is presented for a specific medication. Even the quantity that can be disbursed at a time may vary from place to place and some of this is changing as a particular drug may become a problem in a community and the powers that be try to get it under better control.

We have seen this happen in places like West Virginia where the overdose deaths from Oxycontin exploded so state and local laws were changed to try to lock it down.

The wikipedia article on the Controlled Substances Act provides a decent understanding of this act and shows why folks have had such different experiences across the country and through time as they try to get a grip on this elephant.

Edited by Emery Nash, 22 December 2011 - 08:50 AM.

[Vladimir]

I could not get my wife's prescription filled within Washington state at a different pharmacy. The operation was in Seattle and she said that I had to come back to Seattle to get her prescription filled. We ended up with a double prescription when we left the hospital.

Washington State has new pain medication regulations that have had LOTS of complaints. It is much more restrictive than before, so you might want to check if your traveling this way.

Here is the link to a Seattle Times article: New Pain Law in Washington State

So as everybody said...check before you leave. Thanks for bringing up the issue. I learned a lot with this thread.

Edited by Vladimir, 24 December 2011 - 10:47 AM.

[DAN'L]

I worked for several years for a major Rx benefit manager & recall that several states require Rx be written by MD in the same state. I think Hawaii was one & recall that TX used to have very strict time limits before written Rx would expire. We had a Class 2 reference card for that info. You may be able to find the same online or contact customer service for your Rx benefit manager. You may be able to avoid some problems by using mailorder thru your plan, but that may still be problematic.
Good luck-
Barb

[Raeden]

When I tried to refill a prescription for a narcotic through Walgreens in south Texas, they refused to do it, even though I had refills remaining. They said that drug required a Texas doctor's prescription. They told me that was the law in Texas. The original prescription was written by my Indiana doctor and originally filled there. That was about three years ago. I assume it is still the rule.

Dale

This is exactly what I was thinking could happen to him when refilling his oxy and Duragesic patches. We can get his narcotics filled only once per month so I guess we are going to have to plan to return home before his prescription runs out. I wish we didnt have to plan ourselves around that but we will do what we need to do. My husband is looking at possibly needing a heart transplant down the line sometime so Im not going to let this stop us from having fun or doing what we want while we can still do it.

Thanks for all the thoughts and ideas! You all are awesome!



Shelle

[Kirk]

Shelle

I say "Good for the both of you! Life is far too short to waste it."

Please do drop by the forums and give us an update from time to time.

[P & P]

We are located in Louisiana and have had narcotics filled in PA, but not in MS, different state laws. If you are filling at a chain pharmacy, call and speak to the PHARMACIST to ensure their laws will allow it. If your chain pharmacy is not in the area you will be in, you should not have a problem transferring to another, i.e.- CVS, again, call. The reason I emphasied "speak to Pharmacist" is because many of the technicians don't know and will tell you, "sure, not a problem." Pre-plan and you won't experience surprises.

[Raeden]

Shelle

I say "Good for the both of you! Life is far too short to waste it."

Please do drop by the forums and give us an update from time to time.

I agree Kirk. You never know what life is going to throw at you and it is better to do the things you want now than wait and never do them because something happens.

My husband and I were pulling our travel trailer for a weekend getaway 5 1/2 years ago when he had a "sudden death" heart attack while driving. Shortly after we left our home heading towards the lake, he stated to me that he was having some chest pain. Despite my best efforts to get him to pull over prior to leaving town, he still thought he was just fine and drove on. It took me 15 miles before I could get him to pull over and by then he was in the midst of a crisis situation and nearly unconscious. Luckily, I knew the direct phone line to our local small town hospital (and ambulance service) and had an ambulance sent out to meet us on the roadside. As soon as they pulled him out of the front seat of our truck, he seized and his heart stopped. They had to do CPR and use the defibrillator to revive him. We were fortunate that he survived and but he has suffered severe damage with chronic severe chest pain since. Eventually they expect him to have heart failure and need a transplant but so far his heart function is decent enough.

He has good days but more often his days are filled with pain and shortness of breath. He was 42 yrs old at the time of his first heart attack and had no known health issues whatsoever. In fact he had a check up with a cardiologist two years prior and was told he didn't have any heart issues.

He is limited in lot of things but we find ways to do what we want most of the time. We just do it a lot differently now.