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Finding a Doctor to Renew Prescriptions on the road


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My wife & I are going to start full-timing in March and wonder what others have done to get prescriptions renewed past one year on the road?  We are not planning to come back to our home base anytime soon and our doctors won't write a prescription for over a year.  The drugs we take are maintenance type and are not Opioids or on the fed restricted list.  We are both healthy and have no need to go through a bunch of tests, etc., just get the prescriptions renewed each year.  A nurse friend suggested going to urgent care, walk-in clinics,  that would probably renew them.  Anyone found a solution to this?

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Prescriptions can't run longer than a year by law.

You need to get a doctor to be you prescriber.  With a good relationship the doctor will renew you prescriptions.  But the doctor will need to see you once in a while.

Even with maintenance drugs, you need to be checked, annually.

Walk in clinics will only extend prescriptions that are less than a year old.  The doctor in the clinic will not prescribe a new annual prescription without establishing a relationship.

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Mark & Dale
Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
Sparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019
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If you don't plan to return to previous doctors the best solution is to find a doctor taking new patients in a area you will visit yearly and establish a relationship there. If that can be in your new domicile, that's even better.

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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I don't want to necessarily encourage you to skip annual physicals somewhere.  If you need maintenance drugs, you really need periodic checkups.

That said, many drugs that are prescription here are available without prescription in Mexican pharmacies.  There are border towns that cater to gringo tourists seeking them.  One example is Los Algodones, MX, just over the border from Yuma.  Within a four block area right next to the border crossing are dozens of pharmacies, dentists,  and eyeglass places.  Everybody there speaks excellent 'Merican.  Prices are usually half or less compared to US prices, though of course they won't take your drug plan insurance, if you are fortunate enough to have it. You are legally allowed to bring back a 90 day supply for personal use (each time you cross the border).  You will, of course, need a passport or passport card to get back into this country.

Some people, without insurance, even travel to Mexico for surgical procedures, which cost much less there.  Possibly you could find a good Mexican doctor to give you your routine annual while you are there.

BTW, make sure you get copies of all your medical records from your old doctor before leaving, and take them with you in a safe place.

 

Regards

John

DON'T FEED THE VULTURES!

My Body is a Temple!  Ancient, Crumbling, Probably Cursed . . .

I Don't Like to Make Advanced Plans.  They Cause the Word "PREMEDITATED" to Get Thrown Around in Court!

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3 hours ago, restless turtle said:

My wife & I are going to start full-timing in March and wonder what others have done to get prescriptions renewed past one year on the road?  We are not planning to come back to our home base anytime soon and our doctors won't write a prescription for over a year.  The drugs we take are maintenance type and are not Opioids or on the fed restricted list.  We are both healthy and have no need to go through a bunch of tests, etc., just get the prescriptions renewed each year.  A nurse friend suggested going to urgent care, walk-in clinics,  that would probably renew them.  Anyone found a solution to this?

If you were both 'healthy' you wouldn't need maintenance meds.   All medications have potential side affects and that is one of the reasons that you can't get a prescription for longer than one year.   Annual blood tests can pick up liver/kidney problems before they become life threatening, or detect an elevation in fasting glucose that may need nothing more than a change in diet or increase in exercise.   Same for having a yearly eye check to catch glaucoma early and monitor the development of cataracts, etc.   

Yes, in a pinch you can use an urgent care, but likely they will write only 30 day scripts unless you establish a relationship with them.   We did a loop every year so that we stopped for a week or two in our former home town to see our physicians.   When we saw that we always ended up in the Mesa area, we switched our primary care to there and have been very happy.   More time to get things done as we get older.

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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13 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

Yes, in a pinch you can use an urgent care, but likely they will write only 30 day scripts unless you establish a relationship with them.   We did a loop every year so that we stopped for a week or two in our former home town to see our physicians.   When we saw that we always ended up in the Mesa area, we switched our primary care to there and have been very happy.   More time to get things done as we get older.

Our experience as well. I suspect that if you go to another doctor they will probably want to do their own tests to verify that you need the medications and may even prefer different medications than you now take. A doctor has to pay for malpractice insurance and he would risk losing it if he made a practice of renewing medical prescriptions based on some expired prescription from a doctor in another state. I recommend that you visit the same doctor annually for maintenance medications. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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We have lab orders that we carry from our home doctor, get them done every 6 months and he is happy and renews our RXs. When we run out of orders he snail mails us new ones.

We did establish doctors where we spend the winter just to double up. 

You can always go to MX and pick up your meds.

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I too return to the area I left for a couple of weeks a year to see the docs.  If that is not possible for you, do what was mentioned and evaluate your route thru the states and establish a new relationship with another Dr.

My Dr. knows that when I am down near the border with Mexico, I go over and get the more expensive meds for a lot less.  Example....one med is $264 in the US, same exact one in Mexico is $33.  I use Sam's Club for the less expensive meds all over the states.

Rocky & Sheri Rhoades
'01 Volvo 770
2016 DRV Mobile Suites, Houston
HERO Makers Ministry

 

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Let me add a couple of thoughts. 

You may THINK you are basically healthy.  You feel fine, and don't see any reason for routine checkups.   I did that for many, many years.  Finally, I started having the kind of prostate problems that are normal for a man of my age, so I went to see a urologist.  His routine test found microscopic traces of blood in my urine, certainly nothing that was visible to the naked eye.  Long story short, I had bladder cancer.  We caught it at the early stage, while it was still easily curable, and I've been in remission for almost a decade now.  I guarantee that made me a believer in annual physicals!

If you like your current doctor, but think it would be too inconvenient to drive back there, perhaps you could leave the RV at a campground and FLY back for a week for pre-arranged appointments.  Possibly combining that with Christmas visits to family and old friends, or something similar.

 

 

Regards

John

DON'T FEED THE VULTURES!

My Body is a Temple!  Ancient, Crumbling, Probably Cursed . . .

I Don't Like to Make Advanced Plans.  They Cause the Word "PREMEDITATED" to Get Thrown Around in Court!

MyMapS.jpg

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Do you have health insurance?  If so, your plan might list in-network docs in whatever area you are in.  If that is the case, go see one of the in-network docs to serve as your primary care manager while you are in that area.  When you move elsewhere, repeat the process.

If you do not have health insurance, this suggestion may not work.

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Since your only apparent need for the doctor is to ratify your existing RXs for another year, skip the pain of visiting your doctor, the exorbitant US costs of pharmaceuticals and the non customer service of retail pharmacies and instead free your self by visiting Mexico once a year as part of your winter travel and get your US made (most of our drugs are not actually made in America)/distributed pharmaceuticals across the border.  Scan a pic of your meds and email to the MX farmacia along with your needed quantity and your pick date.  I get a year or more supply (I watch the expiration dates) of my meds for a price less than a 3 month copay under Medicare Part D and I don't have to put up with a "5 minute  max time I can give you" doctors appointment whose only real interest is in the billing opportunity the patient represents nor with the horrid customer service retail pharmacy chains that never can get your whole order correct etc. 

Then
The puller - Wiers Towmaster (Int'l 4700LP)
and pusher - 40' Travel Supreme

Now

30' Winnebago Aspect TS
Signs of my new life

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And how do you know that your meds are not affecting your kidneys and/or liver.   Both of which are responsible for  detoxifying the metabolites from those medications.   How do you know whether or not you need to change the dosage or maybe change to another medication because your body no longer utilizes the meds as it should?

 

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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1 hour ago, Barbaraok said:

And how do you know that your meds are not affecting your kidneys and/or liver.   Both of which are responsible for  detoxifying the metabolites from those medications.   How do you know whether or not you need to change the dosage or maybe change to another medication because your body no longer utilizes the meds as it should?

 

Different people are comfortable with different levels of risk.  Plenty of people don't see a doctor annually. 

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5 hours ago, oldbutspry said:

 

Different people are comfortable with different levels of risk.  Plenty of people don't see a doctor annually. 

Right until you start with maintenance drugs, then you need to.

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Mark & Dale
Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
Sparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019
Useful HDT Truck, Trailer, and Full-timing Info at
www.dmbruss.com

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1 hour ago, Mark and Dale Bruss said:

Right until you start with maintenance drugs, then you need to.

And all of the doctors in our experience (Pam has quite a collection) require that you do so. With the way doctors get sued today, is it really so surprising?

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Even prior to purchasing a home in SW Florida we knew that was where we would winter each year, so we both found new doctors there.  Now that we are back to full timing and wintering in the same general area it still works good.

Our doctors work with us whenever our scripts are running out and we are not in Florida yet to make an appointment.  They will extend the scripts over the year period to get us to our next appointment.  They don't like doing it but they would rather do that then cut off 2 or 3 heart medications for one of their patients.

Like others have indicated, I'm not sure how you would continue to get renewed scripts without seeing a doctor at least once a year.

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

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11 hours ago, oldbutspry said:

 

Different people are comfortable with different levels of risk.  Plenty of people don't see a doctor annually. 

And an awful lot of them end up with severe complications that could have been avoided if the problem had been diagnosed and treatment started at an early point.   And if one requires maintenance meds, then by definition, one already has ongoing medical problems that need to be monitored.  

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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48 minutes ago, SandyJ said:

Would it not be simpler to schedule travel to be near your long time doctor once a year than to figure out short cuts around him/her?

Welcome to the Escapee forums! Thank you for joining our group. I believe that the majority of us who are or have been on the road fulltime do just what you suggest. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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1 hour ago, SandyJ said:

This may sound simplistic, but isn't part of the point of rv'ing TO move around?   Would it not be simpler to schedule travel to be near your long time doctor once a year than to figure out short cuts around him/her?

Yes, but depending on the medication, once a year may not be often enough.  Thus, the question of how to handle it.

Everybody wanna hear the truth, but everybody tell a lie.  Everybody wanna go to Heaven, but nobody want to die.  Albert King

 

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We are either always on the road or for a couple of months a year at our home in the Dominican Republic.  I have been using the same US doctor for 13 years and I do try and get to him every 12-18 months or so.  He will fill my prescriptions for a year and if I need more I will get labs done where ever I am and he then will fill me for another 6-12 months.  So never a problem.  Plus here in the DR I can get almost anything other than controlled meds over the counter.

 

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