My Dr. is on vacation and meds due

[brians2000]

My Duragesic Patch is due to be filled Friday but I found out that my Dr. is on vacation. I called Monday to give my Dr. plenty of time to write my refill for Duragesic Patch. I left a message telling the Dr. my meds cant be refilled before Friday but since I don't know his schedule for this week and I asked him to date the script not to be refilled before Friday. I got a call later in the day to tell me I could come by and pick up my script. When I got to his office I was informed that my Dr. was on Vacation and they had another Dr in the office write the script. My Dr. has been giving me 15 patches per month because I informed him they did not work the entire 72 hours. My doctor writes monthly scripts to be changed once every 48 hours instead of 72 hours. The Dr. who filled in this month has been one of his partners for over 20 years so he has filled in many times throughout the years. The fill in Dr. would only write the patch to be filled every 72 hours because he said that is what Duragesic suggest. He only wrote the script for 10 patches. At first I was pissed when his nurse told me that. He said he would not write them the same as my doctor. My script is due to be refilled this Friday and my Dr. wont be back in the office until Monday. I called my doctors office back and got a appointment for Monday to get the script I always get. Even though my Dr. writes the script to be changed every 48 hours I wait until I actually need a new patch. Sometimes I change the patch at 52 hours and sometimes as late as 64 hours. I don't just change the patch every 48 hours like I can. Even though my refill is Friday I have enough to last until Monday otherwise I would have some dreadful withdrawals. I just wondered if anyone else has ran across this problem. Looks like if the Dr. filling in for another Dr. would simply look at my Dr's records and follow them. i don't know what I will do if my Dr. retired. Thanks, Brian

[Mark N]

Brian, sorry this happened, it seems like the doctor filling in would follow your doctors records especially since it is widely known the patch doesn't last for 72 hours. I remember a post just a few weeks back of a doctor that closed without warning and one that was on vacation when a prescription was running out. Also another poster had the doctor tell her he couldn't prescribe her opiate pain meds any more without warning.

I had my PCP [he wrote all my scripts] have a surgery and when I cam in one month a new doctor was filling in. Thankfully she wrote my prescriptions just the way my doctor did but needed me to come in every month instead of every three months. He ended up disabled [he had MS] and never came back so I had to find another doctor quickly. It happens more often than we like to think it does.

[Rozia]

when another dr. is on vac , there is always someone else taking his calls . the other dr. should refill it no problem .

[Peter B]

Hello,
Why don't you just fill the script for the two boxes and then when your doc returns have him take care of the other one?

Pain free days,
Pete

[brians2000]

Hello,
Why don't you just fill the script for the two boxes and then when your doc returns have him take care of the other one?

Pain free days,
Pete

I just thought that might throw up red flags at the pharmacy since they are schedule 2.

[lobelsteve]

I just thought that might throw up red flags at the pharmacy since they are schedule 2.

Not if you have been getting 15 patches/month for several months/yrs.
But you will have to pay 2 copays. That is the only issue I have with it.

[BrokenBladder]

Brian I agree with Dr. Steve. It really stinks that you will have to pay two co pays but at least your doctor will be back before you run out of the patches.

[brians2000]

I went ahead and made an appointment for this coming Monday. He will be back at work that day so my appointment is at 2:30. I kinda hate going to him since his partner wrote a script for two boxes, but since I normally get three I thought I should just take in the prescription his partner wrote and tell him this wasn't what I normally take. I am not going to make his partner look bad, I am just going to say his partner probably thought I change the patch every 72 hours. I also want to talk to him about the triglyceride medication he gave me last month. He didnt put any refills on it and I wanted to know if he wanted more blood work before he decides to keep me on it. My doctor is a great person who will help his patients out when he can.

[BrokenBladder]

Brian it's great that you have a good doctor who is willing to help. So many of them seem to not really care.

For what it's worth I think your approach is good about what happened with the other doctor. Maybe your doctor will realize that he needs to talk to the other doctor about you so that this would never happen in the future.

It's so hard when our doctor goes on vacation or is away for anything, but I always try to remember that they do need some kind of a life too.

It always seems that they're away when we need them most. I think that's where the frustration comes in.

I'm so glad you made the appointment and I'm sure your doctor will handle things accordingly. Take care and have a great weekend.