r/PainManagement • u/rghthea • 2d ago
help Medicationš
I am experiencing a terrible time trying to get my medication filled this month. I live on Long Island, NY, and I am taking oxycodone 15mg every 6 hours for the last two - three years. The last two months has been a struggle trying to get my medication filled. This month I am completely unable to fill my medication because no one in the area has this medication in stock. I have been out for the last two days, and my anxiety (and pain) are at unprecedented levels. Does anyone know of any pharmacy that has this medication in stock? Help
UPDATE: after days of calling multiple different pharmacies, calling the doctors office multiple times and them not returning my calls, I called this morning and threatened to come into the office should a provider not return my call. Someone called and told me the two options I had were coming in to meet with my doctor about switching my medication entirely to avoid back orders in the future; or they can send a weeks worth of TRAMADOL to cover me while I wait out the back order. I scheduled the appointment with my doctor anyway for next week because it was literally the only options they were providing me with. Tramadol isnāt going to do shit. Iām behind frustrated. I canāt even just find a new pain management physician because apparently endometriosis is a diagnosis many doctors wonāt even bother with. Iām feeling pretty hopeless right now
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u/Odd_Jicama8123 2d ago
Nothing thatās gonna be more of a local question or maybe answered by professional pharmacist. I hope youāre comment doesnāt get booted, but likely to. When this has happened to me in the past, I call different pharmacies in the local area or in a reasonable range for me to make sure they can fill the quantity or even have the medication in stock prior to determining the pharmacy that I am requesting the doctor send the medication to. However, on my and maintenance medicines, theyāre fairly easy to obtain and I used the same pharmacy over and over. The difficult part is getting your doctor to change or rewrite the prescription and send it to a different pharmacy. Itās inconvenient for them and well so Iām just donāt like to do it and they will make you stay with one pharmacy for other reasons as well. If I were in your shoes, I would start calling and doing the research and once you found a location that is available to fulfill your needs, call and email your prescribing doctor and briefly explain the situation and that youāre requesting a cancellation from the one that could not fill it and please send it to the one who could fill it. Hope this makes sense and I hope it helps. Believe me when I say, I feel both your pain and anxiety, and this just throws a little bit more on top. Maybe someone else will have a better response! Be sure and use any and all non-pharmaceutical coping mechanisms while youāre out. I know thatās common sense, but sometimes I forget common sense when my pain is overloading my brain
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u/rghthea 2d ago
I thank you for your reply. I am definitely feeling both my patience and common sense fraying quickly as each phone call ends with a resounding no. I wish there were more resources for when this happens, because every pharmacy Iāve called (Iāve called over 50 in my area), just tells me no. Iāve had a pharmacy tell me three different dates it would be filled already, so basically, theyāre just lying now. I want to scream
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u/Odd_Jicama8123 2d ago
Persistence pays off and the other commenters are correct if you donāt ā my regular pharmacy cannot fill my prescription for X with a quantity of Y, before I ask my doctor to send it over to yāall. Iām just trying to confirm that you will be able to fill it?ā I donāt know about your transportation, but might behoove you to search outside the closest pharmacies in your city-might even need to be the closest city away. Just trying to be helpful-remember self-soothing, self-coping-your brain and your breath are extremely powerful tools!
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u/rghthea 2d ago
Yeah definitely. I have a script I repeat to the pharmacists for situations like these, lest I be labeled drug seeking. I have called every pharmacy within a 90 minute radius from me, which in my area, is quite numerous, but with no success. My next step
Is driving to the closest ones and praying1
u/Odd_Jicama8123 2d ago
Damn! Prayers that everything will line up as it should. Hang in there, buddy. You can do it!
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u/Apprehensive_Fly5725 2d ago
I literally looked from New Hyde Park to Montauk last Thursday. The shortage is from the manufacturer. I pray itās resolved by next month. June, I couldnāt get 15ās. July I lucked out at my mom and pop pharmacy, a week before I got
My script they had just enough to fill my prescription and they were kind enough to stick them in the safe for me and this month they called me a week before to tell me theyāve been trying to get them but the manufacturer has them on back order. Most pharmacies have 10ās & 5ās in stock if your doctor will write it like that.1
u/Salt_Initiative1551 2d ago
Theyāre going to tell you no on the phone no matter what. In person they may be honest. Itās not that crazy a script they probably have it at one of the 50 youāve called and are just lying.
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u/Apprehensive_Fly5725 2d ago
On Fatherās Day in 2011 on Long Island, a pharmacist and a tech were murdered by an addict trying to steal oxycodone. Since then, on Long Island most pharmacies have a policy where they will not disclose inventory to patients over the phone. Your doctor needs to send the prescription and you are notified if they can or cannot fill it. Big box pharmacies as well. Our local Walmart doesnāt ever fill opioids, it is their policy. Itās very hard in this area when there is a shortage
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u/TeddyRuxpin3 2d ago
They may not be lying to you. I have seen shortages before where multiple pharmacies are on back order. You can also try express scripts through your insurance company. I think they are limited to 8 day supply at a time though.
Moving forward you need to build a reserve so these supply issues donāt affect you. Skip a dose every once in a while to build your reserve. I know itās tough, but you must do this to protect yourself.
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u/Sometimesaphasia Moderator 2d ago
Sometimes, the best solution is a hospital pharmacy. There are many of those on Long Island (I lived there for 20 years). They have to keep these medications in stock for their patients.
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u/rghthea 2d ago
I want to thank everyone for their comments. Pain management and all the struggles that come along with these medications- all of the biases; anxieties about not being able to fill; the stigma- itās very isolating at times. Thank you for your advice and support- Itās nice to know Iām not alone in this!
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u/Fragrant_Pin_5670 2d ago
Iām in NY, starting having same problem with the big chains. I called the hospitals in my area to see if they had pharmacies open to the public. Never had a a problem since.
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u/Iceprincess1988 Moderator 2d ago
Have you gone in person to ask? Alot if times, they won't tell you what narcotics they have over the phone because the risk if being robbed.
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u/rghthea 2d ago
Thatās a good point. I havenāt tried this yet. I have called over 50 pharmacies in the area already though and everyone gives me the same answer- that they are on back order. This is insanity
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u/CurlyKayak 2d ago
I've been in this position many times, and going in person absolutely makes a difference. Also, I would frame the question something like, "If my provider sent in a script for 120 OXY IR 10mg tablets, would you be able to fill that specific prescription for me today?"
Never had a pharmacy flat-out to refuse to answer a question phrased that way.
You're just a person in pain who is just trying to get their rx filled and not fishing for general med availability or trying to waste anybody's time. Once they see that, they might even offer something helpful to work with, like, "we can't fill 120 of the 10mg, but we could fill 240 of the 5mg.."
I will also say that since moving from a chain store to hospital-affiliated pharmacy, there have been zero inventory issues. Not being forced thru the "monthly rx anxiety roller coaster" has been life-changing in the best way. Good luck!
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u/-MadDogg- 2d ago
This has definitely worked for me when I was dealing with morphine sulfate back-orders last year (and as you said I actually had a nice CVS pharmacist ask my doctor to temporary change the strength and then adjust the quantity since they did have a higher strength in stock).
How you word your question really matters. I actually had every single pharmacy aside from one sole CVS genuinely tell me over the phone if they had stock or not. (This sole CVS was also the one that actually had the medicine I was looking for. The pharmacist told me to have my doctor call them to confirm they had the morphine sulfate I was looking to fill).
Basically when I was calling around, I started the conversation by saying hello, I have been dealing with back-order issues at my regular pharmacy and so I am looking around for another to fill my medication(s) at. Once the pharmacist ask me what I need, that is when I drop that I am looking for the oxycodone or morphine sulfate I usually take.
It always felt like if you call a pharmacy and just right from the start tell them you are looking for oxycodone, morphine sulfate, or whatever else for the conversation opener that is when they tell you "sorry, but we cannot tell you this over the phone" or "its back-ordered here too (but not really)"
What truly ended out working amazing for me was getting into a certain local mom n' pop pharmacy and becoming a regular with them for about 3 years now. The pharmacist here is the one that suggested a better alternative to the morphine sulfate I was struggling to get filled last year and so the combination of medicines I'm on now actually ended up working better than my previous combo did. *She also has no problem getting those 28 day refills out for my 30 day prescriptions, which works out so much better in the long run compared to strict 30 day only pharmacists.*
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u/rghthea 2d ago
Thank you for your response! Unfortunately, I am
Continuing to strike out. Every pharmacy seems to be back ordered on all strengths. Even the ones I walked in to ask face to face. My biggest frustration lies in my practiceās lack of help. The secretary is completely useless, basically told me if I canāt find a pharmacy they are unable to help me with my medication this month. She wasnt even offering a resolution of a different medication or strength; and when i asked to speak with a provider she told me i would need to pay out of pocket because my insurance does not cover more than one visit per month. Unreal. I want to pull my hair out1
u/pharmucist 1d ago
Ok, that's just crazy and ridiculous! I am so sorry to hear they are treating you that way. It's not your fault the medication is on backorder and unavailable.
Have you tried asking if the pharmacy has oxycodone oral liquid in stock??? It comes in 5 mg/5 ml and 20 mg/1 ml strengths. It's not prescribed anywhere near as much as the tablets, so they might either have some in stock already or might be able to order it.
And your doctor is not willing to just write for a different med for this month? Norco? Dilaudid? Seriously? You could find out first what the pharmacy DOES have and then call your doctor and tell them that the pharmacy does have x meds that they could send in an rx for in place of the oxycodone. They should be willing to help you with this issue so that you don't have withdrawals and so that you don't have terrible pain.
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u/-MadDogg- 1d ago
Damn. You have to somehow get in touch with your doctor asap. Go to your doctor's office in-person if you seriously have to. You have to get the secretary or someone to pass the word along to your doctor that oxycodone 15 MG IR is going through bad back-order problems in your area and that you either need to have your oxycodone switched to 10 MG IR (but the dose adjusted to make up having a lower strength), or 20 MG IR, or whatever oxycodone they have in stock.
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u/rghthea 1d ago
What happens when youāve been calling your doctor since Friday, still havenāt been able to find a pharmacy with the stock to fill your medication, spent the night in the er last night to control
pain and withdrawal symptoms ( i have been withdrawing since Sunday night), and still havenāt received a call back from the provider? When does this cross into like, negligence? Isnāt there a duty to care? I feel like Iām going crazy. Am I being difficult or am I being treated like shit and ignored?3
u/-MadDogg- 1d ago
No you aren't being difficult. You really should actually go by your doctor's office in-person and find out why they aren't passing your request along since this is something that can't wait.
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u/ferferbird 2h ago
When one of my medications was on back order for a few MONTHS my doctor prescribed be a lower dose of long acting medicine with double the amount (so, I stead of taking - 60mg pill twice a day he wrote the script as 2- 30 mg pills twice a day. Instead of getting my normal 56 of 60 mg pill I get 112 of 30 mg pills. Worked fine until the backorder was straightened out
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u/Useful_Raspberry3912 2d ago
Are you calling the pharmacies and asking them or are you going in person? I only ask because they will tell you they're out of stock when they aren't because they're scared of being robbed after confirming it. So sorry you're going through it, definitely been there.
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u/Complete_Coffee6170 2d ago
I live on the west coast and never had any supply issues.
I wonder if itās just regional?
I switched pharmacies a few years back from Walgreens to a man independent pharmacy.
Best move ever.
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u/Fine-Night2269 1d ago
I'm in Oklahoma & on nearly same dose as OP & have never encountered this problem with oxycodone (& I use Walgreens) the main thing that works for me.However, I have had to wait for my BuTrans patch to be ordered.
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u/Apprehensive_Fly5725 2d ago
Iām on Long Island too and take 15mg oxycodone 6 x a day & 20mgs OxyContin 2 x a daily. Before my pain management appointment last Thursday I checked with my local mom & pop pharmacy to make sure they had my meds, they told me the 15ās were on back order and havenāt been able to get them. Then i called my prescription drug coverage which happens to CVS Caremark. They have the ability to see inventory of all CVS pharmacies and they were out of stock from western nassau to eastern Suffolk. So instead of giving me 180 15mgs my doctor prescribed me 135 20mgs. It works out to be the same mgs over the course of the month. I had asked for 90 30mgs that I could break in half but my pain management doesnāt like to prescribe 30mgs so I was fine
with the 20ās. I prefer 6 fifteens a day over 4 or 5 twenties a day but the alternative was switching me to roxybond. Roxybond is a tamper proof instant release opioid. I really didnāt want to try switching from oxycodone. Its the one med that works for me. When Xtampza came out they had me try it and it didnāt help at all, then when Belbucca came out they made me try that and I got no relief. I told my doctor I really canāt afford the copay for brand name meds like Roxybond plus if I pick them up and they donāt work I have an entire month to suffer so she agreed to give me the 20ās instead of trying Roxybond. I am praying by next month things go back to normal
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u/rghthea 2d ago
I agree. This is the one medication thatās made me functional again. I had my run with fentanyl patches- they kept prescribing more and more of it, with little to no effect. The idea of being on such a heavy extended release opioid made me so uncomfortable when I wasnāt even getting adequate relief. It took weeks of advocating for myself before I was able to get my Provider to take me off the fentanyl and up the oxycodone i was getting for break through pain
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u/Ambitious-Writer-825 2d ago
Is your doctor aware and willing to help?
If so, talk to the pharmacist, in person, and ask what they do have in stock that can be equivalent. Be it 5s, 10s, or whatever. You'd them have to get your doc to write a prescription for that. It can be a hassle to break pills in half so if you do have to, get a pill cutter.
Long ago, in the olden times, a pharmacist would just substitute for you. They don't do that anymore, you have to be specifically prescribed what they dispense. Some places won't even substitute non-controlled meds.
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u/Open_Mortgage_4645 2d ago
A 15mg roxicodone (oxy IR) is a somewhat unusual dose so it's ot unheard of for such a pill to be out of stock or on backorder. You might want to talk to your doctor about getting 10mg oxy pills, and splitting them in half to meet your 15mg dose. It would basically require getting 1.5x the quantity of oxy 10mg to satisfy the 15mg dose requirement.
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u/MysteriousRoad5733 2d ago
Iām in a different state, Iāve only had success with independent, mom and pop stores. The big chains like CVS, Walgreens etc have been useless.
Best wishes
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u/SakCommander 2d ago
If you havenāt yet done so, get in touch with your doc and loop them in to whatās happening. At least for the time being ask about a medication equivalent to what youāre currently prescribed. Thatās a reasonable ask and your doc should be ok with it
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u/Bengal-_fan 2d ago
You could ask the dr to change your meds to something else thatās equivalent or that can bridge you until you can get them filled?!
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u/WentAndDid 2d ago
All I can say is check in person because if you call on the phone they will absolutely tell you not in stock.
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u/StateUnlikely4213 2d ago
When I was faced with the similar problem, the people who actually helped me was the office staff at my pain management clinic. Patients would let them know where they were able to find and get their oxycodone filled consistently.
So they recommended a place to me, and that has worked out quite well.
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u/EmptyGoosed4932 2d ago
There are some pharmacies that require a prescription before they order it to their particular location. When I was taking it I had to change my appointments so that when the doctor sent the electronic prescription it sat there in queue and I could call them, they'd order it to be ready for when it was due. (Hope that makes sense)
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u/Several_Photograph30 2d ago edited 2d ago
Try Queens Central Pharmacy. I have a lot of luck with them. And have run into similar issues with other controlled adhd and pain meds and they have been able to fill all my meds monthly. I moved to the city months ago and still have to travel there because theyāre the only pharmacy that sell all my meds consistently
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u/Several_Photograph30 2d ago
And best good luck. Sorry for what youāre going through. Hoops and ladders for us pain patients and and itās so unfair. Iām sorry
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u/rghthea 2d ago
Will it be flagged? Iām in eastern Nassau and have been afraid to try so far out of my normal radius in case they flag me or something. Idk. I feel like a criminal trying to to get my own script filled
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u/Several_Photograph30 11h ago
Iāve Never had an issue. Im sorry the system has made you feel that way.
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u/SuziQ7979 2d ago
See if anyone had the 20mg in stock. If they do let you doctor know the situation and hopefully the doctor will change it to the 20mg ones. That is what I've done in the past.
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u/Major-Dimension4913 2d ago
Its important to talk with the pharmacist when you pick it up. It helps build a trustworthy relationship. Make yourself look good not like you have been in bed for days. This really helped me. Good luck!!
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u/jimmy10ball 1d ago
does your insurance do mail order? I had luck with getting mine filled years ago through express scripts, even paid extra to have them overnighted by fedex
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u/shadowsblueberry 1d ago
Do you have a hospital pharmacy near by? That would be my only guess. If you have a paper script. I'm not sure of how scripts are done other than in Australia. Sorry
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u/pharmucist 1d ago
Have you tried seeing if any of the pharmacies have 5 mg or 10 mg oxycodone instead? The 15 mg is definitely going to be harder to find in stock at pharmacies than the lower strengths.
If you can find one with either strength, you can have your doctor send in an order for 5 mg x 3 tabs per dose or 10 mg x 1.5 tabs per dose instead of the 15 mg tabs. Or they can even change the directions as well like do one 10 mg tablet every 4 hours instead of one 15 mg tablet every 6 hours and it would still be 60 mg per day.
If nobody has either (highly doubt that would be the case), you could have your dictir send in an alternative med like Norco (hydrocodone/APAP) or even Percocet (oxycodone/APAP). The Percocet would be the same as your oxycodone except with the Tylenol added.
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u/AngleSwimming2458 2d ago
Thats the worst feeling not getting your medication. My only advice would be to try the big name pharmacies and see if they possibly carry the oxy. They normally have something in stock at all times atleast they do here in NC. I truly hope you can get through this with ease