I’m in US. Every year it gets harder and harder to get my meds. Since my doc is in another state, I have to drive 80 miles to get ADHD, anxiety, and sleep meds. However, I can just get my other meds near my current house.
Also, instead of have refills on my sleep meds, they have to be prescribed by the month. It’s really annoying because I drive to get them and pharmacy doesn’t have them due to a mistake while interfacing with my doc. It’s happened a few times now. All the docs here are insurance billing farms so I never switched any doctors when I moved.
ADHD and all comorbidities seem to create a need for meds that are harder and harder to get. Drug tests, drug shortages, sleepless nights… At this point I want to sue the DEA. (Drug enforcement agency - Sorry for American defaultism) Anyone else have these issues?
Yeah, manufacturing company consolidation and a flood created a big shortage of Adderall a few years ago and that filtered to the other ADHD meds because the DEA limits the number of them that can be produced because they consider them “Schedule II”, the same amount of danger as fentanyl, which is crazy. And they never allowed them to make additional to make up for the lost stock while the factory was flooded much less taken into account the better diagnosis of ADHD these days meaning more people on them. I have a lot of issues getting mine due to the shortages, so I often have to ration. I got a milligram scale that’s mostly accurate, though not exactly, so I can split the capsules evenly and take lower dosages on my days off. Which sucks not being able to function outside of work, but survival requires work…
As for getting monthly prescriptions, that’s likely up to your insurance, doctor, pharmacy, and/or state regulations on “controlled substances”. I get 3 month supplies on my Adderall from my insurance sponsored mail-order pharmacy. They also allow you to have refills on the prescription, though my doctor prefers to write a new one each time. I also take Ativan, but it’s only a schedule 4 controlled substance and I dont take it regularly. None of my other meds are “controlled substances”, so not sure about others.
I second the 3 month supply trick – sometimes referred to as a “travel amount”. Sounds like OP is more deserving than most of that accommodation as they are actually traveling a significant distance to and from the pharmacy.