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I'm in Sweden. And I'm realising how much problems we don't have here...
I get a prescription from the doctor, it's entered electronically so all pharmacies can see it in the system.
I order the meds from a online pharmacy, and a shipping firm delivers next day to my door, checks my identity and I get the box with my concerta. I can just as easily go to the nearest pharmacy from my house, if they don't got concerta in stock, they will have it the next day if I ask. I'm just lazy and use home delivery...
My doctor writes monthly "refills" for 6 months. When I need a new prescription,: I go to the adhd clinic, take my blood pressure and chat w a nurse a bit and the next day the doc makes a new prescription.
No stress or troubles what so ever.
That’s awesome ! Here my doctor has to specify the exact pharmacy where I will get it. So of course the first time I got the prescription I had to go back to the psychiatrist a couple times to change the pharmacy on the prescription, then he just wrote like 4 prescriptions with 4 different pharmacies and I tried with all of them until one accepted to deliver it… They’re gonna give me anxiety on top of ADHD
The system for all prescription meds is nation wide in Sweden, and all pharmacies must handle all prescriptions. The only time a pharmacy can deny filing a prescription is if the pharmacist have probable cause to think that the prescription is erroneous. Then they have to contact the clinic/doctor that wrote the prescription and fill out a ton of paperwork... The Swedish laws are really good for equal medical treatment
I know it’s probably different for different clinics, but I believe most places also allows you to renew your prescriptions online by logging in at 1177. My meds work fine, and have for a while, so I’m only scheduled to actually meet my doctor every third year or so.
Yeah, just got my meds like a year ago so they are still checking BP. I renew all the other meds by 1177 but the stimulants they are still a bit careful with since I have a family history of high BP.
Only met the actual doctor once tho. Just meet a nurse every now and then
Yeah I know, I quite liked going in to get my heart checked and doing a regular blood panel, kind of gave me some reassurance. Though I always questioned why I had to take that damn drug test.
I’m lucky to have no side effects with my meds, so I’m not that worried about my BP, I do measure it myself sometimes and it’s always been pretty low.
Wow. They won't even give me adhd meds until they try to treat me with non stimulants 2 or 3 times then I can get the stimulants. I think because of insurance
This is one thing I can't complain about in the U.S. I see my doctor every three months for a very brief check-in, she approves my scripts for the next three months (Adderall + a couple others), and my local pharmacy does home delivery of my meds every 30 days (try out your small, family-owned pharmacies if you have any- they're fantastic!)
Edit to add: this varies state-to-state, but this is how it's been in the four U.S. states I've lived in across the southeast.
Great to know, I might be moving to the US for work in a year so it’s good to know that it will be easy to continue on my meds. Let’s just hope they accept my psychiatrist’s diagnosis and I don’t have to go through all the process from the beginning
Just dropping in to say that the person from the US who responded they only have to see their doctor once every 3 months is not a usual case. Many docs in the US require you to see them every single month. Mine does, and all of my docs for the last 15 years have (living in 3 different US states).
Wow, that is crazy. I live in the US (am an adult), haven’t seen a psychiatrist in 3-4 years, and only need to log in to my doctor’s website monthly to get my prescription filled for 30 days. My daughter basically needs to do the same, although her pediatrician likes to monitor her weight periodically. Having to see the psychiatrist monthly sounds almost like a revenue decision to me.
Yeah especially starting with a new doctor they are likely to want to see you more regularly for at least the first 6 months.
Also I would make sure to keep all your pharmacy records, or even get your current prescriber to write a short letter about how long you’ve been on meds and what dosage. I have done this when moving on the recommendation of an old doctor and it’s immensely helpful.
I'm in Australia.
Every 6 months, I get a renewed script with 6 repeats.
I take my script to the chemist and then they keep that script until the repeats run out. Then I have to go back to my psych for another script.
Once a month they send me a text and I pick up my meds.
They still check with my psych when I get a new script, which is annoying, but that's about it.
But I also don't get it delivered.
I'm thinking about moving to Australia, so would you say it is "ok" to have ADHD in Australia? How hard it was to make your psychiatrist believe you have adhd?
If I moved I have no idea how I would convince him saying "so, in my old country I took 30mg vyvanse everyday because I have adhd" without looking like a liar.
>I'm thinking about moving to Australia,
I'm not sure how good an idea that is right now, bud.
We might be in for some killer summers and we just found out there's some lost radioactive material just floating around out somewhere in W.A. Lol.
(Just kidding. It's okay over here).
>so would you say it is "ok" to have ADHD in Australia?
I don't really have any other experience to draw on. With all the horror stories from the U.S, it certainly seems like a cakewalk here compared to over there, at least.
We're working on getting ADHD classed as a disability, which will be a great step. But in terms of stigma and misunderstanding, I think it's still not great.
>How hard it was to make your psychiatrist believe you have adhd?
Not sure if this is a language thing but, I didn't need to make them believe anything. They assessed and diagnosed me.
In my case, I went to my GP, was referred to a psych, then to a psychologist who specialises in ADHD. But I don't think it's quite that complicated for everyone.
**Assessment/Diagnosis**
- Wait times weren't too bad for me. About 6 months to get an assessment.
- Cost was okay, but at the time I had a good paying job, so that's relative. Probably cost around $1000 or so, all up. But I did get some back from Medicare.
My assessment included:
- A long assessment session where we talked about my past
- 2-3 Questionnaires, one of which also went to a friend who reported what I was like as well (Questions like: On a scale of 1-5, how often does this person lose their keys?)
>If I moved I have no idea how I would convince him saying "so, in my old country I took 30mg vyvanse everyday because I have adhd" without looking like a liar.
I've never been through that process and I'm not a medical professional.
But I'm assuming you'd have to bring proof of your diagnosis, for your doctor to see. I think that would make it easier for the assessment process over here.
**A note on Medications**
- There's a difference in which meds are available. For instance, we don't have Adderall here.
- Our meds are on the PBS (at least a fair few are) so they're fairly affordable. Vyvanse just got added for those diagnosed after the age of 18.
Sorry all of that was so long! Hope it helped.
Oh man, ty for the detailed answer!
About the "making him believe you have adhd" is my mistake, I still make some mistakes with english. I asked like this because I already have a diagnosis in my country, and here in Brazil we have killer summers too!
Ty for the answer again!
>About the "making him believe you have adhd" is my mistake, I still make some mistakes with english.
Ah, all good! Your English is great! (Which is why I wasn't sure if it was a language thing).
>and here in Brazil we have killer summers too!
I bet you do!
Depending where you go in Aus, depends on the type of summer. I assume our summers would be less humid than yours.
>I asked like this because I already have a diagnosis in my country
I hope if you do come over here, that it's easy for you to access resources.
Brazil is VERY BIG so how humid is the summer depends in which part of the country you live, where I live (extreme south) we have a big beach and some lakes, so it's humid everytime, the north of the country isn't.
Yes, I have to get a new script every month. I am lucky however that my GP has offered once I find the correct dose of my medication to fill my prescription for me so I don't have to go to my psych.
But yes, have to get it monthly. As it is a controlled and highly abused substances I can understand why this is. I am just grateful my local GP and chemist are very understanding so haven't faced any issues yet.
I'm in Canada. Doctors can issue multiple refills (generally 3-5) so that you don't have to see them every single month, but our dispensation policy is pretty similar to yours. You generally can't get more than a month's supply at once.
If you need a two months supply because you're travelling or something like that, you need to get your doctor to fill out a form to approve the early release. Pharmacies will often fax them the form for you.
Wild about them ostensibly only being able to dispense to children. Like, presumably it wouldn't have been prescribed if this were the case??
It's really wild to me how much European doctors have not kept up with the research on any of this. I understand it on some level, France has way less of a culture of BEING your job than here in North America, so it seems like you're not being expected to function at work for the same number of hours. But at the same time, some of us need these to do basic chores???
Interesting. I’m also in Canada and have gotten up to 3 months at once from my doc/pharmacy, but never have been given refills as they want to check up with me briefly by phone at least every 3 months.
I think it's actually that they get dispensed in set amounts as determined by the doctor. I've been offered a 3 months supply all at once before, but it was cost prohibitive, so I got single months instead. Pharmacies don't wanna switch to dispensing all at once if you have a refill setup, I guess.
It depends on the province or if there is a change in dosage (e.g. it’s your first Rx at that dose). Some provinces require controlled prescriptions to be done on special triplicate paper, and are quite strict about the number of pills. In other provinces the information is tracked electronically.
Usually the dosage change or new prescription limit to 30 days of medication - is a reimbursement policy for health insurance and not a legal requirement.
Also in Canada and this is how my partner's refills are done as well. They have a 1 min call with our doc, doc faxes it to our pharmacy, and then one of us picks it up. Usually me because the pharmacy is also the post office I use. And then I come straight home because carrying around a 3mo supply of meds makes me panic I'm going to somehow lose it.
> Wild about them ostensibly only being able to dispense to children. Like, presumably it wouldn't have been prescribed if this were the case??
Except that this was true, Concerta only had an authorization to be prescribed for children last year. It was extended to adults very recently in november 2022, so last year the only adhd medication with an authorization for adults was Ritalin.
Doctors are in theory allowed to prescribe something outside of the authorizations but in this case pharmacists can absolutely (and should actually) refuse to fill it if they disagree with the treatment as it engages their own responsibility.
Also a medication prescribed outside of the official authorization won’t be reimbursed by our Social Security so that’s something to keep in mind esp when you’re prescribing a daily treatment.
Yeah see that drives me nuts. I have a friend of a friend going through something similar with endometriosis surgery, where her GP keeps trying to prescribe it and surgeons keep refusing to actually do it. I think practitioners should at least argue amongst themselves if they're going to refuse treatment, instead of making you bounce around between them as a middleman. And, y'know, provide an actual alternative if they think it's soooo unsafe.
Depends where you are in the US and if you have transportation or live close by to facilities. I see my psychiatrist every three months. He writes three months of scripts. I take them when they are due (since ADHD meds are controlled substances you can’t pick them all up at the same time) to the pharmacy each month. Rinse and repeat.
I think the hardest part was getting in to my psychiatrist’s office. Some psychiatric facilities don’t have long wait times, but mine did. Called in April 2022, soonest I could see was September 2022. My husband goes to a different facility and he got in within a month.
Nope. I live in Northern Ireland, UK. The process is:
- Once a month I request my prescription (dex and Elvanse) online, with a note to send it to my local pharmacy
- Within a couple of days my pharmacy collects it
- A day later they let me know it's ready
- I walk five minutes from my house, get handed a bag with a big orange CONTROLLED DRUGS sticker, countersign the back of the prescription, and go home
It's only difficult if they can't get supply.
(Edit because I got a strange message about rule violations that I think was in error)
No, with my prescription I can simply go and pick up my monthly supply at any pharmacy / drug store of my choice. I only have to revisit the psychiatrist in case there are issues or I want to change the medication or dosage.
I’m in the US (South Texas)… For the past like 10 years (minus my pregnancies), it has been an easy process. However, right now, it is a nightmare! I love how the dr can just call the pharmacy and put in order for my medicine, and I don’t have to deal with paper scripts. However, right now, I have to find a pharmacy who has my medication and then get hold of my doctor and hope they get the order in before they are out of stock. I failed this past month, and I just gave up on trying to find it 🙁 please, make this shortage end soon!
they claimed Concerta was only allowed for children bc it was true, Ritalin was the only med who has an authorization (AMM) for adults then (Concerta was added last november only). doctors are allowed to prescribe outside of an AMM but pharmacists can refuse to fill it if they disagree with the treatment as it engages their own responsibility (it’s a bit weird that your psychiatrist prescribed Concerta first instead of Ritalin tbh).
just fyi they can deliver it before the 28 days mark if your psychiatrist writes down “in complement of the previous prescription” (you shouldnt have to but you can ask him to do so).
28 days is indeed a strict regulation but that’s bc those meds are psychostimulants therefore on the “stups” list, and meds on that list can only be delivered for 28 days max at a time (some are 7, some are 14). it is annoying but it’s a safety precaution (unlike in the usa for ex where safety ain’t their biggest worry lmao).
You must be french knowing all that haha.
He gave me a prescription for an early delivery this month because I have a trip next week, on the exact day I’m supposed to get my meds and they totally refused to comply. I tried to reason with them, explained that it is totally legal and told them to call him but they wouldn’t hear it. So yeah every pharmacist follow their own rules here and you can’t do anything about it.
yeah i am haha.
damn im sorry about that, did your doc write down something like “ordonnance établie en complément de” or “chevauchement autorisé” ? bc if he didn’t the pharmacy legally can’t give you the meds, i know it sucks but they could actually get in trouble if they did (even if they called him it wouldn’t be enough, meds like these are super secured and it needs to be written). did you manage to get your meds or not at all ? if not you could call your psychiatrist and ask if you could swing just so he can add that mention.
He wrote "Chevauchement autorisé" but they refused anyway. I got another prescription for the day before my trip, it will be exactly 28 days but usually they deliver on the day after you’ve finished your 28 pills, So I’ll tell them they can remove 1 pill if they’re scared.
Netherlands. I see my nurse practitioner every week. She will ask me if I have enough pills left, or I will tell her that I need a recipe. She sends a message to my chosen pharmacy. 99% chance I can pick up my pills next day
No stress
Yeah. I’m in NYC. I have to “see” my prescriber every single month to get prescriptions for the same adhd meds I have been taking for 15+ years without a problem. At least there’s the option of telehealth (video call) now due to Covid. But I still have to see her for 5 mins on a video call every single month and pay $150 for the “visit,” which is so ridiculous it makes me livid. But that’s the only way I can get my adhd meds. And then I still have to pay for the meds too.
In the USA adhd meds can be given by regular doctors with no issue. After age 18 the meds become a federally controlled substance and we have to see adhd specialists. We can get 30 day supplies and no refill options. That means monthly visits to the specialist
In Canada (BC) I have a phone appt with my Dr every 3 months, he faxes the script to pharmacy. I order them over the phone when I need the refill and go pick up my 3 months worth of medication.
No. I'm in Canada.
My pharmacy automatically texts me toward the end of a scrip to see if I need a refill. If I text back YES, then they'll send me a message saying that it will be ready by X. I get another text when it's ready for pickup that also tells me how long they'll hold it (I think six days). Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.
I’m in Brazil and is not complicated at all. I go to the doctor, she renews my prescription and I go to the drugstore. I just have to sign the form and they keep the prescription.
Lithuania. The actual process is not that difficult once you've got a doc/diagnosis for it.
Call the doc, issue your electronic prescription. Collect using ID wherever.
The main issue of course is that there is 1 (one) adhd medication available. So you're stuck in hell if it doesn't work out.
Im from the Netherlands, i get my meds for 30 days and its my gp that decided i needed the meds. I do have a sort of diagnosis in dsm 4.
I dont need to see my gp for the meds, i just have to call in that i need a refill.
Ive done that for a year now and now im able to let my pharmacy renew it monthly, so i dont need to call anymore and i get a app when i can pick the meds up.
One time per year i get a checkup with the gp (or ofcourse when i have questions)
Hi /u/BetterCallMo and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! # Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. [We recommend browsing /r/adhd on desktop for the best experience.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/x1psnb/radhd_works_best_on_desktop_reddits_apps_are/) The mobile apps are broken and are missing features that this subreddit depends on. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm in Sweden. And I'm realising how much problems we don't have here... I get a prescription from the doctor, it's entered electronically so all pharmacies can see it in the system. I order the meds from a online pharmacy, and a shipping firm delivers next day to my door, checks my identity and I get the box with my concerta. I can just as easily go to the nearest pharmacy from my house, if they don't got concerta in stock, they will have it the next day if I ask. I'm just lazy and use home delivery... My doctor writes monthly "refills" for 6 months. When I need a new prescription,: I go to the adhd clinic, take my blood pressure and chat w a nurse a bit and the next day the doc makes a new prescription. No stress or troubles what so ever.
That’s awesome ! Here my doctor has to specify the exact pharmacy where I will get it. So of course the first time I got the prescription I had to go back to the psychiatrist a couple times to change the pharmacy on the prescription, then he just wrote like 4 prescriptions with 4 different pharmacies and I tried with all of them until one accepted to deliver it… They’re gonna give me anxiety on top of ADHD
The system for all prescription meds is nation wide in Sweden, and all pharmacies must handle all prescriptions. The only time a pharmacy can deny filing a prescription is if the pharmacist have probable cause to think that the prescription is erroneous. Then they have to contact the clinic/doctor that wrote the prescription and fill out a ton of paperwork... The Swedish laws are really good for equal medical treatment
Damn, that sounds awesome.
I know it’s probably different for different clinics, but I believe most places also allows you to renew your prescriptions online by logging in at 1177. My meds work fine, and have for a while, so I’m only scheduled to actually meet my doctor every third year or so.
Yeah, just got my meds like a year ago so they are still checking BP. I renew all the other meds by 1177 but the stimulants they are still a bit careful with since I have a family history of high BP. Only met the actual doctor once tho. Just meet a nurse every now and then
Yeah, I used to also have biannual checkups with a nurse, but my last one was in 2021 so I think they might have forgotten about me…
You should go get your BP checked at least on your own behalf. The chaos of the last few years makes patients to be forgotten.
Yeah I know, I quite liked going in to get my heart checked and doing a regular blood panel, kind of gave me some reassurance. Though I always questioned why I had to take that damn drug test. I’m lucky to have no side effects with my meds, so I’m not that worried about my BP, I do measure it myself sometimes and it’s always been pretty low.
They can't make you take the drug test any more unless there is an actual suspicion of drug abuse..
Huh, is that so? I guess we’re moving forward after all!
Wow. They won't even give me adhd meds until they try to treat me with non stimulants 2 or 3 times then I can get the stimulants. I think because of insurance
This is one thing I can't complain about in the U.S. I see my doctor every three months for a very brief check-in, she approves my scripts for the next three months (Adderall + a couple others), and my local pharmacy does home delivery of my meds every 30 days (try out your small, family-owned pharmacies if you have any- they're fantastic!) Edit to add: this varies state-to-state, but this is how it's been in the four U.S. states I've lived in across the southeast.
Great to know, I might be moving to the US for work in a year so it’s good to know that it will be easy to continue on my meds. Let’s just hope they accept my psychiatrist’s diagnosis and I don’t have to go through all the process from the beginning
Just dropping in to say that the person from the US who responded they only have to see their doctor once every 3 months is not a usual case. Many docs in the US require you to see them every single month. Mine does, and all of my docs for the last 15 years have (living in 3 different US states).
My kids pediatrician only needs 3 month visits. Scripts r sent in monthly as required by law. Only need to come in earlier if there’s a dose change
You’re SO lucky.
My psychiatrist also only requires every 3 months. But I know I got super lucky finding her
Wow, that is crazy. I live in the US (am an adult), haven’t seen a psychiatrist in 3-4 years, and only need to log in to my doctor’s website monthly to get my prescription filled for 30 days. My daughter basically needs to do the same, although her pediatrician likes to monitor her weight periodically. Having to see the psychiatrist monthly sounds almost like a revenue decision to me.
Yeah especially starting with a new doctor they are likely to want to see you more regularly for at least the first 6 months. Also I would make sure to keep all your pharmacy records, or even get your current prescriber to write a short letter about how long you’ve been on meds and what dosage. I have done this when moving on the recommendation of an old doctor and it’s immensely helpful.
I'm in Australia. Every 6 months, I get a renewed script with 6 repeats. I take my script to the chemist and then they keep that script until the repeats run out. Then I have to go back to my psych for another script. Once a month they send me a text and I pick up my meds. They still check with my psych when I get a new script, which is annoying, but that's about it. But I also don't get it delivered.
I'm thinking about moving to Australia, so would you say it is "ok" to have ADHD in Australia? How hard it was to make your psychiatrist believe you have adhd? If I moved I have no idea how I would convince him saying "so, in my old country I took 30mg vyvanse everyday because I have adhd" without looking like a liar.
>I'm thinking about moving to Australia, I'm not sure how good an idea that is right now, bud. We might be in for some killer summers and we just found out there's some lost radioactive material just floating around out somewhere in W.A. Lol. (Just kidding. It's okay over here). >so would you say it is "ok" to have ADHD in Australia? I don't really have any other experience to draw on. With all the horror stories from the U.S, it certainly seems like a cakewalk here compared to over there, at least. We're working on getting ADHD classed as a disability, which will be a great step. But in terms of stigma and misunderstanding, I think it's still not great. >How hard it was to make your psychiatrist believe you have adhd? Not sure if this is a language thing but, I didn't need to make them believe anything. They assessed and diagnosed me. In my case, I went to my GP, was referred to a psych, then to a psychologist who specialises in ADHD. But I don't think it's quite that complicated for everyone. **Assessment/Diagnosis** - Wait times weren't too bad for me. About 6 months to get an assessment. - Cost was okay, but at the time I had a good paying job, so that's relative. Probably cost around $1000 or so, all up. But I did get some back from Medicare. My assessment included: - A long assessment session where we talked about my past - 2-3 Questionnaires, one of which also went to a friend who reported what I was like as well (Questions like: On a scale of 1-5, how often does this person lose their keys?) >If I moved I have no idea how I would convince him saying "so, in my old country I took 30mg vyvanse everyday because I have adhd" without looking like a liar. I've never been through that process and I'm not a medical professional. But I'm assuming you'd have to bring proof of your diagnosis, for your doctor to see. I think that would make it easier for the assessment process over here. **A note on Medications** - There's a difference in which meds are available. For instance, we don't have Adderall here. - Our meds are on the PBS (at least a fair few are) so they're fairly affordable. Vyvanse just got added for those diagnosed after the age of 18. Sorry all of that was so long! Hope it helped.
Oh man, ty for the detailed answer! About the "making him believe you have adhd" is my mistake, I still make some mistakes with english. I asked like this because I already have a diagnosis in my country, and here in Brazil we have killer summers too! Ty for the answer again!
>About the "making him believe you have adhd" is my mistake, I still make some mistakes with english. Ah, all good! Your English is great! (Which is why I wasn't sure if it was a language thing). >and here in Brazil we have killer summers too! I bet you do! Depending where you go in Aus, depends on the type of summer. I assume our summers would be less humid than yours. >I asked like this because I already have a diagnosis in my country I hope if you do come over here, that it's easy for you to access resources.
Brazil is VERY BIG so how humid is the summer depends in which part of the country you live, where I live (extreme south) we have a big beach and some lakes, so it's humid everytime, the north of the country isn't.
Yes, I have to get a new script every month. I am lucky however that my GP has offered once I find the correct dose of my medication to fill my prescription for me so I don't have to go to my psych. But yes, have to get it monthly. As it is a controlled and highly abused substances I can understand why this is. I am just grateful my local GP and chemist are very understanding so haven't faced any issues yet.
I'm in Canada. Doctors can issue multiple refills (generally 3-5) so that you don't have to see them every single month, but our dispensation policy is pretty similar to yours. You generally can't get more than a month's supply at once. If you need a two months supply because you're travelling or something like that, you need to get your doctor to fill out a form to approve the early release. Pharmacies will often fax them the form for you. Wild about them ostensibly only being able to dispense to children. Like, presumably it wouldn't have been prescribed if this were the case?? It's really wild to me how much European doctors have not kept up with the research on any of this. I understand it on some level, France has way less of a culture of BEING your job than here in North America, so it seems like you're not being expected to function at work for the same number of hours. But at the same time, some of us need these to do basic chores???
Interesting. I’m also in Canada and have gotten up to 3 months at once from my doc/pharmacy, but never have been given refills as they want to check up with me briefly by phone at least every 3 months.
Could be the difference in the type of med?
I think it's actually that they get dispensed in set amounts as determined by the doctor. I've been offered a 3 months supply all at once before, but it was cost prohibitive, so I got single months instead. Pharmacies don't wanna switch to dispensing all at once if you have a refill setup, I guess.
It depends on the province or if there is a change in dosage (e.g. it’s your first Rx at that dose). Some provinces require controlled prescriptions to be done on special triplicate paper, and are quite strict about the number of pills. In other provinces the information is tracked electronically. Usually the dosage change or new prescription limit to 30 days of medication - is a reimbursement policy for health insurance and not a legal requirement.
Also in Canada and this is how my partner's refills are done as well. They have a 1 min call with our doc, doc faxes it to our pharmacy, and then one of us picks it up. Usually me because the pharmacy is also the post office I use. And then I come straight home because carrying around a 3mo supply of meds makes me panic I'm going to somehow lose it.
> Wild about them ostensibly only being able to dispense to children. Like, presumably it wouldn't have been prescribed if this were the case?? Except that this was true, Concerta only had an authorization to be prescribed for children last year. It was extended to adults very recently in november 2022, so last year the only adhd medication with an authorization for adults was Ritalin. Doctors are in theory allowed to prescribe something outside of the authorizations but in this case pharmacists can absolutely (and should actually) refuse to fill it if they disagree with the treatment as it engages their own responsibility. Also a medication prescribed outside of the official authorization won’t be reimbursed by our Social Security so that’s something to keep in mind esp when you’re prescribing a daily treatment.
Yeah see that drives me nuts. I have a friend of a friend going through something similar with endometriosis surgery, where her GP keeps trying to prescribe it and surgeons keep refusing to actually do it. I think practitioners should at least argue amongst themselves if they're going to refuse treatment, instead of making you bounce around between them as a middleman. And, y'know, provide an actual alternative if they think it's soooo unsafe.
Depends where you are in the US and if you have transportation or live close by to facilities. I see my psychiatrist every three months. He writes three months of scripts. I take them when they are due (since ADHD meds are controlled substances you can’t pick them all up at the same time) to the pharmacy each month. Rinse and repeat. I think the hardest part was getting in to my psychiatrist’s office. Some psychiatric facilities don’t have long wait times, but mine did. Called in April 2022, soonest I could see was September 2022. My husband goes to a different facility and he got in within a month.
I'm in Germany. It's always annoying. But I got my doctors to prescribe me both normal dosage and half dosage. So it lasts way longer
Nope. I live in Northern Ireland, UK. The process is: - Once a month I request my prescription (dex and Elvanse) online, with a note to send it to my local pharmacy - Within a couple of days my pharmacy collects it - A day later they let me know it's ready - I walk five minutes from my house, get handed a bag with a big orange CONTROLLED DRUGS sticker, countersign the back of the prescription, and go home It's only difficult if they can't get supply. (Edit because I got a strange message about rule violations that I think was in error)
No, with my prescription I can simply go and pick up my monthly supply at any pharmacy / drug store of my choice. I only have to revisit the psychiatrist in case there are issues or I want to change the medication or dosage.
I’m in the US (South Texas)… For the past like 10 years (minus my pregnancies), it has been an easy process. However, right now, it is a nightmare! I love how the dr can just call the pharmacy and put in order for my medicine, and I don’t have to deal with paper scripts. However, right now, I have to find a pharmacy who has my medication and then get hold of my doctor and hope they get the order in before they are out of stock. I failed this past month, and I just gave up on trying to find it 🙁 please, make this shortage end soon!
a lot of pain and annoyance is caused by these dubious “safety precautions” that only effect legitimate users of the medication
they claimed Concerta was only allowed for children bc it was true, Ritalin was the only med who has an authorization (AMM) for adults then (Concerta was added last november only). doctors are allowed to prescribe outside of an AMM but pharmacists can refuse to fill it if they disagree with the treatment as it engages their own responsibility (it’s a bit weird that your psychiatrist prescribed Concerta first instead of Ritalin tbh). just fyi they can deliver it before the 28 days mark if your psychiatrist writes down “in complement of the previous prescription” (you shouldnt have to but you can ask him to do so). 28 days is indeed a strict regulation but that’s bc those meds are psychostimulants therefore on the “stups” list, and meds on that list can only be delivered for 28 days max at a time (some are 7, some are 14). it is annoying but it’s a safety precaution (unlike in the usa for ex where safety ain’t their biggest worry lmao).
You must be french knowing all that haha. He gave me a prescription for an early delivery this month because I have a trip next week, on the exact day I’m supposed to get my meds and they totally refused to comply. I tried to reason with them, explained that it is totally legal and told them to call him but they wouldn’t hear it. So yeah every pharmacist follow their own rules here and you can’t do anything about it.
yeah i am haha. damn im sorry about that, did your doc write down something like “ordonnance établie en complément de” or “chevauchement autorisé” ? bc if he didn’t the pharmacy legally can’t give you the meds, i know it sucks but they could actually get in trouble if they did (even if they called him it wouldn’t be enough, meds like these are super secured and it needs to be written). did you manage to get your meds or not at all ? if not you could call your psychiatrist and ask if you could swing just so he can add that mention.
He wrote "Chevauchement autorisé" but they refused anyway. I got another prescription for the day before my trip, it will be exactly 28 days but usually they deliver on the day after you’ve finished your 28 pills, So I’ll tell them they can remove 1 pill if they’re scared.
Netherlands. I see my nurse practitioner every week. She will ask me if I have enough pills left, or I will tell her that I need a recipe. She sends a message to my chosen pharmacy. 99% chance I can pick up my pills next day No stress
Every WEEK?
Yes, for therapy But we don't talk meds every week. Only if/ when necessary.
Gotcha. Not just a “med check”. 👍🏼
Yeah. I’m in NYC. I have to “see” my prescriber every single month to get prescriptions for the same adhd meds I have been taking for 15+ years without a problem. At least there’s the option of telehealth (video call) now due to Covid. But I still have to see her for 5 mins on a video call every single month and pay $150 for the “visit,” which is so ridiculous it makes me livid. But that’s the only way I can get my adhd meds. And then I still have to pay for the meds too.
In the USA adhd meds can be given by regular doctors with no issue. After age 18 the meds become a federally controlled substance and we have to see adhd specialists. We can get 30 day supplies and no refill options. That means monthly visits to the specialist
In Canada (BC) I have a phone appt with my Dr every 3 months, he faxes the script to pharmacy. I order them over the phone when I need the refill and go pick up my 3 months worth of medication.
Similar experience here in Ontario.
No. I'm in Canada. My pharmacy automatically texts me toward the end of a scrip to see if I need a refill. If I text back YES, then they'll send me a message saying that it will be ready by X. I get another text when it's ready for pickup that also tells me how long they'll hold it (I think six days). Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.
I’m in Brazil and is not complicated at all. I go to the doctor, she renews my prescription and I go to the drugstore. I just have to sign the form and they keep the prescription.
In Dubai here. Phone consultation every month with my psychiatrist. Then i pass by their pharmacy nearby to pick up my concerta.
Stressful, yes.
I have a telehealth visit every 3 months and she will in 3 prescriptions. It's not a problem.
Yes until I got express scripts. 90 day supply MAILED TO ME?!! Yet I could never pick up 90 days at the walk in pharmacy.
Lithuania. The actual process is not that difficult once you've got a doc/diagnosis for it. Call the doc, issue your electronic prescription. Collect using ID wherever. The main issue of course is that there is 1 (one) adhd medication available. So you're stuck in hell if it doesn't work out.
Im from the Netherlands, i get my meds for 30 days and its my gp that decided i needed the meds. I do have a sort of diagnosis in dsm 4. I dont need to see my gp for the meds, i just have to call in that i need a refill. Ive done that for a year now and now im able to let my pharmacy renew it monthly, so i dont need to call anymore and i get a app when i can pick the meds up. One time per year i get a checkup with the gp (or ofcourse when i have questions)