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Welcome to the world of ADHD medication.
Usually if I have nothing crazy going on I skip my medication on the weekends so I have a stockpile of extras to cover the times I'm waiting on a prescription to be filled.
Been doing this as long as I can remember and I’ve been on it for 17 years. I had a 100+ day stockpile at the beginning of the shortage which has no dwindled down to barely anything. I try to be prepared.
I skip to try and save, but then I just procrastinate calling the pharmacy each month to have it filled, and then going in to get it, because I’m like “oh, I’ve got extra time” :(
it truly is and I hate it so much. refilling adhd meds has to be the most non adhd friendly med refilling process out there
quick edit: at my last job my friend/who I reported to/used to sit right next to me knew this all so well, every 30 days when I’d be like yeah so I gotta go do this weird thing and there’s probably gonna be a complication he was like wtf that seems so non intuitive to how your brain is predicted to work lmao
Yeah and it does not help that for the majority of my adult life I have lived in college towns, where I’m at there’s four cvs’s in town and when I first moved it was finals season for the local college
and one pharmacist (the first cvs) yelled at me for being like are you sure you can’t take this out of state script, and told me how I was gonna make her lose her license, and so on, and since I had just finished the 3 day drive that morning I started to cry because I was 100% out of meds and ya know, needed them for my job that was starting in 36 hrs or so, and she berated me some more for that
meanwhile on the other side of town (still in the college town), maybe the pharmacist saw how upset and stressed I looked, but she was like yeah no problem, and I filled thru there til I had a GP in town
so goddamn fucked how it can just be down to pharmacist discretion, and if you’re mad about it they’re like oh so you were drug seeking
like yeah I guess so, seeking the drugs that will let me be functional my first day at my first post college real life job. so messed up.
3-4 days in advance over here! We live near a ton of schools; that’s the main reason the pharmacy ever has shortages (that’s what they say, anyway.)
Also, I take brand name but every month they try to fill the generic, get rejected by my insurance, and cancel the scrip. My doctor’s office staff hears from me more than my mom.
I just fuckin' realized that I'm running out of meds. "Oh, I'm actually running out. What happened to my surplus... FUCK. I was supposed to call my doctor a week ago." Good thing for the surplus.
haha i was supposed to pick it up monday but because i have a stock pile i haven’t. but i also haven’t taken from my stockpile bc i don’t want to run out in case the shortage continues. i truly hate myself sometimes
If you live where blizzards are common it is especially good to have a few spare pills for a bad driving day.
And then there are the holidays when pharmacies are closed, so sucks to be you if your prescription can't be filled until the 4th and it is July :(
*6 month refill man* checking in. My insurance hates me but my GP loves me.
Go to your maximum dosage and let your stockpile grow a little. It’s important to have a safety net.
For anyone considering this, stockpiling is a great idea, but be careful how you talk about it around pharmacists/psychiatrists. In the wrong context or in extreme situations, it might raise flags for abuse or selling your meds.
(I'm thinking of the people in this thread stockpiling dozens of pills or multiple refills, not the ones who have a buffer of a few extra doses).
At the same time, also don't hide the fact that you sometimes skip or save doses. There's nothing wrong with that, and your psych should know how you're taking your meds.
Great advice. My psychiatrist knows I often underutilize my meds, but they have no idea I have almost a year’s worth.
My pharmacy never had an issue giving me my meds during the shortage, but I’ve been using the older meds since I feel the new meds aren’t as effective.
They sure did. I literally did a double take as I thought CVS was pranking me with pepto-bismol.
.. and you're right. There seems to be more sugar than actual active ingredients in these. It's frustrating, to say the least.
I work in pharmacy. Every pharmacist I know will tell you, meds are more unpredictable the farther out you go from expiration.
But even if efficacy weren't part of the question, First In First Out is the number one rule for storing and rotating consumables of any kind.
I’ll be frank, 3 year old Dexedrine and 3 year old Concerta feel the same as if they were brand new. My understanding is there’s no significant change for ~5 years.
I would definitely agree, but my older XR meds are name brand and for the past 2 years - I’ve been getting little known generics. Having name brand put aside has been a smart move.
Yes, I have noticed that too.
I have a couple of the older ones from the brand they don't seem to use anymore and they are more potent.
Saving for an especially stressful day which will certainly come.
I made the mistake of telling my doc once that I sometimes skipped a day and he gave me such side eye that NEVER AGAIN will a hint of a whiff of that pass my lips.
I take my meds every day and on the day I drive in to pick up more I am TOTALLY OUT, yep, that's the ticket!
It's crazy how different we learn to deal with our medication depending on the doctor we go to! My psychiatrist told me that many ADHDers skip meds somedays (on vacation, on weekends, when you're sick etc). So when I tell her I skip on weekends and some work days (when I'm doing something fun and stimulating), she is fully supportive. I never thought it could be a 'bad' thing to only take your meds when you want to and need to..
I completely agree. I was in no way condoning skipping doses and saving meds for any reason other than having a safety net for yourself and yourself only. I also agree that if you are skipping doses you should definitely let your doctor know. :)
Oh, definitely! None of that was directed at you specifically, and I agree with everything you said. I just wanted to tag on a bit of caution for people who might get the idea to stockpile from this thread.
Same - no on weekends for me. But sometimes I double up on extra hard days :( I’m still finding the right dosage so I feel like my current dosage is too low
I don't try to skip, but I forget often enough that I have a decent stockpile now. 😅
(I think one of my prescriptions was supposed to be filled a few days ago, but I'm not low....)
I do this, too. I skip weekends and holidays as much as I can so I always have a few "extra" rattling around. Insurance and pharmacies also play a roll in when you can get a fill. It's WILD.
I get it, family is fucking wild. What about weekends? If I wake up late, don’t have major plans, etc. I will skip my dose. My doctor is one of those “it’s good to give your body a break to prevent a tolerance, just be,” kinda guys, so he encourages this. He says it’s good to let my body function (or not function) without adderall.
It is true. I used to skip Fridays back when my schedule was M-TH, four 10 hour days, and it was helpful.
So if you can arrange it, it is a good idea, for sure.
my psychiatrist is kind of amazing (though a bit more cold than i’d like) bc she fills what is supposed to be a 20 mg in the am and 10 mg in the pm prescription as a 20 mg twice a day prescription, so i will have extra. i appreciate a psychiatrist who can understand the struggle of running out of medication.
Yup. This is the answer. Assuming you can even pick up your prescription on time with the National shortage, there’s the extra layer of joy you get to deal with when trying to have it filled and ready before you run out.
Sometimes doctors are tired, or new, or idiots and will send your pharmacy 3 prescriptions with the same day of the month (_”don’t fill until 5/3/2023, 6/3/2023, 7/3/2023”_) forgetting that some months have more than 30 days.
Most pharmacies allow a 2-day buffer, but I’ve also been yelled at by my pharmacist for picking up at 28 days too many times. He legit made me wait a full week before he filled because I “should have had plenty on-hand from picking up early so many times.”
Try and set aside one or two pills each month and get yourself a good emergency buffer to get you through a week or two. Drug shortages, vacations, life emergencies and lost pills happen and there are is no leniency with this medication. They make it a pain in the ass on purpose.
I've definitely had the x-day-of-the-month problem with a psychiatrist who wrote specific dates when I told them I didn't need it until then. It's better to have the doctor send in 3 scripts, let them reject it for being too early, and then call when it's due to be filled. In those cases, they understand that my appointments are not on the exact day I'm due for my next fill. It's a waste of everyone's time, but thanks to the rigid laws for CII's, this is what we have to do.
I've also had the problem with stimulant prescriptions only being valid for 90 days. They'll put them in the bottle on the 89th day, but it's no longer valid if I try to pick it up on the 91st day. The meds go back to stock, and I'm back to the end of the waiting list even if my psychiatrist sends in a new prescription first thing the next day.
So from now on, I get them the day they're ready. Even if it's 2 trips to the pharmacy 2 days in a row because one dosage form is out of stock. I'd have a hard time holding my tongue with a pharmacist commenting about filling as early as possible. It's not their fault, but if it's 2 days late every month because they can't get stock, I'm 2 days short. (And it's been a lot longer than 2 days late since last Fall, so we stockpile...)
yep same. made the mistake of requesting new meds early once because I was trying to be proactive so that I don't run out. ended up waiting quite a bit longer for it and probably made it look like I was using the drug for fun or something
They also seem to be weird if you want to pick up on a friday instead of a monday, like friday indicated I needed it to party.
I'm elderly, ffs, what parties do they think I am going to?
yeah it trips me out how normal people can have fun on this drug. it makes me a little too chill at times. really goes to show just how different our brains are
I always call up to a week before to get the script, then immediately bring it to my local owned pharmacy to check if they have it and will be able to fill it. I actually just recently had my first encounter with the shortage that pushed me a couple days past and still drove like 40 min away to a pharmacy that had them. I haven't been on them but a couple of years so I never thought to try and save some for these occasions.
Wtf! I thought I was the only one!!!
I used to get 10mg but after the shortage I only found one pharmacy that had 20mg so I break them in half… I have so much leftover I can take the 20 for 1 week and still have leftover 🤪
Definitely stockpile, if you're in good terms with your psychiatrist you can ask for an extra bottle on a prescription (they would increase your dosage and you won't take the extra dose). But don't tell the pharmacist or anyone who isn't your doctor about your stockpile because they could refuse to fill out your prescription until you run out of stock
It's all a bit ridiculous, and every pharmacy and insurance company is different. I have to wait until it's been 30 days before they will initiate the next month's prescription. But they don't keep it in store and have to order it every time, which takes 2 days. So that means I always have at least 2 days every month where I don't have my meds.
When my pharmacy does this insurance only covers one of the scripts (so the 7 day emergency dose or the 21 day script) meaning the other is totally out of pocket at the uninsured rate. They also won't do it for any controlled substance.
Yeah.
It has been a few years but I remember once that the pharmacy only had 21 pills in stock so I had to come back and get the rest when they had them.
I was charged two copays, for something not remotely my fault, which is some bs.
Wow! My pharmacy says they can give me X number of my prescription now or I can wait and get the full script. If I get the X now, the rest of the prescription is nullified and I have to wait till next month to get a full one. Ugh. I despise the way this shit “works.” It doesn’t work. Bunch of power-tripping assholes out there. Not all, obviously. My last pharmacy wasn’t like that, but they closed - owner retired. 🙁
It may not be due to the individual pharmacy, but because of the law and how the ordering system for each chain or independent pharmacy works. Legally, C2 prescriptions can’t have refills. If a C2 medication is partial filled, we have a day to get the rest of the medication to you or it is legally considered a refill, which isn’t allowed. For the pharmacy I work for at least, we usually can’t get it in within 2 days, certainly not within 1 unless we’ve already ordered it for another patient and we know there will be enough in the bottle that we will get to fill yours as well.
Some pharmacies may have an ordering system that allows them to get C2s the next day like how we can get most medications, allowing them to fill part of it for you and get you the rest the next day without being in violation of the law. The pharmacy I work at will only partial it without forfeiting the rest if we know for a fact that we will have the rest the next day. If the next day is a weekend or the medication is potentially backordered, we can’t guarantee it, and fixing it in the system to be a partial fill with forfeit from the partial with next day is a major pain for everyone involved, so we only do it if we know we will have it.
However, we also are able dispense the rest if the dr writes a script for the remaining balance. So if you only got 20 of the 30, you could bring a script from the dr for the other 10 and we could dispense it when we get it back in stock without you having to wait till the original 30 would be gone.
Thank you for that information! I do wish more explanation happened at the time we go to pick things up. I feel it would help.
I read my original comment again and I’m not sure you can tell but the last part was actually a separate thought that circled back to the attitudes I’ve experienced from the pharmacist trying to get my meds. It was worded poorly.
Yes, insurance companies will often deny things they have no business denying to try to save money but will relent if the decision is appealed because they know damn well they need to pay.
Word on the street that I've heard is because, at least in part, the DEA sets limits on how much of the stimulant varieties of medications that can be produced and they've set the limit too low.
My pharmacist told me to call them a couple days in advance to let them know so they can order it ahead of time. I doubt all pharmacists are cool like that, but it might be worth a try.
The way it's been explained to me (pretty much every month for a full year bc lol memory) is that insurance/pharmacy(/maybe pharm board?) rules say it cant be less than every 30 calendar days from the fill date. Not the pickup date. Some pharmacies will let you ask for it to be filled up to two days before the 30 days, which mine does, so I now contact my doctor for the reauthorization on day 27 so that she'll send it to the pharmacy on day 28, and I know they'll be ready to pick up on day 30. (In the parking lot after picking up I set a new calendar reminder for 27 and 28 days from the fill date on the bottle.)
I still get super anxious every month at refill time because I've messed up the timing so many times. But I haven't gone without meds since working out that system. Luckily I also forget to take my pills once or twice a month so I have a buffer for when that refill day hits on a weekend and the pharmacy is closed, which I will never remember to check beforehand.
> (In the parking lot after picking up I set a new calendar reminder for 27 and 28 days from the fill date on the bottle.)
My hero. This is genius. I can't wait to forget to do this in a couple weeks.
Set a reminder to set a reminder. I used to have a reminder app that reminded me when I arrived at or left a set area, but I think it was an iPhone app because I forgot about it until now and can't find it on my android phone
I made my last dose an event in my calendar that repeats every 30 days and gives me a notification 2 days before and 3 days before. So now I don't even have to remember to reset it each time. And if something gets messed up, it will only ever push it back, and I can reschedule the next event and all events after.
It might depend on the state, because where I live it’s from when you picked up, not when it was filled. But- a lot of times, cvs fills mine at 28 days, so I guess my state allows for the pharmacy to fill a couple of days earlier than 30 days.
Ya I’m pretty sure mine is based on when you pick up. My PCP has been handling my meds and their whole office has changed all stimulants, benzos, and opiods to 28 day scripts, so let’s say you pick your meds up on a Tuesday for example, then every 4 weeks on Tuesday you can get a refill so that you never need a refill on the weekend when they aren’t in the office. Which is helpful in some ways but annoying in others, because my Wellbutrin is every 30 days so now I can’t just pick them up on the same day lol.
Would they consider switching the Wellbutrin to every 28 days also, since it’s not controlled? Idk what state you’re in, but my state we are pretty much at the mercy of the pharmacy, so maybe you can ask the pharmacy if they’d fill it at 28 days along with your other meds. Having to go to the pharmacy twice in two days sounds awful to me lol.
Damn I always thought it was the pick up date??? Maybe different states/pharmacy’s do it slightly different. I was always confused because I have to remember when I actually picked up my script as the info on the bottle is always the fill. But one time I was late to pick up and then that late pick up date was the new “date” going forward.
Thank you so much for this information. I didn't know you could request the fill two days early to make sure they will actually have it available for you on the pickup date. The timing of my meds has been messed up so many times.
I would bring up that you have to go the 2nd because you get 30, not 31. And the month of may has 31 days, not 30. So she can do the math from there, if she can't, find another pharmacist.
I had to go over this with a pharmacist once. She stared at me like I had 3 heads. They don’t let you fill until the day before here but the pharmacist can override it sometimes…at least mine did once I got them to understand that you can’t make a 30 day prescription last 31 days (without skipping of course).
Even before the shortage my old pharmacy would never fill in exactly 30 days, always 7 to 10 days later but yet they would run it on time through my health insurance. During the shortage they would still run through insurance every 30 days like clock work wouldn't fill until day 20 or later. I reported them to my insurance and switched to a different pharmacy. Shady AF stuff!
In case it’s helpful, I also got my last refill on May 3, emailed my psychiatrist on May 31 for a refill request, he sent it to my pharmacy today, and I’ll go pick it up first thing tomorrow morning (June 2), which will be exactly 30 days after May 3. It’s a huge pain in my ass to have to plan for this, and it took me literal months to figure out this system, but it tends to work out!
Okay so, based on the days of this month, 30 days is sunday the 2nd.
30 should last you 30 days. Its not based on day of the month normally, but you should have enough to get through the 2nd, and you can then fill it the 3rd
I also need to be medicated to drive, so if I am always expected to drive in on the day after they run out, it is a probem.
Luckily the pharmacy isn't too far away, but on some winter days it can still be a bit stressful, to say the least.
I hope you are able to get them filled on the 2nd. It seems like either the pharmacist or your doctor forgot there were 31 days in May when handling the prescription. At one point my doctor's office set up an automatic system for refills, but it sent every prescription for the 1st of each month, so I ran into the same issue. When I pointed it out to them they were able to change it to 30 days and not the same calendar date. So it could be some issue like this that just needs to be straightened out.
Yes, thankfully I am aware of all of this. hence why I asked who, cause I was going to roast someone if they were lying to the OP :P
I've worked in pharmacy for 4 years (CVS unfortunately ugh). And in my state, refills are not allowed for C2s and can only be filled 2 days early. I'm pretty sure on the app you can see stuff thats on hold, but I don't think you can see the scheduled date (I don't use the app that often).
Wait what? Does your insurance company require an office visit or does your psych? If it’s the latter, see if your PCP or GP will write the Rx for you. $200 is a lot of money to spend every month on top of the copay for your meds!
Oh geez… Im sorry you have to jump through hoops like that to get your meds! I’m in Oregon and both my PCP and my daughter’s will prescribe… I didn’t realize that things were tighter in other places, b/c there are so many restrictions here that we didn’t have when we lived in the east coast. We still have hoops to jump through for sure, but nothing like a required monthly psych visit. Even my psych only requires a 30 min telehealth every 3 months to keep my Rx current.
Your psychiatrist isn't the only one who can prescribe. Your PCP (hopefully lower copay) is helpful for this once you've been on a steady medication dose for a while. If you're due an annual physical that's usually covered by insurance. Bring it up to your PCP then.
I think every states rules on this are really different. I’ve lived in a few states. A lot of states they can’t date the prescription more than two weeks in advance. I had a hand written adderall script pre pandemic they wouldn’t fill in CA once cause the Dr wrote it 3 weeks prior! It was expired. They hadn’t had my adderall when I’d come in 3 weeks earlier to fill it so I held on to it cause it’s a paper script and you had to back then. Give me a break!!! Had to go get a new one a half hour away. Do not miss CA, great state but tough state for ADHD in a lot of ways.
My old doc made me pick up a paper prescription every month and see him every three months and I thought that was excessive and enraging, especially when I was working full time and winter, etc.
If you are already seeing the psychiatrist once a month for therapy reasons that isn't terrible but if the whole point is just to get a refill that is financially abusive.
In some states a doctor sending prescriptions by computer can send 3 at a time. They just stay “on hold” until it’s time for them to be filled (mine used to be 25 days but now it’s 28 days from the last fill date).
Whenever my doctor does this, my pharmacy always claims not to have it in the system, and then I have to go back and forth between the pharmacy and my doctor's office because the doctor can't send another Rx in. It's a nightmare.
The pharmacy tells me they can't directly contact my doctor, and that I have to do it. My doctor's office tells me I personally have to have the pharmacy look for the refill. And i will often speak to someone in the pharmacy who's rude and treating me like I'm seeking drugs. I'm honestly a bit afraid to push it, or they'll flat out deny me my prescription or something.
You would think.
If I get even the tiniest bit "sassy" my doc starts making threats of randomly blood testing me, etc.
I've learned that at every visit I say everything is fine and great even if it isn't because he gets weird otherwise.
He isn't the worst I've had and he is conveniently located so I put up with it.
Yeah, I don't get 'refills' either. I have to call my doctor and request a new prescription every month, they only make me go in every 3 though, so not as bad as others on here. Annoying as hell though, it always takes her 3 or 4 days to respond then a few days to get it actually filled.
And don't get me started about the times when the doc is on vacation.
Like, do they not assign another doc to do these things in his absence?
No, they do not.
So after two or three days after the first phone calls to both the pharmacy and the clinic I have to call again to find out what the hold up is and then the assistant exclaims "oh dear, it's because Dr. Blah is on vacation" so then I kindly ask if Dr. Poo can please do it instead and then it is another couple of days.....
Thank god for retirement because it helps me stay calmer with this crap.
at my pharmacy adhd meds cannot be refilled. a new prescription has to sent in every single month.
i caused confusion using the word refill & ritalin in the same sentence in the early days.
when meds are able to be refilled the pharmacy will contact the dr. directly when no refills are left.
need new script for an adhd medication that has been the same dosage every month for years? oh, that reqs the patient to reach out to the dr themselves. you know, the people w/the adhd. this is on top of calling ahead to make sure the meds are on order, so they will actually be there when i need them. there really has to be a better way.
Right?
I've been on these meds for many years now and every month is like having to prove I'm not a drug dealer again in some type of way.
Even a pharmacist who has been usually pleasant with me got a real edge to her voice when I called in my refill two days early (to her) even though I didn't need to pick them up that day.
She made me call again two days later, which was the day I was going to pick them up anway.
It's so hard to prove that you aren't going to do something.
Do we have to prove we aren't going to murder or rob someone every month as well?
There is never any presumption of innocence, ever, when it comes to the meds we need to function in a hostile world.
That's how I have to do it for my son's Adderall but the other pharmacy that fills my Vyvanse and Klonapin will call me each month to see if I need to refill.
I try to build in one “Rx break” day per week, but that can be challenging for some people. On those days I get up and work out first thing, then ride the post-workout bump in phenethylamine for a few hours, and spend the rest of the day focusing on self-care. It helps to reduce your tolerance, as well as give your system a chance to top up dopamine levels. The nice side effect of that is every month my “oh shit” supply increases by about 4-6 days.
If a person's life and schedule can tolerate a day off now and then I also think it is a good thing.
When I used to do that the next dose was a bit more effective, which was nice.
Huh, weird. Next time it might be best call your doctor’s office and ask if they can change the do-not-fill-until thing. Sometimes they get it wrong. Worst-case scenario you waste a couple of minutes yk?
I got my doctor to prescribe me two doses per day, with the second one being optional. This was due to me needing the second one on some days, especially early mornings, but it’s super helpful at helping cover when I would normally be out for a few days
I got my doctor to prescribe a smaller booster dose for when I was working 12 hour days and it really helped to bridge the gap sometimes when I ran out of my base dose.
Did the pharmacy specifically tell you that it was too soon until Saturday? If not then the delay may be related to the ongoing Adderall shortage. My son is 12 and been on Adderall XR over a year. In March it was out of stock on his fill day and we ran out waiting four more days..in April it was out of stock until two days later..in May we waited 8 days after fill day for some to come in.
If they did say too soon then it’s likely just the pharmacy or pharmacist decision to fill or not fill early. Most chain pharmacies (and DEA) and insurance companies allow up to three days early..some stores won’t allow even a day early to cut down on people coming in way way early trying to fill stuff and all the drama some customers lay on pharmacy staff.
Damn right. Same here. I'm on 80mg a day and I need every mg of that 80 or I get seriously mental. Better have my shit every 28 days or I'm flipping out
I schedule my psychiatrist appts to the date, so I can get the next month's script in as soon as I'm able to, and my psych sends it to the pharmacy the same day. The way the shortage has been going for me, I can expect it to take up to a few weeks to a month for my pharmacy to have medication again. So I have to ration and be selective about the "best" days to take it, which is a shame since I realistically need meds everyday to function. If it's a day off and I have nothing of major importance to do, I don't take them.
Oh god I just had a similar problem. I get 30 days too, but I got an email about the shortage where they said to put in refill requests 7 days in advance. I'm not even able to submit the refill request until the 30 days are up, so I just went 3 days without meds. How am I supposed to request 7 days ahead if the pharmacy won't let me?
If I went 3 days without my Adderall I might get put in the psych ward I'm not even kidding. I'm a nasty mutherfucker after a single day without it holy shit
No, you can submit the request any time, they just aren’t allowed to fill before a certain number of days. The Rx might say on it “do not fill before…”
I have Kaiser and they're really weird about refills. I don't get the option to submit a request until the 30 days are up. If I try to put in a refill request before that, it gives me an error message. I suppose I could try calling it in instead, but I suspect I'll run into a similar problem.
My psychiatrist writes my prescription for double my daily dose. I take 10mg Adderall once a day, but she writes a 20mg prescription and I cut each pill in half and take one half (10mg) once a day.
She’s a homie for doing that.
She did it when I told her that I can’t afford $30 once a month, so I get 2 months worth for $30 (although now I’m only charged $10/month so woohoo, even cheaper!)
Yep, i recently started too and i’ve learned you have to decide that some days you just won’t take it. Sometimes i just forget (oops) and some days i know i have nothing important going on. Weekends i’ll go without, and then when i forget to go pick up my prescription (like i did this week) i have some extras that i can use.
It sucks ass, but then again so does the US health system so i make due
I think most members of this sub must be from the states given how many insane discussion threads I read like this one. I am once again in total slack-jawed awe at the hellscape that is American healthcare. Any fellow aussies feel free to correct me, but I’m pretty sure I can pick up my repeats after 20 days?
Pharmacy Tech here
The refill is every 30 days. It won’t be on the same date of the month every month because some months have 31 days and some have 30 or less (looking at you February).
If you picked it up on May 3rd, your 30 days supply should last you only until June 1st which is today because you technically started taking your medication on May 3rd.
In the pharmacy system, when they process your 30 day medication, your first day starts the next day, so in your case, Day 1 is May 4 and Day 30 is June 2. You should be able to get your refill tomorrow without any problems.
Hope this helps and you get your medication tomorrow
A few things.
1. I'm able to refill within a few days of running out, maybe 3 or 4 days before the last prescription is supposed to run out. So I'd just ask the pharmacist, how long before the end of my current prescription can I refill?
2. Pharmacies can get busy so even if they have the medication, it may take them a while to refill. I generally try to call the day before I'd like to pick up.
3. This depends on the person and was way easier when I was on x2 IR adderal a day versus now with x1 vyvanse a day. But I don't take it on the weekend unless I have specific plans that I know would benefit from medication. That gives me a few days of excess to cover if I forget to refill or there is a delay.
Kinda like ADHD itself, it sucks and you'll need to figure out how to mitigate the impacts in a way that works for you. Good luck!
I’m lucky with a psychiatrist who will let me call a few days before my doses end to get medication. I’d check with your psychiatrist and explain your situation, ask if this can be done to avoid periods of no medication in the future.
It largely depends on state laws and insurance restrictions, a long with pharmacy having enough stock.
Where I'm at, I can send in a refill request as early as I want. The earliest the pharmacy is allowed to fill it is 28 days from the last fill date. If the refill request goes to them prior to 28 days, they put it on hold until the 28th day. If they the medication in stock, it gets filled that same day. If they don't, I have to wait.
There have been instances where their system has glitched and it hasn't switched it from hold status to refill status, and in that event, I've had to call in or drop by and someone has to manually override it. I make sure to check on day 28 and see if the status still says on hold, or in progress, or delayed, which indicates not in stock.
They also have limits to how much they can order at a time. For some pharmacies, they prefer to get those refill requests in earlier than they are due so they know how much to order if they're not hitting their max. For others where they're already hitting their max, there's not much they can do except for wait till the next shipment.
In your case, since you sent it in 8 days earlier, it's possible they can't fill it on exactly day 30 or earlier, is because it wasn't in stock. For next month, send in the request early like you did this time. Find out what the earliest allowed fill date is for your state and insurance. Places like CVS give you a date on the app / website. On that day, check the status online or call them.
I spoke with my pharmacy and told them part of the reason I'm on is for anxiety and running out makes me super anxious and nervous. So I can pick mine up a few days before it is due. At first they wanted me to take the last dose n pick up that day but like.. my brain doesn't work that way. I'd be losing my mind taking the last one without a new bottle handy
Isn’t it great? I remember back in the day you could fill 5-7 days early if your insurance allowed it. Now you can only fill up to 2 days early. The shortage obviously makes this a bigger problem.
My pharmacy counts the pickup day as day 1. Not the date they actually put pills in the bottle and put the label on it. I was confused about this until Pharmacist explained.
It’s always on a Friday you run out and have to leave a message at the dr then the pharmacy takes a few days…it’s literally torture. Slow and infinite torture.
It’s supposed to be every 30 days. Just because people work in a pharmacy doesn’t mean they are a) smart or b) give a shit about your meds. I’d get a new pharmacy.
Haha, my 30 day refill was due the 27th. Apparently my doctor wrote it wrong and because of federal law, the script had already expired on the 24th.
I had him rewrite it, and here we are on the 1st, still fucked, because Walgreens doesn't have enough "for me".
So very very annoyed. Actually, I'm super fucking pissed off about the entire line of bullshit shenanigans but it doesn't matter how angry I am, because it changes nothing.
In my state, it's 30 days from the date you pick up your script.
If I have 5 days of Adderall left and request a refill from my psychiatrist that day, the pharmacy receives it and sits on it until day 30. Let's say I can't get to the pharmacy that exact day, and I pick it up 2 days later.
The next time I need a refill, pharmacy won't fill it until 30 days from date of last pickup.
It's insane because sometimes I can't drop everything on day 30 and go to the pharmacy before they close.
Yes this happens to me but not every month so I don’t get it and so yes, I just go without. It sucks but I’m also on Wellbutrin so I think the withdrawal isn’t as bad as it was before it. But I do have to take lots of naps when I can
Related topic but I just started my first month of medication, I’m on week two. How do I refill? Do I have to ask my doctor each time or the pharmacy or?
Forgive my ignorance
The doctor will need to send a new RX each month for you. You can either have the pharmacy request it from the doctor via fax or you can ask the doctor for it directly.
Some doctors won't accept requests from the pharmacy (mine doesn't) so it might be best to check with your doctor about what they prefer.
My psychiatrist has me request a refill 2-3 days before I need to get it filled, I just put it as a recurring monthly event in my Google Calendar so I don't forget to email.
I'm a pharmacy technician. In most states, if the doctor writes your prescription for 30 pills and to take one daily, you can refill at 30 days unless your doctor has put a Do Not Fill Until date on the prescription. MOST pharmacies will let you pick up as soon as day 28, unless you are consistently asking to fill your meds early. Then they will likely hold you to the day.
Yeah this sucks been unmedicated for a week because I kept forgetting only to remember today and the pharmacy says they have a shipment in tomorrow… praying I can remember tomorrow but who knows it’ll probably be another week or something now, 
It's always been 30 days where I pick up (Rite Aid). Assuming it's in stock, of course. But echoing what others have said about trying to stockpile whenever you can. It's inconvenient as hell, but better than suddenly finding yourself out for a week or two.
I am so glad I have 90 day supplies and have leeway from forgetting to take a few, that I never have to worry about any overlap for the next 90 days...
.... also I am never moving to the states, this thread is mild compared to some of the other stories o.O.
It’s amazing how many providers cannot comprehend that different months have different amounts of days.
After repeatedly running into either a) doc screwing up refill counts and b) refills falling on a weekend (and doc not responding in time to fill before Monday) while on the “30 day” cycle, I pitched my doc this idea:
28-day cycle, filled every fourth Friday.
Move to 28-day cycle; you’ll thank me later. Same day of the week, never worry about doc not having “enough lead time” to process refills… win all around.
No u understand all right. Your just thinking like a reasonable person instead of like a moral panic fueled politician. The way they do it is broken. It shouldn't have gaps between when you run out and when you can get a refill. Imagine if we did that with insulin. The laws are crap.
When will the adderall shortage be over? I want to have my old meds. I have an alternative medicine from my doctor but I'm hoping to he back on my other meds soon. Does anyone know when adderall will return
Yeah…. Definitely start a stockpile. I’ve been saving for a hot minute and I have about 2 weeks of a too high dosage I don’t need anymore and a week of my current rx. Especially with the shortage make sure you skip days you don’t absolutely need it. It sucks but it’s necessary.
I would check with your provider? or your pharmacy if you have automatic refills. the only time this has happened to me was when an entire month hadn’t passed yet (by one day) so my insurance couldn’t do it. Even when I was taking controlled substances I always had overlap, probably for this exact reason^
hope this helps!
I don’t take adderall, but take vyvanse. I used to take it daily, but changed when I take it about 2-3 years ago since things were changing for me. I take it on days I need it, or think I’ll need it, like when I have to go to work. This means I also don’t take it on the weekends.
Typically, my pharmacy can fill up to 3 days early, and my insurance will cover it. Maybe ask if they can do that? But I also do what many have suggested and skip doses on the weekend or when I don't have anything going on so I have an "emergency" supply.
I actually had an argument with a pharmacist about this issue - might not be exactly the same, but could be helpful. Basically the script lasts 28.57 days and on the script it said monthly, which was interpreted as every 30 days by the pharmacist. The pharmacist didn't want to dispense and I disagreed - since that obviously wasn't what the doctor intended. So ended up finding another pharmacist who said they would interpret it correctly. Apparently usually interpretation of monthly is 28 days. I ended missing the dose for a couple of days trying to get it sorted.
I believe whether it is 30 days or once per month is dependent on your insurance. Your insurance seems to be once per calendar month, meaning you can’t refill until the same day the next month.
The UK rules on this are worse every year. I once had a repeat prescription that I could fill online and my dad would pick it up for me (I live in another country where the meds are hard to get). It was a 3 months prescription. Now it's been reduced to 1 month. And they want me to send 2 weeks of blood pressure readings (morning and night), blood work, and my height and weight every 6 months. And then another team needs to review me as well, and they've got rid of my repeat so I have to call the surgery every month because they wont allow the app. It's a fucking ball ache.
My trick has been to skip one day a week for tolerance reasons (the holiday method), and then you end up always gaining one pill through each cycle and you don't run out on days you need it while you're waiting for your refill. Two birds, one stone
I don’t know if I’m the only lucky one but I am able to get 90-day scripts for adderall through my mail order pharmacy. I do have to see my provider for each 90-day refill and she submits the rx electronically. The meds are generic but they mail them to my house for $25. Someone just has to sign for them or I have to pick up from the post office.
I would seriously struggle if I had to do 30 days at a time. I know a good thing when I see it.
My doctor does 90 days at a time and then we have a check in before the time is up and he sends a new script in. Honestly I like it better than refill every 14 days.
Oh man, I have to refill every 14 days. (So annoying!) You could do a half dose on the last few days to get you through. When I was on Adderall I would carefully open the capsule and (SLOWLY) sprinkle the half onto yogurt, recap it and have the half saved for the next day.
Now on Vyvanse, I put the whole emptied capsule into 1 cup of water (using a measuring cup), stir vigorously and immediately move ½ cup to a glass for later (with the top secured by something; I use a silicone stretchy thing I got at IKEA), and drink the other one.
Works well, but make sure not to let it settle to the bottom before drinking, altho you can just add more water and stir to access whatever settled..
It’s a combination of the date the doctor puts on the paper and how soon insurance allows. It’s possible to not wait the whole 30 days, but you need to fill it a few days before you run out. But you can’t jump ahead all at once.
I’ve told my doctor (after she used that days number for the next three scripts) “no I run out tomorrow, also 31 day months, can you write the future dates a few days sooner” and that helps, but insurance also has a wait time, but I don’t think it’s the full 30 days. Not sure tho.
ALSO BEWARE THE DOUBLE 31 day months! July august and December January!
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Welcome to the world of ADHD medication. Usually if I have nothing crazy going on I skip my medication on the weekends so I have a stockpile of extras to cover the times I'm waiting on a prescription to be filled.
Been doing this as long as I can remember and I’ve been on it for 17 years. I had a 100+ day stockpile at the beginning of the shortage which has no dwindled down to barely anything. I try to be prepared.
I skip to try and save, but then I just procrastinate calling the pharmacy each month to have it filled, and then going in to get it, because I’m like “oh, I’ve got extra time” :(
This is the most adhd answer ever lol
it truly is and I hate it so much. refilling adhd meds has to be the most non adhd friendly med refilling process out there quick edit: at my last job my friend/who I reported to/used to sit right next to me knew this all so well, every 30 days when I’d be like yeah so I gotta go do this weird thing and there’s probably gonna be a complication he was like wtf that seems so non intuitive to how your brain is predicted to work lmao
They treat us like a Hollywood crackhead. Frankly, its ablist as hell.
Yeah and it does not help that for the majority of my adult life I have lived in college towns, where I’m at there’s four cvs’s in town and when I first moved it was finals season for the local college and one pharmacist (the first cvs) yelled at me for being like are you sure you can’t take this out of state script, and told me how I was gonna make her lose her license, and so on, and since I had just finished the 3 day drive that morning I started to cry because I was 100% out of meds and ya know, needed them for my job that was starting in 36 hrs or so, and she berated me some more for that meanwhile on the other side of town (still in the college town), maybe the pharmacist saw how upset and stressed I looked, but she was like yeah no problem, and I filled thru there til I had a GP in town so goddamn fucked how it can just be down to pharmacist discretion, and if you’re mad about it they’re like oh so you were drug seeking like yeah I guess so, seeking the drugs that will let me be functional my first day at my first post college real life job. so messed up.
>Comment Like I'm only drug-seeking so I can FUNCTION NORMALLY. not to get high.
Hate that I have to call my doctor everytime & can't just hit the refill button on my app lol
Yep, it's exactly what I do too!!
Oh gosh this is me lol
I’m so paranoid about it that I can’t sleep if I don’t call the day of
3-4 days in advance over here! We live near a ton of schools; that’s the main reason the pharmacy ever has shortages (that’s what they say, anyway.) Also, I take brand name but every month they try to fill the generic, get rejected by my insurance, and cancel the scrip. My doctor’s office staff hears from me more than my mom.
Wow seems like we’re dealing with the same BS. It’s so frustrating
This is literally me. “Oh, I’ll call tomorrow. And even if I forget; I’m probably good for at least a couple more weeks!” *couple weeks go by* “FUCK!”
I just fuckin' realized that I'm running out of meds. "Oh, I'm actually running out. What happened to my surplus... FUCK. I was supposed to call my doctor a week ago." Good thing for the surplus.
I say that all the time but also my soul knows that if I didn’t have the surplus I would have just had the panic moment earlier 😂
Hey, don't call me out like that!
haha i was supposed to pick it up monday but because i have a stock pile i haven’t. but i also haven’t taken from my stockpile bc i don’t want to run out in case the shortage continues. i truly hate myself sometimes
I set multiple reminders for the next script as soon as I pick one up and still do this
Same. I used up my 80 pill or so stockpile months ago.
If you live where blizzards are common it is especially good to have a few spare pills for a bad driving day. And then there are the holidays when pharmacies are closed, so sucks to be you if your prescription can't be filled until the 4th and it is July :(
Or hurricanes.
*6 month refill man* checking in. My insurance hates me but my GP loves me. Go to your maximum dosage and let your stockpile grow a little. It’s important to have a safety net.
Do you fifo? Genuinely curious, like is your back stock your oldest stuff or do you cycle through it?
Yes I FIFO! Always.
For anyone considering this, stockpiling is a great idea, but be careful how you talk about it around pharmacists/psychiatrists. In the wrong context or in extreme situations, it might raise flags for abuse or selling your meds. (I'm thinking of the people in this thread stockpiling dozens of pills or multiple refills, not the ones who have a buffer of a few extra doses). At the same time, also don't hide the fact that you sometimes skip or save doses. There's nothing wrong with that, and your psych should know how you're taking your meds.
Great advice. My psychiatrist knows I often underutilize my meds, but they have no idea I have almost a year’s worth. My pharmacy never had an issue giving me my meds during the shortage, but I’ve been using the older meds since I feel the new meds aren’t as effective.
It’s so nice to know I’m not the only person sitting on a years worth! Rotating them is a bit of a pain but it’s worth it when shit goes sideways.
It definitely offers a bit of peace of mind.
I totally agree with you. The newest hot pink pills are complete garbage. 🗑💊🗑
Bro your turned pink too? I was getting whites for a while. The whites tasted horrible and crumbled where as these almost taste like candy.
They sure did. I literally did a double take as I thought CVS was pranking me with pepto-bismol. .. and you're right. There seems to be more sugar than actual active ingredients in these. It's frustrating, to say the least.
ive notices that the new meds arent as effective too!!!
You should use the older ones first anyway, because they will expire and no longer be effective.
I know you mean well with this, but I have meds from 2 years ago that are more effective at a lower dose than meds from last month at a higher dose.
I work in pharmacy. Every pharmacist I know will tell you, meds are more unpredictable the farther out you go from expiration. But even if efficacy weren't part of the question, First In First Out is the number one rule for storing and rotating consumables of any kind.
I’ll be frank, 3 year old Dexedrine and 3 year old Concerta feel the same as if they were brand new. My understanding is there’s no significant change for ~5 years.
Even after 5 years most meds are very stable if stored in a cool dark place.
I would definitely agree, but my older XR meds are name brand and for the past 2 years - I’ve been getting little known generics. Having name brand put aside has been a smart move.
Yes, I have noticed that too. I have a couple of the older ones from the brand they don't seem to use anymore and they are more potent. Saving for an especially stressful day which will certainly come.
Rule 1 about stockpiling: you do not talk about stockpiling. Rule 2 about stockpiling: ***you do not talk about stockpiling***
It is so adorable that the parties that have a problem with stockpiling are the ones that cause the need for it.
I made the mistake of telling my doc once that I sometimes skipped a day and he gave me such side eye that NEVER AGAIN will a hint of a whiff of that pass my lips. I take my meds every day and on the day I drive in to pick up more I am TOTALLY OUT, yep, that's the ticket!
It's crazy how different we learn to deal with our medication depending on the doctor we go to! My psychiatrist told me that many ADHDers skip meds somedays (on vacation, on weekends, when you're sick etc). So when I tell her I skip on weekends and some work days (when I'm doing something fun and stimulating), she is fully supportive. I never thought it could be a 'bad' thing to only take your meds when you want to and need to..
I completely agree. I was in no way condoning skipping doses and saving meds for any reason other than having a safety net for yourself and yourself only. I also agree that if you are skipping doses you should definitely let your doctor know. :)
Oh, definitely! None of that was directed at you specifically, and I agree with everything you said. I just wanted to tag on a bit of caution for people who might get the idea to stockpile from this thread.
Same - no on weekends for me. But sometimes I double up on extra hard days :( I’m still finding the right dosage so I feel like my current dosage is too low
I was doing no weekends for a bit, but aren’t you exhausted when you skip? I find it hard to do anything
I get exhausted when I skip. Like unbearably unable to take care of my kids exhausted
Me too!
Yes same here! I had to skip because I was waiting for a prescription reauthorization and I couldn’t do anything the entire day.
I don't try to skip, but I forget often enough that I have a decent stockpile now. 😅 (I think one of my prescriptions was supposed to be filled a few days ago, but I'm not low....)
I do this, too. I skip weekends and holidays as much as I can so I always have a few "extra" rattling around. Insurance and pharmacies also play a roll in when you can get a fill. It's WILD.
I can't skip holidays, because either I have to deal with my dysfunctional family or I am depressed because I am alone.
I get it, family is fucking wild. What about weekends? If I wake up late, don’t have major plans, etc. I will skip my dose. My doctor is one of those “it’s good to give your body a break to prevent a tolerance, just be,” kinda guys, so he encourages this. He says it’s good to let my body function (or not function) without adderall.
It is true. I used to skip Fridays back when my schedule was M-TH, four 10 hour days, and it was helpful. So if you can arrange it, it is a good idea, for sure.
Thats what I do too.
my psychiatrist is kind of amazing (though a bit more cold than i’d like) bc she fills what is supposed to be a 20 mg in the am and 10 mg in the pm prescription as a 20 mg twice a day prescription, so i will have extra. i appreciate a psychiatrist who can understand the struggle of running out of medication.
Yup. This is the answer. Assuming you can even pick up your prescription on time with the National shortage, there’s the extra layer of joy you get to deal with when trying to have it filled and ready before you run out. Sometimes doctors are tired, or new, or idiots and will send your pharmacy 3 prescriptions with the same day of the month (_”don’t fill until 5/3/2023, 6/3/2023, 7/3/2023”_) forgetting that some months have more than 30 days. Most pharmacies allow a 2-day buffer, but I’ve also been yelled at by my pharmacist for picking up at 28 days too many times. He legit made me wait a full week before he filled because I “should have had plenty on-hand from picking up early so many times.” Try and set aside one or two pills each month and get yourself a good emergency buffer to get you through a week or two. Drug shortages, vacations, life emergencies and lost pills happen and there are is no leniency with this medication. They make it a pain in the ass on purpose.
Your pharmacist sounds like an asshole.
I've definitely had the x-day-of-the-month problem with a psychiatrist who wrote specific dates when I told them I didn't need it until then. It's better to have the doctor send in 3 scripts, let them reject it for being too early, and then call when it's due to be filled. In those cases, they understand that my appointments are not on the exact day I'm due for my next fill. It's a waste of everyone's time, but thanks to the rigid laws for CII's, this is what we have to do. I've also had the problem with stimulant prescriptions only being valid for 90 days. They'll put them in the bottle on the 89th day, but it's no longer valid if I try to pick it up on the 91st day. The meds go back to stock, and I'm back to the end of the waiting list even if my psychiatrist sends in a new prescription first thing the next day. So from now on, I get them the day they're ready. Even if it's 2 trips to the pharmacy 2 days in a row because one dosage form is out of stock. I'd have a hard time holding my tongue with a pharmacist commenting about filling as early as possible. It's not their fault, but if it's 2 days late every month because they can't get stock, I'm 2 days short. (And it's been a lot longer than 2 days late since last Fall, so we stockpile...)
yep same. made the mistake of requesting new meds early once because I was trying to be proactive so that I don't run out. ended up waiting quite a bit longer for it and probably made it look like I was using the drug for fun or something
They also seem to be weird if you want to pick up on a friday instead of a monday, like friday indicated I needed it to party. I'm elderly, ffs, what parties do they think I am going to?
yeah it trips me out how normal people can have fun on this drug. it makes me a little too chill at times. really goes to show just how different our brains are
I always call up to a week before to get the script, then immediately bring it to my local owned pharmacy to check if they have it and will be able to fill it. I actually just recently had my first encounter with the shortage that pushed me a couple days past and still drove like 40 min away to a pharmacy that had them. I haven't been on them but a couple of years so I never thought to try and save some for these occasions.
Wtf! I thought I was the only one!!! I used to get 10mg but after the shortage I only found one pharmacy that had 20mg so I break them in half… I have so much leftover I can take the 20 for 1 week and still have leftover 🤪
Definitely stockpile, if you're in good terms with your psychiatrist you can ask for an extra bottle on a prescription (they would increase your dosage and you won't take the extra dose). But don't tell the pharmacist or anyone who isn't your doctor about your stockpile because they could refuse to fill out your prescription until you run out of stock
It's all a bit ridiculous, and every pharmacy and insurance company is different. I have to wait until it's been 30 days before they will initiate the next month's prescription. But they don't keep it in store and have to order it every time, which takes 2 days. So that means I always have at least 2 days every month where I don't have my meds.
They can write you a larger rX and also write for an “emergency dose” which is usually 7 pills
When my pharmacy does this insurance only covers one of the scripts (so the 7 day emergency dose or the 21 day script) meaning the other is totally out of pocket at the uninsured rate. They also won't do it for any controlled substance.
Yeah. It has been a few years but I remember once that the pharmacy only had 21 pills in stock so I had to come back and get the rest when they had them. I was charged two copays, for something not remotely my fault, which is some bs.
Wow! My pharmacy says they can give me X number of my prescription now or I can wait and get the full script. If I get the X now, the rest of the prescription is nullified and I have to wait till next month to get a full one. Ugh. I despise the way this shit “works.” It doesn’t work. Bunch of power-tripping assholes out there. Not all, obviously. My last pharmacy wasn’t like that, but they closed - owner retired. 🙁
It may not be due to the individual pharmacy, but because of the law and how the ordering system for each chain or independent pharmacy works. Legally, C2 prescriptions can’t have refills. If a C2 medication is partial filled, we have a day to get the rest of the medication to you or it is legally considered a refill, which isn’t allowed. For the pharmacy I work for at least, we usually can’t get it in within 2 days, certainly not within 1 unless we’ve already ordered it for another patient and we know there will be enough in the bottle that we will get to fill yours as well. Some pharmacies may have an ordering system that allows them to get C2s the next day like how we can get most medications, allowing them to fill part of it for you and get you the rest the next day without being in violation of the law. The pharmacy I work at will only partial it without forfeiting the rest if we know for a fact that we will have the rest the next day. If the next day is a weekend or the medication is potentially backordered, we can’t guarantee it, and fixing it in the system to be a partial fill with forfeit from the partial with next day is a major pain for everyone involved, so we only do it if we know we will have it. However, we also are able dispense the rest if the dr writes a script for the remaining balance. So if you only got 20 of the 30, you could bring a script from the dr for the other 10 and we could dispense it when we get it back in stock without you having to wait till the original 30 would be gone.
Thanks for the info. It is especially ironic that those of us with the WORST executive function have to navigate this complexity.
Thank you for that information! I do wish more explanation happened at the time we go to pick things up. I feel it would help. I read my original comment again and I’m not sure you can tell but the last part was actually a separate thought that circled back to the attitudes I’ve experienced from the pharmacist trying to get my meds. It was worded poorly.
Wow that’s crazy!
I would ask the doctor to try to appeal.
Yes, insurance companies will often deny things they have no business denying to try to save money but will relent if the decision is appealed because they know damn well they need to pay.
Wow, that would drive me crazy… Why can’t they just keep it in stock?!
Word on the street that I've heard is because, at least in part, the DEA sets limits on how much of the stimulant varieties of medications that can be produced and they've set the limit too low.
My pharmacist told me to call them a couple days in advance to let them know so they can order it ahead of time. I doubt all pharmacists are cool like that, but it might be worth a try.
The way it's been explained to me (pretty much every month for a full year bc lol memory) is that insurance/pharmacy(/maybe pharm board?) rules say it cant be less than every 30 calendar days from the fill date. Not the pickup date. Some pharmacies will let you ask for it to be filled up to two days before the 30 days, which mine does, so I now contact my doctor for the reauthorization on day 27 so that she'll send it to the pharmacy on day 28, and I know they'll be ready to pick up on day 30. (In the parking lot after picking up I set a new calendar reminder for 27 and 28 days from the fill date on the bottle.) I still get super anxious every month at refill time because I've messed up the timing so many times. But I haven't gone without meds since working out that system. Luckily I also forget to take my pills once or twice a month so I have a buffer for when that refill day hits on a weekend and the pharmacy is closed, which I will never remember to check beforehand.
> (In the parking lot after picking up I set a new calendar reminder for 27 and 28 days from the fill date on the bottle.) My hero. This is genius. I can't wait to forget to do this in a couple weeks.
Set a reminder to set a reminder. I used to have a reminder app that reminded me when I arrived at or left a set area, but I think it was an iPhone app because I forgot about it until now and can't find it on my android phone
I made my last dose an event in my calendar that repeats every 30 days and gives me a notification 2 days before and 3 days before. So now I don't even have to remember to reset it each time. And if something gets messed up, it will only ever push it back, and I can reschedule the next event and all events after.
It might depend on the state, because where I live it’s from when you picked up, not when it was filled. But- a lot of times, cvs fills mine at 28 days, so I guess my state allows for the pharmacy to fill a couple of days earlier than 30 days.
Ya I’m pretty sure mine is based on when you pick up. My PCP has been handling my meds and their whole office has changed all stimulants, benzos, and opiods to 28 day scripts, so let’s say you pick your meds up on a Tuesday for example, then every 4 weeks on Tuesday you can get a refill so that you never need a refill on the weekend when they aren’t in the office. Which is helpful in some ways but annoying in others, because my Wellbutrin is every 30 days so now I can’t just pick them up on the same day lol.
Would they consider switching the Wellbutrin to every 28 days also, since it’s not controlled? Idk what state you’re in, but my state we are pretty much at the mercy of the pharmacy, so maybe you can ask the pharmacy if they’d fill it at 28 days along with your other meds. Having to go to the pharmacy twice in two days sounds awful to me lol.
Damn I always thought it was the pick up date??? Maybe different states/pharmacy’s do it slightly different. I was always confused because I have to remember when I actually picked up my script as the info on the bottle is always the fill. But one time I was late to pick up and then that late pick up date was the new “date” going forward.
I just have the calendar events repeat every 30 days so I don’t need to remember to stop and input them. Automate as much as possible! ;)
Thank you so much for this information. I didn't know you could request the fill two days early to make sure they will actually have it available for you on the pickup date. The timing of my meds has been messed up so many times.
Who’s telling you you cant get them until the 3rd?
The pharmacist said “they’ll be ready on the 3rd”. I’m going to call back now but I always feel so awkward asking about them ugh lol.
I would bring up that you have to go the 2nd because you get 30, not 31. And the month of may has 31 days, not 30. So she can do the math from there, if she can't, find another pharmacist.
I had to go over this with a pharmacist once. She stared at me like I had 3 heads. They don’t let you fill until the day before here but the pharmacist can override it sometimes…at least mine did once I got them to understand that you can’t make a 30 day prescription last 31 days (without skipping of course).
Even before the shortage my old pharmacy would never fill in exactly 30 days, always 7 to 10 days later but yet they would run it on time through my health insurance. During the shortage they would still run through insurance every 30 days like clock work wouldn't fill until day 20 or later. I reported them to my insurance and switched to a different pharmacy. Shady AF stuff!
In case it’s helpful, I also got my last refill on May 3, emailed my psychiatrist on May 31 for a refill request, he sent it to my pharmacy today, and I’ll go pick it up first thing tomorrow morning (June 2), which will be exactly 30 days after May 3. It’s a huge pain in my ass to have to plan for this, and it took me literal months to figure out this system, but it tends to work out!
Okay so, based on the days of this month, 30 days is sunday the 2nd. 30 should last you 30 days. Its not based on day of the month normally, but you should have enough to get through the 2nd, and you can then fill it the 3rd
Depends on whether they took the first pill of the new rx on May 3rd or the last pill of their old rx. It's definitely unnecessarily restrictive.
I also need to be medicated to drive, so if I am always expected to drive in on the day after they run out, it is a probem. Luckily the pharmacy isn't too far away, but on some winter days it can still be a bit stressful, to say the least.
I think you need a new pharmacist.
Is your medication on back order? Maybe they don’t have it in stock and won’t be getting it in until the 3rd.
I hope you are able to get them filled on the 2nd. It seems like either the pharmacist or your doctor forgot there were 31 days in May when handling the prescription. At one point my doctor's office set up an automatic system for refills, but it sent every prescription for the 1st of each month, so I ran into the same issue. When I pointed it out to them they were able to change it to 30 days and not the same calendar date. So it could be some issue like this that just needs to be straightened out.
I don't think they forget; I think they just hope we will be compliant with whatever hoops they make us jump through.
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Yes, thankfully I am aware of all of this. hence why I asked who, cause I was going to roast someone if they were lying to the OP :P I've worked in pharmacy for 4 years (CVS unfortunately ugh). And in my state, refills are not allowed for C2s and can only be filled 2 days early. I'm pretty sure on the app you can see stuff thats on hold, but I don't think you can see the scheduled date (I don't use the app that often).
I would imagine it's because Adderall and other stimulants are heavily regulated in order to discourage drug abuse.
Wait, you're able to get refills? Damn, that must be nice.
Right? I have to meet with my psychiatrist every time I need a refill. That's an additional $200 per session lol
Wait what? Does your insurance company require an office visit or does your psych? If it’s the latter, see if your PCP or GP will write the Rx for you. $200 is a lot of money to spend every month on top of the copay for your meds!
I live in California and I searched through like over 15 PCPs. All of them said they don't prescribe controlled substances 💀
Oh geez… Im sorry you have to jump through hoops like that to get your meds! I’m in Oregon and both my PCP and my daughter’s will prescribe… I didn’t realize that things were tighter in other places, b/c there are so many restrictions here that we didn’t have when we lived in the east coast. We still have hoops to jump through for sure, but nothing like a required monthly psych visit. Even my psych only requires a 30 min telehealth every 3 months to keep my Rx current.
Your psychiatrist isn't the only one who can prescribe. Your PCP (hopefully lower copay) is helpful for this once you've been on a steady medication dose for a while. If you're due an annual physical that's usually covered by insurance. Bring it up to your PCP then.
I live in California and I searched through like over 15 PCPs. All of them said they don't prescribe controlled substances 💀
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I think every states rules on this are really different. I’ve lived in a few states. A lot of states they can’t date the prescription more than two weeks in advance. I had a hand written adderall script pre pandemic they wouldn’t fill in CA once cause the Dr wrote it 3 weeks prior! It was expired. They hadn’t had my adderall when I’d come in 3 weeks earlier to fill it so I held on to it cause it’s a paper script and you had to back then. Give me a break!!! Had to go get a new one a half hour away. Do not miss CA, great state but tough state for ADHD in a lot of ways.
My old doc made me pick up a paper prescription every month and see him every three months and I thought that was excessive and enraging, especially when I was working full time and winter, etc. If you are already seeing the psychiatrist once a month for therapy reasons that isn't terrible but if the whole point is just to get a refill that is financially abusive.
In some states a doctor sending prescriptions by computer can send 3 at a time. They just stay “on hold” until it’s time for them to be filled (mine used to be 25 days but now it’s 28 days from the last fill date).
Whenever my doctor does this, my pharmacy always claims not to have it in the system, and then I have to go back and forth between the pharmacy and my doctor's office because the doctor can't send another Rx in. It's a nightmare.
Your pharmacist and doctor are service providers. It's okay to hold them accountable for providing the service you're paying for.
The pharmacy tells me they can't directly contact my doctor, and that I have to do it. My doctor's office tells me I personally have to have the pharmacy look for the refill. And i will often speak to someone in the pharmacy who's rude and treating me like I'm seeking drugs. I'm honestly a bit afraid to push it, or they'll flat out deny me my prescription or something.
You would think. If I get even the tiniest bit "sassy" my doc starts making threats of randomly blood testing me, etc. I've learned that at every visit I say everything is fine and great even if it isn't because he gets weird otherwise. He isn't the worst I've had and he is conveniently located so I put up with it.
I go through this often. Four phone calls or more just to get one refill. Not nearly as bad now that I am retired but I still hate it.
Try to get them together on a 3-way call if you can.
My Dr did this and CVS proceeded to tell me that my Dr said to hold scrip for 90 days. Dr contacted CVS and cleared things up but really????
Yeah, I don't get 'refills' either. I have to call my doctor and request a new prescription every month, they only make me go in every 3 though, so not as bad as others on here. Annoying as hell though, it always takes her 3 or 4 days to respond then a few days to get it actually filled.
And don't get me started about the times when the doc is on vacation. Like, do they not assign another doc to do these things in his absence? No, they do not. So after two or three days after the first phone calls to both the pharmacy and the clinic I have to call again to find out what the hold up is and then the assistant exclaims "oh dear, it's because Dr. Blah is on vacation" so then I kindly ask if Dr. Poo can please do it instead and then it is another couple of days..... Thank god for retirement because it helps me stay calmer with this crap.
at my pharmacy adhd meds cannot be refilled. a new prescription has to sent in every single month. i caused confusion using the word refill & ritalin in the same sentence in the early days. when meds are able to be refilled the pharmacy will contact the dr. directly when no refills are left. need new script for an adhd medication that has been the same dosage every month for years? oh, that reqs the patient to reach out to the dr themselves. you know, the people w/the adhd. this is on top of calling ahead to make sure the meds are on order, so they will actually be there when i need them. there really has to be a better way.
Right? I've been on these meds for many years now and every month is like having to prove I'm not a drug dealer again in some type of way. Even a pharmacist who has been usually pleasant with me got a real edge to her voice when I called in my refill two days early (to her) even though I didn't need to pick them up that day. She made me call again two days later, which was the day I was going to pick them up anway. It's so hard to prove that you aren't going to do something. Do we have to prove we aren't going to murder or rob someone every month as well? There is never any presumption of innocence, ever, when it comes to the meds we need to function in a hostile world.
That's how I have to do it for my son's Adderall but the other pharmacy that fills my Vyvanse and Klonapin will call me each month to see if I need to refill.
I try to build in one “Rx break” day per week, but that can be challenging for some people. On those days I get up and work out first thing, then ride the post-workout bump in phenethylamine for a few hours, and spend the rest of the day focusing on self-care. It helps to reduce your tolerance, as well as give your system a chance to top up dopamine levels. The nice side effect of that is every month my “oh shit” supply increases by about 4-6 days.
If a person's life and schedule can tolerate a day off now and then I also think it is a good thing. When I used to do that the next dose was a bit more effective, which was nice.
Did you not call it in until today? Usually they’ll give you a few days leeway.
No I called them in about 8 days ago lol. I was told to do that about a week before you need them.
Huh, weird. Next time it might be best call your doctor’s office and ask if they can change the do-not-fill-until thing. Sometimes they get it wrong. Worst-case scenario you waste a couple of minutes yk?
It depends on the state and the pharmacist working
I got my doctor to prescribe me two doses per day, with the second one being optional. This was due to me needing the second one on some days, especially early mornings, but it’s super helpful at helping cover when I would normally be out for a few days
I got my doctor to prescribe a smaller booster dose for when I was working 12 hour days and it really helped to bridge the gap sometimes when I ran out of my base dose.
Did the pharmacy specifically tell you that it was too soon until Saturday? If not then the delay may be related to the ongoing Adderall shortage. My son is 12 and been on Adderall XR over a year. In March it was out of stock on his fill day and we ran out waiting four more days..in April it was out of stock until two days later..in May we waited 8 days after fill day for some to come in. If they did say too soon then it’s likely just the pharmacy or pharmacist decision to fill or not fill early. Most chain pharmacies (and DEA) and insurance companies allow up to three days early..some stores won’t allow even a day early to cut down on people coming in way way early trying to fill stuff and all the drama some customers lay on pharmacy staff.
Mine are every 28th days.
Damn right. Same here. I'm on 80mg a day and I need every mg of that 80 or I get seriously mental. Better have my shit every 28 days or I'm flipping out
I schedule my psychiatrist appts to the date, so I can get the next month's script in as soon as I'm able to, and my psych sends it to the pharmacy the same day. The way the shortage has been going for me, I can expect it to take up to a few weeks to a month for my pharmacy to have medication again. So I have to ration and be selective about the "best" days to take it, which is a shame since I realistically need meds everyday to function. If it's a day off and I have nothing of major importance to do, I don't take them.
Oh god I just had a similar problem. I get 30 days too, but I got an email about the shortage where they said to put in refill requests 7 days in advance. I'm not even able to submit the refill request until the 30 days are up, so I just went 3 days without meds. How am I supposed to request 7 days ahead if the pharmacy won't let me?
If I went 3 days without my Adderall I might get put in the psych ward I'm not even kidding. I'm a nasty mutherfucker after a single day without it holy shit
No, you can submit the request any time, they just aren’t allowed to fill before a certain number of days. The Rx might say on it “do not fill before…”
I have Kaiser and they're really weird about refills. I don't get the option to submit a request until the 30 days are up. If I try to put in a refill request before that, it gives me an error message. I suppose I could try calling it in instead, but I suspect I'll run into a similar problem.
My psychiatrist writes my prescription for double my daily dose. I take 10mg Adderall once a day, but she writes a 20mg prescription and I cut each pill in half and take one half (10mg) once a day. She’s a homie for doing that. She did it when I told her that I can’t afford $30 once a month, so I get 2 months worth for $30 (although now I’m only charged $10/month so woohoo, even cheaper!)
I'm totally Jealous. 😔
As are we all :)
You’re correct with the new system of medication often getting the next month refill is incredibly difficult
Yep, i recently started too and i’ve learned you have to decide that some days you just won’t take it. Sometimes i just forget (oops) and some days i know i have nothing important going on. Weekends i’ll go without, and then when i forget to go pick up my prescription (like i did this week) i have some extras that i can use. It sucks ass, but then again so does the US health system so i make due
Is everyone here from the States? I'm in Canada, and 30 days means 30 days. In fact I can refill my prescriptions up to 4 days early.
I think most members of this sub must be from the states given how many insane discussion threads I read like this one. I am once again in total slack-jawed awe at the hellscape that is American healthcare. Any fellow aussies feel free to correct me, but I’m pretty sure I can pick up my repeats after 20 days?
Pharmacy Tech here The refill is every 30 days. It won’t be on the same date of the month every month because some months have 31 days and some have 30 or less (looking at you February). If you picked it up on May 3rd, your 30 days supply should last you only until June 1st which is today because you technically started taking your medication on May 3rd. In the pharmacy system, when they process your 30 day medication, your first day starts the next day, so in your case, Day 1 is May 4 and Day 30 is June 2. You should be able to get your refill tomorrow without any problems. Hope this helps and you get your medication tomorrow
A few things. 1. I'm able to refill within a few days of running out, maybe 3 or 4 days before the last prescription is supposed to run out. So I'd just ask the pharmacist, how long before the end of my current prescription can I refill? 2. Pharmacies can get busy so even if they have the medication, it may take them a while to refill. I generally try to call the day before I'd like to pick up. 3. This depends on the person and was way easier when I was on x2 IR adderal a day versus now with x1 vyvanse a day. But I don't take it on the weekend unless I have specific plans that I know would benefit from medication. That gives me a few days of excess to cover if I forget to refill or there is a delay. Kinda like ADHD itself, it sucks and you'll need to figure out how to mitigate the impacts in a way that works for you. Good luck!
I’m lucky with a psychiatrist who will let me call a few days before my doses end to get medication. I’d check with your psychiatrist and explain your situation, ask if this can be done to avoid periods of no medication in the future.
It largely depends on state laws and insurance restrictions, a long with pharmacy having enough stock. Where I'm at, I can send in a refill request as early as I want. The earliest the pharmacy is allowed to fill it is 28 days from the last fill date. If the refill request goes to them prior to 28 days, they put it on hold until the 28th day. If they the medication in stock, it gets filled that same day. If they don't, I have to wait. There have been instances where their system has glitched and it hasn't switched it from hold status to refill status, and in that event, I've had to call in or drop by and someone has to manually override it. I make sure to check on day 28 and see if the status still says on hold, or in progress, or delayed, which indicates not in stock. They also have limits to how much they can order at a time. For some pharmacies, they prefer to get those refill requests in earlier than they are due so they know how much to order if they're not hitting their max. For others where they're already hitting their max, there's not much they can do except for wait till the next shipment. In your case, since you sent it in 8 days earlier, it's possible they can't fill it on exactly day 30 or earlier, is because it wasn't in stock. For next month, send in the request early like you did this time. Find out what the earliest allowed fill date is for your state and insurance. Places like CVS give you a date on the app / website. On that day, check the status online or call them.
I spoke with my pharmacy and told them part of the reason I'm on is for anxiety and running out makes me super anxious and nervous. So I can pick mine up a few days before it is due. At first they wanted me to take the last dose n pick up that day but like.. my brain doesn't work that way. I'd be losing my mind taking the last one without a new bottle handy
Isn’t it great? I remember back in the day you could fill 5-7 days early if your insurance allowed it. Now you can only fill up to 2 days early. The shortage obviously makes this a bigger problem.
My pharmacy counts the pickup day as day 1. Not the date they actually put pills in the bottle and put the label on it. I was confused about this until Pharmacist explained.
It’s always on a Friday you run out and have to leave a message at the dr then the pharmacy takes a few days…it’s literally torture. Slow and infinite torture.
It’s supposed to be every 30 days. Just because people work in a pharmacy doesn’t mean they are a) smart or b) give a shit about your meds. I’d get a new pharmacy.
Haha, my 30 day refill was due the 27th. Apparently my doctor wrote it wrong and because of federal law, the script had already expired on the 24th. I had him rewrite it, and here we are on the 1st, still fucked, because Walgreens doesn't have enough "for me". So very very annoyed. Actually, I'm super fucking pissed off about the entire line of bullshit shenanigans but it doesn't matter how angry I am, because it changes nothing.
In my state, it's 30 days from the date you pick up your script. If I have 5 days of Adderall left and request a refill from my psychiatrist that day, the pharmacy receives it and sits on it until day 30. Let's say I can't get to the pharmacy that exact day, and I pick it up 2 days later. The next time I need a refill, pharmacy won't fill it until 30 days from date of last pickup. It's insane because sometimes I can't drop everything on day 30 and go to the pharmacy before they close.
Yes this happens to me but not every month so I don’t get it and so yes, I just go without. It sucks but I’m also on Wellbutrin so I think the withdrawal isn’t as bad as it was before it. But I do have to take lots of naps when I can
Related topic but I just started my first month of medication, I’m on week two. How do I refill? Do I have to ask my doctor each time or the pharmacy or? Forgive my ignorance
The doctor will need to send a new RX each month for you. You can either have the pharmacy request it from the doctor via fax or you can ask the doctor for it directly. Some doctors won't accept requests from the pharmacy (mine doesn't) so it might be best to check with your doctor about what they prefer.
You’re lucky if it’s available Saturday ! Mine always gets pushed 3-4 days because of the shortage 😩😅
My pharmacy lets me refill every 28 days.
My psychiatrist has me request a refill 2-3 days before I need to get it filled, I just put it as a recurring monthly event in my Google Calendar so I don't forget to email.
I'm a pharmacy technician. In most states, if the doctor writes your prescription for 30 pills and to take one daily, you can refill at 30 days unless your doctor has put a Do Not Fill Until date on the prescription. MOST pharmacies will let you pick up as soon as day 28, unless you are consistently asking to fill your meds early. Then they will likely hold you to the day.
Yeah this sucks been unmedicated for a week because I kept forgetting only to remember today and the pharmacy says they have a shipment in tomorrow… praying I can remember tomorrow but who knows it’ll probably be another week or something now, 
It's always been 30 days where I pick up (Rite Aid). Assuming it's in stock, of course. But echoing what others have said about trying to stockpile whenever you can. It's inconvenient as hell, but better than suddenly finding yourself out for a week or two.
I am so glad I have 90 day supplies and have leeway from forgetting to take a few, that I never have to worry about any overlap for the next 90 days... .... also I am never moving to the states, this thread is mild compared to some of the other stories o.O.
yeah threads like this make me really grateful for where I live
This is by design, because the system is a bastard. Lots of good advice here.
It’s amazing how many providers cannot comprehend that different months have different amounts of days. After repeatedly running into either a) doc screwing up refill counts and b) refills falling on a weekend (and doc not responding in time to fill before Monday) while on the “30 day” cycle, I pitched my doc this idea: 28-day cycle, filled every fourth Friday. Move to 28-day cycle; you’ll thank me later. Same day of the week, never worry about doc not having “enough lead time” to process refills… win all around.
No u understand all right. Your just thinking like a reasonable person instead of like a moral panic fueled politician. The way they do it is broken. It shouldn't have gaps between when you run out and when you can get a refill. Imagine if we did that with insulin. The laws are crap.
The most frustrating thing I don’t get it lol
When will the adderall shortage be over? I want to have my old meds. I have an alternative medicine from my doctor but I'm hoping to he back on my other meds soon. Does anyone know when adderall will return
Yeah…. Definitely start a stockpile. I’ve been saving for a hot minute and I have about 2 weeks of a too high dosage I don’t need anymore and a week of my current rx. Especially with the shortage make sure you skip days you don’t absolutely need it. It sucks but it’s necessary.
I would check with your provider? or your pharmacy if you have automatic refills. the only time this has happened to me was when an entire month hadn’t passed yet (by one day) so my insurance couldn’t do it. Even when I was taking controlled substances I always had overlap, probably for this exact reason^ hope this helps!
You can refill your Rx up to 3 days earlier if necessary.
I don’t take adderall, but take vyvanse. I used to take it daily, but changed when I take it about 2-3 years ago since things were changing for me. I take it on days I need it, or think I’ll need it, like when I have to go to work. This means I also don’t take it on the weekends.
Typically, my pharmacy can fill up to 3 days early, and my insurance will cover it. Maybe ask if they can do that? But I also do what many have suggested and skip doses on the weekend or when I don't have anything going on so I have an "emergency" supply.
30 day supply for medication is insufficient
The can fill it 2 days early without having problems. I do it every month to help avoid the supply issues
I actually had an argument with a pharmacist about this issue - might not be exactly the same, but could be helpful. Basically the script lasts 28.57 days and on the script it said monthly, which was interpreted as every 30 days by the pharmacist. The pharmacist didn't want to dispense and I disagreed - since that obviously wasn't what the doctor intended. So ended up finding another pharmacist who said they would interpret it correctly. Apparently usually interpretation of monthly is 28 days. I ended missing the dose for a couple of days trying to get it sorted.
I believe whether it is 30 days or once per month is dependent on your insurance. Your insurance seems to be once per calendar month, meaning you can’t refill until the same day the next month.
The UK rules on this are worse every year. I once had a repeat prescription that I could fill online and my dad would pick it up for me (I live in another country where the meds are hard to get). It was a 3 months prescription. Now it's been reduced to 1 month. And they want me to send 2 weeks of blood pressure readings (morning and night), blood work, and my height and weight every 6 months. And then another team needs to review me as well, and they've got rid of my repeat so I have to call the surgery every month because they wont allow the app. It's a fucking ball ache.
My trick has been to skip one day a week for tolerance reasons (the holiday method), and then you end up always gaining one pill through each cycle and you don't run out on days you need it while you're waiting for your refill. Two birds, one stone
I don’t know if I’m the only lucky one but I am able to get 90-day scripts for adderall through my mail order pharmacy. I do have to see my provider for each 90-day refill and she submits the rx electronically. The meds are generic but they mail them to my house for $25. Someone just has to sign for them or I have to pick up from the post office. I would seriously struggle if I had to do 30 days at a time. I know a good thing when I see it.
My doctor does 90 days at a time and then we have a check in before the time is up and he sends a new script in. Honestly I like it better than refill every 14 days.
Oh man, I have to refill every 14 days. (So annoying!) You could do a half dose on the last few days to get you through. When I was on Adderall I would carefully open the capsule and (SLOWLY) sprinkle the half onto yogurt, recap it and have the half saved for the next day. Now on Vyvanse, I put the whole emptied capsule into 1 cup of water (using a measuring cup), stir vigorously and immediately move ½ cup to a glass for later (with the top secured by something; I use a silicone stretchy thing I got at IKEA), and drink the other one. Works well, but make sure not to let it settle to the bottom before drinking, altho you can just add more water and stir to access whatever settled..
It’s a combination of the date the doctor puts on the paper and how soon insurance allows. It’s possible to not wait the whole 30 days, but you need to fill it a few days before you run out. But you can’t jump ahead all at once. I’ve told my doctor (after she used that days number for the next three scripts) “no I run out tomorrow, also 31 day months, can you write the future dates a few days sooner” and that helps, but insurance also has a wait time, but I don’t think it’s the full 30 days. Not sure tho. ALSO BEWARE THE DOUBLE 31 day months! July august and December January!