Norco Shortage In Michigan (Page 16)

Is anyone else having problems finding a pharmacy to fill their scripts of Norco? I have been taking them for a few years now for my chronic pain. I always go to the same pharmacy chain, and its always the same doctor who writes my scripts, but since the new law change no one seems to have them in stock. Some pharmacists told me it was a manufacturer back order. We are told not to go without our meds, but yet how is that possible if we can't get them? Anyone knows of a pharmacy that has Norco 10/325 in the metro Detroit area?

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REPORT

To make a long story short, I had been prescribed 100 mic fentanyl patches along with a break though medication when my implanted morphine pump would no longer work because it had a dead battery! The timing could not have been worse! My insurance company had just went out of business so I could not get a new pump implanted. On top of that, I was having a very difficult time getting my prescriptions filled! At Christmas time everything came to a head when I went more than a week without any of my medications because no one would fill them for me! When I told my pain specialist that I had not been able to find anyone to fill my prescriptions and therefore had not had any medication for more than a week; he told me to keep looking but to keep away from the large chain drug stores and go to the little mom and pop stores. That proved to be just as impossible! After a week without my pain medications I was in withdrawal and then the debilitating pain for which I was taking the pain medications for in the first place left me only one option; that was the emergency Room! After three visits to the Emergency room; the closest thing I got to a narcotic was Tramadol! If I was not desperate before going to ER, I sure as hell was after the lectures I received from the Emergency Room Doctors!!!

After the third trip to ER, things took a turn from awful to unimaginable! My gentleman friend said that I continually hit my head on the wall and then took off on foot! When I did not come back he called the police and they put a couple of officers out with dogs who were able to find my scent and after a few hours they found me in a barn!

I do not know much about what happened to me that night but know that I never want to come as close as I did to losing my life by my own hands!

After weeks without pain medication, I was finally able to get in to see a new pain management doctor today! I poured my heart out to a doctor I had never met before and in return he promised to never leave feeling like he was not trying to help me! What more could i ask for?

He gave me a prescription for the fentanyl patch that I had been on but at half the dose that I had been on before all this happened. He said since I have not had any medication in my system for so long that he wants to see how I do on 50 mics instead of 100. I felt so good last night that I went out to dinner for the first time in seven weeks and I slept pretty good as well!

Another thing this doctor told me was; if I had been an addict I would have gotten treatment that was denied to me because I am a pain patient in 2015!

Thank you again to everyone who sent me kind words and got me though this mess!

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I had the same problem. I actually waited to have my script filled until today, should have done it on time, on the 14th. I was in northern MI at the time.
Anyways I went everywhere and called everywhere today.
Ended out at Walgreens in Ypsilanti. I'm prescribed 180 a month and they had them.
I'm going to Florida for 6 weeks tomorrow for job training and It was very frustrating, I was trying to get everything done today and it took 4 hours but I finally found them. I could have had them filled no problem up north.

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Norco or Lortab is now a schedule II narcotic, right up there with all the heavy duties like Fentanyl, Oxycontin etc...Since then, docs are backing pts off the heavy duties and giving this more. Any pharmacy carries these, any.of them. One thing many peeps may not be aware of is that a person has to use the same pharmacy for any and all scripts. You can't pick and choose which has the best meds. All drs, pharms are connected by computer to the DEA And your states bureau of narcotics and if filling narcotics at different places, its now called pharmacy shopping and the pharmacist has to report you if you've filled the same pain med at another pharm. It's real ridiculous but it stops all the addicts from making things worse for peeps who need PM docs so it's a blessing in a way. I use 1 pharm for absolutely everything. Everyone who's not dr shopping, using insurance at one, paying cash at another, please use just 1 and maybe things will easr up on us good people, not drug seeking scum

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Iam having the same situation. I too need it for chronic pain and can't find it. If there is somebody that knows anything please let me know.

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The database was suppose to be put in place to stop these addicts from doctor shopping and then taking multiple prescriptions to multiple pharmacies and getting more medication than anyone knew about except the addict!

It has become impossible however here in Florida to get pain medications that have been prescribed to us by our pain specialist because we are repeatedly given all sorts of excuses! Among them, They are out of the medication, They did not feel comfortable filling for me, The pharmacy I was trying to get my prescription filled at was either too far way from my home or too far away from my doctors office. (I was only trying to fill at a different pharmacy because I was desperate to get my prescription filled because I was out of medication and had been unsuccessful at getting my new prescription filled as was my insurance company who was trying to help me! My doctor who was 40 miles away was not in the same county that I resided in. (The doctor was 40 miles from my home because the insurance company did not have a doctor in-network for me. I agreed to see that doctor which my insurance company had found for me because my insurance company had agreed to provide transportation for me to and from his office. Also, he was a licensed anesthesiologist with privileges at multiple hospitals as well as pain management doctor who turned out to be a doctor i liked a lot! I had been going to this doctor for a couple of years when all hell broke loose here in Florida and anything and everything became an issue!!

I recently moved and things got much worse for me before they started to recently get better! I decided to go with traditional medicare so that I would have better access to doctors because I could not mentally or physically afford to continue to have the problems I was having filling my pain mediation! No one, especially someone that is on social security disability and can barely walk should be expected to go to dozens of pharmacies in an attempt to fill their prescription for pain medications or go without them because they are not available within a reasonable distance.

Also, what you can and can not do is between you and your doctor and what is written in your contract! My contract says that I should always try and fill with one pharmacy but if I can not get them there; I am allowed to go elsewhere! I can not accept pain medications from any other doctor; not even a dentist before discussing it with my pain management doctor; the exception would be in a case of emergency when then I need to contact my doctor ASAP and explain the circumstances!

This past month, it only took me 8 pharmacies before i found one that agreed to fill my prescription! I ended up getting my medication filled at a pharmacy about 30 miles away from my house. I looked at only one chain pharmacy which was why I ended up so far away from my home before I could find a pharmacist that was willing to fill my prescription. I had to wait until the following day to pick it up. I assume the wait was to give the pharmacist the opportunity to call my doctors office which was closed by the time i got to this pharmacy!

I have had no pain medications since just after Christmas because we moved from Orlando to a small town farther North and could not get anyone to fill a prescription from my last pain management doctor. I literally went though hell waiting to get in to see a new pain management doctor near our new home and know i could not have lasted much longer. It is a tragedy that ER doctors have become useless when people are in dire pain and needing some immediate short term relief from pain which does not come. That is the case here in Florida!

I am so grateful to my new doctor and the pharmacist who filled my prescription. I feel hope for the first time in weeks! The shots that the doctor put into my spine has helped my legs quite a bit and although I am on less than half the medication that I had been on; I am not thinking about going to sleep forever!

This should not be happening to someone that has never doctor shopped or had a drug panel that came up bad. It is especially hard to understand when my problems are outlined in MRI's from a failed fusion which left me with broken screws that they are unable to do anything about without putting me at great risk of ending up a quadriplegic!

If you have managed to read all this way through, I thank you for your concern and apologize about my rambling as I am still very upset aver my lack of care and need to do something more to relieve my mind of the horror I was put though because of people who do the wrong things with their medication which then causes death to themselves or others!

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Yes I had to go back to my pain management and change my norco 10 mg to Tylenol 4#w codeine. Every pharmacy I talked with said they are on backorder. I was upset because that was the reason I changed meds. I lucked out the pharmacy up the had them. I get it there was alot of abuse with the hydrocodone but there's gotta be a better way there's alot of us out there in chronic pain !!

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It is not just Norco's which people with chronic pain are having a hard time getting! Basically any medication which can be abused or can be sold on the street have become hard to get now! I do not understand this! They pushed for this national database so doctors and pharmacists would be able to see if a patient were seeing more than one doctor or trying to fill prescriptions by more than one doctor I thought it was a good idea but things have went from bad to worse when it comes to trying to get a legitimate prescription for pain medication filled! I do not know why this is happening or what the answer is to remedy it but it does not appear that anyone cares except for those of us that needs these medications for any quality of life! We are the most discriminated group in the US it now appears!

The only thing that I can think of to do is band together and make our voice heard. Hopefully we can make our lawmakers want to do the right thing if they want to keep their high paying jobs! We need to make everyone aware of what we are going though because unfortunately anyone at any time could be wearing our shoes! I do not live in a state with a medical marijuana law but these medical marijuana laws did not get passed only by those that were needing this medication. They got passed by a majority of people understanding how important this was to some people and they wanted to do the right thing by making it happen for those that needed it. I can only think that our plight is similar!

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What does God have to do with filling scripts? It is sad to me that the pharmaceutical companies have us by the balls and yet it falls on God. Being of no faith has nothing to do with this...what does have to do with it is the government again taking from its own...regulation. Don't blame it on God! If you do have true faith God can and will, if you don't no reason to put the blame anywhere else, and thanks to addicts and pleasure users it has jacked us that need it over. Just legalize marijuana nation wide and call it a day! Can't get Norco either...sick of trying. Shouldn't the Dr. Know it isn't available?

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Faithful, I don't think Doctors have any idea what pharmacy has Norcos or how many. The only thing I know is I always go to my regular pharmacy and I've had some good luck. Once they suggested I try another pharmacy and wouldn't even take my script. I go to the same chain when I have to find a pharmacy with enough to fill my script. I could go to the pharmacy at the hospital my doctor works out of but haven't yet. I don't believe calling up drug stores and asking them to check their inventory will do anyone any good. I've only been delayed about 10 days one time. I usually get mine filled the same day I get to a store with enough inventory in stock.

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All care pharmacy in allen park (1-313-386-2273) don't call. Just go.

7125 Allen Road,
Allen Park, MI 48101

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To: Beagle, Post 309 - you do not live in Florida, do you? It seems that Florida is the worst state of all. Not only do they (technicians and pharmacists alike) lie to us, and play head-games, like stating that there is a 24 hour waiting period, to fill Norco, despite what your doctor has written, but they are now 'abusing' their so-called power, simply because they can. I am referring to medications which are not CII, such as Alprazolam, Soma. At first, they blamed it on my Medicare Advantage insurance plan, but when I contacted my insurance plan, they were very nice-stated it had nothing to do with them, then they contacted the pharmacy (Walmart), and inquired as to why they would not refill at 30 days. Bottom line: the only thing that I could do was lodge a complaint against the pharmacy, but the pharmacist, herself, stuck by her story and refused to refill them until days later. Now, I can't even imagine how I will be able to fill my next prescription for Norco (generic). Seems that I have angered them, and we are all at their (pharmacies) mercy. This whole situation has brought so much undue stress on me, and I do not have a support system at home, like some of you do. I live in Central FLA, and I hope that one of you can start some sort of legal action; in which case, I would participate. Good Luck to you all. And, to pattycakes, I am very happy that you are doing better. Perhaps, as some have said, God did intervene, on your behalf. Nothing, or no-one else would have come to your rescue.

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Missy, no I don't live in Fla. I live in Michigan. I have scripts filled at rite-aid and mostly at cvs. A few months back I went to 5 different cvs's until I found one who had enough to fill my script for norcos. The fourth one came close but the pharmacist told me they didn't have enough in stock to fill my 120 count script. A few times I've been what I call rudely by some as they told me to go somewhere else to get my script filled. I'll be going through the process again in a week. I'm retired and have the time and might talk to an attorney if I was treated badly and it sounds like FLA is treating all people like drug addicts. No difference as drug addicts still are customers. I would be on the phone to my congressmen so fast and the ATT. Gen of FLA every week. Nobody should have to put up with this crap. Call your congressman and see what they can do for you. Good luck to you and don't let this get you down as that only adds to the pain.

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I feel for everyone trying to get our pain meds filled but I live in Florida have for the past 27 years and have been in pain management for 4 years. I get a prescription for 90 vicodin HP 10/300 mg. every month but I only have to see my pm doctor every 2 months since he gives me 2 scripts at a time. I go to Walgreens every month hand them my prescription they tell me how long it will be and then I get a text message that my rx is ready. I have never had a problem in all these years. Maybe because I go to the same pharmacy and they know me? Maybe because I only get 90 a month? Maybe because of my insurance plan? I don't know the answers but being treated rudely and not re-filling your prescriptions is just wrong and I don't know if you can bring it up to your doctor and it would do any good but I couldn't imagine being without some type of narcotic pain medicine for even one day due to my severe back and neck pain. I do know that calling the pharmacies over the phone to see if they have a certain medication even if you ask what manufacturer they use will do no good.

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Im in the Flint area and was just prescribed Norco for severe knee pain. Im receiving shots (Supartz) to stave off a total knee till next year. If anyone has ever had these shots, they are painful for at least 2 days post injection. Im not a narcotic user, but these are painful. Now, trying to fill my first script for Norco is impossible. Im in the Flint Michigan area. If anyone knows of a pharmacy within say a 50 mile radius that I can get my script filled, I would appreciate that.

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To the person who just got a prescription for knee pain and can not get it filled in the flint area! Please talk to your doctor; there is a slim chance that he will take the time to help you or at least change your script to something that you can get! I am so sorry that this is happening to you! This needs to be talked about because like you, just because you did not need pain medications; when you did you see what the result is! There is no excuse for this; especially since almost every state now is included in the federal database so they can track what medications all of us are receiving from anywhere in the USA! The database was suppose to have made things better but things have only gotten worse! I hope by the time you read my message you have been able to fill your prescription!

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hello, I am 54 years old was in a head on crash in 87 that was really bad. lost my son. had a crushed femur, shattered left wrist, & a left hip replacment. plus as a bonus my leg is a 1" Shorter, from a drunk driver, now after all these years my insurance co decided to make my home handicapped asscessable, in the meantime, when I was in a motel, as they where working on my house, the doctor calls & makes a appointment for a pain management class that I was unaware of. the doctor released me after 12 years never any problems! now here is the main problem! no doctor wants to treat you! if you are on narco-opiates. 7.5 the hospital in northern mich Today as someone told me they could help me, Says Oh! you take narco, we cannot help you! went to several clinics Oh! your taking narco, Sorry we cannot help you! I am out of meds now starting to have pain & withdraws 54 years old never been in trouble! not a felon! Can Anyone Help me? I am disabled. I feel that I have been discriminated again & again any help would be thankful! thank you,

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Thank you for your reply. I did find a drug store that had them and it's made all the difference after I been getting my weekly inter joint injections. It was extremely painful afterwards for at least 2 days. This is helping to cope with the pain.

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Madison
You may be on to something here. My script called for 120 per month. I lowered it 90 and for the last two months at CVS I've had my script filled that day.

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I don't know that the amount has much to do with it. Mine too is 120 and on my last visit to my pain management DR, I told him about the problem and he said I shouldn't have any trouble this month (meaning last month) and two months in a row, no problem. And I use Walgreens so...go figure.

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Boy, I'm glad I don't live there. I'm in Oklahoma and every pharmacy everywhere is fully stocked with all meds. Oxycodone is prescribed a whole lot more here than hydrocodone. My RNP told me to call my congressman as it's ridiculous putting this Med in the same class as Oxycontin, Morphine, Demerol and Fentanyl as it's no stronger than Tramadol and now she can't write them. It's all the addicts who RUIN EVERYTHING for people who really need it!

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