Opening another issue, but can you get the compounding pharmacy to drop the drugs in the mail or ship it by UPS? It might cost some, but would avoid the trip altogether as long as no "controlled substances" were involved.
@John Brunner does your doctor know of the issues you are having getting your scripts? If not, you should put on a very good solemn face at your next appointment and tell him. I did that with my doctor and he upped my refills from monthly to quarterly. That's less trips to the pharmacy for me.
Yesterday took very long walk and today OUCH! Everything hurts. I must prevail. One more scream before prevailing OW!
They can ship by UPS, but there's 2 issues for me: 1- I'm out that way every month so can pick it up for free if I get the timing back where it was. 2- I don't have any way of verifying that they have actually given the stuff to UPS, and then I gotta worry about a lost package. Regarding the insurance and cost issues: I got a reply to my email stating that they have always been submitting my script to insurance, even though they told me that my insurance would not pay for it due to the billing code change. I was told before I was paying for it without insurance being involved. The cost was $50, and if I go that route now the cost will be $90 (not $135.) Deductibles may have influenced things, but I have no way to untangle this and no one to ask. I have another month before my next refill, so I'm gonna see if I can get info from my script plan to see what was submitted, when it was submitted, and how my insurance could have possibly played a role in the cost of a script they did not cover. None of this makes sense, but I cannot have an interactive telephone conversation with the pharmacy...it's either email or text. In a sense this is a First World Problem. After all, one way or another, I'm getting the meds I need. It's just a matter of managing this dysfunctional pharmacy every month and spending more than I had been.
Yeh, he knows. Everyone knows about this place. The problem is that this antibiotic has a very short shelf life once exposed to air. The max it holds its potency is 6 months, and that's from a 3rd party study, not the manufacturer's promise. You hit on another reason I want to get the antibiotic in single dose vials rather than this premix, because the stuff has a long shelf life as long as it is not opened. But global COVID vaxxing has caused a global vial shortage. And even then, the only pharmacy that could even try to order this antibiotic in 2ml vials (when the shortage is over) is Walgreens. So I'd be at risk of Walgreens screwing up or losing their source or of another pandemic vaxxing causing another shortage.
It is the way things are going for most of us. I try to have as little contact with humans as possible, and paperwork. But some is just unavoidable.
So far (7-8 months), this antibiotic seems to have eliminated the bacteria that causes the sediment, although over that period I have seen maybe 3-4 single grains of it. I recently read an NIH study on this antibiotic where over the course of a year, no patient experienced antibiotic resistance (because it is not metabolized) or any ill side effects. There were other notes inferring that this antibiotic is somehow efficacious for bladder cancer (either treatment or preventative) which is good news to me, because one risk of long-term catheterization is increased chances of bladder cancer.
The last time I called Customer Service for my script plan, I got a Filipina whose accent was so thick I literally could not understand a single word she said except "because Virginia." It's not her fault, but I'll have to call repeatedly until I can get someone I can communicate with. As an aside, XM Radio also has their support in the Philippines, while others are increasingly using Argentinians
@John Brunner I have a suggestion use the TTY option. I have always wanted to see how that works. https://www.okdrs.gov/node/4924
@John Brunner maybe you could call these guys. I don't think they have your meds on their list, but you could ask them for help if you call them. https://jasemedical.com/med-list
You are not going to believe this, Von, but I just got a "We are here to help" text from my script provider with a TTY number!!! That is too funny!!!