I have a 3 month prescription from my doctor for a medication I’ve been on for years. This is at a public hospital if it matters. The doctor gives me a prescription for three months at a time. I get a refill each time I see the doctor, and a prescription for two more refills. The prescription has a time period on it, from x day to x day for the second refill. What happens if you don’t get it filled within that time? I can see someone getting a refill early getting turned away, but what happens if you’re late? This is kind of an emergency.
I don’t know. But Taiwanese are pretty practical. A pharmacist might be fine with just ignoring this small issue.
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COVID rules.
Iiuc
If the prescription itself isn’t expired yet, you can still get the medicine. But the delay of getting the 2nd may affect the 3rd schedule.
Might relevant somehow
If you need the prescription now, and have no communication skills, can’t call your doctor, or live too far away just see an other doctor and bring your prescription.
I mean, you can choose your specialist and the fee to see any doctor is not expensive.
Yeah, Covid Times, to avoid unnecessary exposure, I’d get a Chinese speaking friend to help you and give a phone call to the customer service department of the hospital. I’m sure you can get help in getting another prescription issued.
I think there is a sponsor here that helps you communicate with doctors though I don’t think your problem is that difficult.
I have chronic allergy problems and sometimes the cost of medicine directly is less than paying for a doctor…
My pharmacist allows me to buy my medicine on demand without a prescription. I think, pharmacists have legal right to diagnose and prescribe medicine for certain problems or if they just allow it. I’m not sure.
First， see your pharmacist with your prescription and ask 怎麼辦 （what to do?). I’ve not had that exact problem but had had similar problems. You’re not the first one who missed deadlines or made paperwork mistakes. This isn’t immigration.
@The_Seeker and @Andrew0409 are both correct - this isn’t immigration and many people are pragmatic.
When I switched to a doctor at a big hospital for my chronic meds, I was delighted that he could write me 3 months worth of scrips – going in for a refill every month was hassle when I commuted to work. But even though the 2nd and 3rd month prescriptions had a week or so window, I kept missing them because I wasn’t setting up a simple reminder. I would only head to the pharmacy when the first month was almost up.
I discovered that some pharmacies in my neighborhood will not touch an expired prescription. But I also learned that others (most?) don’t mind, and fill the scrip even if it is very late – no questions asked. Of the 7 pharmacies near me, 5 or 6 don’t seem to mind. One even suggested I leave her the prescription for Month 3, and will call me when to pick it up!
What would I do if I could find ANY pharmacist to fill my scrip? I would simply go back to my doctor at the hospital and get another. I think that happened once when I was going to the small hospital.
These days, I create appointments in my phone calendar to remind me when I’m supposed to get my pills refilled.
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One even suggested I leave her the prescription for Month 3, and will call me when to pick it up!
Talking about neighborhood pharmacies: I get my prescription at the hospital but only the first dose of meds. I take the prescription paper to my local pharmacy around the corner and they call me when my meds have to be picked up. That way I do not forget and they have a steady customer.
I guess when you are late it depends on the kind of medication. My allergy prescription they won’t take late, the hospital will give me my blood pressure meds even if late…after due scolding.
Just try going to the hospital and ask for help. Worse that can happen is that you have to make a new appointment.
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I pay for everything at the hospital. If I go to a local pharmacist, do I have to pay again?
When you say you pay for everything, do you mean you self-pay and are not in NHI? If you have National Health Insurance, then it is already paid for and the pharmacies simply take the scrip - they will be reimbursed. Like
@Icon - I make my deductible payment when I get my first month of meds on my way out of the big hospital from my refill appointment
I have NHI. I’ve always got refills at the hospital. I didn’t know if I was paying a co-pay in advance for prescriptions or if they were fully covered.
If it is NHI affiliated, nope.
This is a great help to avoid going to the hospital during the plague. Get prescription at the hospital, get refills near home. Convenient, quick, reliable.
I have been doing this since before the plague… because I often forgot my refill/had to run to the hospital at night or on weekends. No mo.
You will not have to pay again but there is always the temptation to buy more masks, vitamins, whatever.
That turned out to be the case with me. I decided to go back to the hospital and if they didn’t fill it I would try every pharmacist between there and home, and if that didn’t work, make a new appointment. I hypothesized that non-chain pharmacies would be more likely to fill it. Since I have to park across the street from the hospital and there are several pharmacies there, I decided to start there. I walked to the furthest one, which happened to be non-chain, and they took it without a second glance.
Thanks to everyone who posted help. I didn’t want to have to miss work for another doctor’s visit.
Just one thing: it is not an independent, not chain a la Watsons or Cosmed pharmacy thing. It is just you need an NHI affiliated pharmacy. I hope that is clear. Note NHI affiliated pharmacies will have the NHI logo on their doors/counters/everywhere visible.
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Happened with me with my blood pressure medicines.The doctor always prescribes me three months medicine that i need to pickup every month. I missed the time window to pick it up for thr second month. IDK about all hospitals but mine asked me to book the doctor again and make him write new schedule and pickup dates.
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Yeah my pharmacist wouldn’t fill this for me either. Maybe I should have tried others!
Mine was just 4 days late. Was yours one of the chain pharmacies like WellCare, Yes, or Great Tree? I thought someone who was just a manager in a corporation would be more cautious than a mom and pop type place where they know what they can get away with. Or wouldn’t bother noticing.
Not sure, but reasonably modern.
Support only mom and pop pharmacies. They become part of your family.
They offer everything from special plans for formula and diapers to the ability prescribe certain mediations.
We even have small chains of Mom and Pops.
I just went to our local, around the corner, official NHI clinic. I got my meds, the doctor understood that I did not want to go to the big hospital. The clinic has its own pharmacy but I dropped the refill order at my usual place so I don’t forget. A mom and pop pharmacy, they will send me a message when it is time to collect the meds.
Furthermore, I got the usual scolding about weight and how high my pressure us and keep cholesterol under control plus the I have heard that before threat if increasing my meds if the numbers don’t go down. In summary, same caring service as the big hospital.