Cancelling Medications Without Notice

[Navy Spook]

I emptied a bottle of medication I have been taking for over 20 years. I couldn't find my renewed bottle. I checked myhealthVA and could see that I ordered it at the same time as my other meds a couple of weeks ago. The website reports that the prescription has "expired" (as opposed to being "active") and also shows 4 refills remaining. The script is only about 6 months old. Nobody called me to tell me the med was cancelled nor did I get a letter.

I am totally out for Sunday and abrupt cessation of this medication causes "Abdominal and muscle cramping, convulsions, hallucinations, confusion, tremors, depression, and suicidal ideation". If I am an hour or two late taking this med I get severe muscle cramping, I don't know what will happen if I miss a day.

If I suffer any serious side-effects because of the VA cancelling my med without telling me, do I have a claim? I mean, if I have convulsions, which is the most usual problem as I understand it, I won't have any lasting damage unless it kills me or I bite my tongue off or something. I'm not really after monetary compensation for a temporary withdrawal "detox", but I would really, really like someone to put a large boot up the rear-end of those responsible.

But i get the impression that suffering and perhaps almost dying won't get much attention from anyone and I'll just be wasting my time. I'm hoping someone will say "Fill out a form 82 stroke B and heads will roll". Anybody?

[Pete53]

For the most part meds by mail works for me also. They only have problems with the meds that can be sold on the street. Xanax and Oxycontin seems to be the biggest problem for the Dallas/Tenn Pharmacy. Its not till you get in the penalty box that you learn how bad Meds by Mail really is. Is it the Post office or is it the VA it really does not matter to me anymore. The Dallas VA will not allow me to pick up has to be their way.

Meds by Mail Sucks for me

[purple]

Pete-

They will not allow you to pick up your meds??? Uh....tell them that's the wrong answer! That's what I told the Dayton VA when they tried to tell me that. And guess who won?

Don't take their crap........or tell them I'll come down there....LOL!!!!!!

[john999]

With the meds by mail for narcotics I get it certified mail. My problem is with the VA changing the rules for prescriptions. I was once on the opiate program. That was ok until I complained about the side effects of the morphine they were giving me. The next thing I know they are giving me a detox schedual for all my pain meds. The lesson here is don't complain. If you get a med that is not working just throw it away. My VA pain clinic is awful. They are afraid to prescribe anything beyond the long acting morphine, oxycodone or methadone. There are many different pain meds besides these three. If any of these three don't agree with you then you are out of luck. Oxycontin (which is long acting oxycodone) is a dirty word. They don't prescribe xanax at all as far as I know. The VA is contantly changing the rules for how much of any one drug they will prescibe. It has been almost a year since I was able to get meds by mail without making a visit to the VAMC. This is a pain in the ass since it takes an hour to get to the hospital and then another hour to see the doctor just to get a script. Every time they change the rules for how much they will prescribe of any one drug I get put back five months before I can get back on the opiate program which means I have to get a urine test every few months just to get the same script I got before the change. I think these problems are VA wide. By the way I am only able to get generic pain meds.

[LarryJ]

All my meds are now sent with tracking numbers and bar codes, etc.

As far as generic is concerned, I've never gotten any VA meds that were NOT generic.

They send you what the winner of the last bidding process sends THEM.

I had a problem with getting my pain meds a few months ago (can't remember the exact details other than the fact that my PCP had taken off for a couple of months to go back to India to visit his family) anyway, I contacted the Patient Advocate's Office at the VAMC (Dallas) and they had me some pain meds waiting for me to pick up within about 4 hours (they were gonna send them via USPS but I told 'em no, that I'd much rather pick them up).

That's the only problem I've had in the last couple years with medsbymail.

[Navy Spook]

Pete-

They will not allow you to pick up your meds??? Uh....tell them that's the wrong answer! That's what I told the Dayton VA when they tried to tell me that.

VAMC Dallas won't let you pick up any meds unless they are a new prescription. All refills must be via mail.

[Pete53]

I have gotten meds that were not generic from time to time. Even comes in the bottle with the VA label slapped over it.