Meds in the mail - have you had delays? What to do?

August 24, 2020 8:01 AM

A relative takes a number of heart meds. We normally get them by mail. Should we continue? Have you had delays?

We can't get a ninety day supply except through ExpressScripts (and it's also cheaper). My partner's regular pharmacy does not do curbside and is not well-run. We may be able to find another pharmacy that does curbside and have a relative pick them up but that would mean multiple trips a month due to the prescription schedule.

Have you had delays getting your meds by mail due to the post office situation? I've heard a lot of bad stories on Twitter.

We do have the option of paying for some kind of express delivery, but I'm not sure if it's priority mail, and priority mail is also getting delayed, or so I hear.

Should we find a pharmacy and deal with the multiple trips?

posted by Frowner to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

You’re in Minneapolis, right? Are these normal pharmacy meds or specialty meds? Are you restricted by insurance to any specific pharmacy chains? We get meds delivered via FedEx from the fucking Walgreens specialty pharmacy assholes and couriered from the local Fairview specialty/compounding pharmacies. Have you checked with Fairview to see what mailing service they use? When we need extra [non-time sensitive] supplies like oral syringes, the Fairview university pharmacy sends them to me via FedEx, but I don’t know what they do for regular meds.

Also, I read a Star Tribune article about the independent Seward Pharmacy reopening post riots, and it mentioned that they do delivery. Maybe that could be an option soon? And, worse case scenario, a bunch of suburban pharmacies have drive-through windows - the CVS at 66th and Penn is the one that comes to front of my mind.
posted by Maarika at 8:41 AM on August 24, 2020

Yes, my meds are delayed in the mail. I’ll be watching here because it’s been a week now and I’m starting to wonder what my options are!
posted by cakelite at 9:02 AM on August 24, 2020

I've seen a lot of pharmacies offering "medication synchronization" - i.e. helping to get all prescriptions onto the same monthly schedule. ScriptSync at CVS and Save A Trip at Walgreens, among others. It sounds like it's not always possible to do it instantly but maybe worth looking into.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:47 AM on August 24, 2020

Seconding working with someone to get everything on a schedule. Some insurance companies will also help with this.

I pretty much do not trust mail order pharmacy. I lIve in the city in a building with difficult access, and doing things like the driver calling on arrival just will NOT happen.

If mail has been working for you, I think it would be okay to continue. I suggest ordering as far in advance as you can so you can start a little extra supply for delays. (Filling your script on day 27 instead of 30 consistently so that over the course of months you end up with extra supply)
posted by AlexiaSky at 10:10 AM on August 24, 2020

FWIW, when dealing with maintenance medications and my current provider, I run into trouble if it's not written for 90 days. But when I did have a 90-day prescription, it was happily filled locally at CVS/Caremark. Not Walgreens, though.
posted by cabingirl at 10:33 AM on August 24, 2020

I think the key is to set up the prescriptions for auto-refill or otherwise place a refill order just as soon as ExpressScripts will allow you to do so. That way, even when the mail is delayed, you'll receive the new prescription before running out. Until you get that up and rolling, could you have the cardiologist write a paper script for, say, seven days that you could fill locally in a pinch? The cost will be much higher, but the peace of mind should be worth it and you won't actually have to fill the short-term prescription unless and until you have to.
posted by DrGail at 11:08 AM on August 24, 2020

If your relative is a vet with tricare insurance he may not have a choice about mail-order pharmacies, though with the slow-down in the mail it may not matter much which pharmacy is used. I have a veteran relative who has an option for an emergency few-day fill at Walgreen's, the designated pharmacy for her, but it is pricey and she winces when her meds are occasionally late. There is a financial penalty for one-month-at-a-time fills from many plans, I know. Until the postal service issue is truly resolved (Vote, people!) this is probably what we will all have to contend with.
posted by citygirl at 11:55 AM on August 24, 2020

Because of Covid, there has been a push to help providers get no-contact care to their clients (prescriptions, video visits), and some insurance companies are allowing things like early refills that they may not have allowed before. It may be worth talking to the insurance company and/or pharmacy to see if you can build up a bit of a "buffer" of meds. I know my in-person pharmacy is suddenly refilling my prescriptions weeks earlier than previously. Whether mail or in-person/curbside, the pharmacy you end up using may be able to both synch up all the prescriptions and provide a cushion to buffer against late pick-up/delivery.
posted by lapis at 7:28 PM on August 24, 2020

Looking at my mother's account with Express Scripts, it looks like she can get refills at about 65 days so I would recommend setting up auto refill and getting the refills as soon as possible. I do this with mine (via Optum RX) and they always come way before I need them. Do it once and then you can go back to ordering it at 90 days from last order, if the last order arrived 20 days before you needed it, a refill in three months will also arrive 20 days before you need it the next time. If that is still not enough of a buffer, you can manually adjust it to come earlier again.
posted by metahawk at 11:02 PM on August 24, 2020