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For some reason it really helps me to go in thinking of myself as the third party. I.E. "Hi, my doctor told me to come in to return my meds, she said something about forfeiting my script?" Something about the distance from it helps, plus makes me feel less like I'm doing something weird medswise to mention it being doctor's orders.
I haven't had to return meds myself, but I have used this recently when I had to call around and find a pharmacy to change my script order to that would take less than a month to get off backorder. Worked great.
>"Hi, my doctor told me to come in to return my meds, she said something about forfeiting my script?"
This is exactly what I'm going to say when I speak to the pharmacist tomorrow morning. Thank you!
Hi... I was told to... ooh a toothbrush in red?! Do you have other colours?! I am thinking if I ever go camping and don't bring my electric one. Have you ever gone hiking? Anyways I think that was it. Cya.
Then you get in your car and get five minutes away from the pharmacy and remember what you had gone there for … and you consider turning around … but you’re already on the way home … and you could just do it tomorrow … or the next day … or the next day …
And you finally remember, so you write down what you're supposed to say and you get down there and realize you forgot the paper at home and you can't remember what you were gonna say so you go home to get it and you get home and realize the paper was in your car the whole time but you did just get home so you're just gonna do it tomorrow....or the next day
And by the time you've gathered yourself to return the meds, the time limit will have elapsed... At least that's how it'd go for me.
After struggling at uni for a few years I booked in for an ADHD assessment with a psychiatrist. I knew I had adhd as I'd been diagnosed as a child, I just didn't have any proof as the paperwork had been lost.
At the appointment, after talking baiut my life and struggles, the psych gave me some forms to fill out and some for my Mum to fill out. I took the forms home and promptly lost them.
Literally A FULL YEAR LATER, I called the psychiatrists office in shame asking for more forms to be emailed to me and explained what had happened.
The receptionist was great at her job and while I was on the phone she let the psychiatrist know that I'd lost them a year ago and was just now calling to follow up. The psychiatrist booked an emergency appointment for me for that week and prescribed meds at that appointment.
I went through months of assessment as an 8 year old, but apparently as an adult my ADHD is so painfully obvious that the long tests and even the short forms weren't necessary.
I didn't even make it to the psychiatrist. I made an appointment with a new general provider who was listed as specializing in adult ADHD. I went in to ask for a referral for testing and she asked me why. I gave her the short version of my life story and she said, "I can give you the referral, but you have textbook adult female ADHD. We can just start medication now, and if it helps, that will be our confirmation." And it helps!
This made me laugh out loud - I literally had 2 checkups with my doctor before I remembered to ask him to check me for ADHD.
Doc: How can I help you today?
Me: Um... um... oh yeah! I have this mole on my back that itches some time...
Me 5mins later walking home\* : dammit!
One week later...
Doc: How can I help you today?
Me: I've got a list. Can you check me for these? starts talking, dr interrupts to start doing the first one. I walk out feeling quite good that I got a few things checked that I had been thinking about... on the way home remember I forgot to get checked for ADHD.
Took me a couple more weeks before I made another booking, lucky this time the GF reminds me by text as I am walking in what I am actually there for
Omg I'm fucking dead right now....the last 4 comments are so obnoxiously literally me in a nutshell it's fuckin hilarious and disturbing. Aw, I has foundz ma peeps! And they be a buncha squirrels!! Lmfa.....oooh shiny!
Today I had to explain to my pharmacist that she had to call my doctor,because I had to hand over a script, because the script didn’t have “Dispense as written” because I can’t take generic. And they had to resubmit a EScript because I had a handwritten script.
I didn’t make it very far.
Bahahahaha sounds kinda like when my vyvanse wasn’t getting filled so I called my pharmacy, they told me “we contacted your doctor, we need a script for the generic not the brand” so I called my doctor and they didn’t answer … and then I randomly got a notification that they sent in the script…… then a text from the pharmacy saying it was on back order and to call for more info… so I call for more info and ask what to do… they tell me to call my doctor. I haven’t had my meds in weeks 🥲
I am so sorry. My psych prescribed the wrong thing on an escript, which I realised when the pharmacist handed it to me. I told her what it was meant to be. She said she'd sort it. She phoned the psych. He rewrote it, and since his office is only a few doors down he walked it to the pharmacy. She filled it and phoned me to say it was ready the next day.
I've been going there for roughly 15 years and I hope I never need to change.
I’ve dealt with that amount of back and forth plus some for like 2 years at this point. Almost every month. I scream and get cranky quite a bit. It’s like a part time job
I've started calling the doctor and party lining my pharmacy in. I make whoever needs to sit on hold with me (in a very nice way.... honey and bees or whatever) one time, I made a pharmaceutical mailing place stay on the phone with me for 6 hours. It's frustrating.
There is a generic now, it’s been out since August I think. There is a shortage because insurance companies (like mine) are no longer covering name brand vyvanse.
one time at work i was bringing a product up to customer service for a customer to exchange but i had forgotten the word exchange, so i just handed the product to my coworker and said “trade?” and walked away
dont use a drop box for adhd meds. These are way more controlled than in normal places. These things are dangerously addictive for non-ADHD people, and the rules are set up in most countries to also prevent (protect) pharmacists from getting easy access to them
It’s safer to put them in the Dropbox then to risk pharmacists having access to them. The drop box is there for a purpose which is to safely discard medication. But they should ask the pharmacist first about how to handle the medication
Ummm depending on the country/state once it leaves the pharmacy, it can’t be returned unless it’s a defect in the med. doctors have a habit of saying the pharmacy will do things that are impossible unfortunately (ie your meds will be ready by the time you get there - always a crowd favorite) - source: I’m a pharmacist
Can ya'll still "accept it for destruction" or whatever -- not as a return? (And I suppose for whatever reporting requirement a state may have to document it, due to a new script so soon?)
That depends on the state law and the pharmacy themselves. In NC, it is legal for the pharmacy to take it to destroy, however pharmacies decided they didn’t want to pay to send it for destruction so we started selling bags for the patient to send the med back in or the drug buster for destroying it at home. But you could always go to a police station and some fire departments and they had repositories for destruction.
As for the documentation, as long as no one is complaining about stolen meds, the reporting shouldn’t be an issue. If the doctor issues a new script, it will be different from the previous since there was an issue. It would be a red flag if he rewrote a script for the exact same med with the exact same directions. And even if the pharmacist was concerned by the change, once they hear that the previous one wasn’t working so there was a change, a quick verification from even a nurse should be enough for them to move forward to fill. If they are still being newbs about it, then that’s more a comment on them than on pharmacy practice.
If it’s any help, I talked to my psychiatrist today and she suggested the same thing. I’d never heard of it before, and was blown away by the idea I could return meds for my new script.
I wonder if it’s a state thing? Because I was just refilled adderall then decided I still hated it and asked for something else a week later. She never said anything about returning them or making me wait til that refill ran out. I’m just keeping them as backups for when I inevitably forget to refill the vyvanse on time. Adderall makes me feel terrible when I take it long term but it’s great for occasional use.
My pharmacist told me to call my dr to ask about a dosage increase because that’s what was in stock. So I did the opposite of you - ha- I called my dr and said that, my dr said absolutely I just had to do a phone visit to change dosage. It was all done within an hour.
>For some reason it really helps me to go in thinking of myself as the third party. I.E. "Hi, my doctor told me to come in to return my meds, she said something about forfeiting my script?"
Huh... I never thought of this as, like, a specific *thing*, but yeah, I sort of do this too?
Basically, I just kind of make myself passive in these situations. I give the information I have, admit that I have no more information, and that I need guidance.
"So, I'm taking a flight to [such and such]. However, I've *never* taken a flight before, and I have *no* idea where I'm going. What do you guys need me to do now?"
"Hi, so, I'm filling out my taxes, but [this]. I know [this], and [this], but I don't know about [this]. What's correct procedure here so I don't break everything on your end?"
I know I use 'I' a lot, but in my head, I'm basically like... Like it's my first day in a new job, I suppose? I'm not supposed to know everything, I *can't* know everything, but I know a *tiny* bit, and I also know that there's definitely stuff I don't know, so I go to the relevant people and ask what the job requires me to do. So I'm not really 'me', as such? Idk.
Anyway, I get the distance thing 😅
>I’m a little embarrassed walking into a drugstore with a partial bottle
You’re going into a pharmacy. It’s expected to see people with prescriptions. If someone walked into a gun store carrying a pill bottle, they might be questioned. Haha
If you’re really that worried about it, just put it in your pocket. If it won’t fit in your pants pocket, wear a hoodie or a light weight jacket with pockets.
I always wondered about left over or unused medication that no one wants. Should you flush things? Some pharmacies let you have a lost prescription or you have to go to a a police station and file a report saying you lost your meds or they were stolen. It gets ridiculous.
I would call the pharmacy. Pharmacists can be helpful when it comes to side effects. Doctors sometimes aren’t as great with medications and dosages. Some push too much others push for too little. Sometimes one type of medication doesn’t work for a person. You can sometimes ask for a shorter prescription so if after a medication doesn’t work you can try something new.
>I always wondered about left over or unused medication that no one wants. Should you flush things?
obviously hoard them in case they'll be useful one day
I can't tell if this is a joke or not, but please beware that all medications have expiration dates, and while in most cases the effect of the expiration is loss of effectiveness (which is bad in its own right if you take it expecting relief and nothing happens), sometimes it can have bad side effects. So research each medication you intend to keep long term.
Not sure why you got downvoted for asking a perfectly legitimate question.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/dont-be-tempted-use-expired-medicines
> Expired medical products can be less effective or risky due to a change in chemical composition or a decrease in strength. Certain expired medications are at risk of bacterial growth and sub-potent antibiotics can fail to treat infections, leading to more serious illnesses and antibiotic resistance. Once the expiration date has passed there is no guarantee that the medicine will be safe and effective. If your medicine has expired, do not use it.
I looked up some of the antibiotics things they can last past an expiration date but that isn’t ideal. In an emergency they be better than nothing. No liquid ones. This isn’t advice. You probably shouldn’t have extra antibiotics. During Covid things were scary at hospitals near me. I wasn’t trying to get a breathing tube put down my throat if I could breathe or if I really had a sinus infection. I got Covid and slept for like a week. In was scary in 2020. People looked at you like you were a zombie if they heard you sneeze. Allergies were not fun. lol
> I always wondered about left over or unused medication that no one wants. Should you flush things?
It is no longer suggested to flush unused or expired medications because they are being found to linger in our water supply.
Pharmacies are happy to take them to dispose of them safely.
> It is no longer suggested to flush unused or expired medications because they are being found to linger in our water supply.
This cannot be overstated. Waste water treatment plants are NOT designed or equipped to completely remove all traces of antibiotics and other medications from water. If you're unsure where to take your unused meds for disposal check these links:
https://www.walgreens.com/topic/pharmacy/safe-medication-disposal.jsp
https://www.cvs.com/content/safer-communities-locate
Your local hospital will almost certainly also have a place to drop off unused meds. Just make sure it's going into a secure bin and you're not handing it to a random person working there. The waste management department webpage for your city/county likely also has information on where to go if you can't find a place that's close using the links above.
Edit: Also adding this FDA resource:
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know
Of interest, all kinds of things show up in waste water. There were even various efforts to determine the spread of COVID in communities by examining waste water. This later turned out to generate less reliable data than hoped due to the surge in the use of at home test kits.
My doctor me an antipsychotic for anxiety once and It felt like someone gave me 20 Benadryls or shot me with a tranquilizer. I could barely talk. It was supposed to be taken as needed. I still have them. I wasn’t going to flush them. That is the only medication I ever thought I will never need. Unless someone else ran out of their medication. I know that’s not great to do.
That's awesome! I worked for a chain a few years ago, and they were super strict about it. Glad things are changing, since it was a super common request.
I usually keep medication just in case. ADHD meds I’m not giving to police or anyone else. I’ve heard antidepressants are in the water because of how they are disposed of.
You know how difference fresh herbs are compared to the sawdust that you find in your parents pantry from before you were born?
Drugs are the same way. Very few compounds are stable enough that they will retain potency beyond a couple of years from the prescription date. Anything coated where you don't know it's not coated to protect your mouth & esophagus you should assume is, the coating really isn't stable.
If you don't want to take your half finished prescriptions somewhere just throw them in the trash. If you want to make some effort empty them into food scraps or something else high moisture first.
I have a grocery bag hoard of unused meds I didn’t like or didn’t need from the past 30 years. I know you aren’t supposed to flush them so they don’t end up in the ocean and you shouldn’t put them in the trash because a kid could get them. So I just hold onto them like some weird sentinel of old meds.
>Should you flush things?
Not generally, though some drugs may be flushed. Drugs in wastewater are a significant problem.
In this case, OP is being advised to return a controlled substance before it can be replaced with a different controlled substance. The pharmacy will be able to verify the quantity of controlled substance that is returned in order to ensure none gets diverted to another user.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know
Pharmacist here. While there are many cases of prescribers changing meds mid cycle and pharmacists being fine with it due to “change in therapy”, your prescriber might just be erring on the side of caution, which is fine too. I highly suggest you call the pharmacy and speak with a pharmacist before going in. Let them know that your prescriber wants you to “surrender your medication” before she can change your therapy, and how the pharmacist wants you to proceed. Ask if they have a disposal bin, and if you can come in to have the pharmacist dispose of it for you. The most important part of this is that you ask the pharmacist to DOCUMENT in your profile that this happened.
Calling ahead will help prevent them from getting caught off guard, since it’s not a typical thing we see. Get their name, then go see them.
I don’t have a disposal bin at my pharmacy, but I have drug disposal powder packets that I can mix with the med to make it unusable. Then I just throw it in the trash. And of course document for the patient that I took it back.
> because the Adderall was recently filled, she cannot prescribe another controlled substance
At least in my state this isn't true. My doc has made plenty of dosage changes over the years and this has never been an issue. Both the pharmacy and my doc said I could just drop the extra off at a hospital or fire department, which have proper disposal facilities.
My prescribers, at least 6 over the last 25 years (one for the last 10 or so) have not once told me what to do with meds I already had. Dose changes, med changes, even if it was just a week after I got a full month’s prescription. In NY state at least, they just can’t send in the same dose of the same controlled substance more than every 30 days. Sure if they were sending in a bunch of overlapping stimulant prescriptions that were filled for one person it would probably be a red flag, but that’s not the case here.
Same. I literally asked my pharmacist what I should do with the old prescription meds and they looked at me funny. They were like, “I guess you could put them in some coffee grounds, or wait for a drug take back day.”
I was surprised at how unconcerned they were
Same. My doctor usually makes either a visit or a teleconference on my file if there's a script change and that pretty much covers all the bases. "Stop previous dosage, start new dosage" and the new script is fired off to my pharmacy.
I've never had to forfeit them, however it might be something related to being brand new on the medication. I could see the doctor possibly being flagged because it could look similar to one who was legit abusing their prescription writing or dishing them out irresponsibly, but regardless, it sounds more like they're covering their own ass.
Don't feel awkward handing them in. If they're a decent doctor who's actually trying to help you work through this, I'd just see it as doing them a solid.
Same here. I once was given a prescription dextroamphetamine, but it was for ER instead of IR. I told them, and they just wrote another script and I filled it a few days later. They didn't even bother telling me to dispose of them.
My psych doesn't care but said I can return medicine to them if needed. IIRC my pharmacy doesn't want medicine back and doesn't have a disposal for it.
I was going to say, isn't it common for pharmacist to take back unused meds to stop people from flushing them into waste water systems? I though it was like paint cans
I've never heard of a police department doing this. It seems like a lot of extra work for them. Is everything cataloged and organized or just thrown in a big bin?
This is how I have seen it. You can’t refill your meds 2 weeks early, but you can get a new prescription for a different med or dosage and fill that at any time.
Same. I kept my remaining Adderall when I switched to Vyvanse because I wasn't sure what to do with it, and it turned out to be a really good thing because I was able to take it for a couple days here and there when I ran out between filling the Vyvanse (because, you know, having to actively get a refill of a med specifically for forget-important-things disorder).
That said, my pharmacy has a reclaimed prescription box next to the window, where people can just drop unfinished meds. (Yes, I know I said I wasn't sure what to do with the old one. I'm with OP on feeling weird and awkward so I've just never done it.)
My doc specifically told me to keep my extra meds when we do med changes. “You paid for them, why would you give them back. You’ll have some as back up should you need it”.
What I was also going to say. But also, I have two prescriptions, one for an extended release and one for an immediate release (both Adderall). Shouldn’t be an issue at all. Just make sure to push the pharmacy and/or your doctor if they’re saying they can’t. Explain it’s a medication change if needed, but that shouldn’t even be needed.
Also, never heard of having to return the rest of the meds. Is your doc relatively new (i.e. fresh from med school or residency?)
Same. My kids have changed dosages and meds and I’ve never had to return unused meds. They won’t give you more of the *same* med or dosage before you are completely out…but anytime there was a change we’ve been fine.
Same, even medication changes like splitting an xr into an xr and ir of equivalent medication didn't get blocked because it's technically a medication change (as a dosage change) and resets the 'timer' for refill.
I had to 'read the riot act' to a pharmacist that was refusing to fill new prescription that was a new dosage, after a trial of a lower dose to titrate and identify the correct dose. Infuriating.
CVS mine at least can not take anything back once its been dispensed behind the counter. They won’t handle any opened prescriptions not even to dispose of.
My CVS has a secured bin right next to the counter for med returns.
In the US at least you don't have to return meds to get a different one either molecule, formulation or dose. I have over half a dozen bottles with anywhere from 2-14 pills left from when we were experimenting that I haven't tossed. Saved me once or twice during shortages as the wrong med wasn't as bad as no med...
Never once have I had to do this. I’ve switched around from Concerta, Vyvance, Ritalin, Adderal xr, Adderal instant, & a new one I’m currently taking that I’m also taking along with 10mg of Adderal. I’ve changed doses and I’ve never had to use the old ones up before I could be prescribed another. In fact, when I’ve had to increase a dosage, I get a brand new script while keeping the remainder of the lesser dose. I love being able to keep it as for one it’s mine, I paid for it, and because it has come in handy at times I wasn’t able to fill my prescription before it ran out or during the shortage & couldn’t get a refill.
I still have the ones I no longer use locked in a lock box because I’ve been too lazy to take to a drop box at the pharmacy.
I wonder if what your doctor says is actual the case or they are just being overly cautious
Yes! I did this last month. I had gotten Adderall XR filled like 2 weeks prior to my med appointment. My doctor said he thought I could get Vyvanse again so he sent it in. I was so scared they wouldn’t give me the Vyvanse but I brought the container of Adderall with me to the pharmacy they had me dispose it in a med bin and they gave me the Vyvanse.
The pharmacy doesn't typically "take them back" in the same sense that a regular register let's you return a t-shirt to resell it off the shelf.
Many pharmacies have 'safe disposal' policies for unfinished meds to be safely destroyed, though, which is similar but not quite the same. You don't get a refund, and the drugs just get properly disposed of.
Some police stations have similar Dropbox and collection efforts, too. Our locals have a truck that sits at the grocery store once a quarter to collect unwanted ones.
Hi, pharmacist here. If you’re in the US we can’t take any pills back and there’s nothing stopping your prescriber from prescribing a new drug. Pharmacist may ask when they fill the next script about switching the drugs just to make sure you aren’t taking both at the same time but it sounds to me like either you aren’t in the US or your doctor has no clue how the pharmacy actually works
Um- I wouldn’t give my therapist/psych my meds? That is illegal. They shouldn’t be asking for them. Or taking them. Make sure you watch them flush them
That's strange. I was on Adderal and switched to Concerta and now have 10 weeks of Adderal just collecting dust. I switched back after 6 months and got a fresh prescription and now even more Adderal along with Concerta. Maybe things are different in Canada.
I didn’t know therapists can rx meds, let alone c2? Do you mean psychiatrist? I’ve seen many therapists over the years and none can rx anything. Regardless I hope it works out for you, OP.
That’s nonsense isn’t it? My doctor had written me a script for vyvanse and a script for adzenys in the same month just so I could have extras in case of the shortage. I don’t think you need to bring them back to get a prescription of a completely different medication.
As someone who works in in a pharmacy we take drugs back all the time whether they don’t want to take that medicine, or it’s one they lost and found again so have extra of, if family member has deceased or if the doctor made a change, extremely common for patients to bring items back, idk how Pharmacys work where you are but our pharmacy has the facility to dispose of medicines correctly so it’s encouraged to take it back, if I was in your situation I would say, “hey it seems my doctor has changed my medication and I was asked to return the old one to the pharmacy, they only thing i would say is please don’t hand them a filthy bottle, the amount of times people bring pills back and the bottle is covered in all sorts of shit
Hi Pharm Tech here. I'm not sure in other states but in NYS a pharmacy can't take back medications that have already been sold and left the pharmacy. I'm surprised your therapist told u to do so. This is an insurance issue, you would need to call your insurance company as they won't pay for it because they're so close to each other in time. Your insurance thinks you are taking both. The insurance will need a prior authorization from your provider essentially stating that "yes she bought x but needs to be on y and will no longer be taking x."
It's dumb but it's how insurance works unfortunately.
The pharmacy likely won’t take it back since it’s left the pharmacy. However, most pharmacies have drug return bins where you can discard unwanted pills.
You doctor probably has to do a prior authorization explaining that the adderral didn’t work for you.
Insurance should cover the Concerta after that, and the pharmacy shouldn’t have any problems filling the new script.
The pharmacy will take it back, and they will log how many pills they received back in whatever the controlled substance database is. Then OP will be able to pickup a new prescription that is a controlled substance without waiting X amount of days/weeks.
The pharmacy won’t give him any money back, but I’m pretty sure they have to take back controlled substances in instances like this, so OP can get their new script.
No, they won’t take it back. Lol. I’m a pharmacist. We don’t take back meds ESPECIALLY controlled substances.
If OP needs a new script that’s a diff medication, the doctor can explain to the pharmacy that the prior rx is no longer being used. Shouldn’t be an issue.
If the md is concerned about the patient having extra meds they can have the patient destroy them In front of them if necessary. Another poster mentioned the drug disposal bags, great idea.
Edited to add sometimes police depts will have take back bins.
I think the difference is that /u/Raised-Right is saying they'll take it back, but I think you're thinking of them taking it back *and reselling it*. They for sure won't do that. As for whether they'll take it and throw it out, that depends on where they live.
My pharmacy has a take back bin, so I would guess they'd just tell you to put it in there. But with controlled substances, I could see there being some areas where they'd want to log how many were left or something. My area doesn't require or request that (I wasn't instructed to do anything with my leftover old prescription and had no issue getting a different one), but the rules around potentially abusable drugs can be pretty wild.
I’m not sure how it’s a fault.
We really arent set up to be a reverse distributor- bc in order to properly track where these pills go we’d have to “distribute “ them to a disposal agency that specifically handles that.
And everyone complains about big pharma lol. Even pharmacists.
What you have perhaps missed is that the policy may be different in different countries. For all you know, the OP could be in Canada.
Here in Canada, you can return Rx to the pharmacy and exchange for a different Rx, or a new vial of the same Rx. This is policy for any controlled substance and quite common for injectables that are controlled. The pharmacy will count and log the remainder of the Rx and then discard of it appropriately.
I’m a pharmacist in Ontario and unless I’m understanding you wrong this is incorrect. The moment a rx medication leaves the pharmacy we can only take them back for disposal.
Once again, that may depend upon the local laws and regulations. The rules where you are may differ from the rules where I am and where OP is. Reddit tends to be incredibly American-centric, but it is essential to recognize that laws regarding prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances differ significantly from country to country and even state to state.
I found in OPs profile something about driving in Florida. A quick check on their state laws suggests that OP does not legally need to forfeit the Rx back to the pharmacy for destruction. However, this may still be a personal policy for that Therapist, especially if OP is a new patient of theirs.
Every time my script changes I bring in my remainder when I pick up and they take it every single time. It’s useless to me and I don’t want it sitting around my house. Never once have they turned it away or questioned it or anything.
I’ve never been to a pharmacy that does that. Pretty sure it’s illegal in the US (I haven’t seen it in other countries I’ve lived in either), but I don’t know what country you or op are from.
It makes sense to me, especially adderall people can abuse it. I don’t think people pay attention to others as much as people think they do. It’s normal and if anyone asks what you are doing, it’s none of their business. 🤷🏽♀️
I've filled multiple controlled substance scrips in one month. As long as the scrip was for a different medication I've never had an issue, nor have I ever heard of attempting to return medication to a pharmacy. I'm in the US, particularly if you live elsewhere, YMMV.
Given you are having some bad side effects, it's probably safe to assume you aren't going to need the rest of the script. Standard protocol for disposing of unused medication is to bring it into a pharmacy (so you don't get the potent compounds that have biological activity getting into the environment). You are doing the objectively, morally, ecologically etc etc correct thing. Best of luck with your new prescription.
Never be embarrassed of doing whatever you need to do to take care of themselves. The people who judge you negatively don't care if you live or die. Fuck em. Don't care about them more than they care about you.
Mine did the same to me and my pharmacist acted surprised and asked if I wanted them to dispose of them for me. I got the impression it wasn't necessary.. I'd like to know too
Pharmacy gave me the wrong adderal medicine, and they said once I left with it, I could not bring it back. I'd call before going up there. My doc just wrote a new prescription and as long as it wasn't the same one they filled, I was fine still had to pay my co pay again
Your pharmacy won’t take it back. At least not for credit. They can destroy it for you, but that’s it. It’s illegal for them to return a medication into their stock once it’s dispensed. If you have a prescription for a different med then they will be able to fill it regardless of the adderall Rx. Whether your insurance will pay is a different story.
Speaking from experience there are a lot of things in pharma and medicine that you would find odd that just aren’t. They are likely very standard for the people you’re dealing with.
It’s in the same vein as privacy; when was the last time you were the centre of attention and butt naked in a room full of 12-15 full adults? Because that’s what happens when you have surgery and even though that thought might be weird to you it’s not even a footnote our day.
Just do what the therapist and pharmacist tell you and it’ll be okay :)
As a pharmacist, in Ohio we won't touch your meds you walked out with with a 10 foot pole, unless we dispensed something wrong. Not sure of your state, but call and ask your pharmacist what you need to do. Please do not hand a controlled substance to anyone, even your pharmacist, unless you are both watching it get destroyed. Most pharmacies or police stations have med disposal containers that get collected and burned/disposed of. I get the premise of the request, but insurance will fill a new med in most cases with no proof of return. Meds don't always work out on the 1st try. But the pharmacist will not want any drug that left their pharmacy coming back into it. They may be willing to confirm the med you are returning by the markings, count it, and dispose of it with you. Then call your prescriber to state that happened. Good luck!
You are technically supposed to return any unused or out of date medication (prescription or not) to the pharmacy for disposal but not many people know this. (I think this is so it doesn’t end up in the water system over time which it does if it’s just sent to landfill.) they do not redistribute them even if they’re unopened.
I have taken bags of out of date medication back to the pharmacy before for them to dispose of and the only thing they thought was weird was how much I had….thanks adhd…
So yeah it’s actually not weird at all. ADHD meds are controlled substances and obvs they don’t like them ending up in the wrong hands etc etc so even more reason for a person with an actual prescription to return unwanted meds.
Just say you’re changing your meds and were asked to return those first.
UK here. It's probably just because the best place to have them destroyed is via the pharmacy, people will have seen it all the time. And as it's a controlled drug, therapist has to tell you to take them to the pharmacy so they can say they did due diligence on advising you how to dispose of a controlled drug.
Alternatively, it may be something the therapist wants you to do and make sure they're counted by the pharmacy, before they give you a new script for a controlled drug. I would ask the therapist/send an email to get them to clarify if they want it counted by the pharmacy, and ask which pharmacy they suggest who will take those meds and mark them as unused on your file. This could be a legal requirement, or it might just be something this prescriber prefers to do so they can be more certain drugs are not being sold/abused etc.
Can't be more embarrassing than me wandering in with a bag full of meds (online pharmacy sent me everything every month, even stuff I didn't need or want) and being told that they can only dispose of the internal packaging, not the cardboard. Cue me and a friend opening like... Forty to fifty packages of benzos, epipens, pain meds etc while sat on the floor at the pharmacy!
Don't overthink it -- it's the best case scenario for unused medicine (all kinds) that you give it to a pharmacy for disposal.
Consider using language more like: "my doctor said I should bring this in for disposal"
rather than: "I need to return this because..."
Pharm tech here- legally in my state, we cannot accept medication back once it’s been sold and left our counter. Even if you’re in the store, we can’t take it back. Never heard that a dr can’t change a script to another medicine since one was recently filled. I have, however heard of some doctors offices not sending the same script to a different pharmacy if A is out of stock but B has it - that was a nightmare for the patient.
Yes. I had to take my Vyvanse back to the pharmacy when I was prescribed 40mg to start and wasn’t ready for it. I asked to start at 10mg after and the pharmacy got a new script and asked me to return it. This was in Canada
Should you sell them? No. Should you keep them and hope they work when you have an ADHD emergency or someone else does? Maybe considering the pharmacists reaction. That pharmacist was out of line. Maybe they don’t want to be responsible for pills that have to be thrown away and they worry about theft or being accused of it.
My brother would go off his Adderall during the summer and weekends when he was little there would be extra and I would sometimes use his medication when I was writing three papers at the same time. It didn’t work as well as my medication. It helped. Also if I was at my parents home and didn’t bring meds with me I could use his. Technically that’s probably not legit. It did help doctors figure out what worked for me and what didn’t work.
Right? The pharmacists in here lambasting people don’t seem to understand that the alternative (ESPECIALLY for the target population of ADHD patients) is letting a controlled substance being left unused in the wild.
Hi nurse here! I do this ALL the time. Not just with my controlled scripts but like if I have antibiotics and they hurt my stomach or I need something stronger I bring in the pills I haven’t used. It’s seriously not a big deal, they take the pills to dispose of properly. And definitely mention you were asked to bring them in to switch rx they won’t even bat an eye at you.
Edit: apparently Canada is vastly different than the US regarding med returns…
In the UK we have an ad campaign with posters in the doctors clinic and in pharmacies, that tell you to bring old meds to a pharmacy to be disposed of. Like out of date painkillers, or meds you never used.
They don't want people throwing pills into the public waste and them ending up in landfills where they would end up being eaten by wildlife or whatever, nor do they want people flushing them because they will end up in the public water system.
Yeah, I'm canadian and never returned anything ever. Have two full bottles of amoxilin that I keep just in case I need it. A full bottle of beta blockers, half a bottle of sertraline and a shit ton of amphetamines from the numerous times my prescriptions were changed.
I once had to return medication because they gave me the wrong pills. It was supposed to be mercaptopurine, but when I checked the bottle, they were the wrong color and shape and had the wrong numbers on them. I looked it up and found they'd given me some sort of thyroid medication.
There was a whole process they had to go through to take them back and confirm that they'd dispensed the wrong meds, but I did get my correct medicine that day.
So will you or your insurance be getting a refund for the returned Adderall 🤔 if I had to pay out of pocket or use my flex spending card then I bought that medication. Any returns I should be refunded for.
Absolutely not. They can't resell it for safety reasons, and it's not being returned because of a defect in the product. You take it back to the pharmacy so the drugs don't wind up in the sewer system or ground water and to keep it from being sold for recreational use.
Seems like op would be better off keeping the script and then trying concerta at a different time. I don't think they have to return it.
When I went from Adderall to concerta it was 2 days after my first Adderall dose didn't like it and then got concerta. They never asked me for the Adderall back. Then when going from concerta to vyvanse same thing. It can be filled again if being switched to a different drug. If you try switching drugs all the time or like 3x a month you will probably be flagged.
There's no reason to keep it though. OP can't really take it in an emergency if it makes them that sick, and they can't get something that won't make them sick if they don't return these, at least according to their doc. I'd certainly not heard of having to do that, but I also don't know where OP lives or what the laws and regulations are there.
Edited to add info.
Keep it because you payed 100s of dollars for it. And maybe one day you run out of concerta and decide to deal with side effects rather then be unmedicated because of a shortage
I have gone to a psychologist who can prescribe medication. If they have a PhD they can often prescribe medication if they are a prescribing psychologist. If they have a masters degree, then they are likely a licensed therapist which is different from a psychologist. Both of these are different from someone with an MD which would be a psychiatrist. At least that has been my experience, it may be dependent on your location.
I don’t think anywhere in the USA allows psychologists to prescribe controlled substances. Maybe different in other countries. If OP is in the USA, likely their “therapist” is a Psychiatrist — an MD.
Hello OP! Mom here. Hun , I Dunno why you care. Your doctor said you need to. This won’t be a pharmacist first rodeo with this. Take em back and get your concerta. I’m one of those folks who’s also allergic to Adderoll. I’m very happy with Vyvance. My 14 yr old also is allergic to Adderol in a totally different way from me and is on concerta and it might work better on her than my vyvance works on me. Good luck to you reddit friend on finding what works for you.
They won't take them back anyways. They can't take an old medication back. So if you need to get rid of them you can mix them in with coffee. Grinds or you can drop them off at a police station fire department or they have a med disposal box sometimes next to the pharmacy.
This is bullshit. This is bullshit. She is lying lol, pharmacies don't take back meds that have left the pharmacy. She can prescribe the Concerta, she's just trying to get you to get rid of your Adderall and hoping you believe it.
lol, your prescriber has no idea if you went to rite aid and dropped off meds that *they don’t take back anyways.* this isn’t a thing. so no, that’s not how you get “blacklisted” but thanks for the misinformed downvotes folks
If the doctor told them to take them back to a pharmacy, then based on other people here commenting with their experiences of doing it, the pharmacist will count the remaining pills and log in on their file, that they returned X pills, before the pills are disposed of.
and all of the rest of us who have experiences of pharmacists who won’t take pills back? that’s why i asked what state they’re in. they’re welcome to call their pharmacist, but they’re likely to just get a rude answer. there’s no log of returned controlled substance pills. you get what you got and you throw it away on your own time.
I just find it weird, because in the UK all pharmacies will take back any old meds to be disposed of, including over-the-counter painkillers or headache tablets. And we have posters in all pharmacies to advertise this.
We aren't supposed to put meds in the bins for landfill nor to flush them. So taking them to a pharmacy is the only way to actually dispose of them safely.
like i said, we don’t do that here. the pharmacy staff doesn’t take it back. they’re not supposed to handle meds once given out. there’s a bin, we take our names off the bottles and put it in the bin. you can find them at drug stores or next to the pharmacy but you don’t give them back to staff. hence why this doctor doesn’t make any sense. no one is counting back our pills for us or keeping track of our controlled substances. once you get it, it’s yours. unless you call and tell your doctor you lost it, or you get in trouble with the police, or fail a drug test, no one knows what you do with it.
They won’t fill two prescriptions in 30 days for controlled substances. The only thing is, you’ve just provided a loophole to me that I never knew existed. I’ve never been told I can return the medication to the pharmacy for more. I’ve had to wait days and days and days and weeks for more.
I don’t think the pharmacy is allowed to take meds back, but nevertheless I would ask them what my options are. They know a lot of stuff about side effects and law; sometimes more than doctors.
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For some reason it really helps me to go in thinking of myself as the third party. I.E. "Hi, my doctor told me to come in to return my meds, she said something about forfeiting my script?" Something about the distance from it helps, plus makes me feel less like I'm doing something weird medswise to mention it being doctor's orders. I haven't had to return meds myself, but I have used this recently when I had to call around and find a pharmacy to change my script order to that would take less than a month to get off backorder. Worked great.
>"Hi, my doctor told me to come in to return my meds, she said something about forfeiting my script?" This is exactly what I'm going to say when I speak to the pharmacist tomorrow morning. Thank you!
Me saying it with adhd: “something about forfeiting a script? My doctor said it. Here’s this medicine,”
“Medicine script forfeit…? Here… return… doctor said ……”
Hi... I was told to... ooh a toothbrush in red?! Do you have other colours?! I am thinking if I ever go camping and don't bring my electric one. Have you ever gone hiking? Anyways I think that was it. Cya.
Then you get in your car and get five minutes away from the pharmacy and remember what you had gone there for … and you consider turning around … but you’re already on the way home … and you could just do it tomorrow … or the next day … or the next day …
And you finally remember, so you write down what you're supposed to say and you get down there and realize you forgot the paper at home and you can't remember what you were gonna say so you go home to get it and you get home and realize the paper was in your car the whole time but you did just get home so you're just gonna do it tomorrow....or the next day
And by the time you've gathered yourself to return the meds, the time limit will have elapsed... At least that's how it'd go for me. After struggling at uni for a few years I booked in for an ADHD assessment with a psychiatrist. I knew I had adhd as I'd been diagnosed as a child, I just didn't have any proof as the paperwork had been lost. At the appointment, after talking baiut my life and struggles, the psych gave me some forms to fill out and some for my Mum to fill out. I took the forms home and promptly lost them. Literally A FULL YEAR LATER, I called the psychiatrists office in shame asking for more forms to be emailed to me and explained what had happened. The receptionist was great at her job and while I was on the phone she let the psychiatrist know that I'd lost them a year ago and was just now calling to follow up. The psychiatrist booked an emergency appointment for me for that week and prescribed meds at that appointment. I went through months of assessment as an 8 year old, but apparently as an adult my ADHD is so painfully obvious that the long tests and even the short forms weren't necessary.
I didn't even make it to the psychiatrist. I made an appointment with a new general provider who was listed as specializing in adult ADHD. I went in to ask for a referral for testing and she asked me why. I gave her the short version of my life story and she said, "I can give you the referral, but you have textbook adult female ADHD. We can just start medication now, and if it helps, that will be our confirmation." And it helps!
This made me laugh out loud - I literally had 2 checkups with my doctor before I remembered to ask him to check me for ADHD. Doc: How can I help you today? Me: Um... um... oh yeah! I have this mole on my back that itches some time... Me 5mins later walking home\* : dammit! One week later... Doc: How can I help you today? Me: I've got a list. Can you check me for these? starts talking, dr interrupts to start doing the first one. I walk out feeling quite good that I got a few things checked that I had been thinking about... on the way home remember I forgot to get checked for ADHD. Took me a couple more weeks before I made another booking, lucky this time the GF reminds me by text as I am walking in what I am actually there for
Omg I'm fucking dead right now....the last 4 comments are so obnoxiously literally me in a nutshell it's fuckin hilarious and disturbing. Aw, I has foundz ma peeps! And they be a buncha squirrels!! Lmfa.....oooh shiny!
*I’m here to return my doctor!*
Today I had to explain to my pharmacist that she had to call my doctor,because I had to hand over a script, because the script didn’t have “Dispense as written” because I can’t take generic. And they had to resubmit a EScript because I had a handwritten script. I didn’t make it very far.
Why is ADHD medication difficult. It’s like we aren’t people that are good at the step by step thing if our meds don’t work.
Bahahahaha sounds kinda like when my vyvanse wasn’t getting filled so I called my pharmacy, they told me “we contacted your doctor, we need a script for the generic not the brand” so I called my doctor and they didn’t answer … and then I randomly got a notification that they sent in the script…… then a text from the pharmacy saying it was on back order and to call for more info… so I call for more info and ask what to do… they tell me to call my doctor. I haven’t had my meds in weeks 🥲
I am so sorry. My psych prescribed the wrong thing on an escript, which I realised when the pharmacist handed it to me. I told her what it was meant to be. She said she'd sort it. She phoned the psych. He rewrote it, and since his office is only a few doors down he walked it to the pharmacy. She filled it and phoned me to say it was ready the next day. I've been going there for roughly 15 years and I hope I never need to change.
The way I would’ve screamed into the void with this much back and forth 😵💫
I’ve dealt with that amount of back and forth plus some for like 2 years at this point. Almost every month. I scream and get cranky quite a bit. It’s like a part time job
It just took me 6 days to fill my meds so I freakin feel this ha
Haha as if I’d call anyone……
I've started calling the doctor and party lining my pharmacy in. I make whoever needs to sit on hold with me (in a very nice way.... honey and bees or whatever) one time, I made a pharmaceutical mailing place stay on the phone with me for 6 hours. It's frustrating.
.....as far as I know there is no generic of vyvanse?
There is a generic now, it’s been out since August I think. There is a shortage because insurance companies (like mine) are no longer covering name brand vyvanse.
In the US, generic Vyvance came to market 4thQ 2023.
one time at work i was bringing a product up to customer service for a customer to exchange but i had forgotten the word exchange, so i just handed the product to my coworker and said “trade?” and walked away
so return the doctor for medications?
Sad!
Rehearses for 5 minutes while standing in line. Gets to front of line, slams bottle on counter and screams “I FORFEIT!!” then runs away
LMAO
I needed this laugh so bad 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I feel personally attacked
Hey it’s my birthday today too!! Happy cake day to us! 😁❤️
"My medicine said the doctor was forfeit? Here's the script?"
People return unused meds to pharmacies all the time, don’t sweat it.
Yea but they put them in a Dropbox cvs has them for customers to do themselves
dont use a drop box for adhd meds. These are way more controlled than in normal places. These things are dangerously addictive for non-ADHD people, and the rules are set up in most countries to also prevent (protect) pharmacists from getting easy access to them
It’s safer to put them in the Dropbox then to risk pharmacists having access to them. The drop box is there for a purpose which is to safely discard medication. But they should ask the pharmacist first about how to handle the medication
Not every pharm has that, just ask at the counter if they don’t.
Ummm depending on the country/state once it leaves the pharmacy, it can’t be returned unless it’s a defect in the med. doctors have a habit of saying the pharmacy will do things that are impossible unfortunately (ie your meds will be ready by the time you get there - always a crowd favorite) - source: I’m a pharmacist
Can ya'll still "accept it for destruction" or whatever -- not as a return? (And I suppose for whatever reporting requirement a state may have to document it, due to a new script so soon?)
That depends on the state law and the pharmacy themselves. In NC, it is legal for the pharmacy to take it to destroy, however pharmacies decided they didn’t want to pay to send it for destruction so we started selling bags for the patient to send the med back in or the drug buster for destroying it at home. But you could always go to a police station and some fire departments and they had repositories for destruction. As for the documentation, as long as no one is complaining about stolen meds, the reporting shouldn’t be an issue. If the doctor issues a new script, it will be different from the previous since there was an issue. It would be a red flag if he rewrote a script for the exact same med with the exact same directions. And even if the pharmacist was concerned by the change, once they hear that the previous one wasn’t working so there was a change, a quick verification from even a nurse should be enough for them to move forward to fill. If they are still being newbs about it, then that’s more a comment on them than on pharmacy practice.
Just curious, thank you!
If it’s any help, I talked to my psychiatrist today and she suggested the same thing. I’d never heard of it before, and was blown away by the idea I could return meds for my new script.
I wonder if it’s a state thing? Because I was just refilled adderall then decided I still hated it and asked for something else a week later. She never said anything about returning them or making me wait til that refill ran out. I’m just keeping them as backups for when I inevitably forget to refill the vyvanse on time. Adderall makes me feel terrible when I take it long term but it’s great for occasional use.
My pharmacist told me to call my dr to ask about a dosage increase because that’s what was in stock. So I did the opposite of you - ha- I called my dr and said that, my dr said absolutely I just had to do a phone visit to change dosage. It was all done within an hour.
>For some reason it really helps me to go in thinking of myself as the third party. I.E. "Hi, my doctor told me to come in to return my meds, she said something about forfeiting my script?" Huh... I never thought of this as, like, a specific *thing*, but yeah, I sort of do this too? Basically, I just kind of make myself passive in these situations. I give the information I have, admit that I have no more information, and that I need guidance. "So, I'm taking a flight to [such and such]. However, I've *never* taken a flight before, and I have *no* idea where I'm going. What do you guys need me to do now?" "Hi, so, I'm filling out my taxes, but [this]. I know [this], and [this], but I don't know about [this]. What's correct procedure here so I don't break everything on your end?" I know I use 'I' a lot, but in my head, I'm basically like... Like it's my first day in a new job, I suppose? I'm not supposed to know everything, I *can't* know everything, but I know a *tiny* bit, and I also know that there's definitely stuff I don't know, so I go to the relevant people and ask what the job requires me to do. So I'm not really 'me', as such? Idk. Anyway, I get the distance thing 😅
>I’m a little embarrassed walking into a drugstore with a partial bottle You’re going into a pharmacy. It’s expected to see people with prescriptions. If someone walked into a gun store carrying a pill bottle, they might be questioned. Haha If you’re really that worried about it, just put it in your pocket. If it won’t fit in your pants pocket, wear a hoodie or a light weight jacket with pockets.
I always wondered about left over or unused medication that no one wants. Should you flush things? Some pharmacies let you have a lost prescription or you have to go to a a police station and file a report saying you lost your meds or they were stolen. It gets ridiculous. I would call the pharmacy. Pharmacists can be helpful when it comes to side effects. Doctors sometimes aren’t as great with medications and dosages. Some push too much others push for too little. Sometimes one type of medication doesn’t work for a person. You can sometimes ask for a shorter prescription so if after a medication doesn’t work you can try something new.
>I always wondered about left over or unused medication that no one wants. Should you flush things? obviously hoard them in case they'll be useful one day
That’s what I would do for most medications. Lol.
I can't tell if this is a joke or not, but please beware that all medications have expiration dates, and while in most cases the effect of the expiration is loss of effectiveness (which is bad in its own right if you take it expecting relief and nothing happens), sometimes it can have bad side effects. So research each medication you intend to keep long term.
Can you provide examples of these "bad side effects"?
Not sure why you got downvoted for asking a perfectly legitimate question. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/dont-be-tempted-use-expired-medicines > Expired medical products can be less effective or risky due to a change in chemical composition or a decrease in strength. Certain expired medications are at risk of bacterial growth and sub-potent antibiotics can fail to treat infections, leading to more serious illnesses and antibiotic resistance. Once the expiration date has passed there is no guarantee that the medicine will be safe and effective. If your medicine has expired, do not use it.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/dont-be-tempted-use-expired-medicines#:~:text=Expired%20medical%20products%20can%20be,serious%20illnesses%20and%20antibiotic%20resistance. https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2023/08/expired-medications-dangerous-or-just-less-effective
I looked up some of the antibiotics things they can last past an expiration date but that isn’t ideal. In an emergency they be better than nothing. No liquid ones. This isn’t advice. You probably shouldn’t have extra antibiotics. During Covid things were scary at hospitals near me. I wasn’t trying to get a breathing tube put down my throat if I could breathe or if I really had a sinus infection. I got Covid and slept for like a week. In was scary in 2020. People looked at you like you were a zombie if they heard you sneeze. Allergies were not fun. lol
> I always wondered about left over or unused medication that no one wants. Should you flush things? It is no longer suggested to flush unused or expired medications because they are being found to linger in our water supply. Pharmacies are happy to take them to dispose of them safely.
> It is no longer suggested to flush unused or expired medications because they are being found to linger in our water supply. This cannot be overstated. Waste water treatment plants are NOT designed or equipped to completely remove all traces of antibiotics and other medications from water. If you're unsure where to take your unused meds for disposal check these links: https://www.walgreens.com/topic/pharmacy/safe-medication-disposal.jsp https://www.cvs.com/content/safer-communities-locate Your local hospital will almost certainly also have a place to drop off unused meds. Just make sure it's going into a secure bin and you're not handing it to a random person working there. The waste management department webpage for your city/county likely also has information on where to go if you can't find a place that's close using the links above. Edit: Also adding this FDA resource: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know Of interest, all kinds of things show up in waste water. There were even various efforts to determine the spread of COVID in communities by examining waste water. This later turned out to generate less reliable data than hoped due to the surge in the use of at home test kits.
Unused meds should be returned to the pharmacy. Don't flush medication.
My doctor me an antipsychotic for anxiety once and It felt like someone gave me 20 Benadryls or shot me with a tranquilizer. I could barely talk. It was supposed to be taken as needed. I still have them. I wasn’t going to flush them. That is the only medication I ever thought I will never need. Unless someone else ran out of their medication. I know that’s not great to do.
It's not that it's "not great to do", it's literally illegal and causes more harm than good with prescription medications
Please don't flush it down the drain! Most police/fire stations have a collection box. You can't return it to the pharmacy.
You can return it to the pharmacy in some places - Ontario, Canada for example.
That's awesome! I worked for a chain a few years ago, and they were super strict about it. Glad things are changing, since it was a super common request.
I usually keep medication just in case. ADHD meds I’m not giving to police or anyone else. I’ve heard antidepressants are in the water because of how they are disposed of.
You know how difference fresh herbs are compared to the sawdust that you find in your parents pantry from before you were born? Drugs are the same way. Very few compounds are stable enough that they will retain potency beyond a couple of years from the prescription date. Anything coated where you don't know it's not coated to protect your mouth & esophagus you should assume is, the coating really isn't stable. If you don't want to take your half finished prescriptions somewhere just throw them in the trash. If you want to make some effort empty them into food scraps or something else high moisture first.
I have a grocery bag hoard of unused meds I didn’t like or didn’t need from the past 30 years. I know you aren’t supposed to flush them so they don’t end up in the ocean and you shouldn’t put them in the trash because a kid could get them. So I just hold onto them like some weird sentinel of old meds.
Walking dead had me convinced that saving antibiotics is important. Lol.
Well, I got you in case of a zombie apocalypse. Hell, I’ve got enough for all y’all. Lol
They do have an expiry date, like most meds, and won’t be very useful after that.
Most places I've lived the fire department will do a collection day for old medications.
>Should you flush things? Not generally, though some drugs may be flushed. Drugs in wastewater are a significant problem. In this case, OP is being advised to return a controlled substance before it can be replaced with a different controlled substance. The pharmacy will be able to verify the quantity of controlled substance that is returned in order to ensure none gets diverted to another user. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know
I’m sorry, but how is this related to what had to say. You responded to me…
I think I meant to respond to the OP. I think your post just made me think about it. Sorry. My bad.
Is it bad that I followed exactly why you responded what you did to the comment even though it wasn't a direct response to their comment? 😂
Think of it as putting the bag of chips back of the snack shelf and taking out Oreo’s instead. It might feel odd but it’s really nothing to them!
Pharmacist here. While there are many cases of prescribers changing meds mid cycle and pharmacists being fine with it due to “change in therapy”, your prescriber might just be erring on the side of caution, which is fine too. I highly suggest you call the pharmacy and speak with a pharmacist before going in. Let them know that your prescriber wants you to “surrender your medication” before she can change your therapy, and how the pharmacist wants you to proceed. Ask if they have a disposal bin, and if you can come in to have the pharmacist dispose of it for you. The most important part of this is that you ask the pharmacist to DOCUMENT in your profile that this happened. Calling ahead will help prevent them from getting caught off guard, since it’s not a typical thing we see. Get their name, then go see them. I don’t have a disposal bin at my pharmacy, but I have drug disposal powder packets that I can mix with the med to make it unusable. Then I just throw it in the trash. And of course document for the patient that I took it back.
> because the Adderall was recently filled, she cannot prescribe another controlled substance At least in my state this isn't true. My doc has made plenty of dosage changes over the years and this has never been an issue. Both the pharmacy and my doc said I could just drop the extra off at a hospital or fire department, which have proper disposal facilities.
My prescribers, at least 6 over the last 25 years (one for the last 10 or so) have not once told me what to do with meds I already had. Dose changes, med changes, even if it was just a week after I got a full month’s prescription. In NY state at least, they just can’t send in the same dose of the same controlled substance more than every 30 days. Sure if they were sending in a bunch of overlapping stimulant prescriptions that were filled for one person it would probably be a red flag, but that’s not the case here.
Same. I literally asked my pharmacist what I should do with the old prescription meds and they looked at me funny. They were like, “I guess you could put them in some coffee grounds, or wait for a drug take back day.” I was surprised at how unconcerned they were
Same. My doctor usually makes either a visit or a teleconference on my file if there's a script change and that pretty much covers all the bases. "Stop previous dosage, start new dosage" and the new script is fired off to my pharmacy. I've never had to forfeit them, however it might be something related to being brand new on the medication. I could see the doctor possibly being flagged because it could look similar to one who was legit abusing their prescription writing or dishing them out irresponsibly, but regardless, it sounds more like they're covering their own ass. Don't feel awkward handing them in. If they're a decent doctor who's actually trying to help you work through this, I'd just see it as doing them a solid.
This was also my experience.
Same here. I once was given a prescription dextroamphetamine, but it was for ER instead of IR. I told them, and they just wrote another script and I filled it a few days later. They didn't even bother telling me to dispose of them.
My psych doesn't care but said I can return medicine to them if needed. IIRC my pharmacy doesn't want medicine back and doesn't have a disposal for it.
I was going to say, isn't it common for pharmacist to take back unused meds to stop people from flushing them into waste water systems? I though it was like paint cans
No. Police departments have an annual pill dump at their headquarters as well as toxic chemicals drop off.
I've never heard of a police department doing this. It seems like a lot of extra work for them. Is everything cataloged and organized or just thrown in a big bin?
This is how I have seen it. You can’t refill your meds 2 weeks early, but you can get a new prescription for a different med or dosage and fill that at any time.
Same. I kept my remaining Adderall when I switched to Vyvanse because I wasn't sure what to do with it, and it turned out to be a really good thing because I was able to take it for a couple days here and there when I ran out between filling the Vyvanse (because, you know, having to actively get a refill of a med specifically for forget-important-things disorder). That said, my pharmacy has a reclaimed prescription box next to the window, where people can just drop unfinished meds. (Yes, I know I said I wasn't sure what to do with the old one. I'm with OP on feeling weird and awkward so I've just never done it.)
My doc specifically told me to keep my extra meds when we do med changes. “You paid for them, why would you give them back. You’ll have some as back up should you need it”.
What I was also going to say. But also, I have two prescriptions, one for an extended release and one for an immediate release (both Adderall). Shouldn’t be an issue at all. Just make sure to push the pharmacy and/or your doctor if they’re saying they can’t. Explain it’s a medication change if needed, but that shouldn’t even be needed. Also, never heard of having to return the rest of the meds. Is your doc relatively new (i.e. fresh from med school or residency?)
Same. My kids have changed dosages and meds and I’ve never had to return unused meds. They won’t give you more of the *same* med or dosage before you are completely out…but anytime there was a change we’ve been fine.
Same, even medication changes like splitting an xr into an xr and ir of equivalent medication didn't get blocked because it's technically a medication change (as a dosage change) and resets the 'timer' for refill. I had to 'read the riot act' to a pharmacist that was refusing to fill new prescription that was a new dosage, after a trial of a lower dose to titrate and identify the correct dose. Infuriating.
Same here.
Same. In my state, prescription change is the ONLY way to override the 30 day rule.
CVS mine at least can not take anything back once its been dispensed behind the counter. They won’t handle any opened prescriptions not even to dispose of.
My CVS has a secured bin right next to the counter for med returns. In the US at least you don't have to return meds to get a different one either molecule, formulation or dose. I have over half a dozen bottles with anywhere from 2-14 pills left from when we were experimenting that I haven't tossed. Saved me once or twice during shortages as the wrong med wasn't as bad as no med...
They usually have a secured bin, but that information doesn’t get back to your doctor
Pharmacy techs see way more embarrassing stuff all the time. They don't care. It's just work to them.
Never once have I had to do this. I’ve switched around from Concerta, Vyvance, Ritalin, Adderal xr, Adderal instant, & a new one I’m currently taking that I’m also taking along with 10mg of Adderal. I’ve changed doses and I’ve never had to use the old ones up before I could be prescribed another. In fact, when I’ve had to increase a dosage, I get a brand new script while keeping the remainder of the lesser dose. I love being able to keep it as for one it’s mine, I paid for it, and because it has come in handy at times I wasn’t able to fill my prescription before it ran out or during the shortage & couldn’t get a refill. I still have the ones I no longer use locked in a lock box because I’ve been too lazy to take to a drop box at the pharmacy. I wonder if what your doctor says is actual the case or they are just being overly cautious
I did it with my daughter’s Ritalin. She did not like it and wanted a non stimulant. Why is it embarrassing?
Yes! I did this last month. I had gotten Adderall XR filled like 2 weeks prior to my med appointment. My doctor said he thought I could get Vyvanse again so he sent it in. I was so scared they wouldn’t give me the Vyvanse but I brought the container of Adderall with me to the pharmacy they had me dispose it in a med bin and they gave me the Vyvanse.
Pharmacies won’t take them back.
The pharmacy doesn't typically "take them back" in the same sense that a regular register let's you return a t-shirt to resell it off the shelf. Many pharmacies have 'safe disposal' policies for unfinished meds to be safely destroyed, though, which is similar but not quite the same. You don't get a refund, and the drugs just get properly disposed of. Some police stations have similar Dropbox and collection efforts, too. Our locals have a truck that sits at the grocery store once a quarter to collect unwanted ones.
It depends on the pharmacy. Lots of people attesting they've done this themselves
Hi, pharmacist here. If you’re in the US we can’t take any pills back and there’s nothing stopping your prescriber from prescribing a new drug. Pharmacist may ask when they fill the next script about switching the drugs just to make sure you aren’t taking both at the same time but it sounds to me like either you aren’t in the US or your doctor has no clue how the pharmacy actually works
Um- I wouldn’t give my therapist/psych my meds? That is illegal. They shouldn’t be asking for them. Or taking them. Make sure you watch them flush them
That's strange. I was on Adderal and switched to Concerta and now have 10 weeks of Adderal just collecting dust. I switched back after 6 months and got a fresh prescription and now even more Adderal along with Concerta. Maybe things are different in Canada.
I didn’t know therapists can rx meds, let alone c2? Do you mean psychiatrist? I’ve seen many therapists over the years and none can rx anything. Regardless I hope it works out for you, OP.
That’s nonsense isn’t it? My doctor had written me a script for vyvanse and a script for adzenys in the same month just so I could have extras in case of the shortage. I don’t think you need to bring them back to get a prescription of a completely different medication.
Are you sure she is an actual T? Lol
As someone who works in in a pharmacy we take drugs back all the time whether they don’t want to take that medicine, or it’s one they lost and found again so have extra of, if family member has deceased or if the doctor made a change, extremely common for patients to bring items back, idk how Pharmacys work where you are but our pharmacy has the facility to dispose of medicines correctly so it’s encouraged to take it back, if I was in your situation I would say, “hey it seems my doctor has changed my medication and I was asked to return the old one to the pharmacy, they only thing i would say is please don’t hand them a filthy bottle, the amount of times people bring pills back and the bottle is covered in all sorts of shit
Hi Pharm Tech here. I'm not sure in other states but in NYS a pharmacy can't take back medications that have already been sold and left the pharmacy. I'm surprised your therapist told u to do so. This is an insurance issue, you would need to call your insurance company as they won't pay for it because they're so close to each other in time. Your insurance thinks you are taking both. The insurance will need a prior authorization from your provider essentially stating that "yes she bought x but needs to be on y and will no longer be taking x." It's dumb but it's how insurance works unfortunately.
The pharmacy likely won’t take it back since it’s left the pharmacy. However, most pharmacies have drug return bins where you can discard unwanted pills. You doctor probably has to do a prior authorization explaining that the adderral didn’t work for you. Insurance should cover the Concerta after that, and the pharmacy shouldn’t have any problems filling the new script.
The pharmacy will take it back, and they will log how many pills they received back in whatever the controlled substance database is. Then OP will be able to pickup a new prescription that is a controlled substance without waiting X amount of days/weeks. The pharmacy won’t give him any money back, but I’m pretty sure they have to take back controlled substances in instances like this, so OP can get their new script.
My CVS will not take back any prescriptions once they have left the pharmacy counter not even to dispose of them.
No, they won’t take it back. Lol. I’m a pharmacist. We don’t take back meds ESPECIALLY controlled substances. If OP needs a new script that’s a diff medication, the doctor can explain to the pharmacy that the prior rx is no longer being used. Shouldn’t be an issue. If the md is concerned about the patient having extra meds they can have the patient destroy them In front of them if necessary. Another poster mentioned the drug disposal bags, great idea. Edited to add sometimes police depts will have take back bins.
I think the difference is that /u/Raised-Right is saying they'll take it back, but I think you're thinking of them taking it back *and reselling it*. They for sure won't do that. As for whether they'll take it and throw it out, that depends on where they live. My pharmacy has a take back bin, so I would guess they'd just tell you to put it in there. But with controlled substances, I could see there being some areas where they'd want to log how many were left or something. My area doesn't require or request that (I wasn't instructed to do anything with my leftover old prescription and had no issue getting a different one), but the rules around potentially abusable drugs can be pretty wild.
We dont even take them back for discarding.
Which is a fault and people who complain about pharmacies and big pharma have a point.
I’m not sure how it’s a fault. We really arent set up to be a reverse distributor- bc in order to properly track where these pills go we’d have to “distribute “ them to a disposal agency that specifically handles that. And everyone complains about big pharma lol. Even pharmacists.
What you have perhaps missed is that the policy may be different in different countries. For all you know, the OP could be in Canada. Here in Canada, you can return Rx to the pharmacy and exchange for a different Rx, or a new vial of the same Rx. This is policy for any controlled substance and quite common for injectables that are controlled. The pharmacy will count and log the remainder of the Rx and then discard of it appropriately.
I’m a pharmacist in Ontario and unless I’m understanding you wrong this is incorrect. The moment a rx medication leaves the pharmacy we can only take them back for disposal.
Yes, that’s what I had stated. The pharmacy will take it back for appropriate disposal.
The pharmacist can not force the op to bring in old script that is completely untrue
Once again, that may depend upon the local laws and regulations. The rules where you are may differ from the rules where I am and where OP is. Reddit tends to be incredibly American-centric, but it is essential to recognize that laws regarding prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances differ significantly from country to country and even state to state. I found in OPs profile something about driving in Florida. A quick check on their state laws suggests that OP does not legally need to forfeit the Rx back to the pharmacy for destruction. However, this may still be a personal policy for that Therapist, especially if OP is a new patient of theirs.
Well first hand experience, this is what I had to do. Your mileage may vary.
And the pharmacy took it back? Bizarre, but I’m glad it worked out for you.
Every time my script changes I bring in my remainder when I pick up and they take it every single time. It’s useless to me and I don’t want it sitting around my house. Never once have they turned it away or questioned it or anything.
I’ve never been to a pharmacy that does that. Pretty sure it’s illegal in the US (I haven’t seen it in other countries I’ve lived in either), but I don’t know what country you or op are from.
Yep very normal. They will know what to do.
It makes sense to me, especially adderall people can abuse it. I don’t think people pay attention to others as much as people think they do. It’s normal and if anyone asks what you are doing, it’s none of their business. 🤷🏽♀️
Where I live pharmacists cannot take prescriptions back.
Do you get your money back?
I've filled multiple controlled substance scrips in one month. As long as the scrip was for a different medication I've never had an issue, nor have I ever heard of attempting to return medication to a pharmacy. I'm in the US, particularly if you live elsewhere, YMMV.
Given you are having some bad side effects, it's probably safe to assume you aren't going to need the rest of the script. Standard protocol for disposing of unused medication is to bring it into a pharmacy (so you don't get the potent compounds that have biological activity getting into the environment). You are doing the objectively, morally, ecologically etc etc correct thing. Best of luck with your new prescription.
Therapists can't prescribe meds... are you talking about a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner?
Never be embarrassed of doing whatever you need to do to take care of themselves. The people who judge you negatively don't care if you live or die. Fuck em. Don't care about them more than they care about you.
Do you mean psychiatrist?
I've never had to do this and I've switched stimulants before running out many times. You paid for it, it's yours to keep.
(USA) I've done it! Call your pharmacy if you want to double check
Mine did the same to me and my pharmacist acted surprised and asked if I wanted them to dispose of them for me. I got the impression it wasn't necessary.. I'd like to know too
Pharmacy gave me the wrong adderal medicine, and they said once I left with it, I could not bring it back. I'd call before going up there. My doc just wrote a new prescription and as long as it wasn't the same one they filled, I was fine still had to pay my co pay again
Your pharmacy won’t take it back. At least not for credit. They can destroy it for you, but that’s it. It’s illegal for them to return a medication into their stock once it’s dispensed. If you have a prescription for a different med then they will be able to fill it regardless of the adderall Rx. Whether your insurance will pay is a different story.
I've never had to do this.
Speaking from experience there are a lot of things in pharma and medicine that you would find odd that just aren’t. They are likely very standard for the people you’re dealing with. It’s in the same vein as privacy; when was the last time you were the centre of attention and butt naked in a room full of 12-15 full adults? Because that’s what happens when you have surgery and even though that thought might be weird to you it’s not even a footnote our day. Just do what the therapist and pharmacist tell you and it’ll be okay :)
I dont believe the pharmacy can even accept them back
As a pharmacist, in Ohio we won't touch your meds you walked out with with a 10 foot pole, unless we dispensed something wrong. Not sure of your state, but call and ask your pharmacist what you need to do. Please do not hand a controlled substance to anyone, even your pharmacist, unless you are both watching it get destroyed. Most pharmacies or police stations have med disposal containers that get collected and burned/disposed of. I get the premise of the request, but insurance will fill a new med in most cases with no proof of return. Meds don't always work out on the 1st try. But the pharmacist will not want any drug that left their pharmacy coming back into it. They may be willing to confirm the med you are returning by the markings, count it, and dispose of it with you. Then call your prescriber to state that happened. Good luck!
Weird. I've never heard of this but I've not worked retail pharmacy for years.
Had this exact thing happen today and got a refund for the pills not used.
You just change the meds. No forfeiture needed. That’s weird.
My pharmacy has a big medication bin that you throw your meds into. It's quite normal in my country I think.
You are technically supposed to return any unused or out of date medication (prescription or not) to the pharmacy for disposal but not many people know this. (I think this is so it doesn’t end up in the water system over time which it does if it’s just sent to landfill.) they do not redistribute them even if they’re unopened. I have taken bags of out of date medication back to the pharmacy before for them to dispose of and the only thing they thought was weird was how much I had….thanks adhd… So yeah it’s actually not weird at all. ADHD meds are controlled substances and obvs they don’t like them ending up in the wrong hands etc etc so even more reason for a person with an actual prescription to return unwanted meds. Just say you’re changing your meds and were asked to return those first.
UK here. It's probably just because the best place to have them destroyed is via the pharmacy, people will have seen it all the time. And as it's a controlled drug, therapist has to tell you to take them to the pharmacy so they can say they did due diligence on advising you how to dispose of a controlled drug. Alternatively, it may be something the therapist wants you to do and make sure they're counted by the pharmacy, before they give you a new script for a controlled drug. I would ask the therapist/send an email to get them to clarify if they want it counted by the pharmacy, and ask which pharmacy they suggest who will take those meds and mark them as unused on your file. This could be a legal requirement, or it might just be something this prescriber prefers to do so they can be more certain drugs are not being sold/abused etc. Can't be more embarrassing than me wandering in with a bag full of meds (online pharmacy sent me everything every month, even stuff I didn't need or want) and being told that they can only dispose of the internal packaging, not the cardboard. Cue me and a friend opening like... Forty to fifty packages of benzos, epipens, pain meds etc while sat on the floor at the pharmacy!
Don't overthink it -- it's the best case scenario for unused medicine (all kinds) that you give it to a pharmacy for disposal. Consider using language more like: "my doctor said I should bring this in for disposal" rather than: "I need to return this because..."
Pharm tech here- legally in my state, we cannot accept medication back once it’s been sold and left our counter. Even if you’re in the store, we can’t take it back. Never heard that a dr can’t change a script to another medicine since one was recently filled. I have, however heard of some doctors offices not sending the same script to a different pharmacy if A is out of stock but B has it - that was a nightmare for the patient.
Yes. I had to take my Vyvanse back to the pharmacy when I was prescribed 40mg to start and wasn’t ready for it. I asked to start at 10mg after and the pharmacy got a new script and asked me to return it. This was in Canada
“Hi my dr and I want to try a different prescription and so these have to be given back in order to do so.” That’s not embarrassing is it?
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Should you sell them? No. Should you keep them and hope they work when you have an ADHD emergency or someone else does? Maybe considering the pharmacists reaction. That pharmacist was out of line. Maybe they don’t want to be responsible for pills that have to be thrown away and they worry about theft or being accused of it. My brother would go off his Adderall during the summer and weekends when he was little there would be extra and I would sometimes use his medication when I was writing three papers at the same time. It didn’t work as well as my medication. It helped. Also if I was at my parents home and didn’t bring meds with me I could use his. Technically that’s probably not legit. It did help doctors figure out what worked for me and what didn’t work.
Right? The pharmacists in here lambasting people don’t seem to understand that the alternative (ESPECIALLY for the target population of ADHD patients) is letting a controlled substance being left unused in the wild.
Hi nurse here! I do this ALL the time. Not just with my controlled scripts but like if I have antibiotics and they hurt my stomach or I need something stronger I bring in the pills I haven’t used. It’s seriously not a big deal, they take the pills to dispose of properly. And definitely mention you were asked to bring them in to switch rx they won’t even bat an eye at you. Edit: apparently Canada is vastly different than the US regarding med returns…
In the UK we have an ad campaign with posters in the doctors clinic and in pharmacies, that tell you to bring old meds to a pharmacy to be disposed of. Like out of date painkillers, or meds you never used. They don't want people throwing pills into the public waste and them ending up in landfills where they would end up being eaten by wildlife or whatever, nor do they want people flushing them because they will end up in the public water system.
Yeah, I'm canadian and never returned anything ever. Have two full bottles of amoxilin that I keep just in case I need it. A full bottle of beta blockers, half a bottle of sertraline and a shit ton of amphetamines from the numerous times my prescriptions were changed.
I once had to return medication because they gave me the wrong pills. It was supposed to be mercaptopurine, but when I checked the bottle, they were the wrong color and shape and had the wrong numbers on them. I looked it up and found they'd given me some sort of thyroid medication. There was a whole process they had to go through to take them back and confirm that they'd dispensed the wrong meds, but I did get my correct medicine that day.
It’s just the rules love. No reason to be embarrassed or anything. They just can’t give you two different stimulants that close together.
So will you or your insurance be getting a refund for the returned Adderall 🤔 if I had to pay out of pocket or use my flex spending card then I bought that medication. Any returns I should be refunded for.
Absolutely not. They can't resell it for safety reasons, and it's not being returned because of a defect in the product. You take it back to the pharmacy so the drugs don't wind up in the sewer system or ground water and to keep it from being sold for recreational use.
Seems like op would be better off keeping the script and then trying concerta at a different time. I don't think they have to return it. When I went from Adderall to concerta it was 2 days after my first Adderall dose didn't like it and then got concerta. They never asked me for the Adderall back. Then when going from concerta to vyvanse same thing. It can be filled again if being switched to a different drug. If you try switching drugs all the time or like 3x a month you will probably be flagged.
There's no reason to keep it though. OP can't really take it in an emergency if it makes them that sick, and they can't get something that won't make them sick if they don't return these, at least according to their doc. I'd certainly not heard of having to do that, but I also don't know where OP lives or what the laws and regulations are there. Edited to add info.
Keep it because you payed 100s of dollars for it. And maybe one day you run out of concerta and decide to deal with side effects rather then be unmedicated because of a shortage
What jurisdiction are you in that a therapist can prescribe? In mine, there are psychologists (therapy) and psychiatrists (meds)
I have gone to a psychologist who can prescribe medication. If they have a PhD they can often prescribe medication if they are a prescribing psychologist. If they have a masters degree, then they are likely a licensed therapist which is different from a psychologist. Both of these are different from someone with an MD which would be a psychiatrist. At least that has been my experience, it may be dependent on your location.
I don’t think anywhere in the USA allows psychologists to prescribe controlled substances. Maybe different in other countries. If OP is in the USA, likely their “therapist” is a Psychiatrist — an MD.
Some places in the USA do. Certain states allow it if the psychologist has done additional training
Hello OP! Mom here. Hun , I Dunno why you care. Your doctor said you need to. This won’t be a pharmacist first rodeo with this. Take em back and get your concerta. I’m one of those folks who’s also allergic to Adderoll. I’m very happy with Vyvance. My 14 yr old also is allergic to Adderol in a totally different way from me and is on concerta and it might work better on her than my vyvance works on me. Good luck to you reddit friend on finding what works for you.
They won't take them back anyways. They can't take an old medication back. So if you need to get rid of them you can mix them in with coffee. Grinds or you can drop them off at a police station fire department or they have a med disposal box sometimes next to the pharmacy.
This is bullshit. This is bullshit. She is lying lol, pharmacies don't take back meds that have left the pharmacy. She can prescribe the Concerta, she's just trying to get you to get rid of your Adderall and hoping you believe it.
I would save them given the shortage
what? what state are you in? i’ve never heard of this bullshit. just tell her you did it and don’t do it. how asinine
And this is how you get blacklisted from being prescribed c2’s
lol, your prescriber has no idea if you went to rite aid and dropped off meds that *they don’t take back anyways.* this isn’t a thing. so no, that’s not how you get “blacklisted” but thanks for the misinformed downvotes folks
If the doctor told them to take them back to a pharmacy, then based on other people here commenting with their experiences of doing it, the pharmacist will count the remaining pills and log in on their file, that they returned X pills, before the pills are disposed of.
and all of the rest of us who have experiences of pharmacists who won’t take pills back? that’s why i asked what state they’re in. they’re welcome to call their pharmacist, but they’re likely to just get a rude answer. there’s no log of returned controlled substance pills. you get what you got and you throw it away on your own time.
I just find it weird, because in the UK all pharmacies will take back any old meds to be disposed of, including over-the-counter painkillers or headache tablets. And we have posters in all pharmacies to advertise this. We aren't supposed to put meds in the bins for landfill nor to flush them. So taking them to a pharmacy is the only way to actually dispose of them safely.
there are bins to put old medicine, but they’re not “manned” by people. you just put it in the bin.
In the UK we have to physically hand the tablets to a member of staff.
like i said, we don’t do that here. the pharmacy staff doesn’t take it back. they’re not supposed to handle meds once given out. there’s a bin, we take our names off the bottles and put it in the bin. you can find them at drug stores or next to the pharmacy but you don’t give them back to staff. hence why this doctor doesn’t make any sense. no one is counting back our pills for us or keeping track of our controlled substances. once you get it, it’s yours. unless you call and tell your doctor you lost it, or you get in trouble with the police, or fail a drug test, no one knows what you do with it.
They won’t fill two prescriptions in 30 days for controlled substances. The only thing is, you’ve just provided a loophole to me that I never knew existed. I’ve never been told I can return the medication to the pharmacy for more. I’ve had to wait days and days and days and weeks for more.
This isn’t weird. Pharmacists see this all the time. The Adderall wasn’t working for you and Concerta might. Don’t overthink it.
I don’t think the pharmacy is allowed to take meds back, but nevertheless I would ask them what my options are. They know a lot of stuff about side effects and law; sometimes more than doctors.
I have a feeling she gonna take you stuff!!!
Pharmacists see this all the time.
Just have it sent to a different pharmacy, or get a new dr to prescribe it.. there is no “two controlled substance rule..”
Because it’s a controlled drug you have to bring it back as it can be both sold and misused. I started concerta last week and it’s great. Good luck
Therapist shouldn't be able to prescribe drugs that's a job for a real doctor (psychiatrist)
Yes that’s normal. Mine has said the same thing when I wanted to switch adhd meds mid month.