Denied Rx at ShopRite

[RickB]

TL/DR: Two different days, two different employees, two different Rx's, same outcome

April 8th I go to ShopRite to pick up the sildenafil my doctor had called in. Really nice employee, really nice interaction. Then I give her an Adderall script. She looks at it and immediately says "We don't have that and we're having trouble getting it. You better try somewhere else." I actually think she's doing me a favor, and thank her and leave.

April 11th I go back and hand a different employee my depo-testosterone script. He tells me the same exact thing. I ask for the head pharmacist.

Some lady comes out who says she's the pharmacist in charge, and she gives me a spiel "these medications are on backorder, and we have no idea when we're going to get them."

I tell her it's funny that they never have any problems filling my other Rx's. She says there's been an issue with these ever since the pandemic. I tell her that's strange because CVS and Walgreens never seem to have a problem. She has no reply. I hand her my script and tell her "Well, just fill it when you get it", and she refuses.

I am 99% sure they have made it a policy to refuse to fill Rx's for scheduled medications. I assume it is this particular ShopRite's policy and not the corporation.

I filed a complaint to the state.

 

[Golfboy307]

Rick,

My son has ADHD and Autism and the nationwide shortage of stimulants (Ritalin, Adderall) is a real problem. It has been going on since last year. Combination of causes: the FDA forced several factories to close, over 1.0M new scripts written via telehealth during the pandemic, national limits on production from DEA etc. Google "ADHD medicine shortage" you will get a ton of information.

Trust me, we have been fighting the battle for our son since last July. He has switched to several different meds. He can't function in school and life without them. Its been a travesty.

If you read enough, you will become very upset with the FDA, DEA and the manufacturers. It's NOT the pharmacies, trust me.

 

[excelnelg]

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

 

[RickB]

Rick,

My son has ADHD and Autism and the nationwide shortage of stimulants (Ritalin, Adderall) is a real problem. It has been going on since last year. Combination of causes: the FDA forced several factories to close, over 1.0M new scripts written via telehealth during the pandemic, national limits on production from DEA etc. Google "ADHD medicine shortage" you will get a ton of information.

Trust me, we have been fighting the battle for our son since last July. He has switched to several different meds. He can't function in school and life without them. Its been a travesty.

If you read enough, you will become very upset with the FDA, DEA and the manufacturers. It's NOT the pharmacies, trust me.

Golfboy,

This pharmacy immediately struck down Adderall AND testosterone. I have never had any other pharmacy do anything like this in these past three years. I have had Adderall filled at CVS, Walgreens, Costco, and Acme without a problem. Sometimes they had to wait for a shipment, but they NEVER refused to take my prescription.

There have been two instances where pharmacies have tried to gatekeep Adderall in a modest way:

Once the Costco pharmacist said "I don't even think we can get this". I said "That's ok, just see what you can do." She took my Rx, and called me a day later that my Rx was ready.

One particular Walgreens told me to go to my hometown Walgreens to fill my Adderall. I knew this was gatekeeping and possibly illegal, but since they are a chain and they directed me to a different franchise location, I figured there might be some legal leeway. So I just went to another Walgreens and filled it.

I have never ever had any problem with any pharmacy filling my testosterone Rx's (CVS, Walgreens, Costco, Acme, and others).

I highly doubt that either Adderall or testosterone is currently on backorder at that ShopRite. Regardless, backordered does not mean discontinued, nor does it mean that they will no longer dispense it. It means they are waiting for inventory. Therefore there is no reason to not accept my prescription and put it in the system.

 

[RickB]

Rick,

My son has ADHD and Autism and the nationwide shortage of stimulants (Ritalin, Adderall) is a real problem. It has been going on since last year. Combination of causes: the FDA forced several factories to close, over 1.0M new scripts written via telehealth during the pandemic, national limits on production from DEA etc. Google "ADHD medicine shortage" you will get a ton of information.

Trust me, we have been fighting the battle for our son since last July. He has switched to several different meds. He can't function in school and life without them. Its been a travesty.

If you read enough, you will become very upset with the FDA, DEA and the manufacturers. It's NOT the pharmacies, trust me.

Just a second reply to address your situation...

I'm sure you are doing whatever you can, but honestly here in north New Jersey, I have never had any problems with CVS and Walgreens for Adderall. They almost always have it in stock. At the longest it's a two day wait. I know that not all franchise locations are the same and that there are regional issues that could complicate things. But these two pharmacies have time and again come through, despite all the press about the shortage. The only reason I went to ShopRite this past time was because their GoodRx coupon was incredible.

 

[Golfboy307]

Well, if you only had to wait two days for Adderal count yourself among the lucky ones. Here in St. Louis, many patients went months in 2022-23. It still hard to refill with any consistency.

Both Adderal and T are controlled substances as you well know. You may be right, this pharmacy perhaps didn't want to deal with all of the procedure and risks that come with this type of prescription. Or maybe both together set something off. Who knows.

We have had that situation many times with my son. We have switched from Walgreens to CVS as a result. The head pharmacist there is terrific and sympathetic.

 

[evansjamesk]

Occasionally I have to wait a week or two for generic Adderal to be in stock. There really is a shortage. And on occasion I've had to wait for Test Cyp. I'm skeptical that the pharmacy is gatekeeping.

https://www.axios.com/2024/04/03/adhd-medicine-shortage-adderall-vyvanse

 

[brookseth]

My local CVS, Walgreens, and basically every big brand pharmacy is out of T. There's legitimately some sort of shortage.
Adderall too. And there are rules about them "just filling it" when they get it. Because you could have had your doctor send a perscription to another pharmacy and then theyd have double filled a controlled substance. They are not out to get you - its a legitimate thing they are telling you

 

[Phil Goodman]

Reading stories like this just makes me all the more thankful that I use a compounding pharmacy. It’s worth the money to not have to deal with the headaches. And thankful that the massive pushback from people all over the country seems to have stopped(at least for now), the move towards preventing compounding pharmacies from making and distributing testosterone. If it’s bad now, imagine if the big chain pharmacies had to take care of all the people currently getting trt medications from compounding pharmacies. If anything, it sounds like the push should be towards getting compounders to help with creating more medications, not moving towards preventing them from treating patients.

 

[tropicaldaze1950]

Golfboy,

This pharmacy immediately struck down Adderall AND testosterone. I have never had any other pharmacy do anything like this in these past three years. I have had Adderall filled at CVS, Walgreens, Costco, and Acme without a problem. Sometimes they had to wait for a shipment, but they NEVER refused to take my prescription.

There have been two instances where pharmacies have tried to gatekeep Adderall in a modest way:

Once the Costco pharmacist said "I don't even think we can get this". I said "That's ok, just see what you can do." She took my Rx, and called me a day later that my Rx was ready.

One particular Walgreens told me to go to my hometown Walgreens to fill my Adderall. I knew this was gatekeeping and possibly illegal, but since they are a chain and they directed me to a different franchise location, I figured there might be some legal leeway. So I just went to another Walgreens and filled it.

I have never ever had any problem with any pharmacy filling my testosterone Rx's (CVS, Walgreens, Costco, Acme, and others).

I highly doubt that either Adderall or testosterone is currently on backorder at that ShopRite. Regardless, backordered does not mean discontinued, nor does it mean that they will no longer dispense it. It means they are waiting for inventory. Therefore there is no reason to not accept my prescription and put it in the system.

I'm in Cape Canaveral. Publix is the major grocery and pharmacy chain in FL. I use Test E and I always get my refills, usually a day or two after calling it in. Maybe once or twice I encountered a delay of a week because it was backordered.

ShopRite is a big chain in NJ. Aside from backorders on some medications, zero reason to gatekeep. Here in FL our fascist governor wants to allow or does allow, pharmacists to not fill prescriptions that go against their religious beliefs. I believe SCOTUS upheld some case for that. Pursue it at the corporate level and if you still have issues, take it to the NJ Attorney General's office.

As for the DEA, their actions should be confined to busting meth labs, trafficking and distribution of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl. The agency has way too much regulatory power, IMO.

 

[Golfboy307]

Daze, here is a fun article for you on the DEA and how they created part of this problem:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/adderall-shortage-adhd-medication-ascent-pharmaceuticals.html

 

[tropicaldaze1950]

Daze, here is a fun article for you on the DEA and how they created part of this problem:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/adderall-shortage-adhd-medication-ascent-pharmaceuticals.html

Thanks. Just finished reading it. The DEA operates without oversight. Psychedelics might have been part of psychiatric medicine if not for Nixon's War On Drugs and the DEA. You know that members of Congress and the Senate who either need, or have family members who need ADHD medicine, are getting it. We all understand opioids and people who are addicted or OD'd but psychostimulants, under medical supervision, allow people to function and live. For starters, the head of the DEA should be fired. The whole agency needs to be overhauled.