September 13, 2019
9/13/19 – Yay for generic Lyrica! Pregabalin is now available at Kaiser!
I logged on to My Pharmacy on Sunday evening, September 8, 2019, to order my Lyrica refill, since I had received hard copies of the letter stating that my Medical Financial Assistance re-application has been approved! However, when I got to the online checkout, it showed a co-pay of $499! I backed up in the process to where I could change the delivery method to pickup rather than mail order, so they would not charge my debit card. I didn’t even have $499 in my checking account! I got the routine response that my refill would be ready for pickup after noon on Thursday.
The next day, I placed a refill for levothyroxine, which also showed a co-pay, so I elected for pickup and I got the routine message that my refill would be ready for pickup after noon on Friday. I got the expected notices via email and via text, so I planned to go on Friday.
It must have been a good omen that I found a parking place in the second row, close to the main entrance to the front parking lot. I had a hard-copy print out of my MFA letter so I was prepared. However, the pharmacy tech who was processing my refill told me there was no co-pay. I breathed a silent sigh of relief! Relief that I didn’t have to navigate a confrontation. He asked the routine question, “Would you like to have a consult on this?” I would normally say, “No, I’ve been taking that medication for years,” but this time I said, “Yes, please!” because I wanted to ask a pharmacist about any expected side effects.
When I got to the consult window, a pleasant young Asian woman greeted me. And I did ask about side effects. “It’s the same formula for the medication,” she told me, “so there shouldn’t be any side effects.” I thought about the side effects Linda is having with her pregabalin and the side effects we both had with gabapentin.
Then we talked about the levothyroxine refill, which has been 75 mcg tablets, to take 1 and one-half tablets a day, for a total of 112.5 mcg. She told me that they now had the 112 mcg tablets! The ones they have been “out of stock” on for the past 9 months! She told me that if I wanted the 112 mcg tablets, they would have to cancel out this order and create a new order.
“Can that be done today?” I asked. I had in mind that if it was going to take more days, I could take the 100 mcg tablets that my daughter had given me.
But she said, “Oh, sure!”
“I’m willing to wait,” I told her. “Do you know how long?”
She took my refills back to the check-in tech who told me, “Five or ten minutes.”
And so I waited. A little more than 10 minutes, which was fine. And I enjoyed having had a good parking place which was easy to get in to and easy to get out of.
September 16, 2019
I still had enough brand name Lyrica by Pfizer to distribute for my meds container this week. But I forced myself to put out only enough Vitamin D3 for a morning dose, plus evening doses on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Now all I have to update and replenish is our medicinal cannabis supply, Emily and me. But must wait until after the third Wednesday of the month to go to Harborside. Still hoping for Select 1:1 and VetCBD.
September 20, 2019
Finally! Harborside had both Emily’s and my medicine.
