Hi All.
In a CNN News Story aired last week CVS pharmacies in Florida are choosing to no longer fill opiate prescriptions from doctors they deem to be over-prescribing these medications.
A little background on the decision... Florida is a state in which opiate medications have become a prevalent street drug; in particular Oxycodone. Florida has not yet enacted any of its own limitations on legal prescriptions of opiates, unlike states such as Washington which recently passed a law requiring patients to sign pain mgmt. contracts and to undergo regular random drug testing.
CVS pharmacies do have the right to decide/choose who they provide service to. In this case, CVS is concerned with its own liability and the possibility of disciplinary action. According to the article (see link) CVS may or may not be profiling doctors AND PATIENTS looking for patterns of what they see as over-prescribing or patients who are over-medicated or are taking certain combinations of medications. In short, CVS is profiling for their definition of "patterns of abuse."
While there have been no other large pharmacies in Florida or elsewhere that have enacted similar policies it may be a short time before other pharmacies begin to follow suit.
I am a staunch proponent of personal rights in general. I am particularly interested and concerned with this topic as I take opiate medications in order to function. I have Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia and like many others who have this diagnosis and some who have classical TN we don't always respond to anti-seizure medications or others alone. Luckily, there are organizations such as the National Pain Foundation and others who are advocating for all of us who suffer from chronic pain. You may also have a doctor or pain management specialist who is doing the same.
Chime in if you please. If you know of any other pharmacies or similar limitations on opiates or other medications used in the treatment of TN, I would be most interested in finding out.
Take care. Johanna