posted
The only clinic here in town has ran out and is giving me the last dosage today. Next week I won't have any unless I/we can find a supplier. Any help? I'm in Des Moines, but I know it can be shipped overnight in a cooler.
jloisu
Posts: 197 | From Seeing Lyme Green in Iowa | Registered: Jun 2005
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troutscout
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3121
posted
My Hospital sayds they have plenty....however....my supply is on hold seperate from the others.
Call Me Buddy.....did you call Judy?
Trout
------------------ Now is the time in your life to find the "tiger" within. Let the claws be bared, and Lyme BEWARE!!! Iowa Lyme Disease Assoc. www.ildf.info
Posts: 5262 | From North East Iowa | Registered: Sep 2002
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Thanks. I haven't had a chance to call Judy yet as it all went down this afternoon.
I will call her tomorrow. I will check my email to see if I have your number. If not, could you resend?
Actually what happened was that I switched clinics to go to one closer to my house and the last two injections haven't hurt anywhere near as bad (not really at all), and I began to put the pieces together, so today at my appt. I looked at the syringe before the nurse gave it to me and it was Bicillin CR!
I was not happy. They can't even read the script! Then they tried to tell me CR is the same. NOT! Has procane in it. Has a shorter half life, and is not the med for lymies. Yeah, it doesn't hurt, but doesn't matter if it doesn't help!
So I had to go back to my old clinic and they gave me their last dose of L.A. and said their suppier can't get it anymore so we (me and my clinic) are now searching for it so I can have some by next Friday.
Thanks so much for your help Trout! I will be in touch!
-J
Posts: 197 | From Seeing Lyme Green in Iowa | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Before starting Bicillin L-A, I did some legwork for my doc to source it for her patients. After calling 120 pharmacies in the Austin area and finding only a total of 23 at three pharmacies, I called the manufacturer. Here is what they told me.
If your pharmacy does not have Bicillin L-A and is not able to get it from their distributor, tell the pharmacist that King Pharmaceuticals [the manufacturer] said to tell the distributor to call King and advise them that it is needed for an emergency. (King told me that Lyme treatment is considered an emergency.) King will get the med to them.
One person here posted that they did this and had their meds in two days.
Posts: 977 | From Austin, TX, USA | Registered: May 2004
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posted
Note: this is long. WRT Bicillin, there were a series of manufacturing and distribution issues that have caused shortages. I posted about it earlier.
In addition, because of Katrina, distribution has been disrupted nationwide. There will be greater demand for bicillin if infectious disease starts to develop as a result of the unorganized, dysfunctional and delayed response and resulting exposure to unsanitary conditions.
What to do:
have your pharmacy contact King. Also, I know that Pfizer manufactures Bicillin, but I am not sure if it is CR, LA or both forms. Pfizer had manufacturing issues, but they are resolved. If you do contact Pfizer and want to use them, make sure that you get stock manufactured after April 05.
Your pharmacy can tell you if anyone else manufactures Bicillin LA. Tell the pharmacy to check the manufacturers listed on their drug wholesaler list. Find out where these companies manufacture. Many companies who manufacture in this country manufacture in the midwwest because it is centralized.
This means that Katrina does not impact them, which is good. The bad news is that fuel increases are increasing the cost of getting the drug to you, which is bad.
Note that CVS is no longer buying from secondary wholesalers. If you use CVS ask them to CALL their wholesaler to order. This would also be wise given that shipping is interrupted and warehouses along the gulf have been damaged or left without power. There is also an influx of folks to various cities such as Houston who are being monitored for infectious disease, so supplies may be put on hold.
The end result is that A. computerized inventory systems that drug wholesalers use may not be accurate, and B. HHS has stated that they have started using the drug stockpile and expect to procure emergency drugs as necessary. This might mean that they feed off of existing drug supply if they need to, which would further screw up computer inventory counts.
You have a get out of jail card-copy your prescription-an ongoing prescription. You are grandfathered into existing treatment.
The pharmaceutical company wants to sell you product, and the pharmacy has to ensure that your prescription if filled as written.
Contact your pharmacy and pharmaceutical company (contact more than one if you need to), but make the pharmacy and pharmaceutical companies do the leg work and get the drug to you.
If you have problems, contact your health insurer and/or their PBM. If you get put on hold or passed around, hang up the phone. Contact your bureau of insurance and ask for help. If they are not responsive, hang up.
Contact your state board of pharmacy. Ask for a pharmacy inspector, and ask them to intervene. If you do not get what you need, hang up.
Contact your AG's office and explain the situation as an unfair trade practice as a result of Katrina. Our AG has been on TV all weekend about this. AGs love this type of exposure.
Be sure to mention to everyone that this drug requires specialized handling. If there are ANY problems, contact your board of pharmacy or AGs office.
If that does not get their attention, you might want to innocently point out that the previous pharmacy was drug switching, and that you need to follow dr.'s orders to ensure that an infectious disease is properly treated.
State Pharmacy Boards and AGs can issue significant fines for drug switching or mishandling.
Posts: 183 | From US | Registered: Feb 2004
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