I called most of the Pharmacy’s here in Town and not one of them have hydrocodone, my pharmacy has been out for going on 1 month they told me the manufacturer is not sending them. I would like to know why they don’t send them to the pharmacy and are they going to get the hydrocodone back? I have to take Tylenol # 3 right now and no they do not work as well. I have been dealing with chronic pain since 2011 and right now my pain level is between 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 every day.
Why can’t I get my hydrocodone anywhere in my state?
Question posted by Bee63 on 31 May 2022
Last updated on 24 June 2023 by biskit88
3 Answers
biskit88
24 June 2023
I am a paralegal who knows several lawyers that I spoke to in regard to this subject. What I've been told is there is no hydrocodone shortage or shortage of opioids at all. After CVS, Walgreens and Walmart have all had to pay out billions of dollars in settlements, things have changed. The Department of Justice is getting onto them for dispensing too many opioids and the drug enforcement agency is getting onto them for not filling doctors prescriptions enough and getting in the way of physician/patient relationship. So the pharmacies are in between a rock and a hard place. They place your prescriptions on hold and tell you that the drugs are out of stock when they're really not. Also, if you are on diazepam and hydrocodone, they will red flag you and place the hydrocodone on hold and never refill the prescription.
They will not state that they're going to "refuse" to fill the prescription because then that would be acting as a doctor in making that decision and they can get into a lot of trouble for that. As it is, physicians in various states are suing pharmacies for not filling their prescriptions and blacklisting the doctors, and the doctors are claiming that it is ruining their reputation. Also, patients are suing pharmacies as well. There are also patients that are dying that can't get their medications, and children that are on Adderall that cannot get their medications. So it's one big mess out there right now. Walmart has filed a major lawsuit asking the DOJ and the enforcement agency to develop guidelines so that pharmacies know what to do and whether to fill prescriptions or not. This is getting really bad, and children and adults are suffering terribly, especially the terminally ill, which is so sad.
LizaBabyAl
24 April 2023
Yes, I think that, for CVS, it is because of the major financial penalty they had to pay for not being watchful and professional about some people coming in with huge amounts of hydrocodone scripts from unfamiliar physician So the rest of us pay the price. Winn Dixie, which has not had such penalties, is able to fill, but at 50% more in cost.
TVL76
2 June 2022
I am in the same boat as you. Last week I went to my Pain Management Physician. He e-scribed my hydrocodone prescription to a local pharmacy that I have been using since 2016. The same doctor has been prescribing to me since 2013. There has never been an issue until recently when the pharmacist informed me of a nationwide shortage of hydrocodone. I checked around with all the other pharmacies in my town, none of which could fill my hydrocodone script. I finally found a pharmacy 12 miles from my home that could dispense me the hydrocodone, but I think it was just a one time thing. In a few weeks, I have an inkling that I will going through the same ordeal. I live in Florida.
In the past year there has been major pharmacies having to shell out mega bucks for over prescribing opiods such as hydrocodone. I hope this shortage problem will be temporary, but I have a feeling it will be permanent. I wish you the best of luck.
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Further information
- Hydrocodone uses and safety info
- Hydrocodone prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Hydrocodone (detailed)
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