Can you refill a prescription on the 28th day?

The morons at Walgreens have messed up so many times, management has become paranoid, for example: They no longer fill a schedule II until the 28th day, however, they do not count day 1, so it's the 29th day. A schedule III-V is the 27th day, but really the 28th.

I was gathering information on this, and had to visit 3 Walgreens in 3 states. I asked?

If I am prescribed a schedule II on the 1st day of a 30 day month and the physician directs me to take 1 tab PO or orally at 8AM, how many tablets would I have taken in 28 days? Not one pharmacist or employee would reply. It gave me great pleasure to say than you, since I had taken the person name and said, at least when this becomes part of the record, I can say all three stores were employed with consistent idiots.

The other question is a 30 day supply, say a schedule IV, you call in your refill based on their "made up" 28th day and you have 7 tablets left, (whatever the reason does not matter), but your Dr. directed you, that's why you're still have 7. So, you come in say, on the 5th of the following month (7 days after they processed the refill on the 28th). The 5th is the date Walgreens creates a tag on your record as the date of refill. Let's say you visited your Dr. again, and he or she tells you (again, whatever, it does not matter), based on test results, you must take 1 tablet of your schedule IV every day. You walk on the 5th, out of medication, with either a new prescription, or there are refills left and are told you can't refill the prescription, because we go by the date you picked it up.

What you did is listen to your doctor and could not get in on the 28th, or said, you know what, I'll be getting a different medication from your Cardio doc on the 5th, so I may as well save time and fill both that day.

Not at Walgreens. There is only one way and this was done for a reason.

Do the same thing, have Walgreens try to pull the same crap and say, ask for the pharmacist to confirm and when he or she does, ask them for the number your physician can call to speak with you. Their 1st words will be in does not matter, it's our policy. Say, no problem, what's the number.

Then sit down and wait. If your physician calls and tells the pharmacist exactly this:

I have a patient there who needs a legal refill, and I need to know if she will need to wait longer than 5 minutes, since if she does, I will be calling Attorney (whatever name) at the Board of Registration in Pharmacy (every state has a board of Medicine for Drs. and one for Pharmacies) and the Walgreens pharmacist will immediately comply.

BTW, their phone refill system, can't work with the notes they make. The stupid thing calls you and people drive in and when they arrive, that's when they are told they can't pick up their medication.

It is taking some time, but I have heard (can't confirm) there will be a class action suit filed against Walgreens. Unfortunately, it's not really the people in the stores (although some seem to enjoy it) it's the management driving them nuts, because they have had so many problems.

Your best bet: Find an independent mom and pop pharmacy, there has been a surge of new independent pharmacies popping up and they follow Fed and State rules and your insurance company must conform to any state rules, (that's how the small independent work, they don't look at the last date, they enter a refill or new script and if insurance let's it go, they know it's legal).

So, it's not you, it's Walgreens and while CVS and the other large chains don't do the idiotic "your refill is based on the day you pick it up," independants are best.

BTW, another way to tick off Walgreens, is when they pull that, tell them CVS or whomever will be calling, you want your medications transferred out. That is done electronically, so Walgreens can't do anything, if they refuse, you can call the board and do it right in front of them in the store.

Good luck.