Prescription Refills in San Diego
If you are looking to renew a prescription that has no remaining refills, contact your pharmacy. To avoid missing dosages, it is best to contact your pharmacy in advance. Typically, 4-5 business days prior to running out of your medication will ensure you get your medicine on time. Be sure to be aware of holidays and weekends when filling your requests for refills. If authorization is required for extra refills, pharmacies will get a hold of your doctor.
You should contact the doctor’s office about a refill during regular office hours. Do not contact any on-call physician after hours regarding prescription refills. After hour care is exclusively reserved for any emergencies. In some cases, your doctor will want to see you before authorizing extra refills. They will always notify you when this is the case. It is never safe to assume that because you run out of refills, your doctor agrees to you no longer taking the medicine. Always consult with your doctor
Those who take long-term narcotic pain medications will establish a schedule with their doctors regarding refills. The doctor will come up with a specific time period in your chart so that you can receive your refills even when the doctor is not present. Providers will have a difficult time allowing refills and may decline this if there is not a planned out schedule on your chart. They have no obligation to allow refills for the medications unless there are reasons and other guidelines specified by your doctor that this is the case.
If you have any further questions regarding prescription refills contact your doctor. Different doctors have various policies on refills. For example, should you lose your medication doctors might find it hard to issue a refill. The same goes for if your medication is accidentally spilled, ruined, etc. Since it is hard for doctors to prove that the medication is gone and that there is not currently any access to it, there will be difficulty issuing the additional prescription. Doctors and health care providers have struggled with this concept as it is hard for people to prove they are not allowing someone else to use the medication or other reasons. Keep your medication in a safe place. This will ensure that nothing bad happens to it and that nobody takes it by mistake.