Today I threw a little hissy fit.
Let me give you a little background. Eli takes Vyvanse every day for his ADD. It's a highly controlled substance so I have to have a written prescription from the doctor every thirty days to refill it which requires a call to the doctor and a swing by to sign and pick it up. Then I have to take it to get it filled, which I used to do at a close Walgreen's while I was grocery shopping. Still a little inconvenient, but do-able. Then our pharmaceutical insurance changed it's policy. Any prescription filled more than three consecutive months is considered a "maintenance" drug and has to be filled at the Maxor pharmacy...in downtown Amarillo. Thirty minutes from my house.
I realize that there are those readers out there who live in Big Cities and thirty minutes in the car doesn't seem like a big deal and are thinking I should just put my big girl panties on and get over it. But I don't live in a Big City. I choose to give up La Madeline, Super Target, Panera, and Anthropologie in order to not have to drive 30 minutes for my errands. That was the first issue. I keep thinking I'm going to meet Brad for lunch down there one day because at least it would give me the excuse to try some of the cool restaurants down there we never go to because they are so out of the way, but so far, I've been too busy to make that happen.
While I was waiting, downtown, for them to fill the prescription, I was informed that it would take longer because they were having to get an over-ride because any "maintenance" prescription has to be filled with a 90-day supply. I only get two overrides a year and I've already used them because his medication is highly controlled and the doctor can't/won't write a prescription for more than 30 days so it was going to take even longer.
Anyone see the problem here?
It's a controlled substance that requires a written prescription (as opposed to a called-in prescription) which already requires me to go pick it up and take it to the pharmacy. Because of The Policy, it's also considered a maintenance drug which means I have to fill it at a specific pharmacy thirty minutes from my house in an area that neither Brad or I ever go. Also because of the The Policy, I'm supposed to get it filled for 90-days, but because of it's controlled substance nature, I can't get a prescription for more than 30 days. Oh. My. Word.
So because I was tired and had a headache and had more to do than time to do it in, I threw a little hissy fit. I didn't lose my temper and scream obscenities or anything, but I was short and my frustration was evident to the front desk worker un-lucky enough to be the one to explain the stupid bureaucratic policies to me.
A short time later, an actual pharmacist delivered the meds and told me that she was able to get a longer over-ride so we didn't have to do this every month. Apparently my little hissy fit paid off.
I had mixed feelings about the whole thing as I left. On the one hand, I'm mad at myself for getting so irritated and letting those feelings get me what I needed. I make an effort to not get frustrated in times like this. I try to be kind to everyone, to use humor and a smile to diffuse a situation and still get the result I need. I try to remember that in most cases, the person that I'm dealing with has no control over the policy or the rule or way things work and it's not their fault things are going badly. They don't deserve my anger or frustration because they have no way to change things. My best strategy (if you want to call it that) is to be kind and make everyone's day better.
On the other hand, I wonder if I'd still be sitting at the downtown pharmacy every month for 40 minutes if I hadn't gotten a little frustrated and the issue hadn't been taken to someone with more authority.
I'll never know because in this situation, the die has already been cast. But it makes me wonder about all the other frustrating situations I'll find myself in. Do the ends, in fact, justify the means? Or should we always, no matter what, be kind and polite and maybe a bit of a doormat? I'm fairly certain I already know the answer and that I made the wrong choice this morning. That by expecting things to run smoothly and expecting my time to be worth more than another person's I was probably in the wrong.
What do you think?
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3 comments:
Obviously the pharmacist was able to make changes and bend the rules to make things more convenient for you. Sometimes a little hissy fit is needed to get the right people involved. Just thank them A LOT and maybe bring them cookies when you have to go back in 90 days :)
Hi Jordan,
Our Teen also takes a controlled substance for his ADHD. Our insurance also requires specific pharmacies and quantities for maintenance meds. To further complicate it, we have to SNAIL MAIL our prescriptions to an out of state pharmacy(within 7-days of the prescription date, and has to be signed for at delivery via mail due to it's being a controlled substance). All rX can be auto refilled except his ADHD med. Our doctor does write 90-day prescriptions for this specific reason. So, it is allowable for the doctor to write more/larger prescriptions for controlled substances if the situation warrants it. On the bright side, this would limit your 30 minute drives to every 3 months if you could work it out.
I, too, try to keep my cool, but occasionally, and usually over something medical with my kids, I will lose it a little. I generally say something to the effect of: I know this is not YOUR fault, but YOU are who I have to talk to about it.
I like JP's answer. This should be easier, it shouldn't take throwing a fit to get things done. I'm sure they're not breaking or even bending rules for you. They're just having to change from the normal way prescriptions are filled there. Someone else will come in with a similar problem: drug vs dr vs pharmacy vs ins and they won't have to throw a fit to get what they need all because you did. Don't you hate to be on the front line of change?
xxxmomxxx
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