I came across this website while searching for others having problems getting their suboxone or subutex script filled. I've been going to the same doctor for over 2 years in Bristol Tn,who stopped doing PA for Va mediciad leaving me to pay out of pocket for prescription until the issue was resolved.I was switched to subutex due to cost and had no problems getting it filled till Va passed the new law for subutex on March 15th,2017 even though my doctor is a Tn doctor all Va and Tn pharmacy refuse to fill.The law passed in March and up till May 17th a Va Walmart was filling my prescription for subutex.They informed me in Va they couldn't fill subutex anymore but that's not the real law.Anyways I went all over Bristol Va and Tenn. getting a different excuse from each pharmacy.My doctor has tried calling many pharmacy to help and other people because their misreading the new Va law on Subutex.I had no choice but switch to the generic suboxone tab being cheaper than films out of pocket.Well now I'm still getting the same bull at all pharmacy ,why? There's one Va Walmart who will fill my script for suboxone tablet,generic brand but their prices are higher right at 200 more for 60 8mg tab than CVS,Walgreens,Rite Aid,and etc and this is using the free Good rx discount card.I can't afford to pay 175 to my doctor and close to 500 for my medicine.I don't know what to do anymore this is taking all of our money and so far all the other doctors are charging 100 a week and insurance is changing their policy in September being if the doctor isn't in network meaning taking insurance for office visit then their no longer allowed to do PA and if they try their be denied.Why are the hurting all of us for the few who abuse it or sell it.I'm disabled on fixed income many bills unpaid and still can't afford to get my medicine.If anyone can please give me any information to help with doctors or pharmacy please do.I'm already driving a hour and a half to my doctor.I need information for Bristol area,Abingdon ,or anywhere near these area's thank you

I'm in Tennessee but my clinic is in Kentucky because it's right on the border. I also use a pharmacy in KY. I know ppl in my clinic has said they've been denied plain buprenorphine, pharmacies are refusing to fill the script around here unless they're pregnant. It is the pharmacists decision from what I've heard, they can refuse to fill something if they want, I didn't know that until just a bit ago actually. There's not much we can do about it unfortunately.

I pay cash for my doctor and my medicine, it's a lot. I don't have any other options though, it's what I have to do. I don't know anything about ur area, I wish I did and could help u some how but I don't. I've never tried to fill anything in Tennessee even though it's where I live.

The only thing I know to tell ya is whatever form of buprenorphine u take, call every pharmacy u would be willing to travel to and check their prices and ask if they'd fill a script for u. That's about all u can do. I stuck with the pharmacy my doctor sent me to during my induction because it was the cheapest I could find on the strips. I'd called every place I could and realized the cheapest was the one I was already at. It's by no means reasonable to me in price but it is the cheapest I've found.

It's easy to get discouraged, I totally agree. I get discouraged when I have to wait all day to see my doctor. By the time I leave there I want to pull my hair out and punch ppl for getting in my personal space lol. I deal with my pharmacy closing before I get my script which leads me to another trip the next day. Some ppl at my clinic seem sketchy as to why they're truly there and that gets to me. The financial side is a whole other thing because it's really expensive. There's a lot of things that can get me discouraged but I still try to stay very grateful for not being in active addiction. I hope u get everything worked out because ur definitely worth this life saving medicine

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Jennifer

It makes me so angry when I hear stories like yours! Why would states be putting up roadblocks to prevent opioid addicts from accessing one of the two treatments that is proven to be effective at preventing relapse and overdose??? It makes NO sense!

I know that it seems futile, but I encourage you to write to your local, state, and national government officials regarding this issue. Those people need to hear from their constituents about how difficult it is for opioid addicts to access MAT.

I have read that a representative from Ohio wants to cap the number of times emergency services will respond to a reported overdose from the same person. He wants to make it so that you only get three overdoses before EMTs will stop administering Narcan to save you!! The reasoning behind the cap is that Narcan is expensive and municipalities are going over budget by saving opioid addicts. I can understand that they have a problem they need to solve, but there is NO attempt to get the overdosing addicts into MAT with methadone or buprenorphine!!! If they are willing to let opioid addicts die, they should be damn sure that they are directing them to evidence based treatment!

Unfortunately, in your situation, you might have to find a job, a second job, or a better paying job to be able to afford your doctor's visits and medication. I would start looking to see which doctors will be considered "in network" so you are not left with no help from your medicaid. Another option is to look for a job with benefits so that your private insurance could help with the cost.

I wish you the best of luck as you navigate the new rules and requirements. I hate that you are stuck in such a tough position.

Amy

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Done is better than perfect!

Good lord a mighty! Please tell me their not changing up laws on us for this medication. I think the medicine that your referring to is the one that doesn't have naloxone in it. Is that the only one that they changed the laws on? Well now I see that the pharmacist has the final say in the matter but it doesn't sound like they are wanting to fill it. UGH, what is all this about? I don't quite understand and I'm so sorry Shonna that your going through this. That would scare the heck out of me if I went to the dr. one day and all off a sudden they wouldn't fill my prescription. And I have been through this before in active addiction where there was a shortage of methadone at my pharmacy and every other pharmacy that I went to trying to get my script filled. I was on methadone for about 2 years prescribed for pain and thank god I didn't have to go to the clinic every day and wait on it but yeah, it was a sad day. So I just went back to the dr. and you know what???? He sold me some dilaudid pills from right there in his office. I should have known then it wouldn't be long before the dr. office got closed down by the DEA. And that turned out to be the biggest blessing of it all. Because then I found my Suboxone clinic. So sorry your going through all this and I hope you get some good news soon. Sincerely, Angie

So Amy and I were writing this at the same time. Is this just about her Medicaid not paying for the meds but if she had the money., they would fill it? I know one thing, I don't care how much it cost, I will always be on Suboxone if the good Lord is willing and I used to think I couldn't afford to pay for it but now that I weaned down and off Suboxone and saw how depressed I was, I will find a way. BELIEVE ME!!! lol As always, your forum friend. Angie

It is a city council person
http://www.inquisitr.com/4336125/ohio-c ... can-doses/
Same county where the Sherriff refuses to let his deputies carry Narcan.

There is a state that is limiting Subutex to just pregnant or nursing moms. Might be VA.
In our state if you have Medicaid you are not allowed to purchase medications, especially controlled substances.
To the OP, strongly consider working out your taper plan. You may be forced off without any options left open. Horrible to even consider or write.
I believe there are a couple of states, VA might be one that will become so restrictive that it will essentially cut off office based treatment. Eastern Tennessee is another area I hear has a real shortage of treatment options.
Can you find a Treatment Center? Since they dose daily under observation they can still use plain buprenorphine.

I was in my bupe meeting today with our counselor. I was told that the ppl with insurance (Medicaid I'm assuming) are required here to see a general practitioner by their insurance while taking bupe (again u guys know I don't have insurance so I'm not familiar 100% of everything, just paraphrasing pretty much). Well the general practitioners in the county my clinic is in, out of all of them, only 1 accepts suboxone patients!! Only 1, all the rest refuse these patients. So my doctor, who's a psychiatrist, found a general practitioner and has asked him to join him in our clinic just to see suboxone patients (I'm assuming he'll still be seeing regular patients too, no idea because I'm not an insurance patient). My point is, in my area, doctors are refusing to see patients who are in buprenorphine treatment. It's such a crock and it's not right!

This is the area I live in, we're seen as less than. It's utterly ridiculous!

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Jennifer

Please bare with me I'm a new member but I've been on suboxone for over 2 years in a clinic.I started on the streets for a good 2 years before getting in with a doctor myself.I drive a hour and a half to see my doctor once a month who so far seems to be the cheapest 175 a month now but 90 when I first started.The big thing with my doctor is the 1st time fee running from 400 and up before dropping to 175 but in the long run that was cheaper than 100 a week at the other clinic . I'm trying to find a new doctor now within the same driving time or less who can do PA for Va medicaid so my insurance will pay for my script again.The thought of changing doctors not knowing nothing at all about them is a bit scary for me since I'm on maintenance.Va medicaid is pushing hard to change their policy for suboxone treatment,some good but mostly bad.Their trying to get doctors to accept Va medicaid for the office visit and that would be great.But their putting way too many requirements and restrictions like going every day for a period of time and slowly working your way up a long with meeting and more.So far all the doctors refuse due to the bull that comes with it besides 2 community doctors being 1 in each town. I don't know many people who are able to go every day to see their doctor then several trips a week to meetings.Then for all the doctors who don't accept medicaid well their no longer be allowed to do PA for the script meaning they won't pay for your meds.Now this they had planned on starting on July 1st but pushed the date to Sept because there's not enough doctors in network,yet they say at least.I have a case manager I speak to regularly who's trying to help me with all my problems but so far nothing.The ARTS program va medicaid started on April 1st was to help people with treatment but to me it seems just the opposite unless your able to commit daily for several weeks and slowly work your way up.Well I can't do this and I'm sure many others can't due to work,children,no ride,and many other reasons.I would gladly go to the community doctor if I was able to get office and meds free.I don't think their looking at reasons why many can't or even care for that matter.I ask my case manager if they would repair people's cars since they would wearing them out driving daily to their doctors some being a hour or longer one way answer was no,lol.Well anyways I don't think many know what va medicaid is doing and in the process of doing so I hope this will help many reach out and call the insurance to find out before it all happens leaving you hanging.Now back to having trouble getting my script filled.At first it was for subutex until the new va law took place even though my doctors on Tennessee side and allowed to write them.But both Va and Tenn pharmacies are misreading the law.He has patients who have no problem getting them filled but yet some like me and many others are getting denied.I went back to suboxone tablets,generic of course due to this problem.Now I'm still getting different excuses from pharmacies being denied on getting suboxone filled on va and tenn side.CVS on TN side went as far as lying to me on Monday saying the new law past on January stating your address and the doctors had to be in the same state and filled in the same state,bull.Since I had a Va address and he had a Tenn she informed me I wouldn't be able to get my script filled anywhere.Well I told her there's was no such law and they needed to know the laws before denying filling people medicine. I was getting my script filled at a Va Walmart using good rx discount but their charging around 200 more than other how I don't understand.Thankfully a friend called her pharmacy being a Rite Aid less than 5 minutes from Walmart who agreed to take me as a new patient saving me close to 200 dollars.Now I got 20 days to find a new doctor and so far no luck . I'm willing to drive at the most 2 hours due to my child being in school and not having nobody to help babysit I have to be back in time to get my child from school.I can't believe how things went from being so good for us to suddenly feel like the bottom has dropped out from under us.My doctor is great he works with me and being just once a month made things easier with no babysitter.Then Va and Tenn medicaid tells them they could no longer due PA for scripts unless they take it for the office visit to.I know other doctors are still doing PA and taking cash for office visit but their looking at getting charged with fraud doing so. There's more going on than we're aware of with all the changes we're facing all being bad in my opinion.I need help finding a good doctor who doesn't charge 400 a month for office visit.I live in Southwest Va area so please list any doctors within a decent driving time without costing me 400 a month.But there's one big problem with changing doctors due to the new change Va medicaid is pushing to take affect Sept that will eave many of us paying out of pocket if your doctor don't take your insurance for office visit and in their network. I have Anthem through Va medicaid but all MCO will have the same requirements through the new ARTS program so contact your insurance to find out how this will affect you since their not informing us until it's already in place. I feel like their trying to take away everything many of us has fought so hard for and changed our life for the better,maybe even saved our life.

Your right Va did limit subutex to pregnant,nursing moms,or if your allergic to the other having papers stating so but some are still getting denied with documentation.Now Tenn is allowed to write subutex but I look for that to change.Something else is going on causing a so called shortage for Subutex from the manufacturers at least that's what most pharmacies claim.I feel the same as you about Va and others becoming so restrictive making it where there will be no suboxone treatment even though they claim their doing the opposite.I live near a daily methadone/suboxone clinic and I started off there with methadone which sadly in the end wasn't good for me.I personally like suboxone and subutex better because it takes away all the cravings for getting high for me at least. I'm on maintenance due to many health problems and sadly I'll probably stay on it.But I feel that's much better than the pain pill life without a doubt . Don't get me wrong this is different for everyone some do better with methadone or pain pills so whatever it takes for you so be it is how I feel.But dosing daily at my nearby clinic is cash only being 28 a day for suboxone well that was the last time I heard and it appears to go up in time same with methadone therefore I can't afford that place at all . It's so sad to think how many people changed their life for the better being in treatment and now their trying to take it away from us.

I'm not too far from Kentucky I live in South East Va area and having problems getting both filled anymore it's bad.

I'm about 100 miles from Bristol TN. Are u the one from Bristol? I can't remember. I have a similar situation as far as living in Tennessee but my doctor is in Kentucky and my pharmacy is also in Kentucky. I've never had any issues with filling my medicine but I've been at the same place for years, I don't know how the newer ppl in a similar situation are being treated. But I don't have insurance so I don't have to go through certain regulations and rules that the ppl that do have insurance go through.

I know there's a bunch of nit-picky rules that make little sense to me. One crazy rule I heard was not being able to go to a meeting the same day of seeing ur doctor. Why? That seems odd to me. My counselor told me that, I assumed it was clinic rules but according to her it's insurance.... who knows. Honestly there's so many new changes going on, I cannot keep up. It's confusing to know what rules are for insured ppl and ppl that aren't.

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Jennifer

This is an insurance rule/issue. In our state we have some insurers that will not pay for an individual counseling session + group therapy on the same day. So far, not having any problems with people being able to see their Suboxone provider and have a therapy session on the same day.

If by 'meeting' you meant AA/NA SMART etc. insurance doesn't pay for those anyway and how would they know you attended a meeting and also saw your doctor? Am I correct in presuming you meant some kind of group or individual counseling at the same clinic that is billing for the session?

Shonna77 - I did a search online for doctors that can prescribe it in Bristol, TN and here is one of the pages with links to several providers that came up - https://www.drughelpcenters.com/suboxon ... tn/bristol

I also looked at the bottom of the web page to see when it was last updated and it said July 20th 2017 (that's today). And as far as I can tell it looks like a legitimate site without a lot of needless advertisements. I actually passed up a few of those kinds of sites before I found this one so maybe it just takes a little patience. It's certainly worth your time to go down the list and just call every one of them if you have to until you find the help you need.

With all of the people suffering and dying out there everyday I just can't make sense of all this red tape. It's not even red tape so much as it's actual barriers to treatment plain and simple. The medical community and law makers are reacting out of fear and they don't take the time to understand buprenorphine's safety profile. We don't get high from it, we couldn't get high on something else even if we wanted to, and fatal overdoses of suboxone in experienced users are practically non-existent. I'm actually thankful for bupe's ceiling effect because I know I won't get any further effect after a certain dose, and that's protecting my life.

I can just feel the anxiety in your messages, and I know you're nerves are probably shot by now. Sometimes there are things in life that we have to fight for when it doesn't seem fair. Unfortunately this is one of those times for you. But you've got all of us here to support you. I know it's not the same as seeing people face to face but stories like yours send shock waves throughout the community. We've all suffered enough and we hate to see it happen like this. Please, keep searching. I choose to believe the answer is out there waiting for you. Good luck and let us know if any of those doctors listed can help you.

- OM

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Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.

Docm2 I meant our in house clinic group meetings that we are required to attend. The ppl with insurance aren't allowed to go to group meetings on the same day they see the doctor. We don't have to attend any outside meetings like NA unless we just want to, just the meetings our clinic provides and I actually prefer the clinic meetings because I get so much more out of them.

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Jennifer

Jenn,
I was pretty sure that was what you meant. Here, you can attend group and see your Suboxone provider on the same day.
Some plans do not let you do group and individual therapy on the same day.
PAX

I'm sure there's a reason they have all these rules that don't make sense to someone like myself but doctors probably understand it better

Everything is changing so much at my clinic since they started taking Medicaid. It's almost unrecognizable at some of the stuff that's changed from the time I began going there. It's more hectic and there's more rules now than ever. I'm not complaining, I'm still very grateful..... well yeah I am complaining a little bit

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Jennifer

Not sure what is going on at my CVS here but I turned in a script two weeks ago and they still haven't filled it. In their defense I did say I was going out of town for a week and to hold it until the 15th. Was in there last Monday and the clerk said it was being processed. Hmmm, this is Friday and still nothing. I sure hope they aren't pulling something weird like the other RX's are.

The CVS we go to got flagged for filling too many hydrocodone scripts. Nothing illegal going on as they were all valid prescriptions. It is because of the area. Most of the housing around this store is a retirement community and my guess is many customers are on pain meds. Just a guess.

But the clerk did tell me that they fill over 3,000 scripts a month for Hydro. They were ordered by corporate to stop filling so many. What that meant was that they told a certain amount of people to get their prescriptions filled elsewhere. Of course I asked about that appearing to another pharmacy like they were shopping around, ergo, addict behavior. He said yes, it would pose a problem for them. I dug some more and asked if they told any long time customers to go somewhere else and they said yes, most of them were the ones who get a large amount filled monthly. I said, "so you told long term customers to go to another pharmacy and end up at the back of the line?" Yep, that's exactly what they did. Wow, I wonder how much terrible feedback they'll get from that one decision. And just how can a company tell long term customers to go somewhere else?

In a few weeks I'll ask again and see how things progressed. I wouldn't be surprised if someone got violent or had a hissy fit inside the store.

Let's just hope this doesn't involve my Suboxone or I'll be looking for another pharmacy I guess.

The DEA saga continues...

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Don't take yourself so damn seriously

that's the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard! as is the pharmacy has something to do with local drs prescribing that many hydros! cvs is already on my shit list. please file a complaint with corporate or with their regional manager!

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Get your shit together and live your life." Black Snake Moan

Yes, we all need to be more proactive about this and make a big stink about the way you're being treated. They are messing with people's quality of life and shouldn't be able to get away with it so easily. It might take a little of your time but I've found out for myself that calling and talking to people in charge can be an effective way to protest any unfair treatment.

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Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.

I would also be contacting my representatives in Congress. I have heard that letters and emails do make a difference! Also, contact your state government. Contact your local TV stations! If they show a reformed opioid addict who is trying to get there life back on track, it might make for a good story.

Here are some links that I hope would be helpful:

http://whoismyrepresentative.com/

http://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/

https://www.wsls.com/contact

Amy

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Done is better than perfect!