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Comment by hombre_fatal | Hacker News Reader

I was on a 90 day prescription for ten years (vyvanse) when I told my doctor I was traveling abroad.

Insurance doesn’t cover 90 day bottles so it was $300/mo but worth it.

Nowadays there’s generic Vyvanse which is much cheaper so it probably makes 90 day prescriptions financially viable?

I just moved back to the US and had to find a new local doctor who gives me 30 day scripts so I haven’t asked about 90 day yet. I imagine these pill mills are pretty stingy. It takes a lot of time and calling around to find docs who don’t treat you like a fiend in some way.

But we need to count our blessings. People on pain killers need to put up with crazy shit like getting randomly summoned to the office so they can count your remaining pills.

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> I just moved back to the US and had to find a new local doctor who gives me 30 day scripts

You may have difficultly getting a 90 day, both the doc and pharmacist have to agree to do it - 3x30 day with 'fill on dates' is more likely.

When I had a long out of town trip I was able to get a 60 day script. When I came back the doc sent 60 day script again but the pharmacist wouldn't fill it and only allowed it because what ever code/note the doc added about long term travel. That was self pay so I wasn't even a risk for selling it. Some states won't allow more than 3x30 day.

I am surprised you got name brand vyvanse for $300/month, generic is ~$250/month without coupons/discount cards

ExpressScripts pharmacy basically mandates 90-day Rx and will mail them to your home. Excellent for people who suffer from ADHD.

I don’t understand how this works when legally in many states they can only dispense a 30 day supply

Interesting. I got a 90-day bottle from a doc in my hometown until 2022. That's when I moved back to Texas but didn't want to drive all the way to my hometown anymore to see that doc.

Now I go to some "psychiatrist" pill mill where they made me take a BS $200 computer test to diagnose me with ADHD (CYA even though I've been taking this drug for 16 years) and they ask me the same goofy questions every televisit (probably more CYA).

Yeah, it was $1000-1200 for 90 pills of Vyvanse all that time. GoodRX only knocked it down $200 or so. And the website coupon only applies to 30-day.

Now with insurance, Vyvanse is $100 for 30 while generic is $10.

Mail order pharmacies (though insurance companies) are more likely to fill a 90 day stimulant script in my experience, solely because they really want to send out 90 day supplies for everything for whatever reason.

I don't trust the post office enough to bother.

I get 84-day supplies of Concerta through ExpressScripts. They send them signature-required (unlike other Rxs I get from them). It's a bit of a pain—I usually end up having to go to the post office to pick it up—but it's an order of magnitude easier than needing to get a refill at a retail pharmacy every month.

You can get $100/mo generic Vyvanse from Walgreens with GoodRx.

This is why a friend of mine lies about their dosage. They claim they take 10mg twice a day when in reality they break the tablet into fourths and take 5mg total a day. Now they have a stockpile that gets them through frequent shortages and long trips. If their doctor asks why they haven't visited in a month and a half they say they don't take it on the weekends sometimes.

I regularly travel for 4-6 months at a time and I have several prescriptions that I must take daily for years/decades and they’re not even controlled substances. Getting >60 day supplies is like pulling teeth.

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