My gastro denied my reglan refill!

I requested a refill of my reglan from my gastroenterologist almost two weeks ago, and today I finally got a voice mail saying that the doctor had denied the refill request.

Well, I know why he did it. When I was in the ER, they gave me 20 mg of IV reglan, which is a very strong dosage, and I had akasthesia, or twitching, as a result of it. The goal was to help my head by giving me a lot of reglan because at high doses, reglan can actually help the head. They gave me benadryl to prevent the twitching, but it didn't completely do its job, so I could never relax enough to get benefit for my migraine because of all the twitching.

So the ER nurse put in my file that I had a reaction to the IV form, marking it very clearly that it was only the IV reglan that did this to me. And in my refill request, I also specifically made a note that my reaction was only to the IV and not the pill, which works well.

But apparently, my gastro didn't pay attention. Reglan works better for me than anything else does at helping to keep my GERD under control, so I need that drug! But the doctor refused to give it to me. I just emailed him pointing out all these details, but given how long it took him to get to my first refill request, who knows how long before I can get my GERD taken care of. I'm forever having to clear my throat, especially after I lie down, because the acids flow up the esophogus much more easily when I'm reclining.

I'm really annoyed!

Call your doctor's office and request a nurse. I did this morning after being denied a prescription and she took care of it within minutes. It was a pharmacy error which is quite common. In your case, if it isn't a pharmacy error, a nurse can get the ball rolling quicker than probably an e-mail.

That would probably end up being more trouble than it's worth to me at the moment because Kaiser's phone system has been spotty lately. They seem to have been having electronic problems because you frequently can't talk to a person; you can only do automated things. And it requires talking to a person to get through to a nurse. You can't call an office directly; you must do so through the 800 number. But if I don't get it approved soon, I may use that as a stand-by.

Oh, dear, Vicki, that's not good. Would it be possible to get in to see the dr.? I don't know if that's an option for you. You mentioned your healthcare is through Kaiser, and I'm not familiar with Kaiser or how affordable they are, etc. or how easy/hard it is to get in to see the drs. there. But worst-case scenario, you may have to get an appt. in order to get a script for the med. That would be a real bummer but it would get you your med.

I'm sitting on a script refill I'm waiting for for 4 days now on my blood pressure med - my GP only works 3 days a week. These dr's have no idea what they do to us. Luckily I finally figured out how long it takes them to get around to refills and call it in when I have a week of meds left.

I think it's likely I'll get the script because of the email. Kaiser requires the doctors to reply to emails within 48 hours. It's sent through their secure system, so emails go into the record. So this would definitely be much faster than trying to get in with a specialist. Overall, I'm quite happy with Kaiser; I was just a little annoyed to get this message. My gastro is generally really on top of things, so this surprised me.

AuntieBubbs wrote:I'm sitting on a script refill I'm waiting for for 4 days now on my blood pressure med - my GP only works 3 days a week. These dr's have no idea what they do to us. Luckily I finally figured out how long it takes them to get around to refills and call it in when I have a week of meds left.

AuntieBubbs, I don't know if it's only because I live in a small town, but if my doctor has not refilled a prescription quickly enough and I have totally used all remaining meds, the pharmacist will give me 3-4 or even 5-6 pills to keep me till the doctor refills. Especially with blood pressure meds, this is important. You might try asking.

Same as Auntiebubbs - my pharmacist always gives me enough to get by until a doctor gets back for most drugs.

It may be that that Reglan has been associated with Tardive Dyskinesia and your doc does not want anyone of his pt's on it. There are commercials on TV from law firms that will represent people that have been harmed by it. So it's possible your doc could be sued if he prescribed it knowing it had some dangerous side effects.

I pulled this from a law firm's website.

"What are the dangers of Reglan/metoclopramide?

Tardive Dyskinesia is the most serious and potentially irreversible side effect of long-term use of Reglan. This disorder manifests itself in repeated, involuntary movements of the limbs, facial grimacing, torticollis, blinking, rhythmic protrusion of the tongue and similar movements. It often becomes more serious the longer a user remains on the drug. Unfortunately, the drug itself can “mask” or hide these movements/symptoms while the user is on the drug, and it may not be until her or she is taken off the drug that the full effects are seen.

Other side effects of this drug include:

* Depression, which can range from mild to severe and can include suicidal ideation and suicide;
* Extrapyramidal symptoms, including acute dystonic reactions;
* Parkinsonian-like symptoms, including tremor and rigidity.

Other, less serious side effects include:

* Restlessness, including anxiety, agitation or jitteriness
* Drowsiness
* Fatigue
* Insomnia or sleeplessness
* Headache
* Confusion
* Dizziness"

That's probably why it was denied, but I only have had problems with the IV, not the pill. So I figure he didn't read my record properly and just de facto denied it. He's the one who wrote the prescription in the first place, so he wouldn't be against it automatically.

No email back yet. I'll have to call the pharmacy tomorrow to see if they can get him to move faster on this issue.