cutie asked
When my pharmacy runs out stock on a drug, why can't it come in an overnight order so the person doesn't have to go without meds?
At a glance
- Every pharmacy has ordering cutoff times. Some medications might take a few days to get in.
- When in doubt, try to call a few days ahead of time so that if we run out of your medication, we have plenty of time to order and obtain more.
Answer
Hi and thank you for your question!
I totally understand your frustration, especially if you need a medication ASAP and your pharmacy is not able to obtain it for a few days.
Every pharmacy and every situation is a bit different, but I can probably offer a few insights to the pharmacy supply chain.
First, it depends on the pharmacy supplier. Most pharmacies get daily orders from their wholesaler, typically Monday – Friday. Most suppliers don’t deliver on weekends or holidays. Again, I am generalizing, but for the majority of medications in the pharmacy, I am usually able to obtain it the next business day.
Next up, it depends on the time that you are requesting a medication. I’ve worked at a handful of retail pharmacies and we all have a “next day cutoff time”. Again, it depends on the pharmacy supplier, but at most pharmacies, if you order after 6 pm for example, I wouldn’t expect the supplier to have it to me the next day.
Another reason that your pharmacy might not be able to get your medication in a timely manner is due to the class of medication itself. A good example is that I have to order a handful of specialty medications directly from the manufacturer.
Specialty medications are a class of high-cost medications typically for rare and serious conditions. Since I am getting those directly from the manufacturer, it usually takes 2-3 business days (usually sent by FedEx or UPS).
Along the same line, certain Schedule II Controlled Substances (mostly pain and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications) take a very long time to order. It usually takes me around 3 business days to get these in! To place an order, I need to fill out a paper order form. It’s unfortunately not a simple electronic order like most other medications are.
I always hate it if I run out and my patients are left in limbo. It’s very frustrating for the pharmacy team as well. Sometimes medication is just on backorder, and there isn’t much that can really be done until more medication is manufactured. We can usually try to work around it by giving a patient a different dose of the medication or reaching out to their physician and switching to a different but similar medication. If this is the case with your medication, I would encourage you to reach out to the pharmacy staff to possibly find an alternative.
Lastly, I would encourage you to call in your refills a few days ahead of time. If it’s not a medication that you can call in ahead of time (like a Schedule II narcotic drug), I still always encourage my patients to let me know that they anticipate they’ll be bringing me a new Rx for it in a few days. Then I can make sure that I have it ordered, and they don’t have to go without their medications.
