[Jester's Rags]

I know a lot of pharmacy's are different in their policies. How early are you allowed to refill your benzo script? My previous pharmacy permitted 2 days early. I just switched pharmacies and am waiting to see what their policy is. I switched from CVS to a mom and pop shop.

[Deejay14]

My insurance allows two days.

[splitimage]

I can't renew my prescription early at all. The pharmacy is hyper strict about it, as it's a controlled substance.

My other psych meds, I can renew up to 3 days early

splitimage

[*Laurie*]

Not more than 2 days early. We are, after all, in a War on Drugs

[ccrown25]

It really depends on two different things: your insurance and your pharmacy. Your insurance may allow refills up down to a certain amount of time early but its 100% at the pharmacists discretion as to whether he/she wants to fill it early.

For example: you mentioned you used to use CVS and that is the pharmacy I have currently used. I have state Medicaid and it allows me to have a script for my two controlled substances to be filled up to 7 days early. I get a 28 day script and the insurance will authorize and pay for it at day 21. However.... the pharmacist NEVER fills it that early. Depending on scheduling issues, sometimes I would have to go to my doctor a week early and when I first started going to this particular CVS, the pharmacist would not fill it at day 21 and would only fill it on exactly day 28 the first month and then for about 6 months, she would only do it on day 26. We have gotten to know each other a little better as I have been a regular customer and she recognizes and knows me by first name now. When I walk into the store, she sees me and usually has my scripts pulled before I get to the counter. With building this relationship, I have gotten her to trust me and she will fill my scripts on day 24 or 25 now. I have had an issue where I have had to have it filled 2 weeks early one time and that required me to get an insurance override as well as a letter from the doctor authorizing the early script and she did fill it.

So, to answer your question: it depends on the pharmacist. Your doctor and insurance may allow an early refill, but it is at the pharmacists discretion. Some pharmacists will not budge no matter how many letters or phone calls they get from your doctor or insurance or even both. My advice to you is: try and develop some sort of friendship/positive customer relationship with the pharmacist and technicians there. As much as I hate to say this, appearance does count. I always go in there with clean clothes, clean shaven, nice haircut and so on. Another thing I used to do when I was still getting to know the pharmacy/pharmacist was to take the script in a day or two early and when the pharmacist would ask if I was waiting for it, I would say "No, I am going to come back this afternoon (or tomorrow)" That would give her the impression that I am not desperate for it or being impatient. If they aren't busy in there, I will sometimes strike up a small conversation and ask how the day has been and ask how she is doing. If I am being helped by a technician, I will usually walk up to the consultation window, say "thank you", wave and smile at her so that she knows I appreciate it (and it makes her think that she is doing me a favor) and she will usually say "you're welcome Mr xxxx"

Sorry about the long response, but this is a lot of information that I have found very helpful and I hope that at least some of this can be helpful to you!

- Kris

[possum220]

Phone your pharmacy and ask what they allow. Where I live it states on the script that you must contact the pharmacy if you need the medication before the date that they type in when it is last filled.

[Guiness187055]

I am not sure I always run a surpluss of benzo's. I get a refill when I get around to it. Good question though.

[Jester's Rags]

New pharmacy filled my Xanax script on the 4th when the original was the 9th of last month. It’s a mom and pop shop. Old pharmacy (CVS) was 2 days early.