[sweepy62]

As you know or may not 2 weeks ago I was discharged from the crisis stabalization unit, i saw my pdoc last week and as usual gave me my supply of lithium abilify and zoloft she gives me about 2 month doses, I also have left over from last month which she knows about.

Now my group therapist totally in a different building wants to monitor my meds so she wants me to give her my left over from last month which in total is about 60 pills thats without counting the new refills the pdoc gave me.

the group t says that it will be disposed of in my presense here is the deal although i only pay a co pay for my meds the abilify alone for 30 days is 600 dollars without insurance , my problem is i dont want her throwing those out, i asked if she could have the nurse hold them for when i run out but she says they have to be thrown out.

she is demanding ( sort of ) that i see her tomorrow with the pills if not she will tell her supervisor and the supervisor could have someone come to my house to get them, please give me your oppinions and dont worry about offending me i take no offense

[SoupDragon]

Wow that is a lot of money to through away - we don't pay anything near to that for meds in the UK - I can really understand from a money perspective why you want to hang on to them.

Can you talk to your pdoc about this?

[sweepy62]

Originally Posted by SoupDragon

Wow that is a lot of money to through away - we don't pay anything near to that for meds in the UK - I can really understand from a money perspective why you want to hang on to them.

Can you talk to your pdoc about this?

I want to hang on to them because I take them everyday and it is just not fair at all to throw away meds like that i do see where they are coming from but throwing them away is not the solution

[BlessedRhiannon]

I have to admit, I'm a bit confused as to how the supervisor could have someone come to your house and confiscate the pills. They are not illegal, and you have a valid prescription for them. So, for someone to come and take them without your consent, would be theft, right?

I think I'd talk to your p-doc and if you're concerned about having extra medication on hand, ask her to hold on to it for you. Or, ask a friend or family member to hold on to it. If these are pills that you expect to need at a later date, I certainly wouldn't dispose of them.

While I understand your T's concern, I think perhaps what's being asked is unreasonable. There are other options for making sure that you don't have access to excess medication. Besides, you just stated that you've gotten new prescriptions for meds....so it's not like you won't have some on hand anyway. Is your T going to some how control those as well?

[mcl6136]

I think this is because of regulatory issues, right?
It does seem a huge waste but I would not want to be the obstructionist in this case!
I say, just go along with the flow on this one.....
Sad, though.

Seems silly to throw them out if you're going to be getting a refill on your prescription anyway? Surely, like you suggested, having someone hold on to them for you should be a sufficient safety precaution if they don't trust you to have all these meds in your possession. I understand they have your safety in mind, but is there no room for negotiation with this? It all sounds very controlling.

Also, 600 DOLLARS?! Seriously expensive. I know I complain about the fact that here in the UK if you want decent therapy you have to pay privately, but at least meds are cheap (£7.20 per script on NHS) or even free if unemployed/on benefit.

[sweepy62]

Originally Posted by BlessedRhiannon

I have to admit, I'm a bit confused as to how the supervisor could have someone come to your house and confiscate the pills. They are not illegal, and you have a valid prescription for them. So, for someone to come and take them without your consent, would be theft, right?

I think I'd talk to your p-doc and if you're concerned about having extra medication on hand, ask her to hold on to it for you. Or, ask a friend or family member to hold on to it. If these are pills that you expect to need at a later date, I certainly wouldn't dispose of them.

While I understand your T's concern, I think perhaps what's being asked is unreasonable. There are other options for making sure that you don't have access to excess medication. Besides, you just stated that you've gotten new prescriptions for meds....so it's not like you won't have some on hand anyway. Is your T going to some how control those as well?

funny thing is that my pdoc didnt have concerns about me taking excess meds if i was overwhelmed my group t emailed my pdoc of this concern but I have not heard anything she wont be in until next week, they want to take my extra abilify and the group t supervisor has the right to take them i guess because she said they would call the crisis team and they would come and take excess pills away i even offered for my husband to put them in his safe and they wont budge

[sweepy62]

Originally Posted by just_some_girl

Seems silly to throw them out if you're going to be getting a refill on your prescription anyway? Surely, like you suggested, having someone hold on to them for you should be a sufficient safety precaution if they don't trust you to have all these meds in your possession. I understand they have your safety in mind, but is there no room for negotiation with this? It all sounds very controlling.

Also, 600 DOLLARS?! Seriously expensive. I know I complain about the fact that here in the UK if you want decent therapy you have to pay privately, but at least meds are cheap (£7.20 per script on NHS) or even free if unemployed/on benefit.

seriously without insurance abilify is 600 dollars for a 30 day supply and i am on patient assistance so i have to pay a 20 copay but to throw them out seems such a waste

[BlessedRhiannon]

Originally Posted by sweepy62

funny thing is that my pdoc didnt have concerns about me taking excess meds if i was overwhelmed my group t emailed my pdoc of this concern but I have not heard anything she wont be in until next week, they want to take my extra abilify and the group t supervisor has the right to take them i guess because she said they would call the crisis team and they would come and take excess pills away i even offered for my husband to put them in his safe and they wont budge

Seems to me like there should be some room for conversation here, instead of just a high handed "do what we say or we'll make you" approach. I would think they would want to empower you to make wise choices, not force their decisions on you.

Could you and your husband talk to the group T AND supervisor and suggest that your husband keep the pills safe for you until your p-doc is available to address the concerns? T's are not experts on meds, the p-docs are...that's why it's the p-doc that can prescribe them.

Personally, a high handed approach like this would just make me mad and I'd fight it...but that's just me. I hate being told what to do and not given a choice.

[sweepy62]

Yes I agree good advice

sweepy you know why T wants them. I understand your panic, but its for your own good and safety, my doc monitors my meds too.

Originally Posted by sweepy62

the group t says that it will be disposed of in my presense here is the deal although i only pay a co pay for my meds the abilify alone for 30 days is 600 dollars without insurance , my problem is i dont want her throwing those out, i asked if she could have the nurse hold them for when i run out but she says they have to be thrown out.

she is demanding ( sort of ) that i see her tomorrow with the pills if not she will tell her supervisor and the supervisor could have someone come to my house to get them, please give me your oppinions and dont worry about offending me i take no offense

I'm sorry I would tell that woman in no uncertain terms to go F U C K herself if she really thinks you're going to let her flush $600 worth of medication that can be used next month. Tell her that her options are to hold them for you until the following month, or you will hold them for yourself. She can choose one of your two options, or she can make way for another staff with a little more common sense.

_______

I am part of a clinic like what you describe, and if I was in this situation the nurse would be happy to hold them for me.

Maybe give them to your ind.therapist to hold?

If you are Suicidal then it is best not to have extra pills on hand. How do they even know you have them?

Regardless I would not allow them to be tossed. Be assertive and speak calmly and sensibly with the supervisor yourself. I never talk to underlings when they are being unreasonable.

I am sorry Sweepy. This must be confusing for you. I have never heard of anything like that.

[scorpiosis37]

I think this woman is being completely unreasonable. There is no reason why the medicine needs to be thrown away. It's reasonable for this woman to insist that you not have access to it right now, but that doesn't mean it needs to be disposed of. As you've already indicated, there are many ways to keep the medicine safe without allowing you to have access to it until it is time to take it, as prescribed. If I were you, I would absolutely insist that you be allowed to either (1) hold on to the medicine yourself, (2) have your husband keep the medicine locked in his safe, (3) have pdoc hold onto the medicine, or (4) have this woman hold the medicine for you. You could also tell this woman that pdoc does not think the medicine needs to be disposed of and you will not dispose of it until pdoc weighs in on why situation. It sounds as though pdoc is more reasonable and would work with you on finding a suitable solution.

[sunrise]

I think the group therapist is stepping outside of her scope of practice. It is your pdoc's job to do medication management, not a group therapist's responsibility. The group T doesn't have training in this area. Is the group T worried the meds are expired and therefore no good? Or that you will take too many pills at once? If the latter, and if you already have 2 months at once from the latest prescription, it seems that having a bit extra from the month before really doesn't matter, does it? Why wouldn't she be worried about having 2 months at one time instead of 2 months + some extra? Doesn't make sense. Maybe just reassure the group T that your postdoc is on top of this and can handle medication concerns and if needed, the pdoc could hold extra meds at his/her office for you. If the group T persists, can you find a new group?

[sweepy62]

Originally Posted by LolaCabanna

sweepy you know why T wants them. I understand your panic, but its for your own good and safety, my doc monitors my meds too.

thanks you are right my thing is why should they throw away 1,200 dollars worth of meds when they can hold them i will update u today

[sweepy62]

Originally Posted by TentativeConnection

I'm sorry I would tell that woman in no uncertain terms to go F U C K herself if she really thinks you're going to let her flush $600 worth of medication that can be used next month. Tell her that her options are to hold them for you until the following month, or you will hold them for yourself. She can choose one of your two options, or she can make way for another staff with a little more common sense.

_______

I am part of a clinic like what you describe, and if I was in this situation the nurse would be happy to hold them for me.

Maybe give them to your ind.therapist to hold?

If you are Suicidal then it is best not to have extra pills on hand. How do they even know you have them?

Regardless I would not allow them to be tossed. Be assertive and speak calmly and sensibly with the supervisor yourself. I never talk to underlings when they are being unreasonable.

thank you tentative i left her a message this morning telling her my h will hold them and my pdoc comes back on tues from vac then we will go to her office

[sweepy62]

Originally Posted by sunrise

I think the group therapist is stepping outside of her scope of practice. It is your pdoc's job to do medication management, not a group therapist's responsibility. The group T doesn't have training in this area. Is the group T worried the meds are expired and therefore no good? Or that you will take too many pills at once? If the latter, and if you already have 2 months at once from the latest prescription, it seems that having a bit extra from the month before really doesn't matter, does it? Why wouldn't she be worried about having 2 months at one time instead of 2 months + some extra? Doesn't make sense. Maybe just reassure the group T that your postdoc is on top of this and can handle medication concerns and if needed, the pdoc could hold extra meds at his/her office for you. If the group T persists, can you find a new group?

i will keep u informed i just left her a message if she is so worried i will take extra then throwing away 2 bottles of abilify wont help because i have so many other psych meds so she is not making sense this is a heart breaker to have to throw out 2 bottles of abilify that are worth 1,200 dollars omg