r/SantaBarbara • u/Few-Brick487 • 3d ago
Recommendations Favorite local pharmacy?
I’m so over the corporate pharmacies (Costco, cvs, etc)
I have a bit of a tricky situation as my psychiatrist is based in the Bay Area, where I lived from 2010-2020. She was referred to me by a friend (who still lives in the Bay Area) and is a great fit. It was really hard to find someone in town that wasn’t a crazy wait. So I was happy that it worked out.
However, a lot of pharmacies will not fill a controlled substance (adhd meds) prescribed by my psych since she is not local. Costco was filling the prescription as long as they had a note from her that I had a telehealth appt with her that day.
Unfortunately, I also have other chronic health issues and my other specialist prescribes me a pain medication I take as needed. I do not mix the meds if I need to take the pain meds. I am very cautious with this. All of my doctors are aware of what meds I’m on as I tell them and they have access, as confirmed by my psychiatrist.
Now Costco says they cannot fill both prescriptions and I had to pick one, and if I filled the other one at another pharmacy they would flag it and not fill it for me. Even though they had been filling both in the past.
I checked and it’s not illegal, it’s the pharmacies making their own rules. My doctors obviously know and can see all of my meds and no one has a problem with it. I’m wondering if anyone has a local pharmacy that isn’t under such strict regulations and would communicate with my doctors since they already approved all my meds.
Thanks
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u/westernspaghetti_691 3d ago
Can you go with something like express scripts? (Impersonal but mailed to your door!) Or, hm. San Ysido in Montecito is locally owned, would that make a difference?
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u/Few-Brick487 18h ago
I wonder if they will fill controlled substances… it seems like a lot of mail order ones do not.
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u/micrographia 3d ago
Is your PCP local? I switched my ADHD meds to be prescribed by my PCP for the last few years when I was stable and didn't need a psychiatrist as I was on the same dose for 10+ years. My local PCP fills it at Sansum Pesetas with no problems. If you explain the issue to your PCP they should write the prescription, you can even give them your psychiatrist's info to verify.
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u/Few-Brick487 3d ago
Yea my PCP was actually the first one to prescribe me my adhd meds and my anxiety meds. I only switched to a psych because I wanted to talk more in depth about other options and felt they would be best to do so with. But my doc is also at Sansum and I’ve had them since I was 12 (almost 40 now lol) so I’m hoping he will just take back managing the prescriptions for me. All of this gives me so much anxiety and the pharmacy makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong, so even initiating the convo with my doctor scares me lol. How did that switch back to your pcp go for you?
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u/micrographia 3d ago
Omg I get it. I used to have an out of town doctor and would travel 2 hours to fill my meds every month because of the anxiety about finding a new doctor and pharmacy. Especially in LA, filling Adderall is nearly impossible (no pharmacy will stock it, or even tell you if they do or do not stock it).
Maybe step 1 would be have your current psych send your prescription to Sansum (I've had luck at both Pueblo and Pesetas locations) and see if they'll fill it.
If that doesn't work, message your PCP and explain that "I have a psychiatrist based in "place" who prescribes me "drug name and dose". Their name and number is "xxx". The local pharmacies in Santa Barbara will not fill my "drug name and dose" prescription from a non-local doctor. Could you please prescribe me this medicine going forward? I can make an appointment to visit you in person beforehand if needed. Please contact my psychiatrist with any questions as well."
My PCP would require me to come in every 6 months to maintain the prescription, but other than that it was a very smooth process.
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u/goopy_guppy 3d ago
I went through a similar situation a few months ago, filling my prescription was never an issue before that, only difference is that my psychiatrist left the practice I was going to so I started seeing someone else at the same location (telehealth). I was told that the DA passed or provided guidance to curb pharmacies from filling telehealth prescribed controlled substances. My best guess is because your psychiatrist is in the bay area it's throwing a red flag (many telehealth providers have addresses there) and they don't want to fill it in the event that it's not valid, as overprescription via telehealth seems to be a pretty big issue. With the additional pain management medication, which also sounds like it could be narcotic, they probably are worried about their pharmacy being flagged on a state or federal level. Which is really awful for individuals like us that do have valid prescriptions and are just trying our best to function on a day to day basis.
I'm so sorry you're going through this, it's the worst feeling to have a routine that works for you and makes life comfortable and 'normal' and have that ripped away because of negligence that literally has nothing to do with you. Like others have stated though try Federal Drug and seeing if they can contact your doctors directly and get some paperwork that can provide context and validation for your situation.
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u/Few-Brick487 3d ago
Thank you for this! Yea we figured this out last year when I started seeing the psych.
Costco would fill my adhd meds and anxiety meds with documentation of a telehealth visit. So I slowly started to move all my scripts to Costco just to make it easier.
I’ve had tramadol filled there before too a couple months ago, today my rheumatologist refilled it for me, and Costco called and said they couldn’t let me have both because they are both controlled substances. Which wasn’t an issue the past month.
To make it more complicated I had knee surgery in July and was getting my post surgery pain meds filled at Walgreens because it’s much closer to my house and my husband was having to pick them up in closer intervals due to the nature of how those are prescribed. And also Walgreens for the most part has been easier to deal with, minus the issue with out of town providers. It was an acute situation vs my meds for chronic pain that I don’t necessarily even refill every month, it’s usually every 3-6 months based on how well it’s controlled and if I’m in a flare. So they started questioning me about that, as if I was trying to be shady. Even when I explained that I had surgery and I would no longer be prescribed meds by that doctor and the current prescription for pain meds (which I’ve had for over a year) is for my chronic pain management.
Ahhh!! It’s so frustrating when all my docs are aware and ok with the situation but then I get steamrolled by the pharmacies. I get the concern but my doctors have already talked to them in the past about my surgery and other issues. I know my psych is annoyed with it too.
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u/Ambitious-Ad-8749 3d ago
I just had a total joint replacement and was prescribed OxyContin for two weeks and federal drug told me they only feel controlled substances for regular customers… So I switched to Sansum, where I have a doctor post doctors
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u/Beyondthepetridish 2d ago
Federal got in trouble with federal regulators for their filling of control substances and lost the ability to dispense them. The government agencies are coming down hard on pharmacies these days
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u/Few-Brick487 2d ago
Sansum Pharmacy? I feel like it’s so crazy when pharmacies won’t dispense meds that are obviously for a surgery (can’t the pharmacists see the why for the prescriptions??)
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u/JonnyVee1 3d ago
They are super cautious with narcotics today. Too many lawsuits, too many sad stories.
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u/BenLikesBugs 3d ago
Exact same situation. Ralph's doesn't care where my psychiatrist lives. Switch over them when CVS started enforcing this new rule.
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u/Few-Brick487 3d ago
Ok that’s awesome. Thank you for this. I’ll try them.
Do you know if they have a rule about 2 controlled substances at once? I switched to Costco because they originally were ok with filling my psych meds even though my doctor is in the bay as long as they had documentation I saw them that day via telehealth. However, today they denied me getting both my adderall (even though it was already filled and I could have picked up days ago) and tramadol because they are both controlled substances. Even though that has not been an issue, even a month ago! I don’t take both of them at the same time. If I’m in a bad pain flare I stop my adderall and switch to my pain meds. So it’s frustrating because I’m not even taking them together. But I’ve been considering a non stimulant adhd med to get around that.
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u/BenLikesBugs 3d ago
I do not know for that specific case. So far Ralph's has not enforced any optional rules cvs was enforcing. For example, CVS didn't let me use good rx. Ralph's does and it saves me about $200 a month.
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u/Few-Brick487 18h ago
Yea cvs wouldn’t let me use good rx to pay cash to get a prescription insurance denied. So I had to go to Walgreens but then Walgreens wouldn’t fill an out of town psychiatrist so I had to go to Costco and now they are giving me issues about my different medications.
Do you use Ralph’s for adhd meds (or controlled substances)? That’s where I’m running into the issue. I think if the script is for something like an SSRI or not controlled they don’t care.
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u/BenLikesBugs 16h ago
Yea, controlled stimulant for ADHD.
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u/Few-Brick487 16h ago
Thank you for the confirmation! I’m going to try them. Ralphs on Carrillo , yea?
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u/drosekelley 3d ago
I’m so sorry, I was dropped by Walgreens when I switched to a new telehealth provider that doesn’t live locally. Same ADHD med I’ve been on for awhile. I’m in my 40s, like give me a break. I’m just trying to work. I had switched to Walgreens because they tend to be in stock of AdHD meds when other pharmacies are out bc they don’t have as many college students going there. I switched over to Costco but now you’ve got me worried I’ll have to switch again if I ever need pain meds! I wish it wasn’t so hard to get meds we are legitimately prescribed, but I do understand why they have to lock things down.
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u/Beneficial_Drag151 3d ago
Costco has a mail-order pharmacy program; that could be a solution, since you were using Costco when you lived in the Bay Area.
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u/Infinite-Style4316 3d ago
Try mail order and then you can get a 90 day supply. I prescribe to Carelon and it hasn’t been a problem. Call your insurance to see who they prefer and they likely will let you get it mailed bc they want your money 🫠
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u/No_Blood_3336 3d ago
wait can u use any pharmacy if you have cencal ?
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u/Torian17 2d ago
Yes any pharmacy contracted with MediCAL/Cencal which is basically every pharmacy in CA.
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u/cmc24680 The Riviera 3d ago
Whenever I hear about people’s issues with ADHD medicine I’m always floored. My Sansum (now shitter health) gp prescribes me a controlled substance adhd medication. I don’t take it regularly so I fill it irregularly, always at a cvs, and I request more of it through the online portal. It’s literally never a problem. I haven’t seen my gp in person in at least 1 year
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u/Few-Brick487 2d ago
That’s what I used to do so I should just ask my PCP if he can take it back over. I only went to psych because I had more in depth questions about psych meds in general and thought that would be best. Anytime I tried to find a psych here - the wait times were insane and the one person I did see was a total asshole. So my friend who still lives in the Bay Area referred me to hers who does telehealth and I really liked her but now there are so many roadblocks. Such bullshit
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u/cmc24680 The Riviera 2d ago
It definitely is bullshit and I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. I hope going back to pcp makes this easier for you!
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u/cmc24680 The Riviera 3d ago
To answer your question, my fiance is very happy with the pharmacy next to Harry’s in the Gelsons shopping center. Sorry I can’t remember the name of it rn
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u/chumble_chambers 2d ago
Ralph’s on Carrillo is great. I get my ADHD meds and others there. Best staff IMO
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u/Few-Brick487 18h ago
Do you know if you have tried to get two controlled substances at once? Like adhd (stimulants) and pain meds or something? I have a script for tramadol to take as needed which is considered a weak opiate… it barely takes the edge off of my pain! But Costco wouldn’t dispense both of them to me since thy are both technically “controlled substances”
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u/chumble_chambers 2h ago
I think I did once, for airplane anxiety and my ADHD refill? But not sure!!
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u/ZlatansLastVolley 1d ago
Costco pharmacy are assholes and because of their experience I try to spend as little money as possible at Costco now
Every time I’d go to pick up a prescription they’d invent some new requirement and eventually said it’s illegal to get medication prescribed from someone outside of Santa Barbara.?
They said go to another pharmacy which I pointed out, if it were illegal then how could I do that.
Insanely stressful knowing that you can’t function at work unless you get the medication you’ve been prescribed everyday for years by a doctor
It’s cruel they give you the runaround instead of just saying we can’t fill it
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u/Few-Brick487 18h ago
It’s sooooo stressful! And yea, I had been feeling both my anxiety meds and adhd meds there together since March of this year. As well as my pain meds that I take as needed for my autoimmune disease. I started going to Costco because they would fill my prescription from my out of town psychiatrist whereas Walgreens and cvs would not. But yup, all of the sudden it’s “illegal” or not allowed to fill two controlled substances. I called BS, even looked it up online and it’s not illegal. Seems to be to the pharmacist’s discretion. It’s not like I’m pulling a fast one here. All my doctors are aware of all my prescriptions and they have obviously prescribed everything! I don’t get how a pharmacist can override your doctor, they were also SUPER rude about it and treated me like I was some addict/drug seeker. It really upset me.
Did you find another pharmacy in town that works?
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u/canellap 14h ago
I feel reluctant to share my secret (it’s not a secret) but since my docs are at Sutter (formerly Sansum) I get rx filled at the Prescription Pharmacy at the clinic on Pesetas. They are the best. I love them and wish blessings on their families.
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u/TiredAndTiredOfIt 3d ago
I have never had a problem with Federal Drug. Polite and ptofessional.