Catch-22 And Call Me In The Morning

I was going to refill my prescriptions. One of them was more urgent than the other, and of course, that one was not in stock anywhere, nor were any of the recommended substitutes.

I booked an appointment with my doctor who, just like me, started looking through stock. Eventually, she found one that had the same medicine in another dosage, which could be adapted to what I needed, so she wrote a new prescription.

Doctor: “You know, they recommend you to build up a stock now because of situations like this.”

Me: “But I can’t take out that much.”

Doctor: “I’ve written prescriptions to last you for half a year.”

I went to the pharmacy and checked how much I could take out and, as usual, I could only take out medicine for one month and get more when that month neared the end.

Me: “My doctor said she wrote a prescription so I could take out more.”

Pharmacist: “I’m sorry, but the prescription is for one month, and then it can be refilled. But it only says one month at a time.”

Me: “Isn’t it the state recommending that we build up a supply?”

Pharmacist: “Yes, that is correct.”

Me: “So, how am I supposed to do that, then?”

Pharmacist: “Well, your doctor could prescribe you for three months at a time, but then you’d have to wait three months before taking out more, so I honestly don’t know.”

Me: “Could my doctor write that I should have more than three months?”

Pharmacist: “Perhaps, but we aren’t allowed to hand out for more than three months, as that would be illegal.”

Recommendations are good and all, but please make sure we are allowed to follow them.