Hurricane Alert & Prescription Medication Concerns

One of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded has caused damage on several islands, including Barbuda, Anguilla and St. Martin

 

FOR ALL THOSE ON MEDICATIONS & HOW THIS STORM MAY IMPACT YOU

For years I have warned about the issues that could arise due to any type of emergency that could lead to patients not being able to get their medications for a period thus being forced into abrupt withdrawal. When the FDA has warned that any abrupt change in dose, whether increasing or decreasing the dose can cause suicide, hostility or psychosis this is a serious concern. And when you know how many pharmaceutical company manufacturing plants are based in Puerto Rico, North Carolina and New Jersey which may all be in the wake of this storm it could cause even some longer term problems with availability.

 

FOR ALL THOSE IN THE WAY OF THE STORM ON MEDICATIONS

Florida officials began ordering evacuations as Hurricane Irma intensifies to a Category 5 storm. Anyone in the target zone of Irma please be safe and don’t forget your medical directives and medication. See if it’s possible to get early refills due to the storm. People were forced into cold turkey withdrawal in recent hurricanes from their prescription medications because they didn’t anticipate the damage and the difficulties in getting refills after the storms.

Latest Alert from Florida: The state of Florida has ordered all prescriptions to be refilled even if it is not time yet. Basically they said “get all your prescriptions now because the pharmacies have been told to fill them, then get out of harm’s way.”

 

FLORIDA LAW CONCERNING ADVANCED SCRIPTS 

(1) In the event a pharmacist receives a request for a prescription refill and the pharmacist is unable to readily obtain refill authorization from the prescriber, the pharmacist may dispense:
(a) A one-time emergency refill of up to a 72-hour supply of the prescribed medication; or
(b) A one-time emergency refill of one vial of insulin to treat diabetes mellitus.
(2) If the Governor issues an emergency order or proclamation of a state of emergency, the pharmacist may dispense up to a 30-day supply in the areas or counties affected by the order or proclamation, provided that:
(a) The prescription is not for a medicinal drug listed in Schedule II appearing in chapter 893.
(b) The medication is essential to the maintenance of life or to the continuation of therapy in a chronic condition.
(c) In the pharmacist’s professional judgment, the interruption of therapy might reasonably produce undesirable health consequences or may cause physical or mental discomfort.
(d) The dispensing pharmacist creates a written order containing all of the prescription information required by this chapter and chapters 499 and 893 and signs that order.
(e) The dispensing pharmacist notifies the prescriber of the emergency dispensing within a reasonable time after such dispensing.
History.—ss. 19, 27, ch. 86-256; s. 3, ch. 89-77; s. 59, ch. 91-137; s. 6, ch. 91-156; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 30, ch. 93-211; s. 24, ch. 2016-230.

IF NARCOTIC- Pharmacist MUST get oral RX and permission from doctor for 3 day supply.

(f) A prescription for a controlled substance listed in Schedule II may be dispensed only upon a written prescription of a practitioner, except that in an emergency situation, as defined by regulation of the Department of Health, such controlled substance may be dispensed upon oral prescription but is limited to a 72-hour supply. A prescription for a controlled substance listed in Schedule II may not be refilled.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0400-0499/0465/Sections/0465.0275.html

The 2017 Florida Statutes

Title XVII
MILITARY AFFAIRS AND RELATED MATTERS
Chapter 252
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
View Entire Chapter
252.358 Emergency-preparedness prescription medication refills.—All health insurers, managed care organizations, and other entities that are licensed by the Office of Insurance Regulation and provide prescription medication coverage as part of a policy or contract shall waive time restrictions on prescription medication refills, which include suspension of electronic “refill too soon” edits to pharmacies, to enable insureds or subscribers to refill prescriptions in advance, if there are authorized refills remaining, and shall authorize payment to pharmacies for at least a 30-day supply of any prescription medication, regardless of the date upon which the prescription had most recently been filled by a pharmacist, when the following conditions occur:
(1) The person seeking the prescription medication refill resides in a county that:
(a) Is under a hurricane warning issued by the National Weather Service;
(b) Is declared to be under a state of emergency in an executive order issued by the Governor; or
(c) Has activated its emergency operations center and its emergency management plan.
(2) The prescription medication refill is requested within 30 days after the origination date of the conditions stated in this section or until such conditions are terminated by the issuing authority or no longer exist. The time period for the waiver of prescription medication refills may be extended in 15- or 30-day increments by emergency orders issued by the Office of Insurance Regulation.
This section does not excuse or exempt an insured or subscriber from compliance with all other terms of the policy or contract providing prescription medication coverage. This section takes effect July 1, 2006.
History.—s. 29, ch. 2006-71.