# How Can I Refill A Script When My Pharmacy And Doctor's Office Are Closed? (Need answer kind of fast) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 26, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129 "2022-12-26T16:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/1 "2022-12-26T16:23:15Z")
I am out of my rescue inhaler, Albuterol, and I’m gasping for breath. I’ve been sipping coffee (I read that that helps), but I don’t know that I can sustain this until tomorrow. My regular pharmacy is closed, as is my physician’s office. What to do? I can’t call my doctor to have my script transferred to a different pharmacy. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/2 "2022-12-26T16:28:09Z")
If your pharmacy is part of a chain, any branch should be able to fill it. I once flew to California and forgot a med, but a branch of my pharmacy there filled it. Anyway, find a 24-hour branch of your pharmacy. Call them, and ask them to fill it. If that doesn’t work, start calling urgent care clinics and ask if any of them stock the inhalers and can fix you up with one if you go in. As a last resort, go to an ER. ---
**Author:** ![a6ka97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/3 "2022-12-26T16:28:12Z")
Maybe an appointment at an urgent care (not emergency room) clinic? Then they could write a prescription to a pharmacy that is open with enough medicine to tie you over until your regular doctor/pharmacy can refill. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/4 "2022-12-26T16:33:41Z")
Ypu may have teledoc through your insurance. They can call in a script. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/5 "2022-12-26T16:35:13Z")
Rivkah’s order of operations is good advice. Albuterol isn’t a controlled substance and people running out of meds on a holiday weekend isn’t exactly uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/6 "2022-12-26T16:55:00Z")
In the Teledoc virtual waiting room as we “speak,” thank you for the advice. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2022, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/7 "2022-12-26T17:24:32Z")
Get a ‘primatine’ mist inhaler, otc. It’ll help. Not perfect tho’. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2022, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/8 "2022-12-26T17:27:28Z")
As others have said, contact a local hospital. They will have information about what pharmacies are open on holidays and after normal business hours. And if there are none, the hospital will have its own pharmacy. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/9 "2022-12-26T17:28:02Z")
Yeah, best answer. Really ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/10 "2022-12-30T04:12:34Z")
Hey, once you get all fixed up, please come back and let us know that you are OK. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/11 "2022-12-30T05:02:01Z")
I hope the OP is OK. FWIW, you can always get an albuterol treatment–often with a nebulizer–at an urgent care clinic and/or ER. If you’re gasping for breath, I would head there. Something similar happened to me regarding a script refill this past holiday. I was recently put on a blood thinner by my cardiologist, and realized too late that I had no pills left on December 24th. I rushed to my normal pharmacy at 1:30 p.m. and found that they had closed early at 1:00 p.m., and wouldn’t reopen until December 26th. Compounding the issue was the fact that I was going to be out of town until December 28th. So I drove over to another pharmacy that was still open with my empty pill bottle and explained the situation to the pharmacist. I thought it would be a big hassle trying to get the script filled at the other pharmacy, but instead he just asked how many pills I needed. I said 3-4 pills would be sufficient. He took his master pill bottle and carefully counted out 4 pills, poured them into my original pill bottle, and wished me a happy holiday. No charge. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-refill-a-script-when-my-pharmacy-and-doctors-office-are-closed-need-answer-kind-of-fast/977129/12 "2022-12-30T14:58:01Z")
Thank you for the well-wishes, I am very much alive and well (knock on wood) and a replacement inhaler is in my pocket.