# How much hassle do I HAVE to endure from my pharmacist before I get to bitch?(schedule IIdrugs) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 6, 2014, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485 "2014-12-06T05:28:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485/21 "2014-12-11T16:15:26Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > AFAIK, you can’t mail order controlled substances. I’ve never tried it, but it should just take a phone call to find out for sure. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485/22 "2014-12-11T16:54:35Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > What honks me is that most of us have to go through a variation of this to buy fuggin’ Sudafed. Yep, I picked some up for my gf and didn’t realize you needed an ID check, signature, etc. After the sale was complete, I said, “after all this it would be a waste _not_ to manufacture some meth”. The pharmacy lady glared at me. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485/23 "2014-12-11T18:07:29Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Yep, I picked some up for my gf and didn’t realize you needed an ID check, signature, etc. After the sale was complete, I said, “after all this it would be a waste _not_ to manufacture some meth”. The pharmacy lady glared at me. I had to sign a statement saying I wouldn’t use it to make meth. My pharmacist made a Breaking Bad joke after I asked whether signing a statement saying I won’t use it to make meth ever stopped anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485/24 "2014-12-11T18:22:32Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > I don’t know about California. My brother was a pharmacist in Oregon and someone calling and asking for any scheduled drug was sort of a red flag. They might have SAID they had a prescription, but until you walk in with the actual prescription they don’t know. The pharmacists (and often my brother was working in the pharmacy alone) don’t have the resources to check if this is really the person or if it’s someone contemplating the next place to steal drugs from. > > Pharmacists have a lot of accounting and a lot of restrictions. Most of them are not real happy about it but then, they don’t want to lose their jobs. Yes, but now – and I’m only speaking to CVS, not Costco – they ask for your date of birth before they’ll even hear your question. That enables them to pull up your record. That right there is over-the-phone identity verification. They could also quiz you about address and phone number, etc. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485/25 "2014-12-11T18:49:19Z")
I would calmly explain the predicament to the pharmacist and ask how to avoid the long waits in the future. Perhaps they could text you when your prescription is ready to be picked up, circumventing the need for positive ID proof, as they are texting to your already-established-as-yours phone number. Maybe your doctor’s office could call or fax them to verify before you get there. Also, some pharmacies will price match on prescriptions, so if you haven’t done so, check with a more convenient pharmacy to see if they will drop the price to Costco’s. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485/26 "2014-12-11T19:20:17Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > AFAIK, you can’t mail order controlled substances. I haven’t been able to find the specific law, but I know pharmacies in Texas won’t do it. In addition, you have twenty one days to fill the prescription or it become invalid. I lost a prescription in an apartment fire once and had to prove that it had been destroyed. Took a couple of years during which I had to switch to Provigil. The laws are pretty stiff for both consumer and pharmacist and the doctor. My tactic (which has worked for 15 years or so) is to ask for a pre-fulfillment consult with the pharmacist. I explain that with narcolepsy my daily dose isn’t set and that I’ve been taking the medication or a similar one for many years, it’s lifetime maintenance, etc. Basically, I want him to get a face-to-face meeting that shows him I’m not acting hinky or druggy. I also find out if they have enough on hand before turning over the script. It can be a lot of trouble, but you have to be willing to jump through hoops on scripts like this. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485/27 "2014-12-11T22:55:19Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Also, some pharmacies will price match on prescriptions, so if you haven’t done so, check with a more convenient pharmacy to see if they will drop the price to Costco’s. Price match guarantees tend to be full of exceptions, and I’d bet serious money that Costco and Sam’s are excluded on some basis - not an “open retailer” or “membership benefits” or something. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485/28 "2014-12-11T23:37:48Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Price match guarantees tend to be full of exceptions, and I’d bet serious money that Costco and Sam’s are excluded on some basis - not an “open retailer” or “membership benefits” or something. While it wouldn’t surprise me if someone tried that, in fact both Costco and Sam’s will sell prescriptions to non-members. At least in my state. So they’re as open as anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485/29 "2014-12-17T14:19:44Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Price match guarantees tend to be full of exceptions, and I’d bet serious money that Costco and Sam’s are excluded on some basis - not an “open retailer” or “membership benefits” or something. Whether or not discount clubs are excluded from a guaranteed price match, another pharmacy is still incented to check the price, compare, and match it if they can. Even if they can’t or choose not to match, they may be able to lower the price enough to make them a better choice than the inconvenience and expense of getting to Costco. Cash payers typically pay much more than insurance companies are charged for the same thing, because they negotiate lower prices. There may be quite a bit of wiggle room in the price charged for a particular medication. Even if they sell at zero profit, the chances are you will buy something else with a high profit margin while you are there anyway, and they know this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-do-i-have-to-endure-from-my-pharmacist-before-i-get-to-bitch-schedule-iidrugs/706485.md?page=1)