Jacqueline just had her tit squished.

I'll go in the fall when I get home. They want a bone density at the same time and place. The DXA is much easier.

Fingers crossed for Tim, please. He had to do a urine test before he could get his Ritalin prescription in July (I assume that's a new state law) (he doesn't have to do it every month; I think just once a year). And the point of the urine test is to make sure that the drug is *in* your system -- if there isn't any, that could mean the patient is selling/giving the Ritalin to other people. (I can vouch that he takes it, 4 times a day. He has alarms set on his phone to remind him.)

But the problem is that when he called the doctor's office for a refill, he was basically out of Ritalin, and then he couldn't go do the pee test for 2 days. So his test result came back with no Ritalin in it. And his doctor emailed him and said "Your test results show no drug in your sample, and there should be measurable amounts of drug. Please come in so we can discuss this."

Tim didn't mention to anyone at his doctor's office that he hadn't taken Ritalin for 2 days when he did the pee test, because it just didn't occur to him. Anyway, he sees his doctor tomorrow. He's been seeing this doctor for almost 15 years, and they have a good doctor-patient relationship, so I think once Tim explains the timing, it should be okay. I mean, his doctor can look in his records and see when Tim filled his June Rx, and calculate when the Rx would run out, and then look at the date Tim took the pee test.

I'm sure it'll be fine, but it's just a huge annoyance. (Plus, it would be detrimental if he stopped taking Ritalin. So I just want it to all work out.)

Much~ma. My meds wrangler warned me I might have to do that if I needed a higher prescription or if I needed a refill sooner than they thought I should or something, but it hasn't actually come up. Anyway, I'm sure Tim's doctor will understand the situation, it can't be too unusual. I understand why they need to have controls in place but it's unfortunate that complying with them is so hard for well-intentioned ADHD peeps who need the regulated drugs.

Does remind me I need to make an appointment to check in with my meds wrangler...

Yikes, Teppy, that's tough.

I haven't gotten COBRA info yet, and had to refill my rx. Annoyingly, although yesterday the website said it was $230 at the pharmacy, today lo and behold it was $270. (And that's for the generic!!!) But I couldn't wait to get the COBRA stuff, pay for it, and then wait for them to acknowledge that, before refilling.

I expect the Tim's doctor will quickly and easily understand what happened.

The processes that exist, including pre-authorizations every renewal, are causing people to have uneven medication schedules. My brother takes medications for his MS and at minimum a couple times a year he goes a month with no meds because of the hurdles. I hear the same thing from people who are dependent on medications for diabetes and hypertension. These obstacles to people getting their meds is very short sighted for the insurance companies since without meds the patients will cost them more!

I understand the testing for abuse, from both taking too much or too little, but so much of our system of getting medication to people who need it is totally screwed up.

Don't get me started on the price of medication! Knocks wood that I don't take anything except a few billion OTC supplements.

Tim's doctor appointment wasn't great. First, the doctor kind of yelled at Tim for waiting too long to refill his meds. (Uh, yeah, he has ADD? Forgetting to refill his meds is kind of a known thing.) (Although, honestly, the doctor has a point. But anyway.)

Turns out, Tim did take 2 or 3 doses of Ritalin the day of the pee test, and his doctor said that if that's true, his test result would have been positive. But it showed nothing.

Tim's test results are listed as "CNS Stimulants," but it doesn't say specifically what drugs were tested for. A little Googling has turned up a LOT of people who take Ritalin whose drug tests came back negative (when they should be positive). And the reason they came back negative is because the test only tested for amphetamines. Ritalin is methylphenidate, *not* methamphetamine or any amphetamine derivative.

I'm worried that's what happened with Tim. His doctor says he has to take another pee test before he can get a refill in August, but if it comes back negative, he can't keep prescribing Ritalin to Tim. I think he needs to ask his doctor to double-check and be 100% sure that the lab test specifically tests for methylphenidate. Because if it doesn't, then it's going to come back negative again, and that wouldn't be Tim's fault, but he would still be punished for it.

This is fucking ridiculous.

Oh no! I'm so sorry that's happening. Ugh.

Oh Steph. I am so sorry. Reason~ma for Tim's doctor, pronto.

I think he needs to ask his doctor to double-check and be 100% sure that the lab test specifically tests for methylphenidate

Absolutely!