What is refill expiration

Ask your doctor about this option. If you want to use the mail-order option, plan ahead because it may take up to 2 weeks to get your medicine.

Use the Label No matter how you choose to refill a prescription, it will be easier if you have all your prescription information handy.

Here's what to look for on the label: Pharmacy phone number. This is the number you'll call to place the refill. Prescription number. This number is often shown as "Rx " on the label.

Although a pharmacist can look up your prescription in the computer, the refill process will go a lot faster if you have this number handy as it is the short code for your prescription. Refills remaining.

The prescription label will tell you how many refills you have left. Most labels show a number of refills with a cutoff date. If you refill your prescription before that date, you should be able to place your order with no problem. However, if the label says something like "Refills require authorization" or if your refills have expired, you'll need to get in touch with the doctor who prescribed the medicine. Sometimes the pharmacy can do that for you, but other times the doctor will want to see you or talk to you before authorizing the pharmacy to refill the prescription.

Talk to the Pharmacist When you pick up your refill, you'll probably be asked if you have any questions for the pharmacist. In the vast majority of cases, prescriptions should be collected by patients or their representatives prior to dispensing as per most practice protocols. The use of fax machines for routine transmission of information is generally to be discouraged. This is mainly because of inherent legal and patient confidentiality risks.

However, it is acknowledged that in some cases the use of fax machines for transferring prescription information between a healthcare provider , and a pharmacist can be valuable.

For example, in an urgent out of hours setting, where issues of time or distance result in unrealistic collections — prior to dispensing taking place. A faxed prescription provides an assurance to the community pharmacist the details of a prescription and is preferable to a prescription being called in. However, a faxed prescription is not a legal document and the prescribing doctor must give the original prescription to the pharmacist within 72 hours.

Below is listed the protocols which should be followed to ensure your faxed prescription is valid. With the advent of virtual consultations , many doctors are prescribing prescriptions virtually, by email, direct to your pharmacist after a virtual appointment. Doctors prescribing via these methods of consultation will not usually be able to prescribe controlled painkillers, such as strong painkillers and hypnotics, unlicensed medication, a medication that requires specialist prescribing and monitoring or medication that needs to be administered by injection.

The overriding conclusion is that no matter how your prescription arrives at the pharmacy either by phone, email, fax or in person, the above time limits prevail, but as stated previously, be sure to check the proper guidelines for your own particular state as these can vary from state to state. This will help protect your privacy and personal information. Dixon, as flushed medications can contaminate local waterways. To dispose of your medications at home, make sure to mix the medications with cat litter, dirt or coffee grounds before you throw them away.

This makes them undesirable to pets and children and unrecognizable to anyone who might look through garbage for drugs. Finally, place the mixture in a sealed bag with a little bit of water to make the medication unusable and throw it away.

Checking this is a good practice. This is very common for prescriptions written for patients being discharged from the hospital or when your doctor is part of a large practice with other physicians who might order your medication as well.

Often the pharmacy will include their store number following the pharmacy name. In a pharmacy, prescriptions are filed numerically.

The prescription number should usually be in big, bold print on your label. This is the number you will typically use when you call the pharmacy to order refills of your prescription.

When you run out of refills and your prescriber issues a new prescription, that prescription will have a new number. An example would be: RX You should be familiar with each of these:. Fill Date: This is the date the prescription was actually filled on. Note, this is not necessarily the date the medication was picked up though. It is the date the pharmacy processed it on.

When calculation how many days a medication should last, it is the fill date that is being taken into consideration. Drug Expiration Date: The product in the bottle, or the cream, patches or inhaled powder…whatever it is…will have an expiration date. This is the date, beyond which, the pharmacy no longer can assure you the medication is safe to use.