The ABCs of Filling Your Prescriptions
May 03, 2021 | Tags:
To feel your best and prevent complications down the line, you should take your medications exactly as your doctor prescribes—even if you don’t feel any symptoms. The next time you’re in the doctor’s office or the pharmacy filling a prescription, remember your ABCs.
A. Ask about your medications
Asking questions about your condition and your medications can reinforce how important it is to follow your doctor’s treatment plan. Ask your doctor or pharmacist the following –
- What will this medication do?
- Will it interact with any other medications I’m taking?
- What are possible signs of a drug interaction?
- How and when do I take this drug, and when do I stop taking it?
- Is there anything I should watch for, like allergic reactions or side effects?
- Am I able to get a 90-day supply of this medication?
Whenever you start a medication you should record key details, such as dosage and directions, on a personal medication list . You can bring this list with you to doctor appointments and pharmacy trips to make sure your medications are managed safely.
B. Be aware of the ways you can get your medications
Retail pharmacies are located in brick and mortar locations, like drug stores and grocery stores. Your doctor can send your prescription electronically to the retail pharmacy of your choice or you can drop it off. When it’s ready, you can pick up your prescriptions in person. When using retail pharmacies, it’s always a good idea to check which locations are in your health plan’s network beforehand.
Your other option is a mail-order pharmacy , which delivers your prescriptions straight to your doorstep. Mail order is a convenient option if you take maintenance medication to treat long-term conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure. To get started, have your doctor send the prescription to a mail-order pharmacy set by your health plan. If it’s your first time using a mail-order pharmacy, you’ll need to call the pharmacy or go online to set up your payment method.
If get your pharmacy benefits through Medical Mutual, you can check if a pharmacy is in network by visiting MedMutual.com/Rx and logging in to your My Health Plan account, then click “Sign on to Express Scripts” to securely log in to the Express Scripts website. From there, you can search for local pharmacies, place orders for home delivery, and look up drugs to see if they’re covered and what they cost.
C. Consider how you’re going to get your refills
If you know you’re going to need refills on your medications, it’s a good idea to have a plan in place so you don’t run out. Pay attention to the quantity on hand and number of refills left on your current prescriptions and give yourself enough to get a new prescription if you need it.
Sometimes, doctors don’t include refills on certain prescriptions because they want to monitor the effectiveness of the drug and dosage before you take more. Other medications are only used for a set period of time or number of doses. If your doctor determines you should continue taking the medication, they’ll submit a new prescription to the pharmacy.
Need More Information?
If you have questions about your prescriptions, talk to your provider or pharmacist. If you are a Medical Mutual Member and need to find a pharmacy, use our online tool to search for in-network locations near you.