Easier for the doctors, but I can see people abusing the system by having too many pills and thus creating more costs to the system.

Am I missing something? How can having too many pills create more costs to the system? I pay for all mine. Others have insurance thru Blue Cross or some other insurance company. Neither of these are a cost to the system unless there is something I'm not aware of.

Mythoughts .........No, your not paying for all of the costs for your pills, The government is subsidizing the cost of the prescriptions.

Seniors who pay drastically reduced rates will be taking advantage of the situation and will likely be trying fill out a years worth of prescriptions and will likely inventory themselves a minimum of 6 to 12 months supply.

Ultimately, they will be taking outdated pills. Unless the system recognize this potential.

My father, myself and my husband are all on long term medications. Some subsidized some not. The most we are allowed to have renewed is 3 months due to the fact that even long term conditions must be monitored regularly and medications can change. I think most pharmacists are very careful to watch for excessive refill amounts.

Thanks for clarifying that He Speaks; I was not aware of that. I have 2 prescriptions that I renew once a year & get a 12 months supply for each. It's just easier to do it all at once & then I don't have to worry about refills for another year. Also, the pharmacists charge a pharmacy fee every time I get a refill so it saves me a ton of money to get 12 months all at once. I only have to pay the pharmacy fee once when I do it that way.

This is good because with all the doctors retiring this year in PG it will be a rarity to find a family doctor unless you are willing to move to other parts of the province where the few family doctors we do have trained in BC choose to live.

My biggest complaint is that the same rules should apply to veterinary pharmacists. I have to pay a $75 dollar visit just to get a refill of a spray my dog needs for his skin rash. Its stupid because he needs a refill once every couple of months and its the only thing that works, and nothing changes... he's needed this same medication now for 15-years... so its hugely frustrating to have to continue paying the drop in visit charge just to get the medication when the medication is $50 as well. If it can be done for humans then why not for animals as well....

"Seniors" pay drastically less. Can you cite your source on that He speaks.

Eagleone,I do not know who your vet is but I would be concerned about the behavior you have described. I too have a pet that needs medication and whenever I need a refill I just call the office and give them enough time to prepare it then go pick it up. I can understand the doctor wanting to check the pet once a year to make sure the medication is working or to adust it one way or another or so but we do that for humans too.

I lived in the Yukon almost twenty years ago. If you had a chronic condition there, you were given prescriptions on an annual basis, on the understanding that you would contact the doctor if there were any changes in your condition. Can you imagine the vast savings this represents to the medical system, instead of having to make a visit to the doctor's office every three months?

The issue of too many pills? Forget it. Everything is computerized now -- the medical system knows exactly what you are prescribed and when you are due to have a refill.

I just talked to my pharmacist and he says the articles are wrong and he won't fill or extend any prescription without a new prescription after a visit to my doctor without regards to the kind of prescription. I have been on the same medications since 1982 and he says he won't recognize them as stable and chronic medications even though they are in fact thyroid, heart and blood pressure.

It's a farce as my doctor issues annual prescriptions but the pharmacy will only fill 3 months at a time thereby increasing my dispensing fees threefold.



I wonder if there is a connection to the fact that my doctor and pharmacist are good personal friends.

Netsurfer...change pharmacists because my pharmacists will give me 12 months at a time.