I have asthma. It’s not so severe that I need a rescue inhaler (e.g. Albuterol or Xoponex) on a daily basis – and until recently I’d had a long stretch where I haven’t had any attacks so I hadn’t gotten around to getting a new inhaler.
Then quite suddenly the past couple of days I started having acute (moderately severe) attacks so I called my pharmacy to pick up an inhaler.
They said I lacked “refills” on my Rx and that they’d contact my Asthma doctor on my behalf. What I expected would take a few hours was actually going to take 3 days due to their “policy” at the pharmacy. I found that unacceptable. (And called my doctor and had a new inhaler in hand from a different pharmacy in less than 10 minutes. Ahhh..so nice to breathe again.)

I can remember many times in the past where other pharmacies just gave me the rescue inhaler (to make sure I was able to breathe) and THEN called my doctor to sort out the refill. That sure makes more sense to me.. no sense in having me fall over dead in your store unable to breathe while you debate whether I can have a refill or not, eh?

Do those of you who have asthma have any similar experiences? I’ve always experienced (in the past) that pharmacists, EMTs and ER docs would rather get you the medicine to open your airways first, worry about details like refills later.

After this nonsense literally left me gasping for 2 days I found this news story and wondered.. Has this happened to others before?