Have you noticed that many pharmacies, including the big ones, are taking forever to fill prescriptions?

It’s true – many pharmacies have reduced their hours of operation, even occasionally closing on the weekends, due to staff shortages. They are also experiencing persistent shortages of many drugs, even the most common medications. 

For patients, this is frustrating, and it can even be scary when you can’t get a medication you, or family member, needs to feel better.

Here are 3 things you can do to make sure you get the medications you need:

Advocate for yourself.

Amaze transmits prescriptions to pharmacies via a national on-line electronic system. It is common for pharmacies that are backed-up and overwhelmed to simply say they haven’t received your prescription yet, but that is rarely the case. Most likely, the prescription is in their system and they just haven’t gotten to it yet.

Feel free to say that you have confirmation that the prescription was sent by Amaze and received by the pharmacy, and to please look harder. And, if your medication is time-sensitive, like an antibiotic or necessary medication you’re out of, ask to be moved to the front of the line. 

Be informed. 

Make sure you know your pharmacy hours. These days, pharmacies are changing their hours, sometimes drastically, and Google can’t necessarily be trusted to provide accurate information. Call ahead and find out the hours, so you aren’t left without a medication you need. 

Set yourself up for success. 

Download your pharmacy’s app and set up alerts so you aren’t waiting around at the pharmacy for a prescription that’s not ready. Or, call ahead to see if your prescription is in stock and ready.