It is not legal but honestly what choice do you have? Sorry.
Who fills your scripts?
Are you going to be ok if you do that? I don’t know about epilepsy, but some conditions may require not cutting dosages.
I don’t see how it cloud be illegal—you have a prescription.
I don’t ever throw away leftover prescription meds and frankly DGAF about legality if it’s something I might need, who would know anyway?
Their your pills, why would it not be legal?
I’m probably not understanding the question, and I don’t understand epilepsy treatment. But why would it be illegal for you to have some pills in supply?
I simply forget to take mine sometimes, so I’m always ahead; and my pharmacy fills prescriptions automatically if there are refills left, and often does it long before I need the refill.
If you can, see if your prescriber will up your doses and you can cut your pills in half. Tell them why so they know you are dealing with the issue of the shortages. You will still have a decent supply at refill time. Keep on using the oldest first, rotate your spares.
We are talking meds for specific applications for you epilepsy here, not "pain pills" or mood altering psychiatric meds. Messing with those is playing with fire.
I really dislike the way prescription drugs are so tightly controlled. I think any recurring prescription, should come with an emergency reserve of 3 weeks.
What if you decide to travel. Yeah you can transfer the prescription but it’s a pain.
What if you’re sick with covid for 2 weeks and don’t want to go pick up a prescription. Some will mail it to you now, but it’s a pain.
What if you’re absent minded. Perhaps it’s a memory drug.
What if it’s birth control and boom, you missed that one dose.
Who advised you to do this? Your doc? Pharmacist?
And, as others have said.....how can keeping your own meds be considered hoarding?
Can you build a supply of your own medicine for your own use?
The answer is yes. Yes you can. And even if it is not legal, who is going to know? The cops are going to break down your doors because you have thirty extra pills.
If they are controlled, keep them safe.
Rotate your supply. Count out fresh incoming pills from new bottle to match amount in current hoard plus one. Then replace with current “hoard”. There should be one more pill hoarded every new bottle.
That way you will not be hoarding stale medicine.
I have my recurring prescriptions filled 90 days at a time. I can refill them before the 90 days is up. I don’t know exactly how long before the 90 days, but it’s at least a week. If I wanted to hoard them, I could just pick them up at the earliest allowable date each time, and collect at least a week’s worth of pills each time.
Are you waiting until you run out before you refill? Find out how early you can refill, and do that.
When I was on a monthly prescription the insurance company would let me refill at day 25 (don’t try it on day 24), but they never realized that I was doing it every month and got two months ahead by the end of the year. The big thing is to rotate stock so you use the older pills rather than letting them sit on the shelf while you use the new ones.
I’d go ahead and do it.
If your prescriptions are generic, as most of mine are, I asked the doctor for a special one time 90 day script, non-insurance, which I paid for and picked up. So I have a 90 day backup of all my serious meds. Most cost only a few dollars and nothing over 10 dollars.
I had a discussion with our local emergency management officer about this very subject concerning disruption of services during a Cascadia Fault earthquake. He encouraged always having a reserve of your prescriptions. Local providers are very accommodating to this scenario.
Work with your provider and tell them what your concerns are.
Some pharmacies have a rule about this. For example, they won’t let you refill a 30-day prescription until nearly 30 days have elapsed. I don’t know if it’s their policy or a law.
My son take epilepsy meds and while we didn’t plan this, we have some generic versions of his meds and switched to name brands because they work better. We have had to use the generic “stash” from time to time, when the pharmacy was out.
They have really tightened their time frame though, we used to be able to get a script filled a few days before he ran out but now it has to be filled the day after his last pill - it has been a pain because the pharmacy is not open when he takes his morning pill, meaning a few hours without coverage.
Had to use the Pharm Store in Canada for my main liver drug. With insurance it would cost $2,000. I now, with the Pharm Store, I pay $200.00. I keep about a month or two ahead.
If you can pay for it/absorb it then by all means.
Manufacturers hold back stock to find providers that pay more when the demand is high leverging against other competing entities. No rules concerning scarcity unless you want to create a lasting shortage.