3 Step Guide for Transferring Your Medications to a New Pharmacy

If you’ve moved, found that your medications cost less at a different pharmacy, or simply want to switch pharmacies, it can seem like a headache. This is a guide to how you can switch your prescriptions to a new pharmacy without the hassle.

1. Contact your new pharmacy

Reach out to the new pharmacy you would like to switch to, and speak with a pharmacist. Ask them what you need to do in order to transfer your scripts from your old pharmacy to theirs.

They will ask you for the following information:

a)The name of the medications.

b)The strength

c)Prescription or RX#

d)Phone number of the old pharmacy

You can do this several ways: call your old pharmacy and ask them to transfer the list of information above to the new pharmacy, stop by the old pharmacy and ask them to send the information, or go online if you use an app or if your pharmacy has a transfer service online. To find out, simply ask the new pharmacy if they have an online transfer system, often they will offer this as an option if they have it.

2. Collect all health insurance information

In addition to your medication information, your new pharmacy needs information on your healthcare coverage and personal demographics.

Here’s what they will need to know:

a) First and last name

b) Date of birth

c) Address

d) Phone number

e) Any allergies to medications, foods, etc.

If your new pharmacy offers an online portal for transfers you can submit all of this information by creating a profile in their system. If you need to do this manually, bring your health insurance card(s), an ID and if you do have a list of allergies, you can provide this as well. Often the pharmacy will perform an intake questionnaire with you as well.

3. Wait for the transfer

Once the new pharmacy has your personal information and medication list, it will take about 1-3 days for the transfer to be completed. Often the duration of the transfer is dependent on how many medications you have. Waiting 1-3 days will allow plenty of time for the new pharmacy to work out any issues on their end and reach out if they need anything else from you.

Make sure you provide a reachable phone number for the pharmacy to contact you and provide status updates if needed. After the waiting period, you can go retrieve your medications! Don’t forget to bring your insurance cards and any medication coupons you’d like to use.

COMMON ISSUES:

Here are tips on a few snags that can occur in the process and how to solve them.

1. You don’t have any refills left

If your prescription has run out of refills (it will say on the label) you can ask the new pharmacy to reach out to your doctor’s office and request a refill. To make sure this goes through, the best practice is for you to directly call your doctor’s office and ask for a refill. Often the doctor’s office will require you to schedule an appointment and be seen in order to refill the prescription. This is something the pharmacy can’t solve for you, so calling the office directly could save you the back and forth.

2. Prescriptions that can only be transferred once

If your medications are controlled substances Schedule III, IV, and V (Ambien, Tylenol with codeine, testosterone, Ultram, Xanax) they can only be transferred once. What you’ll need to do is contact your doctor’s office and tell them you are switching pharmacies and need a new script for the medication.

3. Prescriptions that can’t transfer

Schedule II medications (Adderall, Concerta, Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin) cannot be transferred, with no exceptions. These medications are ineligible for refills, meaning your doctor would need to write a new script every time. If your medications fall in this category, contact your doctor’s office directly and inform them of your intention to switch pharmacies, asking how you need to proceed to receive a new script for the medication(s).