URGENT! Friend on vacation in Orgeon, forgot his Atripla pills!!

[zephyr]

Hello AM members,

Just got a call from a good friend from Sacramento. He is in tears because he forgot to pack his Atripla pills for a family vacation in Oregon.

He is not getting a response from our local clinic to ship him 7 tabs, after several frantic calls to them today.

Does anyone have 7 tabs of Atripla that we may ship to him directly? Does anyone know anyone in Oregon that can help my friend?

My friend hasn't been diagnosed for very long...is scared to death to miss any doses and become resistant. He is with family (who do not know of his status), and has asked me for my help this evening.

Please help one of our own!

Send me a pm if you can help...I will reply with my phone number.

Thanks so very much!


Zephyr

[zephyr]

Update...

We have located a person in Portland who is helping our friend out.

Thanks for reading....


Best,

Zeph

[wishful]

Thank goodness...im glad it worked out

[sharkdiver]

What local clinic are you talking about?

[xyahka]

so glad of hearing the good news.

Juan Carlos

[aztecan]

Glad your friend found some assistance.

Mark

[madbrain]

Is there a legal way to donate/transfer unused ARVs to other patients in the US ?
I googled and found several organizations that will accept then and ship them to developing countries. But nothing about transferring it to other US residents.
I ask because I have one unopened bottle of Atripla for my bf who switched treatment last december that I don't know what to do with.

[pozniceguy]

Madbrain.. there is no legal way to "share" prescription  meds in the USA...most Dr's , especially ID Dr's will accept surplus meds that are current..they always have patients that cannot afford them...sort of a gray area....Dr can prescribe ( provide) any meds for almost any purpose...they usually end up at local clinics but frequently the Dr will give directly to a patient......
I have given many meds to the head nurse at my Dr office...he says they always use them...

Nick

[Miss Philicia]

I give my excess meds to my local free/low income HIV clinic.  Check for a place in your area.  Your ASO should also know.

[Matty the Damned]

Lisa (Sweetieweasel) has run a med distribution thing in the past. Drop her a PM.

MtD

[bear60]

My partner Kurt has benefitted from Lisa's drug assistance program and I encourage anyone who can to donate unused drugs to Lisa or to your ASO. I have.

[madbrain]

Hi,

Madbrain.. there is no legal way to "share" prescription  meds in the USA...most Dr's , especially ID Dr's will accept surplus meds that are current..they always have patients that cannot afford them...sort of a gray area....Dr can prescribe ( provide) any meds for almost any purpose...they usually end up at local clinics but frequently the Dr will give directly to a patient......
I have given many meds to the head nurse at my Dr office...he says they always use them...

Nick

I talked to the nurse at Kaiser in the HIV department. He said they will take my unused meds, but they will give them to an organization that sends the meds abroads. They wouldn't be used for patients in the US. He said it was a liability issue, that once a med leaves the pharmacy, they don't know if it has been tampered with or not, so they don't give them to US patients.

[bear60]

In years past when testing HIV Positive was a death sentence and in todays atmosphere of health care being withheld because of bureaucratic paperwork or funding problems, its sometimes necessary to take matters in hand and just do whats right.
I would not listen to what a Kaiser nurse has to say.  Oh sure...its ok for some third world person to benefit from unused meds but if a person here in the USA needs meds and cant get them....then the "rules" have to be followed and let him suffer?
I do what my heart says is right.  There is a higher law.  I hope.
In any case, seeing to it that unsed meds are used to benefit someone who needs them,  whether here or in Africa, is a good thing.

[madbrain]

In years past when testing HIV Positive was a death sentence and in todays atmosphere of health care being withheld because of bureaucratic paperwork or funding problems, its sometimes necessary to take matters in hand and just do whats right.
I would not listen to what a Kaiser nurse has to say.  Oh sure...its ok for some third world person to benefit from unused meds but if a person here in the USA needs meds and cant get them....then the "rules" have to be followed and let him suffer?
I do what my heart says is right.  There is a higher law.  I hope.
In any case, seeing to it that unsed meds are used to benefit someone who needs them,  whether here or in Africa, is a good thing.

I agree with you in principle, people should not get their care withheld. The laws in place about transferring of medications are bad. It should not be against the law for us to help each other. That makes it too difficult in practice - we shouldn't have to go out of our way to break the law to do it. The only entities that benefit from this law are the pharmaceutical companies. The patients lose, as does the environment.

That said, I had a doctor apointment this morning (turned out I have athlete's foot - ironic since I haven't gone to the gym for a while). I saw the nurse also, and gave him the meds so at least they will be of use to somebody, even if not in this country.