apparently the DEA is going to enforce some new rule about seeing an in-person prescriber to get your prescription

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This isn't a new rule. Before the pandemic you had to see your doctor once a year I believe to get controlled medications. Its just that now that the government is ending the COVID rules they just are reinstating the old ones.

I personally disagree with the DEA on this.

Oh the link says you provider can approve telemedicine it’s really not too awful. When I first got diagnosed for insurance to even cover my adhd meds I had to be evaluated by a psychiatrist. It was awkward we both knew I had it but it at least made me feel secure that I was being treated properly

I looked this up and it the prescribing doctor has to have seen the patient once in person. After that, prescribing via telehealth is still permitted. So if you’ve ever had an in-person with your doctor, you’re good.

So what does it mean to see an "in-person" prescriber.

I am affiliated with a clinic where I see an in-person clinical psychologist, but I only do virtual appointments with the psychiatrist. I do pick up my prescription in person at the clinic.

Does that mean I'll have to see the shrink in person too?

Hank Schrader is gonna be responsible for my downfall

Doctors are pushing Vyvanse so hard and are trying to replace Adderall XR/IR. I have been out of Adderall XR since 9/22 of last year(2022.)

I saw this coming, and I am breaking out my extra I have saved up over many, many years.

The DEA/FDA is hurting law abiding citizens and the agency is going after common prescription medications for no reason.

The DEA needs to go after the Fentanyl/Meth that's flooding the country... Not common prescription medication!

The televisits were the only reason I decided to seek professional evaluation. I've been through the whole being treated like a drug addict thing during pain management. Left me with more anxiety than I had before.

Either you misunderstood your doctor, or your doctor misunderstood this new rule. Patients will still be able to see their doctor via telehealth and get prescribed controlled medications, you just to to have either seen that doctor ONCE in-person previously, OR have a referral from a doctor that has seen you in-person.

If you have never had a single in-person visit with your current prescribing doctor, all you’ll need to do is get a check-up from your primary care doc, and get a referral from them.

We really do need to start advocating for ourselves like other ADA disabilities do, write our congress people and..and.. ..Is that a squirrel? Oh, right. Yeah, this is a terrible rule based on out-dated and debunked understanding of ADHD and addiction, but by our very nature organizing to speak.out is not exactly our strong suite.

You only had to have seen that doctor one time in-person and then ALL your other visits can be telehealth. I know from your comments OP that that doesn’t help your case, but your post title is misleading, so I wanted to clarify.

This is still bullshit; making healthcare inaccessible is infuriating. But I want us to understand what is infuriating correctly! If we’re yelling about something the proposed rule doesn’t even do, we’ll just get written off.

Other note: individual providers have different rules and they’re allowed to have them by law (again, I think their rules are generally bullshit, ableist ways to blame disabled folks for something they’re not doing), but that’s different than being federally required.

This is so dumb. I work full time and my work day is over at the same time as my psych office closes. How am I supposed to see them in person every 3 months? Take time off? Hell no.

Ok this is a stupid question but isn’t a face to face virtual dr appointment “in person”? My dr checks my vitals and talks with me every 3 months this way, shouldn’t that count? Does this apply only to new scripts/Will those of us who have been on the same meds for a long time be grandfathered in?

Making life harder and harder 😞

Idk on this one… I’m torn. On one hand, I think this is an okay rule to have. Especially when you’re new to a stimulant medication and they gotta keep an eye on your weight/heart rate/blood pressure. My heart has been weird since I had COVID so my doctor likes to see me often, and also knows I have a history with eating disorders and wants to make sure my weight is maintained while on my meds. She’s about 30 minutes away from me. I’m blessed to have my own vehicle to get there.

I feel strongly about being diagnosed in person as well. Unfortunately, the reality is that there are a lot of people who abuse our meds. And as somebody diagnosed in adulthood, I didn’t go to the doctor initially for ADHD or attention issues, I went because my life was falling apart. I had no idea I had attention problems. I thought I was stupid, thought maybe I was bipolar. Some of my hyperactive symptoms helped me get diagnosed. I think it is good to see a doctor in person for psychiatric issues.

If we want this shortage to end, we have to play their game a little bit. It does really suck for people who are disabled or don’t have transportation here in the states, though. It is not a perfect solution by any means. But I also don’t feel like the DEA is the one we should direct our anger to in regards to that being an issue - I don’t know who is, I think it depends on where you live. Transportation sucks in a lot of the us, especially in rural areas and reform is needed in many places in regards to making things easier for people to get to where they need to be. Don’t even get me started on employers being weens about giving us PTO to get these things done. I’m blessed my psychiatrist office is open from 6am to 8 pm mon-sat. Wish more were like that.

That being said, talk to your doctor if you’re in a situation! In Utah, I was able to pick up three months worth of prescriptions without an appointment because my doc knew it took over an hour for me to get there. Here in Arizona, my doctor prefers to see me more often and honestly… I’m glad she cares to check in with my physical health. This is just too complicated and nuanced for me to form a solid opinion… 🥺

I actually think this is a good idea. Telehealth does allow people to more easily fake the symptoms of ADHD without any face to face ramifications.

You EITHER need to see your provider in-person once, OR get a referral to them by someone you saw in person. Your existing provider can likely refer you to a local doctor to refer you back to them

Yeah that's pretty fucking stupid I know.

As a medical student I am losing my fucking mind with the DEA and my ADHD meds. I’ve been on them since I was six. I don’t have time for this shit every 3 months, not to mention the burden of $600 of healthcare fees a year just to see the ducking doctor and have the same conversation every 3 months!!

Either make the shit illegal entirely or fuck off.

I’m sorry but I agree with this rule. I personally know of three friends that are prescribed adderall since March 2020 and have never been tested or set foot in a doctors office to discuss ADHD in person. If this is a symptom of what is leading to the supply shortage, then in person visits is not a lot to ask. I see my doctor 1x every 3 months. He writes a script out and dates it one month in advance. Rinse and repeat every 3 months. Been this way for 20+ years.

Honestly I couldnt be more in favor of this rule. I havent had my medication in a month because of this shortage

I have no problem being able to see my provider. I'm just hoping the insurance will cover visits.

This is how it was before the pandemic. That being said, I think it's dumb that they can't continue to offer telehealth prescription services for people like you. My doctor lives in a city that I no longer live in and it's a 30-minute drive to her office to talk for 15 minutes and have her send a script to my pharmacy.

Random thought: will your doctor print out scripts for you? Mine did this so when I needed to get one filled, I had an actual paper copy and didn't need to have it sent electronically. I believe they are valid for one year from the date they were written.

Not a new rule. Face to face consults have always been needed for certain medication prescriptions. Were ceased during Covid but now being reinstated. The idea is to get a better assessment of the individual during the consultation.

Looks like a new rule only to those diagnosed during covid but this is standard practice usually. It is a shame though as telehealth improves accessibility and flexibility.

This isn't a new rule.

It was in place since before the Pandemic. It was suspended during the pandemic but is now back in force.

It sucks but does make some sense as prescribers should see their patients in person at least once a year. It's just good medical practice. The problem isn't so much that law but the lack of available and affordable mental health care across the country.

If you want to give a comment that might influence whether or not this rule goes into effect, here is the link https://www.regulations.gov/docket/DEA-2023-0029/document

In Germany you have to see a doc in person everytime you ask for your script. After years long waiting lists. You guys are becoming like us now :/

I'd have no problem with that except we live in the U.S. and therefore many lack access to a doctor. Because we don't have *soh-SHAH-lized med-DUH-sin (invokes that Tucker tool). Meaning not enough docs to go around even for those with "good" insurance. This medication "crisis" sucks worse for poor people, same as always.

honestly, i think that switching fully to in person appointments kinda the only way to regulate adhd medication prescriptions…. where i live everyone has to go in person atleast a couple times a year minimum, more if you’re actively adjusting doses. telehealth being able to prescribe stims is crazy to me because they need to be able to physically take your weight, blood pressure.. etc. Some people shouldn’t take stims at all bc of other health factors. it’s not as bad as it sounds just find a decent provider.

Honestly I agree with the DEA on this. A lot of these telehealth services are essentially pill mills.

I can’t help but feel like part of the motivation here is influence from the insurance companies. Telehealth visits are billed at a lower rate so insurance gets a smaller piece of the pie.

So I believe you will need to see the provider once every three months which I totally agree a pain in the butt but also once every three months isn’t so awful. I think at the very worst if you change your rx that you will need to be seen but not for maintenance

Well here is the thing according to my med provider from my appointment today they will decide if it’s going to happen in May or next year.

Let’s all write to them. Remind each other to… 😅 but allllll write to them about this. I’d say those who have adhd are very passionate people :) let’s show them how passionate we are about Telehealth and the absurd restrictions to those who NEED these meds.

I see my doctor 3 times a year. One visit is always in person. The other two med checks are virtual.

I’ve always had to go every three months and my kids have to go every three months too

I live in Massachusetts and there is an extreme lack of mental health certified doctors. I have a feeling they are gonna cut a lot of people off. I'm pretty sure my Telehealth doctor is not in the same state. if people try and see a doctor locally its gonna be at least a year wait.

I have to see my physician every three months and call every month to request another 30 day Rx. I live in Florida...it is a pain between calling for Rx and then finding a pharmacy that actually has Adderal in stock!

Not a big deal. You should have to actually see a doctor ATLEAST once…. I mean cmon, who you really mad at

It’s not that hard lmao. It’s literally just a once a year appointment.

I drive 2 hours for my psychiatrist. It really is not that hard to find one day out of the entire year I can make the trip. Before COVID, it was every 3 months because nobody had tele-health infrastructure

I don’t understand why everyone’s so upset tbh. This is always how it was. I still had to do this during COVID because it was still an office policy.

In CA you have to see your doctor (in person) every 3 months.

I know that with Kaiser Permanente, if your psychiatrist is in a different region, then you can have a Telehealth visit, but it has to be done at a Kaiser facility. For example, my psychiatrist is out in Calabasas, but since my closest facility is the Kaiser Fontana Medical Center, I can have my appointment via video link within the Behavioral Health building.

It’s ALWAYS been that way. I have to see my Doctor ever six months.

There's no way this has anything to do with helping anyone or preventing crime, this is entirely to do with constraining supply for some reason. The issues are glaring and obvious for sufferers and they just don't care. Same with pain medication. Evil fucks.

Look the reality is you should be getting piss tested. Not for other substances but to make sure you are actually taking your pills. If your taking something like Adderall. You should absolutely be getting your vitals done and see someone a few times a year. Not only to protect the doctor. But to ensure your own safety. This is nothing to mess around with.

I use telehealth services. But I have to go to an office with nurses that do all these things. Then meet my nurse practitioner in office for a video consult. I am struggle with social anxiety and have missed so many appointments its stupid. I pointed out that it is ridiculous that i am charged for missed appointments. When its literally the reason I am on medication and they stopped charging me. Which ironically removed the pressure and made it less stressful and I haven't missed an appointment since. Funny how that worked out 😂.

But especially after this 3-4 months of struggling to find pills and my life falling apart. I support this measure to curtail drug abusers. Its inconvenient but, the reality is in 38 years of taking medication. I have never gone through a drought this bad. When it affects me it sucks. I am used to screwing up I am ADHD. I always bounce back. But when it affects my kids life and I am off in lala land missing his appointments and feeling guilty for not spending real quality time with him every night when I lay down to sleep finally. That is where I draw the line.

Was just notified a once in person visit is good for 24 months. I agree and understand it’s a pain in the ass, but the value of seeing a patient in person is incredibly valuable for providers.

Yeah it’s a pain in the ass, but so are colonoscopies or mammograms or all the other health maintenance things we do. Literally SEEING your doc has always been the baseline, but was suspended cause of COVID. Receiving treatment sometimes means going to SEE the doc. That’s all there is to it.

The DEA is just a big well funded cartel!