Just paid $thousands of dollars for a $0.30 piece of gear

[Odin Bravo One]

I require a weekly injection to keep my chemicals balanced properly, which is critical in enabling me to enjoy such things as thinking clearly, making rational decisions, maintaining control over emotions, especially in high stress environments, etc.

Thanks to the Debbie Do-gooders and fucking moron politicians, the syringe I use at home costs me $0.30, and is delivered to my door. In order to purchase the same item locally, I have to walk inside the pharmacy, show ID, they have to verify I have an active script for an injectable medication, and then I get to pay $2.00 a pop. Thank goodness for commies and Amazon or this would get expensive quickly.

Fast forward to the current moment as I sit waiting for my name to be called at the Emergency Department in Boston because I’m not allowed to have a needle without a prescription. Unfortunately, I brought 2 syringes w/needles to Boston for the one injection I need while I’m here, but alas, the first had its sterility compromised by a broken package, and because I suck, the second one went straight into a nerve causing an instinctive withdrawal, rending needle 2 useless.

So after finding a pharmacy within walking distance, only to find the pharmacy itself closed, I hoofed it over to another that was open to discover that if I’m a fucking junkie, I can get a needle at any number of exchange sites. But ti get it for a medication, that requires a Rx. Ya know, cause they wanna make sure you’re not doing smack with it……. Uh huh.

By the time I’m able to get a line damn script writer, all but one pharmacy is closed, and that’s a one-way $60 Uber ride….. for a $20 Uber ride and a CoPay, I get to sit in the ER and wait endlessly for my $0.30 syringe. Then $20 to Uber my crippled ass back to the hotel. But it’s still less expensive and substantially easier to manage logistically the Emergency Department than the ride to the other side of Boston and back.

I even called the local VA hospital. But unfortunately, they’re not able to share any information regarding their ED capabilities over the phone……they require you be in person. Despite explaining 3 times that I’m asking about your capabilities, not asking for medical advice…….. no joy.

Guessing this syringe is gonna wind up at about $5,500.

If I paid taxes……. I’d be fuming at the gross fraud, waste, and abuse on display with ya’alls money.

[SeriousStudent]

Sweet baby Jebus, that is not good.

I hope you feel; better soon.

[Suvorov]

God bless you. As a fellow American, I sincerely apologize. It ain’t right, that is all I can say.

[CleverNickname]

I hoofed it over to another that was open to discover that if I’m a fucking junkie, I can get a needle at any number of exchange sites.

What would happen if you took your two unusable needles and went to an exchange site to get new ones? Do they require ID? If so would you get on a list as a presumed illegal drug user and therefore have issues with buying firearms, or something like that?

If it's just "Hey I've got two used needles, give me two new ones plz, kthxbye" I don't see the downside to going to an exchange site, but I'll freely admit I have no personal experience so I'm probably missing something.

[Clusterfrack]

You need a kid with type one diabetes. Then you’ll have boxes of syringes all over the house.

[dsa]

Next time go to the local Fire Dept (if they are ALS) and explain the situation. Here, where I work, we would have given you what you needed.

[Artemas2]

I certainly would not suggest checking out Tractor supply or Agway, nor any type of veterinary supply house...

[Odin Bravo One]

You need a kid with type one diabetes. Then you’ll have boxes of syringes all over the house.

I have em all over the house.

And therein lies the rub…….

I’ve been in Boston for almost 2 weeks……

Got it handled Sunday AM, but holy shit…… never would have imagined the lengths I’d have to go to, and the bullshit I’d have to sort through being told along the way.

[BehindBlueI's]

What would happen if you took your two unusable needles and went to an exchange site to get new ones? Do they require ID? If so would you get on a list as a presumed illegal drug user and therefore have issues with buying firearms, or something like that?

If it's just "Hey I've got two used needles, give me two new ones plz, kthxbye" I don't see the downside to going to an exchange site, but I'll freely admit I have no personal experience so I'm probably missing something.

I've no idea if this is universal, but how needle exchanges work here is you sign up and are issued a complement of needles and given treatment resources. The local complement is 20, IIRC. You must bring all 20 back and exchange those that are dirty for clean. If you lose needles, you're out of the program. The idea is that it strongly discourages discarding needles in the street, in parks, etc. Other states likely do it differently, but that was a very conservative state's approach once a small town had an HIV outbreak where roughly 235 residents in a town of 4100 people were infected over a span of maybe 18 months. It is not a free for all of leave a needle/take a needle. Our city has recently done a pilot program along the same guidelines.

[Odin Bravo One]

The law in the books says:

M.G.L. c. 94C, § 27 authorizes pharmacies to sell hypodermic syringes and needles to any person, of any age, without a prescription, and without identification. The legislation does not limit the number or type of syringes and needles that may be sold to any one customer

However, that was not what I was being told as I searched for an open pharmacy. Even the hospitals provided incorrect information.

The exchanges are no questions here, and if I were still a young man, I could throw a rock in a couple of different directions and hit one, but they’re only open from 8-5, M-F. Apparently the HIV and Hepatitis and shit take weekends off up here.