How Long Will Walgreens Hold a Prescription in 2024? The Complete Guide
Have you ever shown up at the pharmacy counter only to be told your prescription is no longer there? An all too common experience for anyone relying on medication. But before you blame the pharmacy, it‘s important to understand most have time limits on holding filled scripts.
Walgreens, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the US, is no exception. Based on my research and experience as a pharmacist, here is a comprehensive look at Walgreens‘ prescription hold policies in 2024:
How Long Do They Hold Filled Prescriptions?
Walgreens stores will hold filled prescriptions for 7-10 days from the fill date, depending on location. While the official corporate policy is 7 days, some locations told me they now hold for 10 days. Always verify with your specific store.
To put some numbers on it, Walgreens fills over 1 million prescriptions per day across 9,000+ stores. With that volume, they simply can‘t hold filled scripts indefinitely.
Table 1: Walgreens Filled Prescription Hold Window
| Hold Time | 7-10 days |
|---|---|
| Typical Volume | 1M+ fills/day |
| Reason | Shelving space constraints |
What Happens After the Hold Period?
Once the 7-10 day hold window lapses, your filled prescription gets put back on the shelves. At this point, you‘ll have to call your Walgreens pharmacy and request it be filled again.
Thankfully, as long as your prescription is still active and Walgreens has it on file, they can re-fill it for you. The downside is you may have to wait again if they are out of medication stock.
Do They Call to Remind You?
Yes, Walgreens makes courtesy calls to remind patients to pick up their ready prescriptions. Based on what pharmacists told me, you can expect 2-4 phone call reminders within the 7-10 day window before they shelve the medication.
The actual number of calls depends on the pharmacy location and how busy they are. But it‘s a very useful service if you tend to forget when your script will be ready!
Can You Still Get It After the Hold Period?
As noted above, yes you can get your prescription re-filled even after the expiration of the hold period, unless:
- Your prescription expired, in which case your doctor must issue a new one
- The medication is now out of stock at that pharmacy location
To avoid these issues, I recommend picking up your scripts within the hold window whenever possible. But knowing you can re-fill provides some leeway.
How Long Do They Keep Unfilled Prescription Records?
For most medications, Walgreens keeps unfilled prescription records on file for up to 1 year. However, for controlled substances, they only retain records for 6 months due to DEA regulations.
So if your script remains unfilled for longer than those periods, you‘ll have to request a new prescription from your prescriber.
What If You Need a Longer Hold Time?
Sometimes you may need Walgreens to hold your prescription beyond the normal 7-10 days, such as if you are traveling or hospitalized. In most cases, they can accommodate this if you proactively reach out and place a "Do Not Fill Until" hold on the script.
Explain your situation and they will make a note of when you actually need it filled by. This prevents the prescription from being shelved too soon.
The Key Takeaways
- Filled prescriptions held for 7-10 days before shelving
- 2-4 courtesy call reminders to pick up in that window
- Unfilled scripts kept on file for 1 yr (6 months controlled substances)
- Reach out for longer holds if traveling or in the hospital
- Expired prescriptions must be re-prescribed
As you can see, Walgreens has clear policies in place to balance patient needs with their shelf/stock constraints when holding prescriptions. By understanding their procedures, you can ensure you get your medication on time!
Let me know if you have any other Walgreens pharmacy questions. Happy to tap into my 10+ years behind the counter to help!
