Many people have questions about their transplant medications during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Penn Transplant Institute’s Transplant Pharmacy Team answers some commonly asked questions. Here’s some guidance from our transplant pharmacy experts.
What medication advice do you have for transplant patients during COVID-19?
The most important advice for transplant patients regarding their medications is to keep taking all of your medications as prescribed. Do not change or stop any medications without discussing with your transplant team first. Taking medications as prescribed may avoid unnecessary and preventable healthcare visits or hospitalization.
Next, when picking up your medications from your pharmacy, use the pharmacy drive-through, if available. If not, many pharmacies are offering curbside pickup, where you call the pharmacy once you have arrived and they will bring the medication out to you.
Our outpatient Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Pharmacy on the first floor of the Ravdin building and the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine Pharmacy also have the ability to courier or mail your medication to you. For more information about receiving medication by courier or mail, contact the pharmacies:
Do I need to have a three-month supply of my transplant medications at this time?
If you are able to, yes. Always allow enough time for refills to make sure you never run out of medication. Check with your pharmacy and/or your physician if it is possible to obtain a 90-day supply. Some insurance companies have enabled overrides for patients to get early refills or a two- to three-month supply of medications during the pandemic.
How do I order extra medications during COVID-19?
Contact your pharmacy for refills. You can find the phone number to the pharmacy on the prescription label. If you have any issues getting a refill or do not have any refills remaining on your prescription, send the transplant center a message through MyChart by myPennMedicine.
If you do not yet have MyChart by myPennMedicine, check out our Transplant Update blog post for step-by-step instructions.
What OTC medications are safe for transplant patients who are experiencing seasonal flu-like symptoms?
If you are experiencing seasonal flu symptoms, please discuss all concerning symptoms with your health care team since some common symptoms can overlap between different viral infections.
After you’ve talked with your provider, please refer to the safe OTC medication list in your transplant binder for options, or send the transplant center a message through My Penn Medicine if you have a question about a specific OTC medication.
For additional COVID-19 information for transplant patients, please review our Coronavirus FAQs.