How long will Walgreens hold a prescription? [Records, Reminders, Times + More]
Walgreens, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States, fills thousands of prescriptions every day. Sometimes, for various reasons, you may not be able to pick up your filled prescription in time.
So you might be wondering: How long will Walgreens hold the prescription? Here’s what I found out through research!
How long will Walgreens hold a prescription?
Walgreens stores hold prescriptions for seven days after they are filled, during which time they make two or three courtesy visits to remind customers. Unfilled prescriptions are held for six months for controlled substances and up to a year for other drugs.
To learn what happens if you don’t pick up your filled prescription, what to do after the hold period ends, and more, read on!
What Happens If You Don’t Pick Up Your Walgreens Prescription?
Once Walgreens fills your prescription, you have 7 days to pick it up from the store.
However, if you do not pick up your prescription within this time, it will be put back on the shelf after the 7-day period is over.
Note that while Walgreens’ official policy is 7 days, some stores may hold prescriptions longer than this for some reason.
You can use the Walgreens Store Locator to get the contact numbers of nearby Walgreens stores and ask about their store policies.
Does Walgreens remind you to fill prescriptions?
Yes, Walgreens stores will provide customers with two or three courtesy calls to remind them to pick up their medication from the store.
These are made within 7 days of having a prescription at Walgreens.
The number of calls varies by location, but every store will make at least two courtesy calls about unfilled prescriptions.
Can you fill your prescription after the hold period expires?
Once the seven-day period is over, Walgreens will put the prescriptions back on the shelves.
If you want them to fill your prescription after that time, you can simply call Walgreens and ask them to fill it again.
Please note that Walgreens keeps records of unfilled prescriptions for a limited time, so if you call after the record has been deleted, you will need to send Walgreens a new prescription.
How long does Walgreens keep prescription records?
Walgreens keeps prescription fill records for two years. However, in the case of an unfilled prescription, they will only keep the records for one year from the date the prescription was filled.
For controlled substances such as hydrocodone, unfilled prescription records are only kept for six months after the writing date. During this time, you can call Walgreens to fill your prescription at any time.
Walgreens deletes prescription records once the six-month (for controlled substances) or one-year period has elapsed.
So if you want to get a prescription after that, you have to send a new prescription to Walgreens.
To learn more, you can also review my guides on Walgreens Early Dispensing and Walgreens Prescription Delivery Services.
Also, if you’re a regular Walmart customer, you might be wondering how long Walmart keeps your prescriptions.
in conclusion
Walgreens will store filled prescriptions in stores for seven days before returning them to shelves. During that time, it makes two or three courtesy visits to customers to remind them to pick up their filled prescriptions.
Walgreens keeps records for unfilled prescriptions for one year, during which time you can fill them anytime by simply calling Walgreens. However, for controlled substances such as hydrocodone, records of unfilled prescriptions are only kept for six months.
