Medications

Managing Your Medications

Medication Action Plan

• If you are having trouble setting a schedule to complete your medications, please contact Emily to help develop a Medication Action Plan with you in clinic. We will go through you daily routine and organize your medications to help you better adhere to your regimen

Affording Your Medications

Home IV Medications (Tobramycin, Amikacin, Vancomycin) that require drug levels

Starting in the hospital and finishing at home:

• The inpatient team will start you on your IV antibiotic regimen and check levels. If you are on high dose once daily tobramycin, do expect that you will get levels drawn 1 hour and 7 hours after you finish your infusion. This helps determine how your body is clearing the medication.
• Most importantly, please remember that it is helpful to dose your tobramycin at the same time every day, preferably in the morning time (anywhere between 8am and 10am) to help with home health nursing lab collection times during business hours.
• Do expect a call from our CF coordinator or pharmacist to check in with dosing times at home

Starting from home:

• If the home infusion company is able to deliver your medications to you in the evening, please start your IV Tobramycin or Amikacin the next morning (between 8am and 10am) to help with home health nursing lab collection times
• The levels be collected may be a trough (prior to the start of your infusion), peak (usually collected 1 hour after your infusion ends), or a random level (usually collected at least 7 hours after your infusion ends)
  • If you are on IV Tobramycin twice a day-expect a trough and peak
  • If you are on IV Tobramycin once daily-expect a peak and random level
• Often times, your medical insurance will only allow 1 visit per day, thus drug levels may need to be drawn on different days

CF Specialty Medications

UNC Shared Services Center Pharmacy

Specialty and Home Delivery Service (919) 957-6900

• Emily is a liaison between your CF team and our pharmacy care team at the UNC Shared Services Center Pharmacy.
• If you reside in North Carolina and your insurance allows you to fill at our pharmacy, we will begin your personalized pharmacy care service by sending your specialty medication prescription to UNC Shared Services Center Pharmacy.
• You may also be able to consolidate your other chronic medications and have them filled at one pharmacy.
• Once approved, your prescriptions will be mailed directly to your home at no additional cost to you. 

In addition to fulfillment of your prescriptions, our pharmacy care team will also:

• Request insurance approvals
• Offer financial guidance
• Serve as your advocate to the insurance company and medication manufacturer
• Call you on a monthly basis to set up your next medication refill
• Provide additional clinical oversight to ensure your safety and care
• Answer any questions or concerns

CF specific medications available at UNC SSC: 

*If you have Healthwell Grant Assistance, the pharmacy can also directly bill your copays*

Our team believes in this interdisciplinary approach and has seen the benefits in our patients. We would enjoy offering this opportunity to you!

If you would like to learn more about this program, please contact Emily Wong at (984) 974-0012.