How Long Will Walgreens Hold A Prescription? [Records, Reminders, Times + More] 

Walgreens is one of America’s largest drugstore chains that fill thousands of prescriptions every day. At times, you may be unable to collect your filled prescriptions promptly due to various reasons.

So you may be wondering: how long will Walgreens hold a prescription? Here is what I’ve found out through my research!

How Long Will Walgreens Hold A Prescription?

Walgreens stores hold a prescription for seven days after filling it, during which they make two to three courtesy calls to remind customers. Unfilled prescriptions are kept on record for six months for controlled substances and up to one year for other medications. 

To find out what happens if you don’t pick up your filled prescription, what to do after the hold period is over, and much more, keep on reading! 

What Happens If You Don’t Pick Up Your Walgreens Prescription?

Once Walgreens fills your prescription, you will have a seven-day period to pick it up from the store.

However, if you do not pick up your prescription during this time, it is put back on the shelves once the seven-day period is over. 

Note that although seven days is the official policy for Walgreens, some stores may hold prescriptions for longer than that for certain reasons.

You can use the Walgreens store locator to get the contact number of your nearby Walgreens store and ask them about their store’s policy on this. 

Does Walgreens Do Reminder Call For Filled Prescriptions? 

Yes, Walgreens stores offer two to three courtesy calls to customers to remind them to pick up the filled prescriptions from the store.

These are made during the seven-day period in which Walgreens holds filled prescriptions. 

The number of calls made varies by location but every store will make at least two courtesy calls for a prescription that has not been picked up. 

Can You Get Your Prescriptions Filled After The Hold Period? 

Can You Get Your Prescriptions Filled After The Hold Period? 

Once the seven-day period is over, Walgreens puts the prescriptions back on the shelves.

If you want to get them filled after this period, you can simply call up Walgreens and ask them to fill the prescriptions again. 

Note that Walgreens keeps records of unfilled prescriptions for a limited time, so if you call up after the record has been removed, you will need to send a new prescription to Walgreens. 

How Long Does Walgreens Keep Prescription Records?

Walgreens keeps records of filled prescriptions for two years. However, in the case of unfilled prescriptions, they only hold the records for one year after the date of writing that prescription. 

For controlled substances like hydrocodone, unfilled prescription records are only kept for six months after the date of writing. You can call up and inform Walgreens at any time during this period to fill your prescriptions. 

Once the six-month (for controlled substances) or one-year period has passed, Walgreens removes the record for the prescription.

So if you want to get the prescription filled after that, you will have to send Walgreens a new prescription. 

To learn more, you can also see my guides on how early Walgreens fill prescriptions and the Walgreens prescription delivery service.

Additionally, if you are a frequent shopper at Walmart, you might be curious to see how long Walmart will hold prescriptions.

Conclusion

Walgreens will hold a filled prescription for seven days at the store before putting it back on the shelves. During this period, it will make two to three courtesy calls to customers to remind them to pick up their filled prescriptions. 

For unfilled prescriptions, Walgreens keeps the records for one year during which you can have the prescriptions filled at any time by just calling up Walgreens. For controlled substances like hydrocodone, however, records of unfilled prescriptions are kept for six months only.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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