Rug: Pulled out from under me.

[ashockley55]

So, I got referred to a psychiatrist from my family doc, started seeing him.  He continued my prescriptions, had me come in every couple weeks to check in.  He even set me up to talk with his wife, a therapist in the same office, to deal with ptsd stuff from my childhood.  The last thing he wanted to do was start me on Prozac for my severe pms.

My copay was $40, plus gas to drive an hour out for the appointment.  I live in a small town, so usually I have to drive out to see a specialist.  I came up on an appointment, tips had been bad, and I didn’t have enough money to go to the appointment.  It was either the appointment or food.  I chose food.

Trouble is, I called the day of to cancel.  It was right around Thanksgiving, so they took a four-day weekend.  I couldn’t call the Friday before.  I called Monday morning.

The next day, there was a $75 charge on my account – they charged me the entire amount of the appointment because I called at the last minute to cancel.  It sent my account into overdraft.

Now I didn’t have the appointment OR food.

Great.

Since then, I’ve realized that I really can’t afford to see the psychiatrist or the therapist.  I am barely making ends meet, barely squeeking by to cover my basic needs – rent, groceries, electricity, fuel.  There are some things I have that aren’t necessary – cable and internet access – and I WOULD turn those off as well, but I can’t because I’m under contract with them.  (I tried.)  It doesn’t help that my car insurance is ridiculous due to my numerous ADD-related vehicle mishaps.

Anyway, so, I go back to my family doctor, and she agrees to pick up where my psychiatrist left off so far as my mental health care, prescribing meds.  That’s great.  But I looked at my new health insurance formulary and guess what?  The prescription that I was paying $7.00 for this year will cost me $25.00 a month next year because they moved it to a new “tier.”  In fact, there are NO meds under the ADD heading that fall under a lower tier.  It’s all $25.00 a pop and up.  Curious – I looked, and it’s the same thing for other not-really real diseases and disorders like Fibromyalgia.

I should just be glad and grateful that my heart pill is still just $7.00.

I’m just so frustrated.  My finances are a wreck.  And, catch-22, if I could get my brain in a better state maybe I could get a better job and make more money, but I can’t because I can’t afford to get my brain in a better state.

I know there are alternatives to medication, but still.  This is very frustrating.

I need medication and therapy.  And it just got harder/less financially possible for me to get either.

Thanks for reading my rant.

And good night.

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[Anonymous]

Well that just plain sucks! Sorry for all your frustrations, I’ve been there, and if circumstances were just a bit different, I’d probably still be broke and nearly homeless. Sometimes it seems as if roadblocks have been specially placed just for us. Especially with getting treatment. My doctor’s office has a policy that if I don’t cancel more than 24 hours in advance, twice in a six-month period, I can’t see the doctor for 3 months! They were not amused when I told them that the policy was discriminatory towards ADHD patients. Does your doctor know how far you have to travel to get there? Seems very un-doctor-like if they can’t be a little bit flexible.

I admire you for trying so hard to get help, sometimes just venting helps long enough to patch together a solution. Hope things start pulling together for you soon.

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[Patte Rosebank]

If you’re prone to forgetting doctors’ appointments, ask the office if they can phone you a day or two ahead, to remind you.  I’m sure they have plenty of patients who need to be reminded.  If they can do it for forgetful seniors, they can do it for someone with a cognitive disorder that makes them forgetful.

As for the issue of not being able to afford your meds…

Many drug companies now offer a co-pay program, to help people who can’t afford the meds they need.  I know that the manufacturer of Concerta does this, because I’ve taken advantage of their co-pay plan.

I know that Walmart pharmacies have very low drug prices, compared to other pharmacies.  This might include ADHD drugs, too.  Look into it.

If you’re in Canada, each province has its own drug benefit plan, to help those on lower incomes to afford their meds.  Each plan has its own rules on which meds it will and won’t cover, but, generally, if a generic form exists, it will only pay for the generic med.  If you absolutely need the branded version (as with Concerta), it will pay the cost of the generic, and you’ll have to pay the difference.  In the case of Concerta, I signed up for the manufacturer’s co-pay plan, so it covers the difference.

If you’re in the USA, find out if there is a State or Federal program that helps pay for prescription drugs for those on low incomes.  There is no reason why, in a supposedly-civilized country, people should have to choose between food and their meds.

In the UK, the NHS may be able to help with the cost of prescription meds.

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[Robbo]

I read this post a few days ago. It feels like it was more like about 5 days. I’ve been a lil bit bummed and stuck in bed more than normal lately. I’ve been wishing I could do something to help ya out and couldn’t think of anything positive to say. Lot’s of us care about you though, I hope you know that. It’s a bummer not being able to help out all the folks getting kicked around by our crap economy. And CRAP health care system. Hopefully it helps knowing you’re not alone.

Hang in there okay?

Thanks.

 

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