Living Bipolar ~ What If The Frog Can't Afford Meds?

So, here I am. Once again having had quite the hiatus. Almost a year, again. Commitments are not my strong point. Thanks bipolar, with that whole "losing interest in things we once enjoyed" symptom of depression. I hate that one.

Anyway... Hot topic! Medication affordability. For those of us on Medicare it can get pretty tricky when we hit our Gap. I have been hitting my Gap earlier and earlier every year due to the ever increasing price of my medication. This is the amount, I assume, the pharmacy pays to the pharmaceutical company that I do not pay. I should check into that relationship. That amount is applied to the initial coverage and is so huge that I could just blink and I'm in my Gap. The Gap. You know that  limbo between Stage 2, Initial Coverage, and Stage 4, Catastrophic Coverage. Stage 3, that damn Coverage Gap, leaves us Medicarians in a lurch for name brand prescriptions. I personally had been looking forward to my only non-generic, bipolar medication, Seroquel, to go generic. Well, on March 28th, 2012, my wishes were granted. Nirvana? Not quite.

I had absolutely no idea that when a name brand medication is finally available in generic form, it is still worth an arm and a leg. What should have changed from $45 to $5 didn't happen. Instead the generic cost is just about the same amount. $41 vs. $45. My insurance gal educated me on this. She said also that over time the generic price would come down. Hopes dashed, temporarily though.

I had decided to order from a discount pharmacy, instead of the Canadian pharmacy I buy from each year, but lucky for me my doctor's prescription gal changed my mind. I was so stubborn that she had to plead with me to do it her way. I was so scared that I would actually go without Seroquel before my plan was implemented that I was blocking her influence at every attempt. Finally, and thankfully I gave in.

Her plan was to call the prescription in to Costco. I am a member there, but one does not have to be. Unbelievably, (without insurance, shhhh...) the generic form, Quetiapine Fumarate 400mg, was $41 for a 30 day supply, rather than the hundreds of dollars I would have to pay under the dreaded, downright hated Gap.

The following month I was a surprised again.  $21! Could this mean the price is already coming down?  I am not interested in finding out yet.

There is one more thing my doc's persistent Rx gal can do for me. She told me that since I am a Medicare Part D member I can, I'm sorry, will qualify for free medication with AstraZeneca (AZ). AZ, the pharmaceutical company that produces the name brand Seroquel and then charges a fortune. Extortion? Anyway, she told me that all I need are 2 pieces of information that completely elude me right now. She will prepare the paperwork and all I have to do is show up and sign it. Voila! I will get free Seroquel for a year. Sounds beautiful!  I guess the reason I haven't followed up on that yet is because I am just too excited about getting the generic at such a reasonable price.

Well now, what about people that have no insurance or can't afford a reasonable price?  It is so essential that we stay on our medication that, well, we gotta have it! 

I came across an article today, "Paying For Medication" on a site called Ask A Bipolar; http://www.askabipolar.com/75-paying-medication/. This site apart from this article is a great resource for bipolars and their families and friends.

In this particular article the writer has many, many links and phone numbers for discount programs. I am happy to share this with my readers.

We have to have our meds and if it's between eating or medicating we must do both.



Living Bipolar - Return of The Frog

Where have I been all of this time? Dealing with other, new health issues and "sleeping". Existing. Retreated from the world and my family. Lately however I have been rather talkative on some social networks, so I thought about it and decided it was time to return to my blog.

The following is an update on Living Bipolar.

I have gone into my Medicare Part D Gap. Interestingly enough, the changes from ObamaCare allow for bigger discounts on the name brand medications. It's still not enough for me.

Seroquel is my and my doctor's drug of choice.  I believe I cannot live without this atypical antipsychotic. It treats the manic and delusional side of bipolar. AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical company that makes Seroquel, has continually applied for patent extensions so they can continue to make more money with name brands than generics in the United States. They do sell generic in other countries.

This year my shrink suggested buying from an online Canadian Pharmacy. I did it. They do have it in generic form!  If I made my purchase through Part D Medicare I would pay around $200 for 30 pills. From Canada I pay about the same, but for 100 pills. I plan to do this until we have generic Seroquel in our country.

It angers me!  If the gap didn't exist I would pay $25 for name brands. Everything else I buy  besides Seroquel is generic, $5.

One added benefit of purchasing from Canada, besides the previously stated, is that I don't have to navigate the paperwork to sign-up for help from the pharmaceutical company. As far as I know most offer much lower cost prescriptions for those that qualify.  Usually the first fill is free, but, and this is a big but, my family's numbers were just enough to get denied.

Another bonus about buying from Canada is that I don't have to beg my doctor for samples. It's embarrassing.

I am hoping AstraZeneca is ready to do generics in 2012, fingers crossed!  I searched the FDA website and I have yet to find the information I read about a couple years ago.

The Frog is Being Stalked by Advertisements Online?

Not yet obsessing about the Roomba Scuba. Actually their internet ads are showing up on almost every screen of mine. I am spending more and more time thinking about how cool it would be to have clean floors more often. Every time I walk around the house, I come to one of the the floors that would require mopping. In my mind I am now thinking of every floor the Roomba Scuba could do for me. I picture them gleaming every other day. I feel a sense of relief as I imagine my little moppy-friend taking over a chore that for me, is one of my many challenges in life. I become lighter. Then I come out of my reverie.


It cost too much for our budget. But it says it preps the floor too. WHAAAAT? I must have it.

Later, back on-line, I am noticing the ads more often. It’s like it’s calling out to me, “buy me, buy me”. It isn’t giving me time to consider the pros and cons, because of the bombardment of the promise it offers.

Keeping track of some spots, I have seen it many times on Facebook. Even in my email. It seems to be on every single web page now. It is stalking me.

Ok, now I am obsessing on it.
http://store.irobot.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2371402&cp=2804605.2174932&view=compare&view=compare&s=A-UnitRank-IRBT&parentPage=family