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Old Aug 13, 2014, 01:11 PM
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Nightside of Eden Nightside of Eden is offline
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Member Since: Feb 2011
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 378
Um, they didn't HAVE to prescribe Haldol simply because money was an issue. There are tons of drug coupon and assistance programs out there for the newer, more expensive drugs. I was able to get Zyprexa for $25.00/month without insurance by using these programs (it was $600+ without them, despite being generic). There are coupons for cheap Seroquel too, as it's also generic.

Also, Haldol is still considered the "gold standard" anti-psychotic by a fair number of doctors, meaning it's more effective at stopping psychosis than most of the newer drugs. The dosage has been fine-tuned a lot in recent years to lower the risk of TD too. One reason Haldol has such a bad reputation is because doctors used to prescribe it at up to 10 times what is now considered the proper dosing schedule.

Of course it sucks that finances can play a large part in treatment. This is why I support Medicaid expansions and universal healthcare coverage. It's hardly just a problem in mental healthcare, but a problem for anyone which a chronic condition where the drugs can be expensive. But many of the statements in this article are just erroneous. Haldol isn't a bad drug, and for gods' sake, if he doesn't want to take it I'll personally send him the link for $25.00 Zyprexa--something I, as a high school drop-out, am apparently more capable of finding than all those doctors and college professors put together.
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Things That Make Me Mentally Interesting:
Bipolar II, ultra-rapid cycling with transient psychotic features
ADD, inattentive type
Separation Anxiety and possible PTSD

Stuff That Helps:
Zyprexa, Stelazine, and Dexedrine
Thanks for this!
Atypical_Disaster, costello