Meds almost empty - I don't think I'll refill

I've got enough Welbutrin left to take one this morning and one tonight.

I skipped taking one last night.

Since I'm unemployed and have no health insurance, since my cash savings is really low, and since I really need a boost of hypo to get my creativity back, I think I will skip calling pdoc to ask for a refill.

It's just 100 mg of Welbutrin SR twice each day.

That's it. Just the anti-depressant.

Or would I be making a big mistake since I've been on the depressed side lately, with my son moving out, me being home alone all day, rarely seeing people, and wallowing in my misery?

I know where you're at right now. Hang on.

I would think it to be a mistake to not call for refills especially since youve been having such a rough time of it latley maybe get off the meds once you get feeling better about everything. But thats just my .02

I'll keep some zanax on standby for antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, just in case, if you decided to quit without the help of pdoc.

My withdrawal effect was very bad until I start to get better.

Purpledaisy,
I take a generic for Welbutrin. Is that a possibility for you? I realize some people have not had a good experience with this. Just a thought.

Take care because just stopping the meds might have big side effects. I agree on checking for the generic and if it's cheaper!

I agree that it is a good idea to call your pdoc to get a refill. Generic wellbutrin is available; I take it. It's $10/month for me, but that is with insurance.

If you decide to go med-free for awhile (which is completely your decision), then I suggest that you keep track of your moods, sleep, and energy levels. That way, if you notice that you're starting to swing a little low, you can catch it before it becomes a full-blown depression, call your pdoc, and restart the wellbutrin.

To avoid depression, try to get some physical exercise and sunlight. Taking a long walk outside will get you both. Listen to upbeat music and daydream during your walk. Also, avoid oversleeping. It will ironically make you feel more fatigued, which could lead to depressive feelings.

Good luck with this decision. Are you looking for a job? Your signature mentions that you're a writer; what kind of writing do you do? Maybe you could keep a blog and make money off of the advertisements. Or sell an article to a magazine? Or write a novel and self-publish it as an e-book which you can then sell on Amazon?

I think you need to go off wellbutrin gradually, there might be some risk of seizure. I would talk to my Dr. I got off it slowly.

Even as you ask the question, you already know the answer, it is a bad idea.

I don't recall having withdrawals from Welbutrin, other AD's yes. Could you at least call the pdoc and let her know your plan and if there's any danger to quitting it?

Doesn't really seem like Welbutrin did much for you anyway right? So why keep taking something if it's not helping.

Call the Pdoc and talk about cheaper options. For example, I just began taking Trazodone for sleep, an antidepressant, and paid $12 for a 50mg month's worth supply. On that day my insurance was not going through but I paid for it anyway, it was so cheap. (Insurance had the wrong birthday....again. Lol)

Mine is generic, but without insurance it's very expensive.

I had hoped it would fall under the $4 generics that a lot of pharmacies have now, but it is close to $200 for a 1-month supply.

Generic Welbutrin without insurance is close to $200/month.

I write all kinds of stuff. I'm working on doing all of the things that you suggested.

These days, I think there is more potential to make money via self-publishing and e-publishing rather than traditional publishing. The key is to build an audience.

Holy crap, I'm on generic Geodon and that stuff is $165 for a 30-day supply......guess I shouldn't whine too much.

Damn it. That's expensive. I don't know how much I will have to pay for my meds. But next time I can see a doc, I'm asking for all the works! Drug the crap out of me. Crazy to say that when I never believed in meds. Then again, if I didn't have my kids, husband and still had means to live, I wouldn't take meds and just be my messy self... Or maybe not. Who knows! Now, depression sucks. I don't think you should leave them meds. Yeah, even depression can help your creative drive but can you pick up the pieces if things go south?

Hey Purple , Sorry I am late to this thread but, I just goggled the cost for the generic of Wellbutrin and it shows Kroger, Target, Kmart, Costco for 30 of the 150mg its less than 30.00.. I Don't know what mg you are on, Just thought it might help.

How would going off wb help promote hypo, though?

Hi there, purpledaisy!
I just pulled out my receipts ('cause I knew I'd paid a lot less than 200! ) and it's been $30. It's for 60 generic wellbutrin SR, 150 mgs (I take 2/day). I don't have insurance (or a job, or unemployment checks), so price is a big deal for me. The best one I turned up was Costco pharmacy.

You do not need to be a member to avail yourself of their pharmacy, btw. (Though I will say that, for me, the membership fee was recouped in one single fill compared to the prices I'd be paying at my other local options(!) And I take generics!)). So. They have good prices. Be sure to let them know you don't have insurance, because they have a program that discounts a bit more for the uninsured. Once you're in their computers, it just comes up automatically in tallying your cost.. You don't need to remember to ask for it every time or wear a special hat or anything like that.)

(Do you take the XL? I think the price is higher on that (than the SR), but I don't think it's that drastic of a difference (hopefully not anyway!).)

Is that the cash price or the price with insurance?

When I had insurance, it was just a $25 co-pay.

But as I have taken my RXs and shopped around, I have found that they have a whole different pricing schedule when you are paying cash without insurance.

Well, I feel like a goober.

I got into my latest box of "This is the stuff I need to clear off the table so it will look like I've cleaned the house somewhat, but I all of these items are hot and I need them soon, so they'll go in this box and I won't forget which box this is, even though I usually forget which box this is and find it several years and a lot of heartache later" and found a yellow pharmacy print-out that I used to jot down prices of my meds.

I was wrong.

Generic Welbutrin SR 100 (60 pills/1 month supply) will only be $60 at Walmart or $50 at Sam's Club.

The higher RX was my acid reflex medicine.

So now I'm calling the pdoc to see about authorizing a refill.

I was tempted to quit it in hopes of having a bit of hypomania kick in, but the thought of sinking into feeling worse than I am right now scares me.

Thanks for your input, everyone.

Oh yea! Much better. See if Sam's Club has any kind of deal for cash-paying uninsureds. You might get even a better price. Good Luck!

Great.

I think my pdoc is out of the office on Fridays, which means I probably won't hear from his nurse tomorrow regarding a refill.

That means I'll end up without meds Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Meanwhile, today I took my first shower in 6 days. Yay for me.

Valentine's Day wasn't too difficult. About the same as it has been for all of the many years that I have been without a significant other.

Had a little meltdown earlier today when a friend posted a photo of the heart-shaped box of chocolates her dad took to her at work. My dad used to get me one of those every year, but he has been dead for a few years now.

Didn't hear from my son. No text, no call, no card, no email, nothing.

I went to a movie. That was my exciting Valentine's Day.

What did you see?

"Identity Thief." It was funny, but not as funny as I had hoped. I'm so disappointed when most of the good stuffi is shown in the trailers.