Do I go against my husband or try something that could help

Actually it cost about $65 a month because insurance almost never covers it.

It depends on the insurance, yes. Mine covers it; so it's about $20. per month.

Some insurance companies do things differently. Some people cannot utilize folic acid because they lack the enzymes in the stomach to convert folic acid into folate which can cross the blood-brain barrier and make the vitamin available to increase serotonin production and that means, in my view, that it's an essential medication.

Because it's derived from a concentrated form of folate (Deplin, that is)
some companies won't insure it because it's considered a food rather
than a medicaton.

Go figure.

Yes ,
I have had 11 ketamine infusions this fall 2012. I had them at a local outpatient surgery center in Havertown PA.My PDOC and the center partnered to do them. I only begged my doc to do this for 3 years.
The surgery center had already been doing them, for awhile, for pain patients who receive a larger dose of Ketamine over a longer time.

It did not take much convincing to do them for depression. The dose of Ketamine for depression is even lower then for pain. The infusion only lasts 40 minutes.

You are set up in a room in the recovery area,with heart monitoring, pulse oximetry, blood pressure and nasal oxygen. The nurse starts an IV. The anesthesologist calculates the ketamine dose and puts it in a pump hooked up to the IV. He leaves and the nurse sits at the end of the bed for the entire infusion, writing down vital signs.

The dose you get is very low, sub anesthetic. I always felt like I was floating down a river, a very pleasant feeling.

My depression lifted very quickly, but the draw back of Ketamine is the results do not last. I had 6 initial treatments, MWF, then 5 maintenance once a week.For me the results only lasted for 5 days. At 400 a treatment I had to stop. For some people the more treatments you get the longer the results. This was not so for me.

The other good thing about Ketamine is, is that it has proven to repair brain damage form many things, including just the repeated episodes of bipolar

I have been taking Deplin for about 5 years. I don't think it has done anything for me. With our insurance using the hospital RX it only costs 5. At least one benefit from my Husband working in a hospital.

There just must be answers for you out there, Speed. Keep working with your
psychiatrist for suggestions and help.

Let us know how you're getting along.

I did find out the hospital where they do the ECTs is covered 100%. The doctor does not. I am trying to find out his fees to calculate the out of pocket cost, to see if I can afford it.

Also, my current PDOC must call him to discuss my case. Well, unless a miracle occurs my PDOC will take his time to call if he does at all. It will probably require me to remind him at least 5 times.

Meanwhile, my husband hid the Ativan so I am looking up Seroquel overdose and amounts. What I am saying is I don't have the time for these Docs to fittle f...ck around.

My Husband is out playing golf having fun and I am having flashbacks and considering taking my life. I talked to my PDOC today and told him I was suicidal. I must life on another planet!

my pdoc did a study on people overdosing on seroquel. it is very hard. most become vegetables so you wouldnt be any better off that way.

Speed, you need help, you deserve help,

At this point what your husband thinks NO longer matters, I mean hes coping "his way" and you need to "Cope your way"

Let him get upset.. he will get over it.

It's time you made decisions that benefitted you. You need to look after yourself. You have been together so long that I doubt there's anything but love between you. While he may be against it now, I'm sure he'll eventually come round.
I don't believe he has any right to stop you.

Speed, that sounds good. Hopefully, the doctor's charges won't be unbearable.

Keep after your psychiatrist to help you get admitted. I agree with most here that ECT may be the best way to go at this point, although there's some evidence now that magnetic impulses to certain portions of the brain help, and an implant that sends impulses to the Vagus nerve is helpful.

Amid it all, ECT seems like the most easily accessed help for you, in my opinion.

I am on 12 mg of Ativan daily. Anything above 4 mg daily seems to be a contraindication for ECT.

So now what, that I can afford ???

I am have a very very bad day. Bad Flashbacks. The full weight of Jason's passing taking my breath away.

Missing him, my heart and spirit feel shattered.

Prayer going up for you now, Speec.

Is Ativan the only benzodiazepine you have tried? Xanax works best for me with occasional temazepam for sleep. I was taking pretty high dose xanax a decade ago when my ptsd was really bad and I slept 12-16 hours/day so at least when I was sleeping I wasn't having flashbacks. Fortunately I have only occasional nightmares.

Have you tried zoloft yet? It is supposed to be a first line drug for ptsd but I can't really say that it helped me.

Are you still considering firing your pdoc and trying another? Yours seems ineffective to help you.

Hi Yoda,
My PDOC won't prescribe Xanax in his opinion it is worst then Ativan. I was on a so called normal dose of Ativan until a few years ago. I was having a very hard time sleeping, causing bad Manic/Mixed episodes. He prescribed 6 mg at night for sleep. Overtime my mood has become more depressed. I started taking my daily 12mg dose pretty much how I want to.

I was on Zoloft for a long time, it caused me to rapid cycle. I was told by the experts at John Hopkins to never take an antidepressant. They said I had a bad case of rapid cycling and AD make it worse.

Currently I convinced my PDOC to prescribe an AD due to the horrid circumstances. He prescribed Effexor 150 mg. I am down to 75 mg and I am weaning off. It did not help me.

Been praying hard for your peace of mind, Speed.

Are you feeling any stronger?

hopefully since pdoc's finally on board you'll start getting some relief soon.