Cant get refill. lamictal.

Hey all, I'm a little concerned and just wanted to talk with you folks about that time you weren't able to get a refill or you lost your insurance or something else happened that kept your medication away from you. Whew, what a mouthful. Apparently there have been some changes with my insurance that I need to sort out. Long story short I will only be able to have my lamictal shipped to my house through the insurance's pharmacy, but for that to even begin to happen I have to get in touch with my doctor tomorrow to send them the prescription.

I got no letter in the mail or anything stating that my insurance is dropping lamictal coverage unless I use their mail order service. Imagine my expression when I hear '$200'. So yes, I'm going to be going without my lamictal for what I'm guessing is a week or so.

I've been on it a few months now and I know the one time I went two nights without it I got headaches and felt really disassociated and had no luck focusing on my studies. A little anxious and depressed too. I'm really uneasy about how the next few days are gonna go for me. Luckily I still have my wellbutrin.

What are your experiences without your med(s) for a day or two...or three.

I was on 200mg of lamictal and when I got hospitalized a few weeks ago I had to go off them completely since I OD and had to let my body heal from the toxicity levels. I was horribly dissociative and felt completely ill, I had terrible withdrawals from it. I was off it for three days and I had to start back at 25mg because my old dose could have gave me that deadly rash. I would talk to your pdoc about this problem since you most likely will need to start back at 25mg and slowly go back up to your original dose.

See if your doctor has any samples to see you through.
Also, are you totally out? It's not ideal, but in a pinch, if I've got to bridge a gap and still have a few, I'll stretch them out. Like if I'm supposed to take 2 a day, I'll take 1. Not great, but that's what I do.
I feel for your unease. I went to p/u once when totally out only to find that my pharmacy suddenly no longer carried "my" Lamictal generic (that I'd taken for years). I panicked for about an hour, before deciding better to take what they did have than to have nothing. Then was wiggy for the next 3 days afraid to take it(!) Anyhow, once back on track the other generic ended up working just fine. The "med free" interim went alright physically, but everyone is different that way.
Definitely ask about samples, that's the best short gap answer I have. Good luck and hoping it all goes smoothly for you!

Can you purchase at least a few out of pocket at the pharmacy?

Like, my month's worth of lamotrigine (in Canada) isn't that expensive (I take 100mg). Could you purchase a few week's worth on your own while you wait for the one from your insurance company?

Yikes, I would definitely call your doc, I used to take lamictal and I remember going off of it was supposed to be a long process.

You'll be fine. 3-4 days?

cake, cake, cake , cake.

If you current have pills cut the 200mg in half and take 100 mg for the 4 days

Ask about samples, price out generics. As a last resort, and I have done this is to stretch them out.

Make a ruckus, but be respectful, someone maybe be able to help you out or point you in a direction of someone that can.

The last time I had this issue, I went to my primary care office and talked to the receptionists. I explained my situation. They and the Dr. were very accommodating. I also cried, not sure if that helped or not LOL, I didn't do it on purpose though. I found that they understood I was suffering and wanted to help me out.

A little off subject, but once at the pharmacy, a vet was having issues with Tricare but needed his meds. I felt really bad for him so I bought them, set me back $123, but how can you let an old man go without their heart meds?! Maybe you can find someone to help you?

I checked the cost of generic Lamictal (Lamotrigine) on my insurance statement. The cost (I'm on 200mg) per month is only about $25. You've already received some good advice from others, but if your pdoc doesn't have samples, it seems a week's supply could be had for only about 10 bucks. Good luck & make sure you don't go without (cutting pills is something someone else has suggested). You don't want to titrate back up from 25mg again.

Yikes! Today is day 1 without it and as of right now I feel really really out of it and have a minor headache. I feel tired but not tired enough to just sleep all day either. Thanks for that, I'll definitely be talking with my doc about starting out with the 25mg tabs again.

I'm totally out. I know it sounds really irresponsible of me, but I guess I've taken the 'ease' of getting my meds refilled for granted. I just kind of noticed 'oh hey I'm out, time to pick some up' and then bam! The rite aid here only had one generic brand, and even still it was going to cost me $200 for a month's supply.

I haven't been able to get in touch with my doc yet. Even still, if she does have free samples I won't be able to get them until tomorrow because I don't have a car to drive myself and everyone is at work until after the office closes. I'm kind of screwed until tomorrow at least (that is if she does have samples), but I can't really be upset about it, it's my fault for waiting til the last minute, lesson learned!

Well that settles it, I'm moving in with you. The rite aid here wants $200 for a 1 month supply of 100mg generic. Eee! I'm going to call other pharmacies though because I can't help but feel that the person I was dealing with might have gotten something mixed up... Even if it IS the full $200, I can't help but feel another pharmacy would have a different option or alternative?

I dig your optimism! I've decided to not do a single stressful thing until I get this straightened out. If I need to sleep I will sleep. I'll get behind in my studies but hey, there's nothing I can do about it and I'm not going to freak myself out. At least I have video games and netflix. :P Donkey Kong here I come.

Aww, at least the folks at the receptionists desk were able to help you. I wouldn't be able to say no to anyone who really needed their medications. D: I guess that means the pharmaceutical business isn't for me lol. I do think I'll be asking about samples. I'm kind of stuck at home right now and won't have a ride anywhere until tomorrow. Thank you for some great advice and good ideas!

My insurance must really hate me. ;-; $200 for a month's supply of generic 100mgs. I'm kind of stuck until tomorrow as I don't have a car myself at the moment. Which means I'll be going 2 nights without it, more if I can't get samples or get my doc to write a temporary script (5 or 10) for me to go pay for out of pocket.

Seriously going to be asking about samples and more generics. It really wouldn't surprise me if there was something the pharmacy wasn't telling me. $200 does seem really steep even though they said that was the generic...

Not to mention I have to go on my insurance's website and set up an account for their mail order pharmacy BEFORE I can have my doctor fax over ANYTHING. To make things better my insurance is under my parents' and I haven't been able to get a hold of them to get the log in information for the website to get started.

-Deep breaths- It will all be okay. I'm just going to sit here and sip hot chocolate and let everyone know I'm not cooking dinner today and that I need my quiet time. LOL.

I think I'm going to update how I'm feeling here. It would be wise of me to keep track of what not having my lamictal is doing to me. Plus someone might be curious. Looking around online I haven't found TOO much about the withdrawal symptoms.

I take 100mg a day, and have noticed an increase in depression swings during the past week. (This is before I ran out.) I was going to contact my doc about having my doseage increased after going a few more days to see if I would re-stabilize. Perfect timing, right? I've been on 100mg a day for roughly 2 months.

I take it every night before bed.

Last night was night 1 of going without it. And so far here is what I've noticed. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be so bad, hopefully it stays that way.

Woke up with a headache. Felt exhausted about half an hour after waking up, went back to sleep for about 3 more hours. Starting to feel really disassociated and out of it, like I'm not really connected to anything but I'm still 'here'. Unable to focus or think much at all. My mom's chihuahua won't stop barking at nothing and it's driving me nuts, I even went downstairs and shut all the curtains so she couldn't see outside but it's not enough. I'm about to crank some music just to drown it out. It's starting to make me really angry but I'm still in complete control of my behavior.

I haven't been hungry. Or maybe, I haven't felt like making anything to eat. It could be either way, I honestly can't remember if I was hungry earlier or not. I made myself some toast and as of right now that's all I've eaten today. I might have a bowl of cereal or something soon, I feel like I'm hungry but not hungry at the same time. It sounds really weird I know but that's how it feels.

So I guess so far I've just been having odd symptoms, nothing too serious. I'm sure it would be more serious if I were working, but right now I'm just a student doing an at-home study, so thankfully I don't have to be around people or have a lot of responsibility right now.

Ash89, In my experience, in the U.S. and maybe other places you can get prescriptions straight from the manufacturer through your doctor, sometimes for very little money and sometimes for free! The doctor faxes the drug manufacturer for an application to the drug company's so-called "Indigent Program" and you fill out the application stating what your income is and why you are applying for this program. The doctor faxes the form back to the company and they send the drugs to your doctor for you to pick up - for a tiny cost, maybe $10 or for free. This takes time to do, of course, but maybe it can help someone if this program is still ongoing with the drug companies. It worked for me at one time so that is why I'm writing this. Good luck!
PrairieCat