Pre authorization bite me

Yesterday my IOP pdoc prescribed a zyprexa PRN for agitation, which Ive had pretty severely lately fluctuating between depression and mixed mania. Well I go to pick it up and the pharmacy say I cant get it until at least Monday because it needs to be pre authorized. WHAT THE ****?!?! I was ready to go ape **** on the pharmacy technician so I ran out and flipped out in the car. My mom might have some locked up from last time I took it but she hasn't looked yet.
If my agitation gets any worse I'm going to go to the ER and say the pharmacy wont give me my meds.
On a related note I cant stand the IOP in this state. It's wayyyy too overstimulating. It's loud and people are obnoxious. Lately its been taking everything in me to not scream SHUT THE **** UP.
Bipolar sucks. Life sucks. I'm out
/rant

I don't know if this is an option for you financially but I looked up zyprexa on gooodrx.com and to buy it without insurance is only $13 or so. I've had a few times I've found it was actually cheaper than my co-pay to just buy a med and I didn't have to wait then either.

I had this problem when they put me on Latuda. Nothing but problems with that prescription the whole time i took it..im off now. I hope it gets straightened out soon. I hope you have leftovers from last time like you said. I'd hate for you to have to suffer all weekend. Big hugs your way!!

If you already have a doctors prescription why do they need additional authorisation?

Pre auths have nothing to do on the pharmacy end.. Its on the Doctors end that gave you the script they have to fax your insurance that its medically necessary ...

Call your Pdoc first thing monday and make sure they processed the paperwork.

Yes if need be go to the er .

Hope your feeling better

So insurance can hold up access to medically necessary items in the States? How dare they?

We have to prove that it's medically necessary.

And a doctor's signature on the prescription doesn't do that?

The insurance lists what meds they'll cover. If it's not on the list we have t appeal it to get it covered. Sometimes it's just a matter of a note from the doctor and sometimes (usually with new meds) it's a fight.

OK thanks - sorry it just seems an odd and inhumane system to me (from the UK - not that we don't have our own problems of course but not this sort of thing)

You'd think the prescription is the authorization for the medication. UGH!

Thankfully, there are a number of atypicals available generically to meet insurance requirements.

Insurance can hold up payment, not access. Though why they'd care to hold up payment for zyprexa is a bit baffling.

You can always tell the pharmacy that you'll pay for the medication and completely take the insurance company out of the loop. I do this for a couple medications taken in my family and its really no big deal to the pharmacy.

Only exception would be an opiod or benzo that might look like you were trying to trick a pharmacy into double filling a script so those might get a bit of a delay while they check into things.

Ugh
Two things I hate. Pharmacies and insurance companies.

I end of covering the cost of meds a lot of times. There are certain meds my insurance won't cover even if preferred by a doctor.

How are you feeling today ?

Didn't think of paying it without insurance, the pharmacist said I couldn't get it until Monday and I believed her.
My mom had some leftovers from about a year and a half maybe two years ago.
I haven't used it yet. My mood has been fluctuating wildly but I want to safe the few pills left for when I really need it.
As I'm typing this I'm listening to Baby Blue Sedan by Modest Mouse. "It's hard to be a human being/and its harder as anything else." Nothing else describes how I feel as accurately right now.
I'm sick of hurting.

I actually saw a news article recently that said some meds are cheaper than insurance but unless we ask the pharmacist can't tell us that. I've had a few times that I was waiting for an appeal and the med cost $5. It makes no sense at all that the pharmacist just can't tell you that.

I'm sorry you are suffering. Are you still taking clozapine? could that dosage be increased a bit? We increased mine recently and it stopped everything dead in its' tracks.

It's a con - of course they can tell you, they just don't want to lose money

So i finally got my zyprexa last night. My pdoc changed the dose and for some reason that was perfectly fine when the original dose wasn't. Maybe one day Ill understand how these pharmacies and insurance works, but today is definitely not that day.