Lamictal is too expensive!! & Insurance rant...

I went to a new Psych nurse today, and she agrees that I need to be on a mood stabilizer in addition to the anti-depressants.

The problem? My insurance is f&*(#&% ed up.

WITH insurance it still costs me $283.97 for a ONE MONTH supply.

That's almost THREE HUNDRED FRIGGIN BUCKS!!!

The kicker? We make BARELY more than the income cutoffs to qualify for assistance thru the pharm company. And all their assistance stuff says "for people without prescription drug coverage"

Well...I HAVE drug coverage, it's just a worthless piece of (#*$&( coverage.

I am so confused. It only cost me $7.50 for the Zoloft (generic). Why is it so much for Lamictal? I know it's not generic...but still. My insurance card says $7 / $30 / $60 copays or 50%. I don't really know what that means...but my guess is the most I would pay would be $60 or 50%, right??

I'll have to call the insurance company tomorrow. I picked up my prescription after 5:00 and their customer service was closed. I'm *hoping* this was all just a huge mistake....but if not...what the heck do I do???

My psych nurse didn't have any samples. I called her after I went to the pharmacy, and she said she'd ask around to some of her colleages to find samples for me. But I can't afford $300 bucks a month. Not possible.

Grrr.....

There is a generic, it's called Lamotrigine.

I don't know if you'd be interested in ordering online but you might want to check this out.

http://www.77canadapharmacy.com/buy/lamictal.php

https://www.canadadrugpharmacy.com/s...searchLetter=L

Turns out Lamictal is "non-formulary" and my insurance does not pay ANYTHING for it.

Grr....

What the hell is the point of insurance when they pick and choose what they want to cover??

SO...now I'm shopping for an individual prescription insurance plan...or discount program...or something. My psych is going to call around and find me a sample pack to start out..I hope.

i relly hope you figure it all out. i understand getting prescribed something u cant afford. maybe she can think of something else to give?

Oh and the best part? I know for a FACT that this same insurance I have WILL pay for Viagra for an 80-year-old man. I know this because he works in my office and talks about the "wonder drug"

So....they don't mind supplying an elderly man with Viagra, but they won't let me get the ONLY anti-convulsant that's shown to help with Bipolar II and Bipolar Depression???

Lovely.

Yeah, I can try Seroquel or maybe even Lithium...but...I'm not Bipolar I. I know that for sure, and my psych nurse said the same thing. If anything, I'm Bipolar II, and rapid-cycling. Lamictal is the best for that.

I'm just kicking myself. 2 years ago...I actually had a sample pack of Lamictal. I can't remember what I did with it, I think I threw it away when we moved. Even if I could find it, it's probably expired. Loonng story there, but I never took it then. Now I'm really kicking myself because that doctor...that I thought was an idiot...was probably right.

Hi.

I have sort of a similar problem with Lamictal.

I'm (now) on a govt. pharm care plan called Plan G. It's based on income so I get all my psych drugs for no cost- EXCEPT LAMICTAL OR LAMITROGINE. I have to have tried Valporoic Acid (depakote) and Lithium and found that they don't work, before they'll cover the Lamictal.

So 2 + yrs. ago I was dx'd with BP II and quickly prescribed Lamictal for the rapid cycling bipolar depression. That continued till now b/c I was on another plan and getting 70% off- that is for all pharmaceuticals. It is also based on income.

but this yr. I had to pay full price for everything all of a sudden. We had gone $500.00 over the limit of a yearly net income of $15,000 and jumped into this new catagory. I freaked, and began planning to go off of all my meds. $15,000/yr ceiling. Still makes me furious. Kinda like your situation with the ins. co.

then my tdoc got very concerned, stepped in and got me on the Plan G. I thought all was well until i found out the restrictions on Lamictal. I couldn't believe it. To have to try 2 other drugs, find they don't work, maybe get really sick in the process.........when the Lamictal seemed to be working for over 2 yrs!.

But- we had begun Wellbutrin for further help with the anxiety and depression, so pdoc said that we should discontinue Lamictal and see how it goes. I also take the other mood stabilizer (depakote) and Clonazepam. So far I'm doing okay, maybe just a little speedied up from the Wellbutrin, but holding my own.

If I was still on Lamictal, I would be paying almost $100.00/ mth. I can't do that.

Anyway- why that stuff is so expensive while Depakote is quite cheap is beyond me. They're both anti-convulsants!

I sure sympathize with you, and hope you get this sorted out soon.

J

Hello,

Boy do I know about this. I have fought the insurance companies for the last 5 years this. First of all I do not recommend using the generic. I is not good. Most people find that it is not effective and the reports are bad for seizures. My doctor hates it. Here is what I did. Go to the pharmaceutical company. They have several programs for discounts and sometimes for free. Also ask your doctor for a coupon from GlaxoSmithKline, they give a discount card for over 30% off. About $50.00. Also if you don't have insurance Rite Aid will give you over 50% off.
I also get samples from my doctor. I know its a pain but this drug has saved my life. One more suggestions, if you contact the Mental Health Association in your area, sometimes (most) they will get it for you for free if you are low income. Once 10 years ago I could not afford it and they paid $400.00 a month for 6 months so I could have it. Don't give up and I strongly suggest not taking the generic. Again my doctor has told me or several cases that were a disaster. I tried it and within a month I was moving so fast and manic I could not function. Luckily we adjusted things. Scary, I didn't want to feel that way anymore. Funny, I use to fight not taking anything so I could feel that way but now I know the consequences , and Its not worth it

Hope this helps

PS I also lowered my dose to 250 per day and that helped. My doc said that anything over 300 wont do that much.

Hi, I am not sure if it works, but maybe call the manufacturer and see if they have financial aid? Maybe not since everything goes through a pharmacy, now that I think about it, but a thought, I am sorry to hear about it. I have a friend that has expensive drugs as well, can be very difficult.

JMIR

I've just started Lamictin and my pdoc prescribed the generic. She said she'd had good results from it, and had not yet heard of any horror stories.
I've also had a terrible time with medical aid/insurance. They refused to pay for my T and pdoc visits, saying I'd been excluded for depression - Dumb *** - depression is different, bipolar is coverable by South African law... soo get yourself organised and sort it OUT...!

The stress that finances causes is huge, especially for a BP-er.

I really feel for you, as I've only just been in your shoes.

my pdoc is a spec in bipolar pharmacology and is fine with the generic for lamotrigine, but not for zoloft or Epilim

I think I made a post just like this one a while back. I think there were a lot of ideas and replies in it, but I can't remember.

Topamax is an anti-convulsant mood stabilizer. You could try that, but it's a hardcore med. Will made you dumb as a box of ****, will make you nauseas most of the day and don't be shocked if you lose massive amounts of weight seemingly over night. But that was just my experience. These meds all work differently in different body chemistries.

I think I also posted somewhere (no, I know I did) about why the generic Lamictal is so often just ******.

Best of luck to you. I guess if you want Viagra....jeez...how dumb is that? Let's make it so old people can still ****, but let's just not care if people with a life-threatening disorder live or die or have any quality of life. GRRRR. Insurance companies piss me the **** off.

(And today, as someone said here a couple weeks ago, the F-bomb is my verb, adjective, and noun today....for some reason.)

Shakti - the F-bomb has so many uses and is just so expressive; it's hard to imagine life without it!
Especially during a hypomanic episode; it becomes my constant companion

wow your so right! I have been saying damn bad words every since the mania started to sit in. why is it that we cuss more when were manic or hypomanic? maybe were more irritated at the world because they are all going sssooooo s.l.o.w.

ps. i have never taken lamictal but MHMR gives me my meds for free including Geodon. Not even samples but in prescirption bottles with my name on ir. Good Luck!!