[ktp]

I am so worried about my brother. I talked to him last night for quite a while and he told me that he knows he's getting worse and he knows that he needs meds, but he has no health insurance and no help. He is 500 mi. away from me. I told him if he'll go to the doctor and send me the prescription I will get it and send it to him. But I will not send him money, which I didn't have to tell him. Because he is schizophrenic and he's having memory loss and other things and I can just see him blowing the money and still being without meds. Luckily he has a live-in girlfriend who knows his past and is not schizophrenic, but sees the signs in him. Getting worse, even by her opinion. So now I'm worried. I wish I had him close to me so I could help him. He says he knows he needs therapy and to see a psychiatrist and get back on meds. Anyway, I'm just so worried and wanted to talk to someone about it

Hope everyone is doing well!

Take Care,
Kimberly.

[h0kie]

Does he qualify for free meds? If he can get to the doc and get a script you can apply. There are a bunch.

If you make less than a certain amount of money you can get free meds. We qualify and it saves us over $200 a month.

[krzyk101]

Hi Kimberly,

Sorry to hear of your brothers condition and you being so far away from him.

Does your brother have acess to a Community Mental Health program where his Psychiatric and treatment are based on his income (if any)?

Here I go through Community Mental Health orginization and many people start out with no Health Insurarce or unable to get prescriptions filled because of that, they are the most likely to have the prescription samples and indigent programs from the Drug Manufacturers and can be mailed direct after using samples.

I am glad that he has a girlfriend who can speak up for him or let you know how he is doing if he is unable. I understand your concern as for me when I have ran out of meds, once I start going downhill it gets much more difficult from there.

I know the quiker in getting the meds, slows down the illness from going full blown. I would have the Girlfriend write down the names and doseages of all his medications incase he has to go inpatient so they will know what medications he is unable to get and help stabelize him and what was working that he can't get.

I send my regards to you and think it is really kind of you to look after your brother and his needs. I know you are doing the right thing about sending money....as myself have been sent money to get meds only decided to go on a shopping spree instead due to my impaired state of mind.

I hope this will all work out for the best for you and your Brother. I have similar situations from your brothers end and it means so much more to know someone cares and that the problems have not been swept under the rug persay by family out of town and away.

Take care and let us know how he is doing.

[ktp]

Thanks you guys for the information. I was in such a state of worry that I didn't even *think* about any programs based on income. I will do some research on the net and then call him and maybe talk to the girlfriend about helping him talk to the people.

The major blow to him and the thing that makes me more concerned than anything is for the past year he has done quite well without his meds, though HE NEEDED THEM the whole time. Then now it's all hitting him. He went into a rage at me on the phone because he says no one cares about him and I just calmly talked him down out of it. He knows he's like my oldest child to both me and my husband, so he was just being irrational and then after awhile he began to relax quite a bit.

I really think he needs inpatient. He told me the meds that worked the best on him were Zyprexa and Depakote, but he doesn't remember the dosages or anything, so I suggested calling and getting his medical records from the psyche hospital he was in at the time. The thing is I don't really think the info is reliable coming from him because at that time he was on a combo of 6 different meds. How does he know it was the Zyprexa and the Depakote? I mean, I know depakote can help with some of the symptoms of bipolar, but his primary diagnosis is Chronic Paranoid Schizophrenia. I think the anti-psychotic was helping him, to be honest, although he was still having visual hallucinations.

The last med he was on, he got for free, because they called it "experimental" phase or something along those lines. He was on Geodon. He did get it for free and he got free visits from the psychiatrist who was doing the I guess experiments....but then this is information coming from him, so I just don't know!

I think he didn't give the meds time to work, he made two visits to the pdoc and then quit, because he became paranoid that she was trying to poison him. It's so hard to be away from him. He knows he's sick, he told me so on the phone.

The money thing, we've btdt with him before. Sent him money for meds and he didn't get them, I believe he went and rented a bunch of movies instead.

I'm trying to talk them into coming back home. I really wish they would, I accept him and he's not accepted among the people he lives around. (GF's family) . I know that in our county there is a mental health system with a sliding scale, going by income. Since he has none, would he have to pay? they also do the samples, etc. for a certain amount of time.

I just feel so helpless, you know. I've always been able to help him or tried my darnedest, but now hes so far away and I can't help him. But I will get his meds. If he'll go to the doc. I told him I'd send him the money to see a doctor if he needs it, but I hate to. I just would have to trust that he'd do it, perhaps with the GF's help he would actually see someone.

Sorry to ramble on. I just know this pattern. It's not far from a crash and burn and this time big sister won't be there to help him. I just worry about that.

Thanks so much for listening to me!
You guys are a big help!

Take Care

(((((1day)))))) (((((((((((((Chris))))))))))))))) super big hugs for you!

Kimberly.

It's quite possible he'd qualify for medicaid as his health insurance provider, so you might want to look into that as well. And, if he is so unwell as to be unable to work, he may be able to be designated as disabled -that would allow him to obtain SSD payments. All of this could be worked out, if possible, through his community or county mental health agency.

Also look for a local NAMI chapter for assistance. They are REALLY great at helping locate local resources. www.nami.org.

Good luck!

emmy

[ktp]

Emmy:

Thanks for the information. I have been to those sites several times but never thought of them now. I guess my mine is not as clear as I thought. I went there and found local affiliates for his area (Chicago) and then I telephoned him with that number. I also visited the frequently asked questions section and one of the questions was about discounted or free healthcare/prescriptions and got some leads there too. I appreciate you all so much for helping me.

He's still really not himself, he told me he was about to "lose it" and now I atleast feel better because he promised me he'd call the local chapter tomorrow and maybe then he'll feel a little better. I know it's that he lost his job and has no money and knows, has known, for awhile that he needed a pdoc and meds but just couldn't afford them anyway. I think he's extremely overwhelmed and that's when the poop (edited) hits the fan with him.

Thanks again!

(((((((((((EMMY))))))))))))

Kimberly.

[LixTetrax1397]

i know a guy that gets free money because he has schizophrenia. I'm in California and maybe it's different in your state, but here schizophrenia is considered a handicap so he gets money... i think so...??? either that or he's making up $h#%