Re: experiment - didn't take my cymbalta today - update

[Guest guest]

Hi all-

Appreciate the suggestions and expressions of concern. Called my

PCP's office yesterday to ask if they could provide me samples of the

expensive meds, the Cymbalta and the Statin. They have the Cymbalta

and can provide me with Lipitor (rather than the Lovastatin I'm

currently taking.) I will simply have to cut the Lipitor tablets they

have in half, for the correct dosage for me. I so appreciated their

help. Then I asked if I could be put on the emergency cancellation

list for an appointment if something comes up in March. I was able to

scrape enough money together for March COBRA, as I had the heart cath

in March. But will have to let it lapse now, as I can't make April or

May COBRA payments. We'll have insurance first of June. As far as the

DH is concerned, didn't take COBRA on him. He doesn't have any March

claims and is extremely healthy. I did opt to continue his life

insurance, feeling it was a better bang for the buck with our limited

budget.

I can get many of my meds on those drug plans, but the expensive,

newer ones aren't on anybody's listing. And the small drug discounts

given on the drug discount cards still don't make it possible for me

to purchase things like the Cymbalta or any of the Statin drugs. I'll

have to pay for my stomach meds out of my own pocket as my doc

doesn't generally get samples of those from suppliers. But it's so

nice to know I just have to swing by my physician's office and pick

up the Cymbalta and Lipitor this week to cover my break in coverage.

If She doesn't have any cancellations this month, I advised the nurse

I had to cancel the April appt, as I cannot pay her. Will have to

just go in June. Dang, I hate this medical system and the gaps we are

all subjected to. And the situation of people who don't have any

health insurance - ever. So not right in such a wealthy country to

have so many destitute.

GrandDaughter is visiting, so will be offline mostly, the next week

or so.

Hugs to all here,

Girlsaylor

>

> Hi Girlsaylor - Please try to contact the manufacturer of Cymbalta

and the statin drug. See if you can get free meds from them to tide

you over. You shouldn't have to suffer. N. posted a whole

bunch of drug assistance sites a few weeks back.

> I may have saved them. I'll repost if I did.

>

> I understand about the Cobra payments. Our 19 yr. old daughter

just got dropped from our insurance because she isn't a full-time

student at this time. Just for her, at her young age, it will cost

over $300 a month for continued insurance coverage. I don't think

she or we will be able to swing that. I'm sure your payments are

much higher. Well, hope the drug assistance thing can help you out.

> Jeanne in WI

>

> Due to DH's job change, and the cost of the Cobra insurance til

we go on his new insurance, I'm going to run out of all of my meds

(about a dozen!) before then. I just cannot pay 3 month's Cobra plus

copays. I

> have a bit of Fluoxetine left from before my PCP changed me to

Cymbalta, so I'm going to take a Fluoxetine one day a week or so to

try and stretch my Cymbalta. Well, today I took the Fluoxetine, as

> well as the Ultram ER, and let me tell you, what a difference.

Hubby noticed I was hobbling and in terrible pain. He just doesn't

get it, how sick I am. My feet are killing me today. Anyhow, I will

run out of the Ultram ER also, before the insurance starts. I could

go back

> on my generic tramadol, which doesn't provide near the pain

relief, but that's the way of the working class, isn't it.

>

> Many of the other meds I can get at Kmart for $5 a month, so

that's no biggie. But when I last discussed statins with my PCP, she

insisted I take either Lipitor or Lovastatin. Well, Lipitor is out of

the question price-wise. And the Lovastatin isn't much less. I

frankly don't know what I'm going to do. I expect I may be able to

> get a little bit of Cymbalta samples from my PCP, but I don't

think she gets the statin samples. As far as the Tramadol, I'll just

have to go with the generic, though it doesn't work very well, as

compared with the extended release Ultram. Oh well, guess I should

just go hide when I run out of meds, lest I risk running off my DH

and friends. Argh.

>

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