Happy birthday Doctor_wu! Hope it was great!
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Happy Birthday, doctor_wu!
What the Birthday Shoggoth said, Dr Wu :)
Happy belated one, Wu!
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Yay met a friend for my birthday.
Late Happy Birthday! *hugs*
Oh, that's VERY cool, John!
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Wait...so are you saying not only do you know C-3PO...but he gaved you great advice....That is Awesome.
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So, I’ve been thinking of going back onto Antidepressants, but I don’t really know what to ask for. A few years ago I was on Pristiq but it felt like it stopped working and all I was doing was sleeping all the time, it made me, well, not tired but I just wanted to sleep so I stopped taking it (that and the cost kept going up and up...). I don’t even know if my current insurance would cover it.
My ramblings aside, I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far.
*channels positive feelings and offers hugs to anyone and everyone that wants or needs some*
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So, I’ve been thinking of going back onto Antidepressants, but I don’t really know what to ask for. A few years ago I was on Pristiq but it felt like it stopped working and all I was doing was sleeping all the time, it made me, well, not tired but I just wanted to sleep so I stopped taking it (that and the cost kept going up and up...). I don’t even know if my current insurance would cover it.
My ramblings aside, I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far.
*channels positive feelings and offers hugs to anyone and everyone that wants or needs some*
sending pm to avoid wrath of moderators.
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@Rysky: I have no experience with this, but I have a friend who I can ask for you. But till than *hugs*
I just got a update on my friend that they will try to treat the tumor with chemo.
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Rysky - What Antidepressants are helpful depends on the physical cause of the depression (if any). Whatever you do should be under the advice of an m.D. Sadly, many of the better Antidepressants take a few weeks to show how effective they are, so try and error would be a pretty grating procedure.
Take care.
*offers hugs*
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I don’t even know if my current insurance would cover it.
Somewhere in the stack of material your insurance company provided is a book called a Formulary. It lists all the covered medications and all the rules to follow for getting off-list prescriptions. It may also be accessible through your health insurance portal.
You might look through that and make a list of the anti-depressants that are covered. Then do a bit of internet research and take the modified list with you when you talk to your PCP. If you feel well-informed, they may be able to write the scrip without going to specialists.
If not, the specialist you see might be able to help you narrow down the list and/or help you self-test a couple different options.
If this sounds overwhelming, PM me and I'll do some of the detecting for you.
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Okay, I’ll look for that then, Thankies Crystalseas.
Thankies, John and feytharn, *hugs*
Be well, Rysky. I want to let you know also that sometimes a psychiatrist can give you free samples if they know you don't have much money. One doctor of mine maintained me like that for quite a while. Also sometimes you can find a sympathetic pharmacist who can help you. I was getting ripped off at CVS for a while, paying like $200 a month for antidepressants, but I tried a different pharmacy where they were willing or able to use a discount card (?) so it was less than $20 for the same amount. I know how hard it is trying to find things and navigate the system when you feel wretched (it's hard enough when you feel well) but you can search out opportunities and find people who give a hoot and will meet you where you are.
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Be well, Rysky. I want to let you know also that sometimes a psychiatrist can give you free samples if they know you don't have much money. One doctor of mine maintained me like that for quite a while. Also sometimes you can find a sympathetic pharmacist who can help you. I was getting ripped off at CVS for a while, paying like $200 a month for antidepressants, but I tried a different pharmacy where they were willing or able to use a discount card (?) so it was less than $20 for the same amount. I know how hard it is trying to find things and navigate the system when you feel wretched (it's hard enough when you feel well) but you can search out opportunities and find people who give a hoot and will meet you where you are.Okay, I’ll look for that then, Thankies Crystalseas.
Thankies, John and feytharn, *hugs*
Look on the manufacturer's website for trial cards or discount cards, which are sometimes restricted to specific participating pharmacies. Harmacies may have in house discount cards that can lower the cost on generics as well.
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Rysky - What Antidepressants are helpful depends on the physical cause of the depression (if any). Whatever you do should be under the advice of an m.D. Sadly, many of the better Antidepressants take a few weeks to show how effective they are, so try and error would be a pretty grating procedure.
Take care.
*offers hugs*
This pretty much the same advice my friend gave. *hugs*
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Thankies for all the continued advice everyone, gonna call my insurer tomorrow about the Formulary and what all nearby doctors/specialists/practices are covered (and yeah, the last refill for Pristiq was like $148 or something).
*channels positive feelings and offers hugs to anyone and everyone that wants or needs some*
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yes.
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Yes
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Yes.
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Roll a confirmation critical for your bro, but fail a saving throw for me! ;)
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Sorry Rysky for not keeping up with this thread and replying earlier. Looks like you got plenty of good advice though, so Yay! for that.
Pristiq looks like an updated Effexor XR (both are SNRIs), which was the only thing that ever put a dent in my depression. I don't know what your doc(s) tried you on before Pristiq, but none of the SSRIs I tried ever worked for me (and a couple had terrible side-effects). If your doc thinks SNRIs are the way to go, you might ask about the newer SNRI, Fetzima. As it's still new-ish, there won't be a generic version, but there is a good chance your doc will have free samples that can at least determine if it'll even work for you.
Definitely check with your insurance plan to see what "expense class" of medication it classifies Pristiq (assuming that still works for you) or other med your doc recommends. Many insurance plans offer a mail-order service that will bill you at a significantly reduced rate and directly mail you the meds (allowing them to buy it in bulk at reduced rates). I checked GoodRX (they have mobile apps too), and found pharmacies local to me offering Pristiq at reduced rates of $55-$75, which was cheaper than the $100+ you were paying. You might also look into Costco's pharmacy which does not require a Costco membership to offer reduced rates on filling prescriptions (they will even web fill/mail-order many meds).
Another Paizo poster a while back used a phone app/website that gamified lists of daily/weekly/etc. goals and necessary activities, encouraging the user to accomplish tasks and not let them slide (which can be very tough under depression). As the user made achievements, it psychologically reinforced their progress and even just when you were treading water, which can help keep them in a better place mentally to keep on keeping on.
Hang in there. We all wish you the best, and if we can help, let us know. {BIG HUGS}
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Also, yes, for John. {also BIG HUGS}
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In a recent gamification process, the rewards I gave myself were a few points every day for each new behavior that I wanted to habituate.
I created a Paizo shopping list for my rewards catalog, and I could spend points or hoard them, depending on what I wanted most. I think I owe myself about $80 at the moment but I've got nearly $500 worth of stuff on my Paizo wishlist
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There are a few things to know about gamifying your life that will help you be more successful.
1. It helps to reward small daily steps that get you toward a goal, not just reaching the goal itself. A few XP points for each baby step. Break the thing down into tiny steps and give a few points for each one. If it takes more than 5 minutes to do, you can probably break it down into smaller steps. For example, you can strip the bed, put new sheets on, launder the dirty sheets, and put the clean sheets away in the linen closet. Four things to get points for, not just "change the sheets".
2. It helps to reward new behavior. If you're trying to get rid of a behavior, reward yourself for whatever you substitute.
3. It helps to phrase the desired behavior in positive statements. Avoid statements that you "didn't" do something. Rewrite it to say what you're going to do instead.
2. It helps to reward baby steps but not punish failure. So don't subtract points for not doing something.
3. It helps to reward streaks. If you've done something for 5, 10, 15 days in a row, add some XP to the total for each milestone. If you break your streak, just start over. I make the XP higher for each milestone. For example 5 days in a row might be an additional 10 XP, but 10 days in a row is an additional 25 XP, not 20.
4. It helps to reward goals. In addition to daily XP, give yourself XP bonuses when you reach a specific goal.
5. It helps to have a reward in mind for each goal. Buying new clothes, getting a new toy, going out to dinner at a special restaurant, hosting a party, whatever real-life celebration motivates you, make it the reward for reaching your goal.
Because I'm trying to change some lifestyle behaviors and I have a timeline for the goal that is nearly a year out, I gave myself the flexibility to either spend the points as I earned them (buying a new book when I'd earned $25) or to wait until the end and get everything on the list. I'm not sure if my ability to delay gratification will last the full year. A few booster rewards as I go will probably help.
When I was really down, I gave myself points for things as simple as brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, changing the sheets, and calling a friend to talk. Really basic stuff, but watching the streaks grow longer and the points pile up was still motivating.
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My wife is a proponent of Habitica for the same purpose. Since playing games like that don't work for me, we've worked out some goals where she gets points for me doing things. (While I'm not personally motivated by points, I am motivated by her clear satisfaction at earning them.) In the same discussion, she also asked me what habits I wanted her to work on. We've found that each targeting a couple behaviors that bug the other person has helped reduce frustration and nagging and generally had a disproportionately positive effect on our relationship. :P
Three cheers for support systems that enable and reinforce success!
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I'm stopping head meds with my shrink's approval, well, 2 meds I used to take daily one never seemed to do a thing in the months I've been taking it (also, its indication is not even what I actually have), the other may have helped years ago, but I think I'm so accustomed to it it doesn't work anymore (and my sleep trouble leans that way)... I'll see how things evolve that way. Currently, I'm depressed and angry, but I've stopped taking the drugs so recently I don't think it's withdrawal at all and that's just my natural reaction to various things.
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Late to the thread again. Rysky, Klorox, John (and others I might have missed), hang in there. Things WILL go better
Piles of great advice given before so I have nothing left to say except that I wish to thank all the people on this thread (again) for being great helpful human beings that understand how helping each other is what makes this world better for everyone
I especially liked Judy's post as my couple surely can use reinforcing steps too :-)
3 weeks of not going to work here (and thus not getting paid of course) and my soon-to-be-ex bosses should send me my firing letter tomorrow.
It is a stressful time (and even worse the first two weeks when I had absolutely no news from them), but it was the only possible way. I will certainly celebrate getting my notification of being fired :-)
In the meantime I could spend time with our 2 year kid and thereby lighten my lady's schedule at a time of heavy workload and stressful family issues for her, so there was some definite positive here
Including watching some episodes of Agents of Shield S2 I had not been able to keep up with :-)
Geeks will be geeks
Lots of love and light for everyone :-)