Update From The Doctor

I went to the neurologist today. He doesn't think that I have any form of degenerative brain disease(Alzheimer's, etc.), but we're going to do quite a bit of blood work to just make sure. Currently, I am on 375mg of Topamax a day. He thinks that quite a few of the problems I am having are due to the high amounts of the Topamax. He feels that the forgetfulness and the fact that I am tired all day are from the drug.

He wants to reduce the Topamax to 300mg a day and mix in 10mg of Abilify a day as well. The Abilify should help things with the PTSD some too. The problems with my word association, my newly discovered accents, and my stuttering in stressful situations, may all be new forms of Tourette's tics manifesting themselves as other forms of tics subside. He said there are dozens of types of vocal tics associated with Tourette's Syndrome that it is impossible to be sure, but it is very likely a possibility. Um....great.

I went to Walmart to pick up the Abilify prescription. My copay was $75.00. Without my insurance, it would have been $487.00. But, $75.00 for a 30 day supply. That's $2.50 a pill. I can't afford that. I can't afford half that. The insurance company, Medco, has a history of gouging their customers on the more expensive medications to force them to use their 90 day supply by mail service. The same medication by mail would be $50 for 90 days, instead of $225 in the store. Meanwhile, I have to wait until Monday to call my doctor. Have him fax a script to Medco. Wait for Medco to mail the package to me. In the meantime, I have no medicine. And, once I get my pills, I have to hope things work with them so I don't end up changing prescriptions and having the pills go to waste.

I am on six other medications, and combined they cost less than $75 a month to maintain, some as little as $4.00. It's no wonder people can't afford health care. I can't afford it, even with insurance. I'm spending between $200 and $250 a month on medical expenses...just for myself, not including my wife or my daughter. That is with insurance. That's an electric bill. That is my cable, car insurance, water, and gas bill combined.

Ok.....I didn't mean for this to turn into a bitchfest about healthcare costs. I'm sorry. Goodnight.

ETA...(10/19/09)After doing some research, the mail order option is $125.00 for 90 days. This is even less viable. So, in the meantime, I am without a necessary medication. I may be able to get it if/when I am finally released from my employer as an employee and my profit sharing fund is sent to me in the form of a check. That will hopefully be at the end of the month.