Posted by not exactly on January 31, 2003, at 2:33:33
In reply to desipramine instead of Strattera? - not exactly, posted by BekkaH on January 31, 2003, at 1:10:22
Bekka,
I called the BC/BS member services dept., and they informed me that Strattera was not yet covered because it was so new. However, they reassured me that it was "under review". When I asked how long this process usually took, they were unwilling to give me even a ballpark guesstimate.
They did tell me about "form 434" [http://www.bcbsma.com/common/en_US/pdfs/30001-PriorAuthReferral.pdf] which my pdoc can use to request an exception. Acceptable reasons for granting an exception include "Treatment Failure with all Covered Drugs in Class" and "Documented Adverse Reaction to all Covered Drugs in Class". I would hope that "Absence of any Covered Drugs in Class" also qualifies. :-)
I'm assuming my pdoc would be willing to submit this form, but I haven't mentioned it to him yet. Back when Strattera was approved, he seemed to agree that it made sense for me to try. But when I recently sent him an email informing him that it was finally available for Rx, he simply replied that we'd "discuss it" in our next session. I don't want to be too persistent at this point, for fear of exhibiting "drug seeking behavior". The best solution, of course, would be for him to obtain free samples for me to try (although he's been unwilling to do this with other meds in the past). If Strattera really helped, then he and I would surely do whatever it took to make it possible for me to afford to continue it.
However, I'm starting to think that desipramine might be a better choice for me anyway. After all, I really want an AD, not an ADHD med. I feel that my lack of motivation and focus are just symptoms of my depression. Anyway, I will "discuss it" tomorrow when I see my pdoc. I expect to leave his office with a Rx for *something*, and it better not be another goddamn SSRI!
Wish me luck. I'll report back as soon as I start my new med, whatever it might be.
- Bob
poster:not exactly
thread:133458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030130/msgs/138508.html