Posted by liliths on May 30, 2006, at 12:13:06
hi all..
I'm planning on switching health plans and am having difficulty dealing with 'formularies'.
2 of my staple drugs, klonopin and hydrocodone are excluded and I am trying to find suitable replacements.
the closest things that are covered:
meprobamate for the klonopin
oxycodone for the hydrocodoneI've written a lot below about my situation and current cocktail for those who want more information before rendering an opinion but basically my question is:
can I take oxycodone instead of hydrocodone and meprobamate instead of klonopin?
so if you can give information about that without knowing anything else, you probably don't need to bother reading the endless babble below
I haven't discussed this with my pdoc yet as I want to make sure before I ask him
so for reference, if interested, my total current cocktail is:
• concerta - 108mg a.m.
(totally different problem will be getting that dosage approved - seems they don't want to cover more than 72mg)• klonopin - 1mg a.m. / (sometimes 1mg mid-afternoon as needed) / 2mg p.m.
• buspar - 22.5mg a.m. & again mid-afternoon
• wellbutrin - 100mg mid-afternoon
I seem to experience word finding difficulty and general stupidity with this drug and so try to keep the dosage as low as possible. I've wondered about trying something else but haven't a clue what might be comparable. And now of course, I have this 'formulary' to think about• hydrocodone - 7.5mg a.m. and again mid-afternoon
I know the subject of 'painkillers' as antidepressants is a hotly debated one but for some reason, they work for me... more focus, some energy - or to put it better - I am less likely to just 'sit there' (a major problem for me)I also occasionally take sleeping pills when needed - usually ambien or lunesta - (whatever samples my pdoc gives me since my insurance stopped covering them)
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
I am currently in the midst of a major depressive crisis - seems nothing I do or take really balances my basic inability to live.
I have been diagnosed as ADHD, PTSD, DID, and severely depressed LOL - sorry I have to laugh at myself or I'd just have to give up. I'm one of the many who has always had to keep suicide in their back pocket - just to know I have a choice.
But I've always said it's not about wanting to die - rather just not being able to tolerate the fact that I just don't know how to live. I'm so very, very tired of being me. Suicide has always appeared to be a very inevitable conclusion to this failed lifeI recently had the lovely experience of inadvertently missing my morning meds and was shocked at what not taking the concerta (the only 'major' med there) did to me. I spent the day totally abandoned, couldn't concentrate, couldn't think, ate all day for absolutely no reason and was weepy to the point of hysteria at times. I didn't know I had forgotten to take my meds until later that day when I noticed my morning pill container for that day was full and remembered 'remembering I need to take my pills' but obviously never did. It was a day I woke up particularly early and was waiting to take them. Usually it's just 1st thing, along with a million vitamins, my morning coffee and breakfast. So the thought of having to take a lower dose of concerta is horrifying.
I also have major issues about weight - won't take any medication that even hints of possible weight gain
I'd love to feel better than I do now. Have been on this regimen or a variant of it for a few years now. Dosages for wellbutrin used to be much higher but I went back to school last year and cut down on anything I saw as potentially threatening to my ability to learn - being in school was hard enough. After taking the wellbutrin down, I also cut out the mid-afternoon klonopin and went off the hydrocodone for awhile. I even entertained the idea of going off all my meds (my missed med experience answered at least part of that!)
I've since graduated (probably part of the reason I've fallen into the black hole though I felt it gathering below me during my last semester).
I'm pretty much being forced to switch as my current insurance is exorbitant - goes up approx. $150 every birthday (gee, do you think they're trying to get rid of me? LOL I was grandfathered in under a cobra plan they no longer offer. I am a middle aged 'uninsurable' female - really that's what every insurance company has told me the past couple of years)
If I weren't on meds I wouldn't have medical insurance at all as I can't afford it but I'm about to become eligible for medicare and it's new drug coverage. I've been on disability for the past 18 months. Though giving up my health insurance means admitting I will always be on disability as I am simply unable to do dailiness. I only got through school because there was a definite beginning and end in sight.sorry this post is so long. I thought it might be more helpful to give as much information as possible rather than just ask the question about substituting one drug for another
but that's the bottom line
if you got this far, then I thank you deeply and sincerely
namaste,
vness de psycho (my lastest moniker :)
poster:liliths
thread:650448
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060530/msgs/650448.html