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Mental Health losing my insurance, losing my meds .. advice?

SilverFeniks

SilverFeniks

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Joined
Jul 2, 2002
Messages
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So I have.a while, but at the end of.the year the insurance I've had for years (which hasn't been good.to me) will terminate.

Currently on 300mg Lamotrigine, 1.5mg Risperidone, and 5mg Etizolam (unprescribed obviously,.but my HMO won't Rx benzos)
Also Rx'd Trazodone but don't really need it since alcohol & etizolam knock me.out well enough every night now.

Trying to figure out when I should start tapering. Never been on/off diazapines before but aware that's gonna be rough. How many weeks.do I.need to come off 5mg if I reduce by 1mg doses?

I've tapered off both Lamotrigine and Risperidone before (many times), longest I made it Through was a week of hell once before I caved in and resumed the drugs.

I know these are things I should ask a Doctor, but my.current psych I have only met once. I can never talk openly with doctors (i'd be too nervous to even tell her I'm losing my insurance). It'll.take 6 weeks to get an appt anyway at which point it might be a bit late.

Kinda looking forward to getting off the pills but not sure how to get there or what the other side will look like. Any advice appreciated, i don't really have any support, will have to hide withdrawals at work, and don't use any illegal drugs/cannabis these days
 
So this may not be what you want to hear, but the only way they can help you is if you're totally honest. If they suspect that you're holding something back (which you admit you are), they're a lot less likely to prescribe you a controlled substance if you need it. I'd tell your doctor about the etizolam and alcohol for starters. Secondly, I'd tell them about not taking the trazodone. The insurance thing is, no offense, but critical and obvious to tell them.

That's a medium-low dose of risperidone in my experience. Some people take 6mg. Do you think it might actually help you? Doctors who see their patients get off drugs that they really want them to take are further less likely to prescribe you something that can be abused if the patient actually needs it.

But maybe you don't need a benzo. I don't know. If you're just looking for kicks, you'd be better off at least waiting until your medicine regimen is set. If you have an addiction to GABAergics, there also should be rehabs available.

Sounds like you need an appointment sooner.
 
I've never in my life heard of an HMO having a no benzodiazepine policy. Many of them have no barbituate policies but I would check your HMO's official formulary instead of listening to what the doctors are saying. Even if your HMO won't pay for benzos, they're stupid cheap at the pharmacy... like 20 bucks a month for generic diazepam or alprazolam... I think its more a case of having garbage doctors.

I agree with Ho-Chi-Minh, you need to go in and be honest. Two of those drugs lower your seizure threshold in withdrawal and risperidone can cause a dopamine rebound which can cause a psychotic episode (I had it happen with ziprasidone). You really need to be under the care of a doctor for this.

Check with your city and see if you qualify for short duration Medicaid or another equivalent service or if they can get you on a prescription assistance program (I know for a fact that both lamictal and risperdal can be gotten through PAP, it just depends on your income). There's always options, call your local DHS and discuss them. When there are psych meds involved, you might be able to get an emergency Medicaid approval.

Here is GSK's PAP for Lamictal: http://www.gskforyou.com/patient-assistance-programs/drugslist.html
Here is Johnson & Johnson's for Risperdal: http://www.jjpaf.org/application/patients-caregivers.html

As for the etizolam, I don't know what to tell you. There are still places to get it but the blistered pills are a thing of the past unless you import them yourself and take the risk of customs seizing them.

Trazodone will definitely come in handy when you're kicking the etizolam since rebound insomnia is likely.

It should go without saying but you shouldn't drink any alcohol during this time. Even if you were just coming off of etizolam, alcohol will seriously hamper your recovery.

Ho-Chi-Minh said:
That's a medium-low dose of risperidone in my experience. Some people take 6mg. Do you think it might actually help you? Doctors who see their patients get off drugs that they really want them to take are further less likely to prescribe you something that can be abused if the patient actually needs it.
Click to expand...

Actually, target maintenance dose for bipolar is 1-6mg and its a potent drug. 2mg puts me on my ass personally.
 
MagickalKat777 said:
Check with your city and see if you qualify for short duration Medicaid or another equivalent service or if they can get you on a prescription assistance program (I know for a fact that both lamictal and risperdal can be gotten through PAP, it just depends on your income). There's always options, call your local DHS and discuss them. When there are psych meds involved, you might be able to get an emergency Medicaid approval.
Click to expand...

This ^ is what I came here to suggest.

These are powerful meds you are on and the solution is not to find a way to quit them but rather to find a way to sustain them. In most states, you should be able to dial 211 on your phone and navigate your way through all the electronic prompts. You should be able to reach Department of Health Services (DHS) or Health and Human Services Commission or whatever your state calls it.

Another approach is to go to your doctor's office and ask to speak with a social worker. Tell the social worker that you are losing your insurance and you need a solution. Depending on your income, you could also try Obamacare/ACA (Affordable Care Act) and get a fairly reasonably priced plan. Much cheaper than the old COBRA plans.
 
I have a good salary so I wouldn't qualify for any sort of Govt benefits, but most of my $ goes to mortgage/insurances (5) and taxes.

My doctors in the past had both told me that Risperidone and Lamotrigine didn't have withdrawls despite my experiences so not sure who to trust on that.

Starting Etizolam taper today. 1 less mg and I dont feel any effects, positive or negative. Gonna try to make this quick but don't know what the seizure threshold is.

My HmO really has been no help to me (even in the midst of a week-long psychiatric crisis, couldn't get an appointment .. just wait-listed. For 5 months.)
So not really inclined to deal with them further.

We'll see how it goes. Gonna stock up on Trazodone the best I can.
 
SilverFeniks said:
I have a good salary so I wouldn't qualify for any sort of Govt benefits, but most of my $ goes to mortgage/insurances (5) and taxes.

My doctors in the past had both told me that Risperidone and Lamotrigine didn't have withdrawls despite my experiences so not sure who to trust on that.

Starting Etizolam taper today. 1 less mg and I dont feel any effects, positive or negative. Gonna try to make this quick but don't know what the seizure threshold is.

My HmO really has been no help to me (even in the midst of a week-long psychiatric crisis, couldn't get an appointment .. just wait-listed. For 5 months.)
So not really inclined to deal with them further.

We'll see how it goes. Gonna stock up on Trazodone the best I can.
Click to expand...

I'm telling you, dude. https://www.healthcare.gov/

Obamacare is not just for poor people. It's for people just like you. I don't know or care what your politics are and it doesn't matter because the program works. I'm a social worker and know about helping uninsured people get insured.

Last I checked you could surf around the website and get estimates without signing up. Anyone who wouldn't answer a few questions for a free estimate is either stupid or crazy....but we are on the MH forum.....
 
MagickalKat777 said:
I've never in my life heard of an HMO having a no benzodiazepine policy. Many of them have no barbituate policies but I would check your HMO's official formulary instead of listening to what the doctors are saying. Even if your HMO won't pay for benzos, they're stupid cheap at the pharmacy... like 20 bucks a month for generic diazepam or alprazolam... I think its more a case of having garbage doctors.

I agree with Ho-Chi-Minh, you need to go in and be honest. Two of those drugs lower your seizure threshold in withdrawal and risperidone can cause a dopamine rebound which can cause a psychotic episode (I had it happen with ziprasidone). You really need to be under the care of a doctor for this.

Check with your city and see if you qualify for short duration Medicaid or another equivalent service or if they can get you on a prescription assistance program (I know for a fact that both lamictal and risperdal can be gotten through PAP, it just depends on your income). There's always options, call your local DHS and discuss them. When there are psych meds involved, you might be able to get an emergency Medicaid approval.

Here is GSK's PAP for Lamictal: http://www.gskforyou.com/patient-assistance-programs/drugslist.html
Here is Johnson & Johnson's for Risperdal: http://www.jjpaf.org/application/patients-caregivers.html

As for the etizolam, I don't know what to tell you. There are still places to get it but the blistered pills are a thing of the past unless you import them yourself and take the risk of customs seizing them.

Trazodone will definitely come in handy when you're kicking the etizolam since rebound insomnia is likely.

It should go without saying but you shouldn't drink any alcohol during this time. Even if you were just coming off of etizolam, alcohol will seriously hamper your recovery.



Actually, target maintenance dose for bipolar is 1-6mg and its a potent drug. 2mg puts me on my ass personally.
Click to expand...

Thanks :)

But notice I said: in my experience. I didn't mean to generalize. I've taken 6mg risperdal and it mostly is just a light sleep aid, for me.
 
This thread disappears from.the forum long ago.but just found it in old.posts

got new insurance but I've been calling around to PCPs and Psychs all month, can't reach anyone. Finally reached one office who said "no new patients" despite what my. ins said.
Got one on or two more to try but if I can't reach them I guess I'll be going it alone. Should start tapering soon but even that is quite painful.

Wish I didn't have so much going for me right now.but I'm so close to escaping debt, don't want to give up after all my struggles.
 
Ten mg/day of haloperidol (Haldol) is a good and cheap substitute for the Risperdal. As it turns out, the older antipsychotics (DA type 2 antagonists) have been found to be just as effective as the newer atypicals (5-HT and D2 antagonists) and much cheaper.

Not sure why you're taking lamotrigine, but stopping it shouldn't hurt anything.

And finally, in regards to the benzos, as long as etizolam is cheap and freely available / not yet controlled, why stop taking it? Benadryl (diphenhydramine)--between 25 and 100mg before bed--is a useful adjunct in the case of insomnia.
 
is there a special psychiatry department at your insurance company you could contact? Mine does, and they handle calls related to mental health coverage; I've been transferred there from the general customer service lines.
It's in their best interest to help you find a psychiatrist quickly if it would avoid a potential hospitalization.
 
if you have a private insurance, maybe you could switch to a state aid insurance?

i know this thread is quite old, but let us know how you're doing.
 
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