Im so frustrated with this Mail In Pharmacy!

[Brent]

For us, its cheaper to get a 3 or 6 month supply than it would to get a 1 months supply through our pharmacy. [...]

I see.

[momof3boys]

Its crazy how insurance companies can be sometimes. When my husband and I got married almost 8 years ago, and he put me on his insurance, we were just getting one month supplies, til a insurance representative told us about getting it in 3 or 6 month supplies at a cheaper price. It wasnt til then, that we looked into it more, and found out its alot cheaper getting my medications in larger amounts, rather than getting them every month. But this online pharmacy is so frustrating, and at times it makes me want to pay the extra money just so I know Im getting the right stuff and I wont have to mess with calling the online pharmacy all day long to explain things!

[Brent]

I can't imagine using a mail-order pharmacy, but I guess it's easy for me to say that since my meds cost me less than $10 per month. (Well, the meds themselves cost $500-$600, but my insurance covers it.)

In general, I have nothing good to say about insurance companies, but in this case, when I see that $500-$600 price tag, and I only pay a few dollars, it makes me feel like I'm settling the score with the insurance companies a little.

[momof3boys]

that would be awesome to get medications for less than $10 a month! I so wish I was able to take the generics, the cheaper priced medications our insurance offers. Before reordering my medications last month, I asked about it, with the nurse at my drs office, and they said they were not against it, but advised me of the warnings. Ive never been on any generic seizure medications before. Ive always had brand name, and so far, the Keppra has been a huge life saver. It controlls my seizures very well. After hearing the possibilities of having break through seizures with a generic, and not knowing if the manufacter will change, and what changes could take place, I made my mind to stick with the brand name, pay more for it, but to me, Id rather pay more than have seizures. The feeling of the seizures and what I feel like afterwords is just horriable. something I wouldnt want anyone to go through.

Our insurance company changed things this year and now started raising prices of medications and trying to get you to take the generics. To save the insurance companies money, and also you too... LOL. But for my case, its just medically necessary for me to have the brand name. Something I wish I could change.

For now, Im paying $150 for my glucophage xr every 6 months, & $100 for my keppra xr every 6 months. Makes it $500 a year we pay out of our pocket for them. Wish they would lower their darn prices!

[Endless]

Wow, Brent! What's your insurance company? Wonder if we have it in our state?

[Eve]

Yeah I'm with you I would love to be able to take the generic Keppra it would in fact save on average 25$ a month but my Doctor doesn't like it and he's afraid of the break through seizures. And I hate having seizures I really hate that feeling of dread i the middle of the night followed by the tummy ache the headache and the muscle spasms.

Brent I would love to get meds for less than $10 a month but I don't see it happening with this insurance plan I have now. I just pray I don't get broken pills in the mail order,

The thing that really gets me with the Express Scripts MailOrder is that when I go to my mailbox:

Issue 1 is the bag is really hot yeah it is hot where I live in the southeast.
Issue 2 the mailman throws the bag in the mailbox and I often get at least 8 broken pills.
Issue 3 They send me the pills in a big heavy duty plastic bag and it is not well packed.When I hold the bag I can feel my bottles of pills sliding back and forth.

I still wish for the good old days just 2 years ago where I could go to my local pharmacy where they know me by name and they know my health conditions.

When I call the mail order company it's like I have to explain everything all over again.

[momof3boys]

I know exacly how you feel. If only the stupid insurance companies wouldnt have changed things and we can still go to our local pharmacy to get the medications! I cant stand having to explain over and over again to all their customer service reps. They each tell you something different. So you dont know if what they are telling you is going to make things right or wrong! Its so darn frustrating!

[Eve]

Yeah I know and everytime you call you speak to somebody different and you have to explain it all over again from the start.

When I went to pick up my Lunesta at the Pharmacy yesterday it was nice to have the pharmacist greet my by name and act like I'm a friend.

Of course with the keppra there are rules and I have to get it through the mail order. Tomorrow I am going to try to register online after I've had a good cup of coffee.

When I get up in the morning I feel like a train wreck and it doesn't matter how much sleep I get. I really need the coffee in the morning

[momof3boys]

Im the same way in the mornings. I feel so tired. Im a very light sleeper. Unlike my husband! He puts his head on his pillow and is out like a light! Apart of me wishes I can be that way. But my mom keeps telling me its part of being a mom... "mom's never sleep heavy, they are always light sleepers, just so they can hear their kids at night if needed!" ha ha ha!

I have to have some caffiene at least by noon. If not sooner. Ive been really cutting back on the caffiene and focusing more on bottled water. But if I dont have at least a cup of caffiene by noon, I get a major headache, and Im really not a good morning person. I like to stay up at night and watch shows. I need to change that though. This is my last school year with staying home with our youngest. He starts full time kindergarten in August of next year. Apart of me really wants to see whats its like to be at home with no kids, since Ive always had a kid with me the past 7 years! But then, I really want to get a part time job too, to help with the income. The only hard part is trying to find a job that will allow me to work after dropping off the kids and getting off at around 2pm, since the kids get out of school around 2:45. Plus Im needing to find a job where Im off in the summers, since my husbands job, he cant take off that much time. But in the meantime, Im enjoying having some days with my little one, who is growing up way too fast!

[Eve]

My hubby falls asleep in 5 seconds and he out for the night. Not me.....every night is a challenge for me to fall asleep.I also stay up late watching dumb movies. I remember the days having young ones is tough mine are all in college and I miss them like crazy. Cant wait for Thanksgiving and Winter Break.

Enjoy them while they are young everyone used to tell me that and I thought they were all crazy. But they were right they do grow up fast.

Check for a job with the school system this way you'll have the same days off as your kids including summers. Go on the website for you local school system they have all kinds of jobs \including secretarial, administrative, various clerical and so on. I had thought of getting a job with the school system. They have benefits.

[Brent]

I have to have some caffiene at least by noon. If not sooner. Ive been really cutting back on the caffiene and focusing more on bottled water. But if I dont have at least a cup of caffiene by noon, I get a major headache, and Im really not a good morning person. I like to stay up at night and watch shows. I need to change that though.

You may know this, but caffeine induces a parasympathetic response in your body which, among other things, causes the blood vessels to your brain to constrict. Over time, if you are a regular caffeine user, your body adjusts, so that if you don't take in caffeine, the blood vessels in your brain will tend to hyperdilate (i.e. over-expand). This is why you get a headache.

Here's the thing though. Many people who cut back on caffeine do exactly what you do - they drink more. If you are dehydrated you can get a headache because of hypovolemia (reduced blood volume), which also can cause a headache. So, people drink water. However, if you have a headache due to hyperdilation (from caffeine withdrawal), increasing your blood volume (through increased hydration) just makes it worse.

Caffeine is also a diuretic, so that adds to the problem.

Not to say that you should consume caffeine or intentionally dehydrate as a strategy to prevent headaches, but I'm just pointing it out.

Caffeine takes longer to metabolize than most people think. The half-life is about 2.5 to 4.5 hours. That means that after about 4 hours, your caffeine levels are about half what they were 4 hours before. So, let's say you consume 300 mg at 10:00 am. By 10:00pm, you have as much caffeine still floating around, that it is effectively like having a cup of black tea at 10:00 pm.

So, anything but light caffeine consumption early in the morning will still be with most people at bed time. Now, some people develop tolerance to the anti-sleep effects, but some people don't.

I don't drink much caffeine, but my rule is that if I haven't had it by 9:00 am, I don't have it. Effectively, this means that if I have to get up early (which to me is before about 8:30), then I get caffeine. If not, I don't need it.

[momof3boys]

Im not addicted to Caffiene. Ive been cutting back alot of my caffiene. Im down to only 1 cup a day. Thats just at noon time, Otherwise I'll drink around 8 bottles of water a day. Years before, I could drink TONS of caffiene. I noticed it right off the bat that if I didnt have any in the morning, I would get a huge headache. Thats when I started cutting back, and things have been alot better for the last couple of years now. Just yesterday I went without any caffiene, and didnt feel no headache at all! I was so happy! I just got busy with everyday stuff and didnt realize I hadnt had any caffiene til almost 9pm! I thought why drink a cup now? So I went to grab a bottled water and had that instead. With having three kids to keep me busy throught out my day, alot of the shows I like to watch come on around 8pm, and if I missed one prior, they do reruns later at night, which is why I stay up for my "Me time" to watch the shows. But I will have to stop doing that next year, when all my little kids will be going to school full day, and I will then be looking for a part time job to help out with the income.