Insurance is a joke

[Unclebird]

So my health insurance will only pay for six injections and six nasal spray doses of imitrex in a 25 day span!!!!!  Wtf!!!  What a joke. That is the "proper" dose for only eight rounds with the demon. Two a day for 25 days= 50 rounds. Looks like I will be trying to extend my injections as mentioned on this sight and pray that 2mg's will work for me. Not a happy camper.  >

[MoxieGirl]

Yeah, a pretty daft system really. The National Health System in England isn't perfect, but is a million times better than that.

MG

[Unclebird]

They did say I could purchase two doses for $245.00. Gee, thanks...

[frozen1]

I have to pay $260.00 for 2 kits until I hit my yearly $1300 deductable...then they go down to $30 and I can get 2 kits every 7 days.  My neuro's handwriting is so illegible the pharmacy gave me my last script and I noticed I have 35 refills..lol...if my neuro found out she sure would have something to say about it but I ain't telling her!

[ThatHurtsMyHead]

yea my insurance has gotten worse each year the last 3 years.  They stopped covering my O2 in 2012.  Thanks to the VA I get my O2 through them for free now.  I'd be in hock up to my ears if I not only had to pay for my own meds, but also have to pay the sky high deductible my employers insurance has gone to now.  Ins seems a pretty big waste of $ IMHO.  They don't cover what a person needs and they try to get out of paying for anything they can.

Frozen, Sounds like an opportunity to stock up!

J

[Muskogee]

I was finally officially diagnosed with CH and my doctor gave me Eletriptian, I went to fill the prescription and the pharmacist tells me its $200 for 5 pills and my insurance won't cover it. I am about to visit my doctor to see if I can get a tryptamine that will work with my insurance.

I am pretty frustrated with the medical system in the US. I have been prescribed a slew of dangerous narcotics, but I can't get a safe but mind bending mushroom? Give me a break. I could easily kill myself with the Phenobarbital or the Bella Donna Alkaloids they prescribed me when they had no idea what was wrong with me.

Oh and insurance had no problem covering those drugs.

[CHfather]

Did you get an OXYGEN prescription??  Most important thing you can have.

What else are you doing for your CH?  Considering busting?

[Muskogee]

Well doctors haven't been extremely helpful at all. This is a new doctor I just started seeing who listened to my descriptions of my attacks and gave me the official diagnosis. He's been great. He however did not suggest an oxygen tank, but he has asked me to see a neurologist, who I now have a some time to see.

I had accidentally discovered I had cluster headaches when I started doing LSD. I was practically abusing it, but I had discovered through my abuse of it, that I no longer was getting attacks. So I googled psychedelic migraine treatment and thats when I found cluster headaches. The descriptions matched exactly, every symptom.

I was using LSD for awhile to treat my migraines, however I am a graduate student of Architecture, and I do not have the stress free consciousness, nor the time to do a LSD during the semester (obviously I also don't have time for the attacks either but I'd rather not have a panic attack on drugs) And to make things worse my LSD connection is gone, so I no longer have access to it, which is why I am trying to get legal medication now. But with these issues I've been running in to with insurance, and reading the issues you guys are having I'm deciding to go back to psychedelics but with magic mushrooms instead.

I appreciate this website a lot, I was turned to it from Dr. Andrew Sewell about 2 years ago and finally decided to register and post, thank you for all these posts and research. Without it, I would continue to think TMJD is the worst disorder you could ever have. (Thats what I was diagnosed as the cause of my headaches for 10 years!!)

[CHfather]

You have to get oxygen!!!!!  It's not even a question.  I can't agree with calling your doctor "great" if he didn't prescribe it.  If it's too costly with your insurance, you can probably set up a system using welding oxygen for less $.

If you're studying architecture at Yale (where Dr. Sewell (RIP) was), I think that Paul Rudolph building would be enough to create migraines, if not CH!

Have you tried an energy drink or energy shot at the first sign of an attack?  That can help, sometimes a lot.

Good luck with the shrooms.  You could also try RC seeds for a probably-tripless dosing method.

Stay in touch.

[Muskogee]

Haha well I assume he just wanted a second opinion first. I'm not at Yale lol, but I have been to the building, and yeah man thats just awful. Brutalism was not a good thing. I actually go to school in a building thats somewhat similar (Idk if I should identify my uni) and my building seems to trigger attacks. I think its the stuff in the air, we use lots of solvents (xylene), toxic glues, and we have several laser cutters that cut by burning chipboard, acetate, museum board, and other things that really irritate my brain.

Its hard to say, I've tried tons of things. In terms of like energy drinks I drink coca cola and sometimes if I have like a minor attack it seems to help. Although I'm not sure because if its a major attack that coca cola makes me vomit.

I am seeing my primary doctor on Monday to see if he will switch my prescription to Sumatritan (according to my insurance packet sumatriptan is covered) and also set up the appointment with the neurologist who will probably prescribe the oxygen tank.

Thanks so much for your post! I'm glad to find a community of people who understand. I feel like most of my friends have no clue that its this debilitating (unless they've seen me during an attack) its caused me so much anxiety and fear. I'm sick of it. I feel great to have this support here.

[CHfather]

No, no need to identify where you are. 

A strong energy drink or shot will be considerably higher in caffeine than your Coke, and it will have taurine, which some say helps.  Maybe try a sugar-free version, as a way to possibly avoid the Coke vomiting.  Shots are easier to get down fast and have as much caffeine as most of the full drinks.  The heavy-duty version is Monster Hitman Sniper, but 5 Hour Energy or 6 Hour Power will work, I hope.  Given that the Coke sometimes helps, you could also try just a strong cup of coffee.  Whatever you use, drink it down at the first sign of an attack.  Hoping this helps without upset.

There are a lot of clinical trials showing that 40 mg of eletriptan (Relpax) works better on migraines than 100 mg of sumatriptan, so your doc's prescription isn't completely crazy.  But for CH, you really want something injectable, not a pill.  Pills are too slow.  But it'll probably be costly with your insurance.  There's a way to extend the injections so you get three from every syringe instead of one (we can point you to that info if you get to that point).

Oh, man, all that stuff in your environment definitely is not good!  Here's hoping we can reach some solutions.  When you get O2, be sure you get at least one smaller tank (an "E" tank) as well as at least one big ("M") tank, so you have something portable that you can bring to school with you.

[Bejeeber]

A strong energy drink or shot will be considerably higher in caffeine than your Coke, and it will have taurine........ Shots are easier to get down fast

I believe that is a point worth emphasizing, since if you enter the lecture hall armed with energy shots in pockets, you can whip one out at the very first twinge of an attack, down it in less than 1 sec while remaining in your seat, and quickly resume verbally challenging the professor as to his qualifications to teach the course, or just carry on with some general heckling if you prefer.