#fuck the American Healthcare system and pharmacys.

[callmemossbrain]

suffering from ssri-withdrawal-vertigo. only known cure is my head upon a man's chest with some head pats and a good show/ movie on in the background. obviously.

[queercelestialhoneybee]

i’ve been withdrawing from needed medication for a week because my prescriber sent it to my pharmacy under my legal name. however, every other med i have is still under my dead name so when i tried to pick it up along with another prescription, they said it wasn’t available. it never occurred to me to ask if it was under a different first name! i have been suffering withdrawals for no reason!!!! i was never even contacted about the prescription either so there was no way to know it was actually ready.

it should not be this difficult to update a name in a system to avoid this shit

[dumbasswhatever]

>be me, taking a specialty medicine that is actually really helping me >type of medicine you see in commercials >need to fill out a whole application with my doctor for their financial aid program to take it >need to re-apply every year >know it can take a while for the application process to be finished so i re-apply in may >my year runs out in november so that should be plenty of time >havent heard anything back in months so i ask my doctor if they've heard anything since they submitted the application >"if you got your last shipment, then you're re-enrolled" >yeah ok thats a relief >call the specialty pharmacy a few weeks later to schedule my next shipment >"we can't schedule your shipment, it seems you aren't in the program anymore. call the medicine company" >call the medicine company >"we sent your doctor a form a few weeks ago and they haven't answered us. call your doctor" >call the doctor >doctor is fucking allergic to answering the phone >spend two weeks trying to figure out what form they needed to fill out >it was the same goddamn form i filled out in may >doctors never sent it >fml >call the doctor again and pester them into sending the application "again" >(tell them the medicine company probably messed up instead of them so they don't get pissed and fuck up more shit) >call the medicine company two days later to ask if they got the application >apparently i need to babysit this goddamn application >they got it though thank god >need to call back in seven business days to see if they've approved it >give em eight days just in case >application got approved!!! >(apparently they didnt feel the need to like, notify me or anything. but whatever) >call the specialty pharmacy to schedule my next shipment >they haven't gotten the news yet so can't schedule yet >need to wait a day or two >give em two days just in case >call em again to schedule my next shipment >"sorry we can't schedule your shipment just yet because your doctor didnt specify on the prescription whether it's the pen or the syringe" >"i've been on the medicine for a year i know it's the pen" >"sorry we can't do it" >fml >call the doctor and miraculously get thru to a real person on my first attempt >"i'll leave a message for your nurse but she only comes in on tuesdays" >been the perfect patient >gave them several months for this application so i dont risk going off my meds >pestered everybody i needed to pester >still been off my meds for almost two weeks now bc my doctors cant do their fucking job >mfw

[punksonic]

i don't think it's appropriate for me to really speak much as to the current shortages of adderall and other medications associated with treating adhd but i feel like i should.

yes these medications are abused, but no one wants to look into why someone who doesn't have adhd would take it. why do you think some supposedly neurotypical college student elbows another who has adderall and asks for some to study for an exam worth half their grade?

the DEA is out of touch with american society to the point it still thinks marijuana is a C1 drug but doesn't want to declassify it to C2 so that the process can be overseen so people don't get their marijuana accidentally laced with something else. you'd sooner prescribe someone a blood thinner than a medication that would actually help them focus, but i guess that's not up to me.

it's ridiculous. maintenance medications shouldn't be held to this degree of scrutiny.

[strawbynrobyn]

Tl:dr - former pharm tech offering info about control schedules and how fucking bonkers it is to require ADHD patients to make multiple phone calls for their medication prescriptions in the middle of a shortage. Also the shortage is 100% manufacturer caused but the pharmacy are the ones who have to answer for their crimes

Specifically Ritalin is a C-II the same control tier as Adderall and opioids This forces prescribers to send a prescription each month since refills are not allowed. Prescribers tend to get around this by sending multiple prescriptions after an office visit but dating the different scripts for the next 3 or 6 months (if you got a prescription for today 5/12/24 they would have thay dated for today, fill asap, one would say do not dispense until 6/11/24, the other would say do not dispense until 7/11/24 since those would be the next soonest dates after today's fill. 30 days is the limit.

With the shortages some people have been forced to get less than a months supply- but they lose the remaining amount since you can't refill on a C-II even if there are tablets remainkng. Then they have to contact their doctor for a new prescription. If it's at a different pharmacy they also need a new prescription, regardless if it's the same chain of stores or a new franchise. They also won't be able to fill until you're done with the supply you received as a partial.

The American Federal Government determines controls (schedules) but I also have learned that Gabapentin (mentioned above) is a C-V in some place and non controlled in others so the states also have power but they can only be MORE strict than the feds. I only worked in pharm in America and studied for certification there- I cannot speak for international cases.

I fucking knew it, I SAID it: they're making ADHD people the next culture war targets. They will 'just ask questions' until we lose every scrap of ground we've gained in the last decade and more. We may not quite inspire the same level of hatred as a sexual minority, but we can very easily be made to inspire disdain and that also works.

They will strip us of our accomodations and our medications and try to stifle any sense of shared identity, and if that kills some of us, oh well. So long as it fuels another outrage cycle, fine.

So many of the tropes they've been using on trans people work extremely well on ADHD people too! "There are too many of these people suddenly! It must be a fad! It spreads through friend groups! And online! People are going private for diagnoses and that's bad! They are using pOwERfUl medical interventions and we think it's freaky!"

I saw the first ripples of this in terf circles about two years ago. And of course it's spread.

6% of British ADHD people lost their jobs in the last year thanks to the meds shortage. SIX PER CENT! And that just made these ghouls go "ooh, tasty, what else can we do?"

Recently an 'expert' was on the BBC saying people see ADHD diagnosis as a "golden ticket." Laurence Fox has been ranting that the condition doesn't exist and threatening "'you won't poison my child's body [with ADHD meds] against my consent"

People need to be aware this is going to get worse. Maybe, if we're lucky, it won't get really bad. But it's going to get worse than it is now.

[vvelegrin]

it's simple. there are only so many LED headlights to the retinas that i can take before enacting a category four murder-suicide road rage event.

[arisatohamuko]

dude my fucking pharmacy has only been sending me partial refills and has claimed TWICE in a row to have sent full bottles of medication that they did Not send and are now making me pay out of pocket despite the fact that it's THEIR fuckup. i hate the american healthcare system so fucking bad

[girlgenius1111]

this isn't a hate, but….. do americans know that the rest of the world considers them "dumb?" like not knowing geography, for example? apart from ignorance and so on…. regardless, I think what shocked me the most was how a country considered "first world" has a health system that is completely paid for. in my country it's 100% free, as well as having pharmacies inside the hospital, so if the medicine is available, you can get it for free too.

if you're poor and don't have money or health insurance, what do you do? pray for it to get better or die?

(genuine question)

lmao i’m not really sure how i’m supposed to respond to this.

if americans don’t know geography well… it’s because our education system is fucked. it varies state to state and district to district. i had a really good k-12 education just because of where i lived, which set me up for success for the rest of my life. other people didn’t have that luxury… which isn’t their fault.

free healthcare in the US is a constant battle. health insurance companies buy out politicians so they’ll vote against universal healthcare.

the affordable care act has done some to help bridge this gap for lower income individuals, but it’s nowhere near close to enough. i have health insurance, and i still have to pay for a portion of a lot of stuff i need. the surgery i just had was completely out of pocket for my parents, and it’s unclear whether the insurance company will reimburse them or not.

anyway i don’t think our bad healthcare system or our bad education systems should be used as a kind of gotcha moment where people outside the US laugh and point at how “dumb” we are. there are plenty of valid criticisms of the US that also greatly affect the rest of the world.

[blind0raven]

Stuff irl not doing great

While my dad is home, he still is unable to walk and move much even with the home visits from the therapists and all coming as he's not doing great...

Also we had to deal with the doctors and hospital being stupid (yes sadly) cause they were being difficult about a medication my dad desperately needed and we couldn't go to the pharmacy to pick them up as they had to have access and the pescription... BY THE DOCTOR IF HE COULD TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!!!

So since Friday, we'd have to listen to my dad loudly yell in pain and cry despite trying our best... isn't the american healthcare system and doctors fun?~

Finally we managed to fix that mess... there's still other shit to sort out (aside from his physical therapy, we somehow have a leak so our water bill is gonna be fucking high... plumber arriving on Friday...)

So hopefully everything can just be alittle... better I hope...

End of my irl rant

Here's a lil sketch I did of Kibby and Grim relating to the Stitch event when coming with ideas

[dwarrowdams]

Help Cover Bree's Inhaler Copay

Hi all! As the title suggests, I'm Bree (they/them), a disabled genderfluid babe. Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with asthma and was very unpleasantly surprised to find that even with good insurance, the copay on an inhaler is $50 a month. The truly horrifying part was learning that that's actually not too bad of a price for a daily inhaler (or at least it wasn't when I was prescribed it---since then, I think the cost of some inhalers [not mine, alas] has been capped at $35).

While I do have a solid job, I'm still getting back on my feet post-pandemic and have more expenses than the average person due to my disabilities. Between that and the awful bout of corporate greed inflation that has thrown many people off center this year, I've decided to try crowdfunding the cost of inhalers for the rest of 2024! The goal is set for $150, which should cover three inhalers: enough to last the rest of 2024, given that I use them less frequently than I'm supposed to.

Here's my Ko-Fi page! If I'm able to find a cheaper option, either by switching pharmacies or using a different brand, I'll update the goal to reflect that.

Even if you can't donate, I'd appreciate it if you could reblog this so that everyone can see just how deeply fucked the American healthcare system is. If you can't donate but still want to do something to help, contact your representatives to express support for Medicare for All or any bills that would cap medication prices. (If you're anxious like me, call your reps after business hours and leave a message: you'll still be making your voice heard, but you won't have to talk to an actual person.)

Thank you for reading, and here's to hoping we can build a future where healthcare is treated as a human right.

[bakedbakermom]

you're probably aware that the american healthcare "system" is a fucking shambles and that without insurance, you can wind up bankrupt or with a lifetime of debt from something like cancer or a car accident.

what you might not know is that, without insurance, even your day-to-day ability to access care is not guaranteed.

i have been without health insurance for about six months now. it's fine, we have the equivalent of "catastrophic care" coverage through a medishare cooperative. we just pay out of pocket up to a certain amount like a high deductible plan, and if anything major happens, the co-op will cover it. but it's not, technically, insurance. and when doctors see NO INSURANCE on your forms they... sometimes just won't doctor you?

twice now i have had doctors say they would normally recommend text xyz to rule something out, but it's very expensive so i am "safe to wait" - wait and see if my symptoms disappear, if they get worse, until the issue persists long enough that it's worth the cost. i believe them when they say waiting is safe (these are doctors i have seen for years), but damn it would be nice to NOT wait and just get the answer/rule something out right away.

also getting prescriptions filled is annoying as hell. every month i have to go into the pharmacy (because their phone system is fucked), get told AGAIN that they put a hold on my refill because there is no insurance on file, wait AGAIN for a couple hours for them to fill it even though they've had the order for days AND there are multiple notes in my file saying to just fill right away and not bill insurance... Every. Fucking. Month. i am very lucky to have the time and (with this medication) the executive function to go through this constant cycle of delays, but many can't.

all this to say: fuck this stupid fucking system i am so tired

[dyrewrites]

There is a lot of personal ranting under the cut. I just needed to vent and get it out there. Feel free to ignore it.

In fact, here is a kitty, look at that instead.

Put in a renewal request for meds, online because phones make me anxious.

Receive phone call from nurse an hour later(with blatant disregard to my requests to speak to me through their website and not call me) "The doctor said she'll renew it this time but absolutely not again until you come in for your annual visit."

Explain lack of insurance and money and how the last visit was just to tell me everything is the same and it cost me hundreds of dollars.

"That's nice, but you've cancelled the last two and you're not getting anymore refills until you come in"

Try to explain that I didn't even know about one of them and the other I couldn't afford and she transfers me to the appointment desk without saying anything else.

So I make the appointment and get the email from my pharmacy (an online one that's very cheap) letting me know my renewal went through.

However, my medication is out of stock...and there's no ETA for when it'll be in.

But I'm betting the doctor wont care and I'll get an angry phone call if I cancel the appointment.

So.

I'll be over here, screaming, maybe crying, and definitely wishing the American healthcare system dies in a fucking fire.

[creampuffqueen]

and the saga CONTINUES

went to the pharmacy to get my meds only to find out that bc my doctor didn’t sign one ☝️ piece of paper my insurance wasn’t going through

i’m incredibly grateful that my paying the cash price wasn’t an issue for my family (because my doctor isn’t available on weekends and we didn’t want me to go without my meds for three days) but imagine if it was an issue. like. this is all such bullshit

how is every american adult not totally fucking radicalized against our healthcare system i’ve been a legal adult for 18 months and i’m ready to burn it down

[annoyed-galaxy]

So I finally got to a doctor yesterday and man, it was nerve wracking at first. I haven't been to the doctor in five years (the last time being 2019 when I got my diagnosis for PMDD) and this was the first time I was going without my parents. So it was really terrifying for me.

However, I was fortunate to have the sweetest doctor and nurse and they helped me get my prescription back for my medicine and a new "inhaler" (it was, in fact, not a new inhaler, but something for a nebulizer which I do not have resulting in me having to contact my doctor later about that). I also was able to finally do the wretched pap smear. And ever since hearing about that shit, I have always dreaded it. However, ovarian and cervix cancer is in my family so my mom urged me to get that ASAP. And when I told the doctor, she was like: "We can do it today." I cried inside because I really didn't want to, but better not to procrastinate. So that's out of the way and we'll see in two weeks whether or not I have anything.

AS for my medicine and inhaler stuff, here is where y'all can see the true trash of the American healthcare system (since I know a lot of my moots are not American): 1263$ was the total cost of my medicine and inhaler stuff. Yeah that's right. One thousand, two hundred and sixty three god damn dollars for medicine. Around 200 of that was for my medicine alone and the other thousand for the inhaler stuff.

Obviously I can't fucking afford that as a full-time student and part-time worker. But, I have MedicAid. So when I went to the pharmacy to have them put me in the system (because this was a new pharmacy therefore they did not have my information yet) they told they couldn't bill me because MedicAid thought I still had insurance...I have not had health insurance for two god damn years. So they told me to call MedicAid and try to figure out what the fuck was going on. While I'm on hold with MedicAid, I get a call from the pharmacy; I hang up on MedicAid and answer the call. They say they were able to fix things and put me in the system and that the MedicAid stuff went through. They told me the new price because of my copay:

8$.

Eight. Fucking. Dollars.

It went from twelve hundred to eight. EIGHT.

It's a 4$ copay for each medication. So 4 for my medicine; 4 for the inhaler stuff.

We already knew the American healthcare system was bad but holy FUCK. There's no reason that should be a fucking thing. Why not just offer the shit at four dollars anyway???

Anyways, I'm medicated once again!!! The medicine probably won't kick in before my next PMDD week, but I am going to attempt to keep track of myself and journal some more for the time being just to keep an eye on the effects of my medicine.

I'm so fucking happy that I finally got that shit done and am pretty much perfectly healthy. Hoping the medicine kicks me back into gear.

[sunnyuto]

Medical rant time:

Literally fuck the American healthcare/insurance system.

I get migraines, most of which are chronic cluster headaches. The short version of the story is that I started having them when I was 15, didn’t realize they were migraines until I was 21, started treating them just using supplements and NSAIDs through my GP, finally went to see a neurologist this summer and got rescue meds, which only work about 50% of the time, and then in September decided to add on a preventative injectable medication.

There are three monoclonal antibody injections available to treat migraine: Ajovy, Aimovig, and Emgality. My neurologist recommended that I start with Emgality because it’s also used in a different dosage to treat episodic cluster migraines and would therefore probably be more effective for my specific headaches. Emgality requires a loading dose, so they set me up with a two-dose “sample” from their office and sent the monthly one-dose script to my pharmacy. I tried the Emgality and it worked like a charm. I started it almost immediately before I had COVID and despite all of my congestion, I didn’t have a single headache of any kind while I was sick, nor did I have any other headaches or migraines for the month that it was in my system. Super great! Simple, easy, effective treatment! Right?

Wrong.

My insurance decided that it didn’t want to cover the Emgality unless I tried seven other medications and both of the other injectables first. I didn’t not find this out until I got to the pharmacy to pick up my refill and they asked for $800. My provider spent literally a week going back and forth with insurance, resubmitting the PA and doing a peer-to-peer. They were able to waive the oral meds as all the options interact negatively with my other meds, but insurance would not back off about the other injectables, despite the fact that Emgality is the cheapest of the three and we knew it worked for me.

So I elected to try Ajovy, since Aimovig is not recommended for use in people with high blood pressure. I did the Ajovy shot last Thursday and in the eight days since I have had two breakthrough migraines. One I was able to catch early enough to treat with Nurtec, the other I am suffering through right now.

So now thanks to our fucked up insurance system, I have had to waste two months of my life and be in unnecessary pain to try a med that didn’t work despite there being a cheaper alternative that we already knew was effective!

Anyway, I’m sending a note to my neurologist to ask if they’ll try again for the Emgality because I cannot keep doing this.

[uselessandgay]

The American Healthcare System

Me: *has intense digestive upset over multiple days*

Me: Maybe I should go to a doctor

Them: Shit in this bucket and go away

Me: Ok

Three days go by

Me: Hey I noticed I had a missing call?

Them: Sorry. Go away.

A day goes by

Me: What was that missing call about?

Them: Oh sorry, we need you to shit in a bucket again. And this time you have to scoop it. We’re not prescribing anything until we have results.

Me: Ok… I’ll be by in the morning.

The next day:

Me: *furiously has to shit and is waiting in line behind kids who have a papercut*

Them: Here is how you shit in a bucket and scoop it into vials. Any questions?

Me: I can do it here and now.

Them: Ok come in back

The most ungodly and horrible stench is endured and I almost vomit.

A WHOLE WEEK GOES BY

Me: I’m calling about results I haven’t heard anything about???

Them: They were fine. Just kidding we found the problem, it is easily treatable and we’re not going to prescribe anything for it. Go to an ER if you still have symptoms.

Me: Ok?? Internally: “What the actual fuck?”

Me begging someone else to write me a prescription for a simple three day course of antibiotics when the nearest hospital is an hour away: Plz.

I drive five hours to the pharmacy near my house while returning from vacation.

The pharmacy: Idk this medication makes me sad and we have to call a specialty pharmacy. Come back tomorrow.

The bacteria in my gut:

Another day passes

The pharmacy calling the prescriber: What is this idk her????

Later:

Me, in person at the pharmacy: Hello?

The consultation counter attendant: Sorry this was bad. Go to this other location ten minutes away that has the medication.

I drive down the highway and pick up medication I should’ve had three weeks ago while having diarrhea the whole time.