Today's word is "formulary"

[redbird]

Which is current insurance jargon for "we won't pay for the medicine you've been taking, you have to change to something cheaper."

So the friendly pharmacist called my doctor, and instead of Celexa I have something called Lexapro, which is supposed to be as good. I hope so. It will certainly be less convenient: the instructions read that I am to take "1/2 to 1 pill daily".

Comments

[red-queen.livejournal.com]

I find this to be one of the most infuriating and damned near immoral aspects of Managed Care (please pronounce that dripping with irony). Psych meds *especially* can be weird in that no-one's quite sure how they work. It's cruel enough when one's meds "wear off" and one has to go back to trying different ones in hopes of finding another effective anti-depressant (never mind the combinatorical problem when you need more than one!). Having to change meds when *they still work* and even slightly risk getting depressed (or whatever) because an HMO's rules and bean-counting dictate the policy...! A mind IS a terrible thing to waste. (Not that your "underlying condition" (she said, euphemistically) is completely disabling, but sheesh, why waste any of the available (very high quality) marbles when you don't have to??)

I don't disagree with the health care industry's need to control unnecessary expenses (i.e., doctors writing scripts for the most heavily-advertised still-patented drug rather than checking to see if there's a less-expensive alternative). I just bristle that need turns into a set of rules that are enforced regardless of context. We all know how bad the American health care system is; I find it terrifying and immoral that so many vulnerable people (esp. seniors and the chronically ill poor) cannot get basic care, and cannot get their maintenance medications, without a lot of angst, advocacy, and fighting. Those who are not willing or able to fight... die or live a diminished life.