Posted by medlib on May 27, 2000, at 0:54:41
In reply to Re: feeling very down(suicidal), posted by Archangel on May 26, 2000, at 17:30:51
Kelly--
I know that feeling of worthlessness that comes from being unable to take care of basic needs; I ofen have trouble leaving my house. I take several meds which would be scary or dangerous to be without (among them Effexor XR and BP drugs), and I have had to devise ways to avoid running out. Maybe one or two of these will help you as well:
--I have an emergency stash--I put a 3-day supply of all daily prescription meds in a marked empty pill bottle in my dresser. If I have to dip into the stash, I leave the bottle out until it can be replenished with the new rx.
--I use a 7-day pill case refilled every Sun morning. That way I can't avoid noticing when I have less than a week's supply left. I leave the near-empty bottle next to the phone until it gets called in for refill.
--I use a pharmacy which has a 24-hour voice mail refill line. That way, I can call it in whenever I think of it and don't have to speak to a real person--just leave my name, phone no. and prescription no. (If no refills remain, all pharmacists will call the doc's office for you.)
--I have no insurance, so must shop for the lowest price locally. If you have prescription insurance, many more options are available to you. You may be able to find a pharmacy that takes your ins. plan and will deliver. Many pharmacies which deliver allow charge accounts, so the co-pay amount can be charged to your card automatically and the slip delivered with your meds. Perhaps your therapist could help you set up such a plan, if you research it first.
--Once your med needs are stable, an online pharmacy is a possibility. If your ins. plan will allow it, you can ask your pdoc for a 10 day-2 week emergency supply to be filled locally and get them to fax the main (renewable) rx to the drug site of your choice. I intend to use this option.
--I keep a 1-day supply of meds in a bottle in my purse, along with prn (as needed) meds like migraine rx and antacids.
When you teeter on the brink like I do, meds are the one thing I can't afford to screw up; an automatic, no decision routine can help prevent a really bad situation from becoming disastrous.
Tuesday is a fresh page for you with a new pdoc! I hope s/he is both knowledgeable and caring. I hope also that you go with an intention to tell it like it is and a determination to get the quality care you *do* deserve. We'll be waiting to hear how it goes!
Well wishes---medlib
poster:medlib
thread:34634
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000526/msgs/34817.html