While at physical therapy today, my therapist asked me to describe exactly what my migraine headaches were like.  There really isn’t anything I can compare it to as the pain is not like anything I have ever experienced.  He offered to try a few things that might help the headache, but the were almost the same identical techniques my Chiropractor has done before.

It doesn’t help when my hip is screaming because of a laberal tear and joint damage that has been giving me a dull chronic pain for ten years.  I am fortunate because my disability kicked in in June, but I was forced to change insurance at the end of July.

Express Scripts or Medco is my pharmacy benefit effective July 1st and they give you great savings if you go mail order.  I could not afford my medicine at the brick and mortar pharmacy.  But I have never, ever, been through the hell that I have been through from any medical provider that I have been through with Express Scripts.

First off it is a battle to get even the basic medicines filled… mainly because I live in a trailer park and have no secure place for mail to be left.  I am often gone throughout the day due to doctors appointments, therapy, and healthcare needs.  I choose to have my medicine sent to my mother’s house which means they have to call and verbally confirm shipping on each and every prescription, mind you I have 27 of them.

Second off they discontinued my Lyrica, needed for Fibromyalgia, and my neuropathy.  I was stopped COLD TURKEY for over 10 days while they chased down a doctor with my physician’s group who was willing to review my chart and refill the medicine.  Unfortunately my family doctor suddenly and unexpectedly departed the practice.  This is a medicine that clearly states do not stop taking it without the supervision of a doctor… and I was cold turkey stopped over red tape getting it approved… never mind I’ve been taking it for more than a year.

Two weeks after that it was time that I could refill my Cymbalta, an ANTIDEPRESSANT which is known if you stop it cold turkey it will rake you over the coals emotionally.  Guess what… same nightmare only this time I requested refill 7 days before I ran out of medicine.  When my neurologist refilled my Depacote, Indomethacin, Relpax, and Zofram he claims that he sent electronically a prescription for Cymbalta.

Well guess what express scripts claimed that they never received it and by the time I tracked down my neurologist my 7 days was up.  I am on day 12 without it… Found out it shipped two days ago on Tuesday have not received it.  I’ve been raked over an emotional roller coaster and no one at Express Scripts seemed to care.  I’ve screamed, thrown things, cried, laughed, been up, been down, and had just about every kind of dark thought you can imagine because I cold turkeyed Cymbalta.  Luckily it’s out of my system now and I’m starting to feel more normal.

Here’s the time frame 7 days to figure out they did not get the prescription (when I got the depakote and other meds in the mail) and get it straight with my doctor.  4 more days to go through the drug review to get it approved by insurance… weekend happened no shipping called Monday to verify my shipping address… get phone call again on Tuesday they needed MONEY as they wouldn’t ship until I paid for it… TUESDAY it’s in the mail and today is Thursday and I’m still WITHOUT MY MEDS.

Express Scripts I wonder how many people you have killed by stopping their needed antidepressants cold turkey.  #SHAMEONEXPRESSSCRIPTS