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lovemankindHello again, Dreamwidth! Today's post is brought to you by a semi-regular sponsor, "Taking Concerta Again After Weeks/Months And Experiencing A Sudden Productivity Boost Without A Set Task To Accomplish!" I was actually writing this post for Tumblr, but it was getting long enough that I decided it would be equally well-suited to this medium. Depending on how long this Jimmy Neutron-style brain blast lasts, I might also upload a bulleted review of She-Ra that was also getting a little unwieldy for my customary slapdash Tumblr typing style, but anyone reading this will already know that my promises of regular posting rarely pans out, so we'll see! Anyway, on to the meat of the post.
So, as mentioned, I am finally back on Concerta! This isn't actually the longest I've been off in recent memory - I was actually not taking it for most of the summer because of the same issue I'll discuss in a minute - but shhh, my parents don't know that. This time it was, I think two weeks? My e-mail says the insurance company sent their final notice on the 3rd of November, but I might have stopped before that when I was running low, so it's hard to say. I've been on Concerta for about six years, so I'm used to having problems with my prescription.
Here's a quick primer on Concerta, a.k.a. extended release methylphenidate, for the uninitiated: it's classified as a Schedule IIN Controlled Substance by the DEA, which means it has a high potential for abuse and may lead to severe physical/psychological dependency, but still has legitimate medical uses. This separates it from Schedule I drugs, which are also highly addictive but have no currently accepted medical use in the US, like heroin and LSD. (And cannabis, which is interesting given the Green Wave currently sweeping the nation. :P) Other schedule II/IIN (no idea what the difference is) drugs include methadone, morphine, and opium. Seriously? Adderall and Ritalin are as bad as opioids?! Then again, I'm writing this completely unnecessary tangential paragraph entirely due to the influence of methylphenidate, so what do I know? ;P
Since it's a Schedule IIN, and probably because of the public perception of ADHD medication as recreational "study drugs", ordering Concerta is both time-consuming, difficult, and expensive. Unfortunately, ever since I started seeing my current PCP last December, things have gotten even worse. This new office constantly fuck up different parts of my prescriptions. Wrong dosage, wrong pharmacy, wrong amount, you name it, and every time I have to talk to some poor clueless receptionist through it on the phone. And this is all punctuated by $75 visits to the office itself, because Schedule IIN drugs don't allow refillable prescriptions. It fucking suuucks. But in May, they fucked it up in a new, exciting way for the first time! I still have no idea what they or my insurance did wrong, but my three-month prescription was going to cost over $750 instead of ~$200-250 normally. Bruh that's more than my rent in my old apartment. That's almost as much as the rent for the entire apartment. What the whole fuck. My parents would have paid for it, but I have this whole complex about spending money for reasons that could take up another twelve entries, so I just. Didn't accept the order. And from late May through mid-September I was off Concerta for the first time in almost six years. For some reason it reverted to normal price again in September, but when I went back in late October (at which point I had also been in withdrawal due to a scheduling fuck-up on their part, very cool) they fucked it back up! My protest period was considerably shorter this time, because I actually have shit to do now - I'm maybe? Going back to school next semester? Don't ask me about it - so I actually had to pay that fucking ridiculous price this time. It's supposed to be here before Thanksgiving. I only have three pills left of my backup so it had fucking better.
Basically American insurance is hellfire garbage and I would probably get more help from PCP the drug than my current PCP. And I am going to stop this entry here because I removed four giant paragraphs of drug-fueled elaborations that were all completely unnecessary. I have no idea how coherent this is, I starting coming down from the initial energy boost like an hour ago and now I'm too tired to reread it. So, you know, business as usual.
So, as mentioned, I am finally back on Concerta! This isn't actually the longest I've been off in recent memory - I was actually not taking it for most of the summer because of the same issue I'll discuss in a minute - but shhh, my parents don't know that. This time it was, I think two weeks? My e-mail says the insurance company sent their final notice on the 3rd of November, but I might have stopped before that when I was running low, so it's hard to say. I've been on Concerta for about six years, so I'm used to having problems with my prescription.
Here's a quick primer on Concerta, a.k.a. extended release methylphenidate, for the uninitiated: it's classified as a Schedule IIN Controlled Substance by the DEA, which means it has a high potential for abuse and may lead to severe physical/psychological dependency, but still has legitimate medical uses. This separates it from Schedule I drugs, which are also highly addictive but have no currently accepted medical use in the US, like heroin and LSD. (And cannabis, which is interesting given the Green Wave currently sweeping the nation. :P) Other schedule II/IIN (no idea what the difference is) drugs include methadone, morphine, and opium. Seriously? Adderall and Ritalin are as bad as opioids?! Then again, I'm writing this completely unnecessary tangential paragraph entirely due to the influence of methylphenidate, so what do I know? ;P
Since it's a Schedule IIN, and probably because of the public perception of ADHD medication as recreational "study drugs", ordering Concerta is both time-consuming, difficult, and expensive. Unfortunately, ever since I started seeing my current PCP last December, things have gotten even worse. This new office constantly fuck up different parts of my prescriptions. Wrong dosage, wrong pharmacy, wrong amount, you name it, and every time I have to talk to some poor clueless receptionist through it on the phone. And this is all punctuated by $75 visits to the office itself, because Schedule IIN drugs don't allow refillable prescriptions. It fucking suuucks. But in May, they fucked it up in a new, exciting way for the first time! I still have no idea what they or my insurance did wrong, but my three-month prescription was going to cost over $750 instead of ~$200-250 normally. Bruh that's more than my rent in my old apartment. That's almost as much as the rent for the entire apartment. What the whole fuck. My parents would have paid for it, but I have this whole complex about spending money for reasons that could take up another twelve entries, so I just. Didn't accept the order. And from late May through mid-September I was off Concerta for the first time in almost six years. For some reason it reverted to normal price again in September, but when I went back in late October (at which point I had also been in withdrawal due to a scheduling fuck-up on their part, very cool) they fucked it back up! My protest period was considerably shorter this time, because I actually have shit to do now - I'm maybe? Going back to school next semester? Don't ask me about it - so I actually had to pay that fucking ridiculous price this time. It's supposed to be here before Thanksgiving. I only have three pills left of my backup so it had fucking better.
Basically American insurance is hellfire garbage and I would probably get more help from PCP the drug than my current PCP. And I am going to stop this entry here because I removed four giant paragraphs of drug-fueled elaborations that were all completely unnecessary. I have no idea how coherent this is, I starting coming down from the initial energy boost like an hour ago and now I'm too tired to reread it. So, you know, business as usual.
