Posts by Jose Sanchez2

Roger Morgan4 said:Roger Morgan4, you’ve gone ahead and diagnosed yourself with a cure, but have you actually sat down with a psychiatrist first? 🙄 It’s possible your doctor could write you a private prescription—I assume those who run private practices have that leeway, though I'm just speculating here, not stating it as fact. As for the logistics, if you don't have a car or a friend willing to drive you, catching a train is an easy way to get out to Chicago. You might as well turn it into a little getaway; take a stroll through the city and see the sights, it’s a lovely place to visit.

I'll see. Thanks for the input.

Gary Cruz3 said:That’s just not true. It’s more that for certain medications, the Social Security Administration requires a specialist's recommendation—that usually applies to the more expensive stuff.
Sure, a GP would much rather have a specialist's sign-off before they touch psychiatric meds, but nobody is actually stopping them from doing it.

Besides, I was under the impression that a psychiatrist had recommended the Abilify, wasn't that the case?

No. I found that medication myself. I'm going to follow up with my psychiatrist about it—we'll see what he has to say.

Gary Cruz3 said:He’s registered over in Canada. You could probably convince someone to bring it back for you, but you’re going to need a private prescription regardless. Your primary care physician should be able to write one up for you. Good luck.

What do you mean, a private prescription? An American GP isn't allowed to prescribe antidepressants or antipsychotics without a psychiatrist's evaluation...

Anthony Howard33 said:If that medication hasn't been cleared by the FDA, then selling it is straight-up illegal.
Vidjec if there's an approved generic version out there somewhere.
I mean, do you think you could maybe check in with that guy of yours to see what he knows?

He’s using Stratter—which isn't covered by Medicare—but I just checked, and it is registered with the FDA.

Abilify isn't registered with them, which means he can't legally get his hands on it here in the States. 😢

Anthony Howard33 said:The real thing to look at here is whether the drug is actually FDA-approved and registered in the States; if he checks that and sees it's cleared, then he should be able to figure out who the local distributor is—because there’s always someone acting as the rep, or the parent manufacturer has its own branch operating right here in the US:

I guess the big question is how he's paying for it—is he footing the whole bill himself, is he getting some sort of partial coverage, or is it totally free?

He's paying full price. I checked with the FDA—no sign of Abilify. Looks like I'm stuck waiting until they finally approve it...

Anthony Howard33 said:I honestly can't wrap my head around how one pharmacy might have certain medications sitting on their shelves while another one just down the street is completely out 😕
It’s one of those things that seems weird until you realize that every single drug hitting the market has to go through the whole gauntlet of FDA approval first, and only once they get that green light can they actually be distributed
Without that official stamp of approval from the federal government, nobody is legally allowed to sell them, period

It doesn't make total sense to me either, but I know a guy who gets his meds through a way that isn't covered by Medicare.

Roger Morgan4 said:I know she usually places orders through Walgreens for those specific medications they can't stock at other pharmacies, but I'm not sure about the particular one you're hunting for. Just track down their number and give them a call first—no sense in driving all over town for nothing.

I'm hunting for Aripiprazole (Abilify). It's one of those newer antipsychotics. It’s fully approved and available here in the USA and most of Europe... unfortunately, it isn't covered by Medicare yet.

Do you happen to know the name of that pharmacy, or maybe even just the street it's on?

Hey there. I heard there’s a pharmacy in Washington, D.C. that stocks foreign medications—stuff you can't get covered by Medicare here in the States. Does anyone know which ones they are? This might be a bit off-topic... but I'm looking for certain antipsychotics, so maybe it fits here.

Thanks in advance.

Hi there. I’ve heard rumors about certain pharmacies in Chicago that stock foreign medications—stuff you can't get covered by Medicare here in the States. Does anyone know which ones they are? I’m looking for Abilify (Aripiprazole).

I suspect it’s the same story with every GP. They get stingy with referrals if they think Medicare is going to come after them for overspending. Between my physical issues—a 2.5cm leg discrepancy and this nose blockage I've been dealing with for three months now—and seeing a psychiatrist, I probably burn through quite a few referrals myself. Maybe that's the issue, or maybe I've just lost all credibility with my doctor because of the psychiatric visits. Honestly, I'm too embarrassed to switch doctors; I don't feel like starting from scratch and answering a dozen invasive questions about my mental health again. I’d rather just find a private ENT to handle this... I went ahead and booked an appointment at the Mayo Clinic. It’s going to cost me a fortune, but whatever...

Does anyone know a good private ENT specialist in Washington, D.C. or maybe Savannah? My sinuses have been completely blocked—full-blown inflammation—for three months now. To make matters worse, my primary doctor is refusing to give me a referral for an ENT for some reason... apparently, they're cutting costs in the American healthcare system, so patient wellness takes a backseat to the bottom line.