Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Michael Hill2 said:From what I can dig up online, it's the exact same active ingredient in the same format (quetiapine fumarate). The only real difference is which company manufactured it.😉

Yes, Quetiapine is produced right here by our domestic manufacturers. It seems you might have cut off your message—were you starting to ask about pharmaceutical companies? I'm all ears if you want to dive into that!So, that’s just the generic version then—whereas Seroquel is the real deal, the one actually manufactured by the brand. It’s just like those folks over in England—always doing things their own way.

So, I tried explaining my situation to the doctor yesterday. I told her straight up that I’d managed to get my hands on some Quetiapine and that it actually works wonders for me. But she was being incredibly stubborn about it, insisting she can't just prescribe it because she doesn't view me as psychotic. She mentioned she’d check in with Medicare to see what the policy is and told me to call her back tomorrow to see if there's any way around it. If not, apparently I'll just have to pay full price out of pocket, or—and this part felt a bit shady—she suggested I talk to a psychiatrist to have them note that I'm experiencing psychosis. I've only got four tablets left, and honestly, God knows how I'm supposed to sleep once they run out.🙄

shadowbear9 said:So, I tried explaining my situation to the doctor yesterday. I told her straight up that I’d managed to get my hands on some Quetiapine and that it actually works wonders for me. But she was being incredibly stubborn about it, insisting she can't just prescribe it because she doesn't view me as psychotic. She mentioned she’d check in with Medicare to see what the policy is and told me to call her back tomorrow to see if there's any way around it. If not, apparently I'll just have to pay full price out of pocket, or—and this part felt a bit shady—she suggested I talk to a psychiatrist to have them note that I'm experiencing psychosis. I've only got four tablets left, and honestly, God knows how I'm supposed to sleep once they run out.🙄

Look, you could always just go see a private psychiatrist. Lay out the whole situation, get a private prescription, and then you can just go buy it yourself without all this drama.

shadowbear9 said:So, I tried explaining my situation to the doctor yesterday. I told her straight up that I’d managed to get my hands on some Quetiapine and that it actually works wonders for me. But she was being incredibly stubborn about it, insisting she can't just prescribe it because she doesn't view me as psychotic. She mentioned she’d check in with Medicare to see what the policy is and told me to call her back tomorrow to see if there's any way around it. If not, apparently I'll just have to pay full price out of pocket, or—and this part felt a bit shady—she suggested I talk to a psychiatrist to have them note that I'm experiencing psychosis. I've only got four tablets left, and honestly, God knows how I'm supposed to sleep once they run out.🙄

I'm not psychotic either. My psychiatrist just wrote down bipolar disorder as my diagnosis just so she could prescribe me Quetiapine. All you have to do is say you're cycling between depression and mania, and they'll hand it over. Otherwise, you're paying out of pocket. $83 Look, if you have a private prescription from your own psychiatrist, then you're all set. $33.

Benjamin Robinson3 said:I'm not psychotic either. My psychiatrist just wrote down bipolar disorder as my diagnosis just so she could prescribe me Quetiapine. All you have to do is say you're cycling between depression and mania, and they'll hand it over. Otherwise, you're paying out of pocket. $83 Look, if you have a private prescription from your own psychiatrist, then you're all set. $33.

Well, thanks a lot. I think I'll try that approach myself. It would be great if it cost around $3.25, but I definitely don't have 250 bucks lying around. I guess I'll just have to go negotiate with my psychiatrist...

Yeah, I don't have $83 either, though I think you can get it for free if you just use a standard prescription.

How am I getting prescribed Seroquel for borderline personality disorder?

Kevin Bailey2 said:How am I getting prescribed Seroquel for borderline personality disorder?

It could potentially be categorized under psychotic disorders. If anyone is interested in the technical specifics, you can look up the drug formulary on the Medicare website; the guidelines are laid out clearly in their database. For Quetiapine/Seroquel specifically, this is what it states, and it's exactly what pops up for a primary care physician when they select the medication:

Indicated solely for schizophrenia and patients with psychotic disorders, including refractory cases or those who cannot tolerate standard treatments, provided there is a recommendation from a psychiatric specialist.

That being said, as many have pointed out, this medication—much like many others—is frequently used off-label for various other indications, but Medicare will only provide coverage for the specific uses listed here.

Kevin Bailey2 said:How am I getting prescribed Seroquel for borderline personality disorder?

In cases of BPD, doctors often turn to antipsychotics to act as mood stabilizers or even low-dose anxiolytics. Speaking from my own experience with Quetiapine, it really does lock your mood into one steady spot—though it comes with that heavy sense of derealization and emotional numbness... 🙂🙂 🙂🙂

... but then again, I suppose they prescribe it just to make sure patients don't end up hanging themselves...🤷

I went to see my doctor today to check if she’d approved my coverage, and she told me straight up that she can't just prescribe those depression meds under my Medicare plan without a psychiatrist first providing a formal diagnosis. I guess I have to go through all that extra paperwork now. However, she was actually quite helpful and gave me a private prescription instead, so I'll be picking up some 25 mg Loquen for about $23 🙄. Honestly, though, I suppose anything is better than nothing at this point.

shadowbear9 said:I went to see my doctor today to check if she’d approved my coverage, and she told me straight up that she can't just prescribe those depression meds under my Medicare plan without a psychiatrist first providing a formal diagnosis. I guess I have to go through all that extra paperwork now. However, she was actually quite helpful and gave me a private prescription instead, so I'll be picking up some 25 mg Loquen for about $23 🙄. Honestly, though, I suppose anything is better than nothing at this point.

That’s such a shame 😢
Still, let me know how much it ends up costing; I’d guess it’s somewhere around $100.

Skickas FR

restlesstrucker15 said:That’s such a shame 😢
Still, let me know how much it ends up costing; I’d guess it’s somewhere around $100.

Skickas FR

It's 96, plus change... I suppose I'll have to sort this out with my therapist. And if they give me 100, that would be fine since my current dosage feels weak after being on 100mg. Though, based on everything I've read regarding bipolar depression, it seems quite similar to what I'm going through right now—so maybe they won't even need to fake a diagnosis.

shadowbear9 said:It's 96, plus change... I suppose I'll have to sort this out with my therapist. And if they give me 100, that would be fine since my current dosage feels weak after being on 100mg. Though, based on everything I've read regarding bipolar depression, it seems quite similar to what I'm going through right now—so maybe they won't even need to fake a diagnosis.

In this country, getting your hands on those pills is far too easy; you just roll into any local ER, they slap a label on you for having depression with psychotic features, and just like that, you're cleared. Honestly, under those circumstances, I wouldn't budge—even if my medical history stays logged in their system, I refused to take the meds or even sign the paperwork. They are absolutely pushing that Associated Press stuff on everyone, even though I'm convinced it isn't the right fit for anxiety... but hey, you never know, right? Maybe one day I'll just agree to a schizophrenia diagnosis just to get access to the medication I actually need.

Jason Vaughn482 said:In this country, getting your hands on those pills is far too easy; you just roll into any local ER, they slap a label on you for having depression with psychotic features, and just like that, you're cleared. Honestly, under those circumstances, I wouldn't budge—even if my medical history stays logged in their system, I refused to take the meds or even sign the paperwork. They are absolutely pushing that Associated Press stuff on everyone, even though I'm convinced it isn't the right fit for anxiety... but hey, you never know, right? Maybe one day I'll just agree to a schizophrenia diagnosis just to get access to the medication I actually need.

Look, I have been struggling since I was fifteen years old. Seriously, I am ready to drink pure ethanol just so I can get some sleep......

shadowbear9 said:Look, I have been struggling since I was fifteen years old. Seriously, I am ready to drink pure ethanol just so I can get some sleep......

I can certainly empathize; insomnia has been my constant companion for ages, though lately, I’ve managed to drift off using Ambien paired with a little bit of Calixta... which is why I mentioned that life is unpredictable. It honestly infuriates me that you have to jump through such ridiculous bureaucratic hoops and deal with faulty medical paperwork just to get access to much-needed medication.

It’s honestly surreal reading about people actually getting sleep from Calixta, especially at such low doses like 7.5 mg.
I was on 45 mg for four months, and the only time it actually helped me drift off was during those first two or three weeks; after that, it did absolutely nothing.

Hello...
Back again. Coaxil was a total disaster—it absolutely drained every ounce of my energy over those two and a half months I was on it...
Today I took half of a 50 mg Zoloft pill. Now I'm dealing with slight nausea, jitters, panic, and a headache... hoping this passes quickly, because I just can't handle feeling this miserable anymore... 😖

Benjamin Robinson3 said:It’s honestly surreal reading about people actually getting sleep from Calixta, especially at such low doses like 7.5 mg.
I was on 45 mg for four months, and the only time it actually helped me drift off was during those first two or three weeks; after that, it did absolutely nothing.

I had the exact same experience with Mirzaten. It worked for a few months, helping me sleep, but then eventually it just stopped working altogether... I think I was taking a full pill or maybe a pill and a half, if I remember correctly.

shadowbear9 said:I had the exact same experience with Mirzaten. It worked for a few months, helping me sleep, but then eventually it just stopped working altogether... I think I was taking a full pill or maybe a pill and a half, if I remember correctly.

I’m in that exact same boat where even 7.5 mg doesn't touch my insomnia anymore. Now, I have to supplement it with 10 mg of Ambien just to stand a chance at passing out. Once I finally do succumb to sleep, I can usually manage a solid 8 or 9 hours straight, but the initial descent into slumber is a grueling battle; sometimes it happens instantly, but other nights I’m just tossing and turning for two hours waiting for the lights to go out.

Can I take 400mg Ibuprofen while I'm on Zoloft?