Hugs Cheaper Than Drugs
In the past, I’ve written about my decision – no, my capitulation – to take antidepressants. As I get older, I am less able to control the wild tide of my emotions and while I’m sure I could stand a big dose of therapy, a stumbling block prevents me from hopping on the couch. People in their twenties are the group most likely to lack insurance, and that’s the boat I’m in.
I’ve priced my own insurance and it seems to run about $100-150 a month for coverage for catastrophic illness, including neither doctor’s visits nor medication. Sort of like basic auto insurance. Anything more than that is going to run me, a healthy 24-year-old girl, much more. It doesn’t really pay to, well, pay that much. So I’m taking a bye. If I need to go to the doctor, I’ll fork out a hundred bucks or so. The cost of my prescription will come straight out of my pocket.
And so I’ve been pricing drugs online. I’m sort of screwed when it comes to purchasing antidepressants online. If you don’t already have a prescription, a few sites will actually write you a scrip, but only for a limited range of drugs. OnlinePharmacy will prescribe sleeping pills, a few obscure antidepressants, Viagra, and Zyban, a smoking cessation aid. But I was thrilled to discover that Zyban and Wellbutrin are in fact the same fucking drug. They’ll write me a scrip for Zyban no problem, but it will run me $150 a month. I can score it in Canada for half that.
But why should I have to go through all of this just to get a drug I need? Our adversarial insurance system needs to change pronto. Over 40 million other people are in the same pickle as me.
In other Shylo-related news, I’m in the middle of a water bender. I’ve just consumed my 64th ounce of crisp, cold water and it’s only eleven in the morn. I’m planning on chugging down a few more of these today to keep a migraine at bay. It’s either that or a mallet.
This entry seems sort of whiny. To pick it up, I’m going to end on a high note.
Have red onions always been this good? Why have I so foolishly been avoiding them all these years? They are sweet, without the creepy B.O. smell of white onions, and provide a needed cruch to my Subway sammich. They are pure, lovely goodness.
2 comments2 Comments so far
Wow, that is expensive. What about generics? I’ve found some can be lots cheaper than you’d expect.
Astoundingly, not so much cheaper. And you can’t import Wellbutrin from Canada because GlaxoSmithKline is onto this scheme. Plus, I can’t afford the surrounding doctor’s visits.