New here and starting Topa and with a question
TADA!
Well, I am officially a pretty crappy liar and almost blew it a few times – but made it through it all! The DR appt that is.
The first thing I did wrong was to do the “sign in” sheet and I put my REAL NAME down! HA! Had to cross it out and mumbled something about my “pen (writer’s) name”. I’m certain she thought I was batty! LOL
Then I’m sitting there, and it’s a REALLY big and busy office. They call SUSAN TURNER and I keep reading my magazine. Until about the 3rd time she called it I went OOPS! That’s me! HA! HA!
But I LOVED LOVED LOVED this DR!
I had typed out my concerns about depression and possibilities of Remeron, Celxexa and Lexapro. I had a copy of my Topa chart which includes not only dosage and dates but my weight, etc. So he walks in and introduces himself and I pull out my papers. On the top issue is depression. And I start to cry. LOL Sounds funny now but I told him this is what I am dealing with – his response was “I have that effect on a lot of people”. Cracked me up …..
I was 100% honest with him about my AL use, the Topa, all of it. I felt like he was REALLY listening. What a refreshing change! And he knows his stuff.
He was not at all surprised at my weight loss on Topa as he says he has patients that request it for only weight loss. And so we moved through my list.
Him thinking I have no insurance, he felt Lexapro would be better but would cost me around $150 A MONTH to pay cash for it. Yes, there is a generic, but it’s not any cheaper just yet. A process he was very familiar with.
Remeron/Mirtazepine – He said he usually only gave that to people that were so bad they couldn’t even get out of bed from depression. I could have pushed, but I listened to him.
So in the end, he felt Celexa (I got the generic - Citalopram) would be a good place to start. 20 MG in the AM.
Sun – what dosage are you taking????
So I am to report back in a week with a phone call with a thumbs up or down and we go from there. He said I am “tiny” so we will start with 20 mg and perhaps move up to the 40 MG. He advised me where to fill the script for the best cost – TARGET! I got 30 – 20 MG tabs for $4.00! My office visit was $40.00! Hell, I have a $30 co-pay with my insurance and then STILL have to pay the rest until I meet my $5000 deductible!
And so, we have decided to “tick off” one issue at a time. AD being the first – then the AL. He agreed to me going back to Topa if it feels right, but he also brought up Campral and a few others …. So we shall see. He is pretty convinced that depression is causing more drinking rather than the other way around. I’m not certain … but we will find out ….
He also feel that some therapy would be a good idea. Feels like I am just not dealing with “old stuff” such as my partner and sister’s deaths 6 months apart year ago. And the list goes on. So he gave me some recommendations and I made one call this afternoon and left a message for one gal. We shall see if it is a good fit or not.
The BEST move I made was staying under the radar! I can’t stress enough how screwed up our insurance system is when you have personal insurance, but I would have been totally in danger had he known who I really was and this was an insurance claim. Instead I came home today spending a total of $44.00 and a DR that actually listens to me! And NOTHING on my “record”.
So there ya go …. We’ll see how this all flys and I strongly suggest everyone keeping AL problems hidden if possible.
With love hugs and thanks for all the support here ….
WTE & Charlie
TADA!
Well, I am officially a pretty crappy liar and almost blew it a few times – but made it through it all! The DR appt that is.
The first thing I did wrong was to do the “sign in” sheet and I put my REAL NAME down! HA! Had to cross it out and mumbled something about my “pen (writer’s) name”. I’m certain she thought I was batty! LOL
Then I’m sitting there, and it’s a REALLY big and busy office. They call SUSAN TURNER and I keep reading my magazine. Until about the 3rd time she called it I went OOPS! That’s me! HA! HA!
But I LOVED LOVED LOVED this DR!
I had typed out my concerns about depression and possibilities of Remeron, Celxexa and Lexapro. I had a copy of my Topa chart which includes not only dosage and dates but my weight, etc. So he walks in and introduces himself and I pull out my papers. On the top issue is depression. And I start to cry. LOL Sounds funny now but I told him this is what I am dealing with – his response was “I have that effect on a lot of people”. Cracked me up …..
I was 100% honest with him about my AL use, the Topa, all of it. I felt like he was REALLY listening. What a refreshing change! And he knows his stuff.
He was not at all surprised at my weight loss on Topa as he says he has patients that request it for only weight loss. And so we moved through my list.
Him thinking I have no insurance, he felt Lexapro would be better but would cost me around $150 A MONTH to pay cash for it. Yes, there is a generic, but it’s not any cheaper just yet. A process he was very familiar with.
Remeron/Mirtazepine – He said he usually only gave that to people that were so bad they couldn’t even get out of bed from depression. I could have pushed, but I listened to him.
So in the end, he felt Celexa (I got the generic - Citalopram) would be a good place to start. 20 MG in the AM.
Sun – what dosage are you taking????
So I am to report back in a week with a phone call with a thumbs up or down and we go from there. He said I am “tiny” so we will start with 20 mg and perhaps move up to the 40 MG. He advised me where to fill the script for the best cost – TARGET! I got 30 – 20 MG tabs for $4.00! My office visit was $40.00! Hell, I have a $30 co-pay with my insurance and then STILL have to pay the rest until I meet my $5000 deductible!
And so, we have decided to “tick off” one issue at a time. AD being the first – then the AL. He agreed to me going back to Topa if it feels right, but he also brought up Campral and a few others …. So we shall see. He is pretty convinced that depression is causing more drinking rather than the other way around. I’m not certain … but we will find out ….
He also feel that some therapy would be a good idea. Feels like I am just not dealing with “old stuff” such as my partner and sister’s deaths 6 months apart year ago. And the list goes on. So he gave me some recommendations and I made one call this afternoon and left a message for one gal. We shall see if it is a good fit or not.
The BEST move I made was staying under the radar! I can’t stress enough how screwed up our insurance system is when you have personal insurance, but I would have been totally in danger had he known who I really was and this was an insurance claim. Instead I came home today spending a total of $44.00 and a DR that actually listens to me! And NOTHING on my “record”.
So there ya go …. We’ll see how this all flys and I strongly suggest everyone keeping AL problems hidden if possible.
With love hugs and thanks for all the support here ….
WTE & Charlie
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