Slangus goes bac

[slangus]

Hi all,
I haven't been through all posts yet, but I thought I would chronicle my journey.

Last week I went to see my GP and told her EVERYTHING - so fucking vulnerable when my main message is " I can't lose my job because of this" - who gave me a whole lot of guilt and grief; wouldn't do any LFTs, and gave me a phone # to call for an "addiction evaluation"...hello! I or my husband could tell you I have a big fat alcohol problem. I had an appt. with her this week to have a melanoma removed and she opened her big mouth and asked my husband about it - he blew a gasket - she was pissed that I hadn't quit drinking once I walked into her office the week prior and asked for help - I've been trying to quit for 30 years and she thinks I can quit for a month magically because I asked for help and am waiting to be evaluated? She is negligent. I took things into my own hands and this site.

Called Dr. Levin. Nice chat where he said unequivocably that if I follow his regimen I will lose the interest in drink. I'm going to try it. I'm going to start by doing whatever he says. No questions asked for now.

I had to drive 1.5 hrs to a Walgreens pharmacy; they questioned me pretty harshly;would n't fill the first months RX of 178 pills because insurance wouldn't pay - asked me how many pills I take a day because they will only rx 80 mg..., but they tippy-toed and I didn't know that until I got home..only have 3 weeks worth. I don't know what Dr. Levin said, but this is the first time the pharmacist acted scared - no asking if I had questions about the rx, nothing. I found it a depressing transaction; not over yet, and I have yet to pop pill 1.

thanks everyone! I feel that even if you don't care, I can write my experience here for you to take or leave.

I fucking have to stop drinking. This shit is ridiculous.

[SlipperyPete]

Slangus goes bac

Congrats on getting the bac and welcome!

Thank goodness I haven't had a terrible experience at the pharmacy yet. I just had a pharm tech who was amazed when what she thought was a 6 month supply turned out to be a 1 monther...

Keep us posted and good luck.

[LadyLush]

Slangus goes bac

Slangus,

Everyone will care; that's why we are here! Baclofen can be prescribed for Restless Leg Syndrome, Back Spasms, etc. It is a muscle relaxer! So let Walgreens wonder! You will be amazed at how you feel in a short time.
The alcohol part does suck and it is shit. I know I told all to my doctor too. I went there a few weeks after because I had gotten bitten by a dog. I swear I felt like the nurses were wondering if I fell down on some rabid dogs with a drink in a bag in some ally somewhere!

Anyway, got to get to bed but your post came up when I was closing down. You will find many allies here and along the way you will be given hope and encouragement that is profound.
Good luck and I'll be around!:l

LL

[slangus]

Slangus goes bac

wow - thanks! I thought I would just be my usual anti-social self. I have a hard time keeping track of online threads ( I plead age and ludditism...).

Walgreens wanted $100 for 178 20-mg pills, so I wanted to self pay, but after realizing it was already on my medical permanent record, I asked for it to be covered by insurance. BCBS charged it as $10 for 120 pills. So I have to somehow buy the extra? I don't know. I'll ask Levin next week. Argh.

Guys, I am a frugal person except for alcohol. But I spend $300-400 a month on drink. I drink really cheap wine. I'll pay that much to not drink. Sounds stupid, but that's a bargain to me.

Thanks for your support, and I hope that whatever happens, I can serve as an example. Hopefully a positive one!

ST. Angus

[Murphyx]

Slangus goes bac

Hey Slangus, welcome aboard.

Your GP sounds like a dangerous fricking idiot. Change doctors immediately and report the dumb cow!

The bac will sort you out, no worries. Just stick with Dr L's instructions and use us for help/support/generally talking shit.

[bleep]

Slangus goes bac

Cool, a direct approach. I like it!

Hi Slangus, and welcome.

Walgreens has some club that you join for $20. Once you've done that, your baclofen becomes some of the cheapest in the world, if memory serves. I've never seen a Walgreens in my life, so that's all the detail I can give you, but hopefully someone who knows about it will chime in. That should help.

Yup, Murph is right. Sadly, most doctors are hopeless at this.

Best of luck.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Slangus goes bac

I haven't read it all, which makes me crazy, sorry.
Love the av, love the name, love the first post.
Your doc is an asshole. On so many levels I can't even open that jar this morning.
We all have to fucking stop fucking drinking. Welcome!
You will.
The pharmacist is also a complete bollocksy (for you murphy, ) wanker. I can tell you how to manage the knucklehead, but in brief, call Dr. L. He'll square it away in about 30 seconds flat and you'll never hear another peep from the bleepin-sheep-shagger again. Tis true. yay!
:l
Ne

[RudyB]

Slangus goes bac

yep, i can attest to what ne says. even tho the guy has hundreds of patients he's never met -i would imagine at least- he's very quick to deal with the pharmacies. i've had similar dosing questions from the insurance co (tho never a bad attitude from the pharmacists!), but dr L was quick-on-board to straighten the whole thing out. look to him as possibly one of the most precious resources you could have. and we here at mwo, too. we'll be a support system for you, sans judgement and other total nonsense (exept the nonsense we CHOOSE to discuss, of course).

welcome aboard, slangus!

xo rudy b

[LadyLush]

Slangus goes bac

ST. Angus,

Hey, it's been 3 days on Bac; how are you doing? Hopefully you already feel the anxiety part calming down. Let me know how you are please?

Your first post was great. How many times have I said "this shit has got to stop?"
The fun left years ago and I still thought I was 21 and having fun. No one around me thought I was fun anymore but I didn't see it.

I hope you are hanging in there and again, let us know how you are doing.


LL:l

[Lo0p]

Slangus goes bac

Call Dr. Levin, explain it to him. He'll cut you off midway, ask for the number to the pharmacy, call them and rip that pharmacist a new one! Trust me, he's done it a couple times for me. Not only that, but he'll insure that you are prescribed x# of pills for 30 days. That way your insurance will cover them ALL.

[LadyLush]

Slangus goes bac

Slang,

Did you call Dr. L and how are you doing? Let us know!

LL

[alexan]

Slangus goes bac

I second Lo0p. Dr. Levin is an awesome person who has stepped in for many. Sometimes one has to try a couple of different pharmacies as happened in my case where one certain WG pharmacist absolutely refused despite his talk with Levin (sneakingly promising Levin, but then calling me a half-hour later at 6am in the morning to say that he would not - some sudden moral alightment supposedly), but on the whole in the end Dr. Levin made it happen by having me get a different pharmacy.

I really think more Pharmacists need to shut up and listen to the prescribing doctors.