So I've been back on my pump for about 2 months and my BG readings have been so perfect. They are the best they've been because I've been doing EVERYTHING how I should! I'v run into a problem with my doctor's office and because of that, I'll be running out of insulin.
I was at the doctor Friday to get blood work done so that the results will be ready to review when I go to my appointment on Tuesday. While I was there I mentioned to them that I was going to need 1 refill on my Humalog to get my through to my appointment. The doctor was only willing to write a prescription for 1 vial of insulin and my prescription is for 3 vials. They said they will not give me more insulin until my appointment on Tuesday. The issue with getting only 1 vial is that my co-pay is the same whether I get 1 vial or 1,000 vials. I can NOT afford to pay the co-pay for 1 vial and then have to turn around and pay another co-pay when he decides to write me a "full" prescription. PLUS the co-pay to see the doctor on Tuesday in the first place. I explained this to them and they will not help me. She said she didn't know what to tell me and her recommendation was to pick up the 1 vial that was called into the pharmacy. I guess she didn't really listen to anything I was saying about not being able to AFFORD to do that.
So at some point late Sunday or during the day Monday I will be totally and completely without insulin. I am so stressed out and agitated. I don't know what I can do or if I can do anything in this situation. It brings me to tears when I think about how HARD I've been working to have my BG under such tight control and now this happens. It's going to take me days to get back after I start running so high again. Not to mention how my body is going to feel. I just needed to vent. Thanks for listening.
I’d cut back now and stop eating :p. I’m only half joking about that. In college I ran out of insulin often due to poor planning/not understanding I could possibly ask for a larger prescription. The way I would stretch it is by not eating and if I did, only eating lettuce and cheese. If you only have to do it for two days, I totally would. If you cant for some other reason (YDMV and all that), then I would call and freak out on them early Monday morning complete with tears and rising blood sugars.
I'd also ask to speak to the office manager regarding this. Explain to here that you understand their policy, however you are going back on Tues your normal prescriptions are for 3 vials...I mean even if you were to just blow the Dr off, you'd quickly be back in the position of needing more insulin...this isn't like you are asking for a prescription for 6 months. Explain to here you cannot afford to copays for medications AND a co-pay for the Dr...and the Dr's attitude was like oh well to bad so sad. That you NEED to take this medication to LIVE. And I would also say if you have to go without, you may just be notifing your local news media how the Dr treats his diabetic patients. Bad publicity is a practices worst nightmare.
is this a doc you have been seeing for a while, this is unbelievable unjust! doctors offices should make things easier for their patients, you are not called an insulin dependent diabetic for nothing, this really screams of very bad office policies, i would call the doc on call and tell your story ... sometimes pharmacies will help out .. i hate to even admit this but i went to grab insulin for jacob the other night messy cupboard so many supplies, and no insulin!!! totally all my fault, we use a mail away program and i dropped the ball big time. i called our local pharmacy which i have used forever and begged and pleaded saying he wouldnt live through the night and they GAVE me a bottle. i felt like the worst mother in the world but i got him his insulin. please call your doctor and explain, your doc probably has no idea how his office staff or policies are impacting his or her patients lives! best wishes just got my real shipment in if you lived close i would drive you over a bottle! amy
I know it SEEMS like really bad office policies but having worked in Dr's offices the majority of patients if you give them a refill a lot of them wont come back, so unfortunately for us who DO comply those who Dr's blindly refill prescriptions, and dont follow up has been a big cause of problems for practices like this. I understand perfectly their policy but also I think they need to STOP and listen...to what the patient has said, take into account her history with the practice, is she a new patient, established patient, does she have a history of the ONLY time coming in is when the refills run out. And also the OP is not asking for anything unreasonable, not like she's asking for 6 months just what her normal monthly supply is. My endo's office the VERY first appointment I was told up front I don't keep my appointments I don't get refills from them. The Dr's do have to protect themselves too, and blindly refilling prescriptions without seeing patients like SOME Dr's do is a set up for disaster, thats why offices have gotten so strict not to make our lives miserable or more difficult but because they want to ensure that patients stay compliant with appointment and problems are caught before they become bad..I had a Dr when I was younger wrote my insulin prescription with unlimited refill...do you think I kept my appointments with him...HECK NO. So Dr's have cracked down on that and a lot are very strict about the refills.
Apidera is covering copays for insulin if your insurance and your Dr. approve the change. I ran into the problem with my Dr who was calculating a 30 day supply based on my lowest daily dosage over a thirty day period, and not considering that my carb intake per day ranges from 30-120. He did not account for wasted insulin for site changes and insulin wasted in the reservoir which added up to a minimum 50 units per month. Long story short, he upped the script to 3 vials per month You need to justify the amount of insulin you are using per month. So let your Dr. know you are using 3 vials per month. I hope this helps.
You might try asking for free sample. My doc keeps a mini-fridge full of them. This way you avoid paying the extra copay and your doc is assured that you will keep your appointment(and thus gets paid). Personally, I would change docs if your doc won't accommodate you. But my tolerance is low for this kind of thing. IMO, a single office visit per year pays the doc enough for him/her to provide your scrip refills for the year. My doc bills my insurance hundreds of dollars for a single office visit...
I think sometimes doctors are out of the loop and you end up dealing with "staff" who probably get lots of requests for things and develop the sort of response you re seeing. I agree this is totally wrong. I had an issue once where they were giving me 1 bottle/ month but my monthly dosage was a shade more than 1 bottle. So every month it ate away at the reserve when they'd provide ridiculous amounts. I went to the pharmacy and explained I was out and the nature of their math error and they gave me a bottle. I also had some issues when I had a medical history of blowing off my doctor, for like 5 years, maybe more, b/c Walgreens got all the rx's refilled. Eventually I got cut off, found a new doc and got on the plan but I figured that there might be historical "notes" somewhere that would haunt me so if something like that is going on, it might cause some problems. I also hate it when stuff like this happens on weekends and you can't get answers until Monday for what amounts to an emergency situation.
The cost of copays can be so stressful . I am thankful I have insurance but spending $200 in a month is a lot. Check with your insulin company to see if the have any copay reduction cards . Nancy
I can try giving them another call on Monday. I'm pretty sure it was the doc. nurse that I spoke with. I explained all of that and didn't get anywhere. And I was nice about it.
I will def. be talking to them again after this weekend so they can see how it impacts individuals. I will explain to them everything I'll have to do over the next few days to keep my BG in the best control possible.
It was kind of your pharmacy to help you out like that. It's hard to find compassionate people in this world.
I can totally see why you need to keep appointments and why the doc.s need to have some sort of policies in place. I totally agree with you that each situation should be looked at on an individual basis. It's not like I'm begging for a refill on a narcotic, right? It's not like I want insulin so I can take it to get high or sell it on the streets. They may you feel like you're asking for something so unreasonable.
This is def. something that I need to address but wanted to do it with an endocrinologist. Part of the reason I have this appointment with my PCP is so I can ask for the referral to see an endo. My prescription needs to be changed. Thanks for bringing up the wasted insulin for site changes and whats left in the reservoir. Didn't even think about that!
I'm going to ask them when I call on Monday morning. Until then I'm thinking about getting a vial of 70/30 from Walmart. It's only $24 and better than nothing. Then I can run my pump for basal and bolus with 70/30.
