Dang this story is long. OK, so I’m in the middle of withdrawls from my antidepressant Trintillex. But in order for this to make sense I have to provide a back story. I have been with my General Practitioner for about a year and a half now. Due to finances and insurance, seeing a “regular” doctor to treat my depression and anxiety is all that has been in the cards for the last few years. I am having a couple of problems with her. She only writes prescriptions for one month at a time, every prescription, doesn’t matter what it’s for. Which is hard to keep up with when you have depression, anixiety a LIFE, etc. I have to make sure I have the pharmacy fax the prescriptions for refills in ample time. Once I was left hanging without my anti-anxiety pills but only for one day, so I made due (only because my husband has PTSD and has his own anti-anxiety pills) Second problem, I obviously need to be seeing a psychiatrist. I had discussed with my doctor that I was ready to see a psychiatrist and she said she’d help me find one that was on my insurance. Great, I thought. Well she kept trying to get me to go to these inpatient/outpatient clinics. She even said she faxed one place my information, and I had no clue she was going to do that. I care for my disabled veteran husband full time and 6 hours a day of outpatient just was not going to work for me. Plus I seriously felt they’d try to throw me into inpatient. Also, I would still have to have a psychologist once it was all over with anyway. Soooo…I waited until I could save up the money to see a private psychologist/psychiatrist…whichever it is. It is taking me a while to get in. So until then I’m still at the mercy of my general practitioner. And here’s where the problem arises. Either the pharmacy messed up and didn’t send in my fax request to refill my antidepressant or the doctor didn’t get it. I didn’t know this…on the pharmacy website it showed as waiting for doctor approval. I wait, having enough to make it through the weekend, so I don’t make any phone calls. Then I realize that the Monday coming up was a holiday and I was screwed. But not having my meds for one night wasn’t that bad. Tuesday came and went and no meds. So I went to the pharmacy and asked for a couple of loaners. They typically do it for everything but narcotic pain meds and benzos. He said he couldn’t do it. But he said he would personally call the doctor immediately and to wait there. He did so, got on the phone with someone, told them I had been out for a couple of days and really needed them and instead of them filling it, they told him to refax the request. I figured they’d respond that afternoon before they left the doctors office. But of course they did not. At this point I’m starting to feel it a little bit, but it was probably more of the anxiety of knowing I didn’t have it in my system. Who knows. I make it through the night and call the doctor the next day. I got the receptionist and told her I had been without for quite a few days and she was snippy with me saying they just got the fax the day before. Grrrr. I let her know that a fax was sent out over a week ago and someone missed it. Anyway, somehow, someone refilled it. I got an automated call from the pharmacy at 4pm and I went online to verify that it was indeed the med I had ordered. Yes it was! But, it was a 90 day script and I only wanted 30 days. I speak to someone online at the pharmacy (it's a big chain) and ask him if he can change it to 30 days or if I needed to call the local pharmacy. He said he could do it and that they would be ready in about an hour.
Later that night I send my hubby to pick up our daughter and my script. While he’s gone I double check on it online. It’s not filled and it’s status looks weird. I call the pharmacy (it’s late at night but the night managers are usually really good and sweet). The girl tells me they are out of stock. I ask her how they can be out of stock when they had it filled at 4pm for 90 pills. She said there is noting she can do…that they were never filled. I ask for the manager, she puts another girl on the phone. I tell her what is happening and ask her if a lower dose pill is in stock and ask if I can have a couple of those until the order comes in…and that had I known they were out of stock at 4, I would have transferred the prescription to another pharmacy. She said she couldn’t do that…then put me back on the phone with the same girl I had started talking to. I told her I didn’t want to talk to her I wanted to talk to a manager. She then told me there was no manager there, how cute considering you just supposedly put me on the phone with a manager. She told me that they would call/fax the doctor again in the morning and see if the doctor would approve giving me a few of the lower dose pills until the order came in. Last night was rough. I call the doctor today. I let the receptionist know that I’m having major problems with the pharmacy, the confusion and without my meds. I didn't want any more confusion on my prescription. And I ask her if there was a request for the lower dosage from the pharmacy and of course there is not!! I ask her to please, please have the nurse call me. Literally begging here. I was going to ask the nurse if she had any samples and send my husband to go get them. I did my best to not lose it, keep calm, get through the withdrawl symptoms, etc. And NO phone call from the nurse. Tonight is even worse. My meds supposedly come in some time tomorrow. I’m trying to keep myself sedated. I really feel that if I go into the hospital that they will put me in inpatient. But I promise all of you reading this that if it gets to bad, of course I will go. Thanks for listening to my loooong story.