But It'll Cost Ya

[saavedra77]

On learning of my recent bouts of the twitches, my doctor graciously consented to put me back on brand-name anti-seizure meds. Another several days' worth of miscues followed before I was able to actually get the pills from the pharmacy. But, as of the middle of this past week, I'm finally back on the meds that actually work--or, at least, the ones that have best done so in the past.

The catch? The formulary has changed. So from now on, the drugs that actually work are going to cost me three times as much.

The thing is, I'll happily pay it to avoid having another seizure. Hell, I'd practically do anything to to have that.

Comments

Re: Don't count them out entirely...

[saavedra77.livejournal.com]

Understood--I've never been one for sweeping judgments. On the other hand, (as you say) an ineffective anti-epileptic can be pretty catastrophic. So I'll always be cautious about changing. What I'll want to hear is not just that the drug's supposedly active molecule is the same, but that it's been clinically demonstrated to be equally efficacious for treating seizures in multiple trials. (This is a theme that seems to be emerging in the literature: the current generic anti-seizure meds are proving less efficacious than the brand-names, and some of the latter's supposedly extraneous chemical components may actually be part of what makes them effective.)