Prescriptions

[nconley]

I can't believe how expensive it is to take care of yourself. Back when I didn't have health insurance, I paid for my mental health/prescriptions all out of my pocket and then when I did get health insurance, they called my bipolar disorder a pre-existing condition and refused to cover it. It was like being punished for doing the right thing. That was a long time ago and now I have semi-decent health insurance, but I still find myself paying an arm and a leg for doctor visits and prescriptions because I need so much attention. I go to my primary care doctor for the normal things, like my newly diagnosed IBS and female health, my therapist to talk about my feelings and help cement the skills I learned in the intensive outpatient program, my psychiatrist for medication monitoring, and a follow up group once a week to get more information about the skills I learned in IOP. The mental health appointments are like $20 for each one, then I'm on 5 separate medications, 3 for my bipolar disorder, 1 for insomnia, and 1 for the IBS. My psychiatrist wants me on a birth control pill also, because one of my medications causes severe birth defects in the first trimester if I were to get pregnant. So, when I go in for my next annual exam, I get to add that pill to my list also. I also have to take iron supplements because they discovered that I was anemic and vitamin D because I'm deficient, plus a multi-vitamin because I know I don't get all the nutrients that I normally need. That's a lot of pills. Prescription alone is 10 a day.

I'm so tired. I feel like an old woman. A 24 year old on 10 prescription pills a day? That's nuts to me.

Blah.