Question About Seroquel Xr, For Anxiety, Not For Insomnia

[joeylittle]

Nuts i cant eat most of, or eat easiely so i'll need to think about the easiest way to add more protein as if its not easy, i likely wont do it.

String cheese is awesome, as are hard-boiled eggs. There are some pretty great jerkys on the market now (I guess thank the paleo craze). I know what you mean about not easy=won't do, I'm very much the same way.

Spoiler: another suggestion for protein drinks and soft things, just me blathering on

And getting a thing of protein powder and even just mixing it with a non-sugary liquid - they've got pretty tasty ones out there, and it's way cheaper than buying pre-made. The protein powder I like lately is Isopure. They taste really good, not fake-sweet at all. They don't have a ton of fiber, so if you use it as a meal replacement it's good to add something that will provide fiber.

Something also good, if you like these things, are the overnight oatmeals. It kind of blew my mind, how good they can be. It's just some oats, some milk or non-dairy, some greek yogurt, and whatever you want the flavor to be...you can add fruit, you can add anything in the world, really. You put it in the fridge and 12 hours later, it's this oatmeal pudding. Definitely not everyone's favorite taste or texture, but it's totally soft and addresses a sweet tooth without being super-high sugar, and I found them to be very satisfying.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Well, the 2 and a half later is probably out. Its hard to say as 1) I always sleep on the weekends, so much so that its hard to get myself to the store lately, 2) today is my mom's memorial..but I fell asleep on the couch with no pillows, forgetting to take my dog out last night and all this morning/half the day, when woken barely remember any of it. I get the night thing as its taken at night but dont get the daytime thing.

Tonight i'll move it to 11, just 30 mins later than normal and try to slowly move it. Taking it at 10:30 has no effect on making me tired at that time so i dont know.

String cheese is awesome, as are hard-boiled eggs. There are some pretty great jerkys on the market now

Cheeze I love, eggs I hate (always have), and not a big jerky girl though ive not eatten much. My dad & brother both loved jerky when i was little and i remember i always hated the smell but i havent tried it as an adult.

I love BBQ so maybe something that tastes like that. I dont know.

Yeah, I can do protein powders in something like milk or something. I have the blender and never used it so will need to play around a bit.

I know what you mean about not easy=won't do, I'm very much the same way.

Yeah, its sort of like I buy it with great intention and then dont eat it.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Sugar cravings seem to have eased. Not sure if its because i couldnt buy any due the issue with my banking account but ive been to the store a few times since and didnt buy anything sugar-y and so its since eased a lot.

The weight gain seemed to have slowed or stopped. Hopefully for good.

Just wanted to update for anyone having the same issue.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

My PDoc increased my Seriquel XR from 200mg to 250mg and my xanax from 1mg three times a day to .50 three times a day.

I was worried about going up a full 100mg at once since our titrates have always been 50mg at once so its two seprate prescriptions.

The pharmacy had to order them so not started them yet but at 200mg im taking .25 (or a quater of a 1mg) twice a day at work most days and .50 at night most nights so it will be easier to just split to .5 in half. She praised me for lowering the Xanax. She speaks like everyone on it gets addicted or at least physically dependant and she doesnt hear me when I say Im neither. So its not a big deal to me. The Seriquel helps so its a no brainer to me.

Im hoping it doesnt make me too tired in the morning. I work 2pm - 11pm and go to bed at 3am. Currently im taking it at 10:30pm, completely fine to drive home and still help me sleep a bit. I tried to move it later but it effecting my abilty to wake up when im suppose to.

I agree that i likely will land at 300mg.

Anyway, I will report back after i take the increased dose for a few days. I swear this is thread is a story lol.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I f*cking hate insurence companies!

So my insurence won't cover the 200mg Seriquel XR because they need another prior authorization and I only have 1 pill left for tonight and the Dr's office says up to 5 days and because there isn't a generic for the XR in the US as of yet, it is over $600 retail. I can pay it but don't have it to just throw away. I need as much money as possible in case I get laid off next month and when my parents move to keep up with the bills as long as possible.

They did cover the 50mg (for whatever reason as prior auth was for it in general) but I am afraid of going too low in mg and need to get used to it again, which orginally took 2 weeks off of work.

Does anyone know, if I lower what I am taking down from 250mg to 50mg, will I have to get used to it again?

I have enough of the 50mg to maybe take 100mg or 150mg possibly for a few days since I will have to tier myself back up and I have a few pills of the 50mg in my safe.

Ugh, I hate that insurence can do this to an extended release *must take every day* and *takes forever to get used to* medication! I am just worried about it making impossible to work if I drop it and then increase it too fast.

 

[Silver.]

if they cover the 50, can you not ask your doctor to call in extra, so you can take 200mgs (4x50mg pills), until the full 200 can be approved? (my pharmacists are always doing things this way)

 

[lostforgottensoul]

can you not ask your doctor to call in extra, so you can take 200mgs (4x50mg pills)

She wont. My Dr is a fruit loop. My therapist is amazing but he is LMHC in that office, he doesnt write meds.

They said they never got the prior auth fax and so my pharmacy is faxing again and calling. The Dr front staff said they have to call the insur and since its late today likly not til tomorrow. Granted they get the f*cking fax!

The front staff are bitches. There is another PDoc in that office and everyone raves about him. I should change over. I can still keep my therapist. They're all in a group.

ETA: Sorry if this is all mixed up...im trembling at the moment and brain is fried...and im at work. My current PDoc won't call hardly anything in and she just isnt great.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

5 calls to the pharmacy, 4 calls to the Dr, 3 faxes later and Dr FINALLY has the prior auth form. Main receptionist that works on my PDoc's stuff said she will call insur in the AM and hopefully I will have it tomorrow. But the panic was partionally not needed as I looked and have three 200mg pills left, not one.

But oh well, they needed on this today anyway since no one can tell me that the prior auth expires or when. I had no idea they expire. What happens for a lifetime med? Have to "re-up" it every 6 months? What a f*cking pain in the ass!! Especially for a med that is over $600 retail and a few hundred more for the 50mg.

The US REALLY needs to come out with Quetiapine XR!! The generic that Canada has for the Seriquel XR. All the US has quetiapine for is the immediate release, not extended release and, what would likely be, around $750 or $800 is ridiculous for Seriquel XR $250mg, which is still considered lower dose, retail. What is it? Made of f*cking gold?

 

[joeylittle]

What happens for a lifetime med? Have to "re-up" it every 6 months? What a f*cking pain in the ass!! Especially for a med that is over $600 retail and a few hundred more for the 50mg.

Yep. I have to renew prior auth every 6 months on one of mine. it's a big hassle. Depending on your provider, you can actually 'stack' the authorizations up, so that the insurance company has them, and all you need to do is tell them to activate them.

Just in case you get stuck again - You would not go through a whole discontinuation/restart thing unless you dropped your dose for more than 10 days or so. one, two, three, four days you might notice a bit of a headache, but this drug hangs around for a pretty good time. I would say you may find it useful to refill a few days early over the next few months, so that you can stockpile some backup in case you run into trouble again with the pre-auth. They will also (usually) not tell you when it's running out - it's up to you to contact them. Doctors don't track that either.

It's a hard thing. I'm glad it's turning out OK for you.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Depending on your provider, you can actually 'stack' the authorizations up, so that the insurance company has them, and all you need to do is tell them to activate them.

That would be nice. Knowing United Health Behavior Health they would have funky rules about that. I HATE them.

First time I have had to have prior authorization no one, not the Dr or the pharm or the insur, told me that I had to renew and I even had the pharm order it ahead a week ago as they never have it and always have to order it, and they still didn't tell me.

If I new it ran out in 6 months Id place it on my calender as I do for everything else that needs renewal.

I would say you may find it useful to refill a few days early over the next few months, so that you can stockpile some backup in case you run into trouble again with the pre-auth.

Yeah, i will. I normally don't get it til I need it but I'm going to change that for sure!

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@joeylittle, it wasn't an expired prior authorization. Have no clue it took the Dr to read this (like 5 people had read what the printed thing from the insur said) but it says that "Brand medically necessary" has to be on the hard copy prescription. They did that for my fentyal patches as they wouldn't cover the generic, only brand for whatever reason. I googled (because no one else could look) and the US came out, tenatively, with quetiapine extended release tablets 11/1/16. So it's because it's written for brand.

So the pharmacy is ordering the quetiapine extended release 200mg, and will have it tomorrow.

Now, the mystery, is why the insurence paid for brand name Seriquel XR 50mg, without a "brand medically necessary" on the prescription.

 

[joeylittle]

Now, the mystery, is why the insurence paid for brand name Seriquel XR 50mg, without a "brand medically necessary" on the prescription.

Oh. Because there wasn't a generic equivalent available. So, somewhere along the way, someone had to approve you taking the medication at all (as opposed to a parallel med with the same effects) - but that only needs to happen once, and you may not have known about it.

So, as long as there's a generic and you can take the generic, it's all good. (I take a brand where there's a generic available, and have to do this paperwork 2x a year).

That's interesting news about the approval for quietapine XR. Hope it stays available.