zoloft cost

[pottywoman]

Well, I'm up to 75 millgrams of the zoloft now. It's almost $200.00 for just one month. I don't know if I should keep taking it or not. I feel guilty about it because medicaid is paying and it seems medicaid is why we have such high taxes. It doesn't seem to be helping any but it's only been 2 days. With the costs of the other pills I take, heparin instills and all I don't know if I'm worth the high cost of it all. :rolleyes: I worry about the payments even if I'm not paying for it.

[Elle]

CHEER UP!!! I'm a taxpayer and I, for one, don't mind chipping in to pay for your meds! You have a disease that needs to be treated. Its not like you're using your Medicaid card to buy beer with - that I would have a problem with. You're using it to buy meds that your Dr thinks you need. Don't fret about it!

:) AND, by the way... :)

Pottywoman - I want to see you SMILE!!! - Go ahead and put a smilee face on your reply post instead of a little sad face. It will make you feel better, I promise! :kissing:

[patricia1]

Pottywoman yes you are worth it. You are worth every penny that is spent on the medicine. I know how you feel about worrying because Medicaid is paying for it. Both my kids get medicaid. Private Insurance is so expensive its hard for people to get it. My hubby and his son right now dont have any. I get Medicare from SSD.

Also with Zoloft it can take several weeks to a month for it to help you, so dont give up just yet....

[Sarojini]

I don't mind chipping in either ;)

Plus, 2 days is not enough for meds like Zoloft. Unfortunately but true, with most antidepressants and mood stabilizers, you don't see a really good effect until you've been on them for at least a month.

Did you "ramp up" the dose and go from 25, to 50, then to 75 mg of Zoloft? If so, basically the 25 and 50 doses aren't therapeutic for many people (they are just there to help your body adjust), so you may have to wait another few weeks to see what the result is....

[MarthaB]

i agree , give it time to work, i'm on 50 mg a day, and do really well on that amount, but my daughter went from 50 mg to 100 mg , it took 7 weeks, but she feels so much better now, so try to persevere if you can, at least give at a chance to work. take care martha

[pottywoman]

I know I'm being stupid and I really don't even know why I"m stuck in feeling like "nowhere" place. Does that make sense? I think it's all just been too much for me really. I shouldn't complain since I have a wonderful Uro who has put up with me for many years. The zoloft started out at 25, then 50 and now 75. Took each one for a few weeks. He didn't want to jump it up to 100 today. I'm really hoping this pill can put my mind "back" to what it was but I have my doubts. To much has happened for to long I think and I am a nervous wreck to add on to the IC. I've been pretending to be happy for so long I'm just tired out. It's a weird feeling. The other thing about having to take the Z0loft (which I will to survive now) is that people (if they found out I was taking it) will think I am crazy. Sometimes I think maybe I have lost my mind. I get to feeling so worthless and lazy too. Can't do the things I use to or even clean the house like it should be done. It really bothers me.

[Babs RN]

Pottywoman,
You would be surprised at the number of people who are on antidepressants and anti anxiety meds. People who on the outside appear "normal"--whatever normal is--may have tons going on in their lives as well. I know IC hits like a ton of bricks that just keep collecting and make you feel worse. You feel like you have lost control, have a stamp across your forehead in public that says chronic pain patient, and to top off all the raw emotion, you feel like crud bodywise. Eventually you will find your combo of therapies that help and more good days than bad. Please don't think I'm being preachy or anything, I am talking from experience. Not as a nurse but an IC patient. I am coming off one of the worst summers of my life where there were days that I just feel worthless, fat, and just plain sad. As the summer has closed, I have gotten a referral to UCLA so we can try some new things, or at least get a fresh opinion, my hubby who I thought was about to dump me is coming home for his R&R on Sept 7th from Iraq, and my pain is under control again. Just give yourself a break, allow yourself to adapt to the diagnosis, and know that there are a whole bunch of people on the boards who care.

Hugs,
Barb :grouphug:

[poetgirl]

Hang in there Pottywoman! It takes a while for the Zoloft to really kick in. And you are not crazy, nor will anyone think you are crazy, for taking it. Don't worry about the taxes, either. Frankly I think taxes would be high regardless of programs like Medicaid, and considering how difficult it is for the average American to have access to decent medical insurance, I am happy to help those in a less fortunate situation than myself (I have very good coverage) get what they need for their health and well-being.

You're NOT worthless, you're NOT lazy. You (like us) have condition that is making it a little bit harder to do things. But you are a good person and we all care about you. Honestly, I've been pretty much in remission for a year and yet there are still days where I feel fatigued and have a hard time functioning. The other night my bladder was spasming for hours -- no pain, just constant urgency/frequency -- and by the time morning came around, I was too exhausted to work in the morning, so I took a few hours off, put on a Thermacare patch and went back to bed. It's not an easy thing to explain to people that it's more than just being tired, but I have stopped trying to justify it to anyone. It's my body and I'm going to do what I have to in order to take care of it! I have suffered from depression (usually mild) on and off since I was a teenager (can't take SSRIs for them) and when that gets going, I'm not up to doing a whole lot either. I think the key is not to beat yourself up about it; otherwise it seems to make the whole situation a lot worse.

I hope the Zoloft helps you feel better. Does Medicaid pay for counseling? That might also be helpful, if you can afford it. I've been seeing a therapist for about 2 years and it really helps me, especially if I'm getting down on myself and lost perspective of the bigger picture.

Hugs and prayers to you! :grouphug:

[Elle]

Allright pottywoman - I didn't see a smilee on that post! :) Just Kidding! :)

Like everyone else has already told you, you are a worthy person and you are not lazy! So what if you're house isn't perfect. If child services saw my house right now, they would probably take my kids away! ;)
And as far as people thinking you're crazy...screw them! They're probably just jealous because they're more miserable behind closed doors than any of us but are just too "normal" and perfect to ask for help. Keep your head held high and don't take their crap! No one can put you down unless YOU let them do it to you.
YOU ARE A STRONG AND WORTHY WOMAN!!! You are much more than a diagnosis and you are here for many reasons, not just to be sick. I'm sure that once you get the right mix of meds & things you are going to go on to live a very productive and pain-free life! For that matter, we all are! Someday soon a cure is going to be found!!
** And don't forget those smilees on your next post!! ** :)

[ICNDonna]

I have to agree that you need to take whatever it takes to help you feel better. And nobody but your doctor, pharmacist, and husband needs to know what you are taking.

Donna

[MarthaB]

i don't think you are crazy, a lot of people are on antidepressants, heaps of people, real depression is caused by a chemical inbalance of the brain, you are NOT crazy, i openly tell people i take anti depressants, and i do not care what they think, real friends will stick by you no matter what, so don't worry what other people may think, that's their problem, not yours take care martha

[pottywoman]

:hi: I've been thinking and I am going to try once more to get my life back and feel normal again. I doubt it will happen and more then likely be a long up hill battle. My Uro has been telling me what you all have said for the last 5 years. I know I am not thinking right. :loco: Don't know which is worse, knowing or not knowing you've lost it. Need to get my back bone back as well. I had one before the IC happened. Maybe I can put an ad in the lost and found section of the newspaper? :idea: Missing: "One good old used back bone. Lost around 1994. Need it back really badly. Reward if found. " :biglaugh: I did get up the nerve to ask the doc to test for another UTI when I went on Tuesday. (I have another one) Didn't want to bother him since I just had a UTI 2 weeks ago. That time I waited to long so I thought better check while I was there. Most of the time I think I have one I don't and then I feel stupid. He's always telling me he works for me but I tell him no because medicaid pays him and not. I'm taking 1/2 hour out each day and doing some small exercises. :dizzy: Need to get rid of the 40 pounds because that doesn't help mind wise either. Hoping by December I will have lost it all. I may and most likely be back on here complaining. :shake: Just ignore me or slap me silly. :rolleyes: Thanks for the help. Oh, by the way. All the smiley faces are for you Elle. I love to use these things so you don't know what you have done getting me to use them. ;)

[Elle]

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

OMG, pottywoman!!! I expected a :) , but I NEVER expected a :biglaugh: !!! Check you out!!! Girl, you're already getting your backbone back...NOW GO KICK SOME IC BUTT!!! :bow: I am in such envy right now! :bow:

[Yogajo37]

Potty Woman,
I completely understand where you are coming from. I too am on Zoloft and was afraid of the stereotype of the crazy person. I need to admit though, while it took 6 weeks I am back to being me. It is a great accomplishmnet. As far as helping the IC it allows me to see the whole picture and not dwell and worry about everything. I have decided ..what the heck...better living through chemistry. Just another thing, when I have my I don't need, want my Zoloft, my girlfriends all say" for gosh sake Joelle, it is so common they have adds in Glamour and Self for Zoloft." So who knows maybe this is a fshion do.. :)

Be well and take care of you!

Oh, I am so honored to be assiting in your treatment! I would rather my taxes go to someone as wonderful and worthy as you then to the oil compamies andother stupid things!