When my dad had to retire due to medical reasons, we lost his insurance. My mom did get a good job, and put me on her health insurance. However, when my dad died my mom had to leave her job, and we lost her health insurance. I did what anyone else would do. I went on the marketplace and signed up for health insurance. I checked to make sure all of my medication and doctors were covered. The one medication I was concerned about was my Lyrica because it's the only medication that helps my fibromyalgia. The health insurance I selected said Lyrica would be covered, but they failed to disclose all the red tape I had to go through.
When my pharmacy tried to fill my Lyrica it was denied because I needed prior authorization. My doctor sent them everything they asked for , and they still told me I had to do a year of drug therapy first. The big problem was Lyrica is a controlled substance, so I can't just go off it. I was never properly weaned off. My doctor prescribed me Gabapentin because it was in the same category as Lyrica. That really messed me up. I felt all the pain and fatigue I did before I was diagnosed. The only thing it did was keep me from going through withdrawal. The worst part was it gave me nightmares where I was being raped and murdered. I barely slept because I was too afraid to go to sleep. I called my doctor who prescribed me a muscle relaxer. Fibro is not in your muscle, so I knew how that was going to go. By this time I had switched insurances, and they also required drug therapy. Three months later after going through hell, I finally got my Lyrica. But it didn't fix me overnight.
When I was originally prescribed Lyrica, it took a year to get me back to normal. This time was the same, but guess what I had to find new insurance at the end of the year. I am able to get my Lyrica from the pharmacy three days before I last picked it up. I picked it up on December 1st of 2017, and then I picked it up again on November 30th 2017. I did this to by me time to get my Lyrica. I was hoping to have it by February, but that didn't happen. There were times I would call my insurance sobbing because I have been taking Lyrica for 10 years, and it's the only thing that helps me. Without it I cannot function in my everyday life. My body feels as though someone is continuously beating me with a bat all over. I was terrified of feeling that way again. I was afraid I'd lose my job. That didn't matter to them. Truth is Lyrica is over $500 without insurance, and they didn't want to pay for it. One day I found a possible solution.
My mom and I were constantly searching for cheaper ways to get my Lyrica. We had considered driving to Canada to get it. I even considered flying to London to get it. I can't order it from London because customs won't let it through since it's a controlled substance. One day while I was searching online I found a prescription assistance program from Pfizer. Pfizer is the company that manufactures Lyrica. I filled out the forms, and gave them to my doctor to fill her part out as well. She sent it to them and a few weeks later I was approved. I almost cried because I was going to get my life back. They told me because of my low income I was eligible to receive Lyrica free of charge for the next year. I couldn't believe it! I got my doctor a few little gifts a a thank you for putting up with all this crap, and apologized to her. She told me that I didn't have to because it's her job. She hates insurance companies too.
I still don't understand why a month of Lyrica in America has to cost over $500, and a month of it in England is $45 (without insurance). What the insurance companies do to us is torture, plain and simple. They don't want to pay for us to live, so they torture us until we die. I have always said to my mom if I cannot live here, then I will go somewhere else. I will not be stopped from life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You shouldn't allow it either. Everyone deserves a chance at life. What was done to me and countless others simply because the companies do not want to pay for it, is wrong. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins, and it in turn affects us. I dream that one day health care and medication will be affordable to all. Right now it feels like it costs too much to live, but we can't let that stop us. Please keep fighting, and keep going.
Keep Livin'
Kayla Dawn
