mood stabilizer/insurance probs

[abbylotus]

i am wondering if anyone else has run into this problem or may have info/advice on the matter. i am currently un-insured and receiving meds thru a patient's assistance program. however, i will soon be covered under blue cross blue shield (YEA!!) and just learned today from my med nurse that i will no longer be able to receive the free meds from them once the insurance kicks in; which is unfortunate because we aren't making anymore money. also, she said my insurance will not cover my mood stabilizer because it is an anti-convulsant and is used as an off label for another reason being bipolar (i'm not epilectic). this medicine runs over $600/mo. this is a matter that i certainly will take up with my psychiatrist the next time i see her as to switching me to something less expensive and possibly something covered by this new insurance. however, from a google search i found that the only mood stabilizers, besides lithium which i do not tolerate, are anti-convulsants. i find this terribly upsetting. i do not like starting another med and dealing with this BS is a bummer, too. Any advice? :

[Nathan1097]

oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. I am also on Depakote and this is definitely one you cannot just stop cold turkey. Can you at least talk with the patient's assistance program - or better yet, get a letter from your psych. dr- about how BAD it is to stop all of a sudden?

[AnyMama]

What are you on? All mood stabilizers have anti-convulsant affects. Look on http://crazymeds.us/ They list the approved usage for all drugs. I didn't know insurances could reject a prescription because of "off label" use...are you sure about that? I thought if a doctor wrote for it and it was on the formulary, they had to cover it. The more I think about it, they must, almost all bipolar patients are on a mood stabilizer, and lithium is almost never the first choice. They're getting their meds covered somehow.

Fish oil has mood stabilizing affects, and so do most of the anti-psychotics. I know some of the Benzos have anti-convulsant affects, but not sure if they work for mood stabilization.

You may also run into trouble having your treatment covered at all if there's a previously existing condition clause.