I couldn’t afford to control my seizures anymore

In March I got the big surprise that the pharmacy that had been providing me with both anti epilepsy medication for the past six years, would no longer be able to help me with the most expensive one of the two medicines I need. Why? Because suddenly my health insurance decided to provide coverage for that medication now. They don’t provide enough for me to be able to afford it but if they cover anything, I am not eligible for the assistance anymore. The addition of 150 mg of the medication twice a day is what controlled my seizures.

I found additional help which lowers the cost of the medicine from over $400, which was what I had left to pay after the health insurances coverage, to just $20. It was frustrating because after activating the card several times, Walgreens kept telling me it wasn’t activated. I spent days calling both Walgreens and the pharmaceutical company several times a day to get the issue sorted out. I did everything I was told and every time I tried to pick up the medicine they told me the savings card didn’t go through. I didn’t know if I would be able to use the savings card so in addition to being afraid that I would not be able to afford the medication and would go back to having seizures, I also feared that just the stress of the whole situation would cause a seizure.

My neurologist had helped me with over a months worth of medication but I can’t rely on him just giving me medicine for free forever. So I was in crisis. This is not the first time my health insurance plan has given me a hard time to get my medicine, that’s why I had to go on the program in the first place and it makes me so angry.

Walgreens was finally able to activate my savings card and give me the discount this week. I got enough medication for one month for just $20. I hope this will work until there is a generic equivalent available next year, which I should be able to afford.

Medications are so important to so many people’s livelihood, it shouldn’t be just a business like the fashion industry or entertainment, it should be affordable for everyone.