Well here I am again,fighting for a refill of my prescription Zomig. I had to change local clinics because our insurance company will no longer pay for the clinic and hospital I have gone to for 50 years. I need a prior authorization for my Zomig each year, and the new clinic did not fill the form out correctly, so I was denied coverage of my Zomig. I have to appeal the decision which takes time! I have a $5,000.00 deductable anyway, so they usually do not pay for much of the $210.00 for 8 tablets! I am so mad. I need to find a new doctor that realizes what a migraine attack is like with no medication!!! I have not been out of Zomig for 10 years or more. I clearly remember years, laying in the bathroom throwing up non stop for hours.... Zomig saved my life! I guess I just wanted to vent.... Thanks
I understand how frustrating it can be when dealing with insurance companies sometimes, really I do. And I'd like you to be as pain free as possible, so try not to get too irritated with me for passing along some information, ok?
But limiting Zomig and other triptans per month is really not such a bad thing in the "bigger" picture. Let me explain why -
You see, if we take Migraine abortive meds such as triptans or any kind of pain med more than two or three days a week, we could unwillingly create another problem (believe me no one wants!) called medication overuse headache (MOH), aka rebound. See Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires for more information on this. If you're in an MOH situation, nothing you take is going work, neither prescription nor "natural" medications nor over-the-counter. If that's the case, you need to work with your doctor to stop the medications causing the problem.
So if we take 8 Zomig per month, that may mean we are having at least two Migraine attacks per week, at the minimum - and this is too many!! Because there's growing evidence that Migraine is a progressive brain disease. A recent study showed that Migraines can cause brain damage, and that people with three or more Migraines a month are more susceptible to this damage. For more information, see Is Migraine a Progressive Brain Disease? and Yes, Migraines Can Cause Brain Damage. Maybe a conversation with your doctor about prevention is in order.
Hang in there,
Nancy
Hello Nancy,
I appreciate the reply. I have been on MANY preventative medications over the last eighteen years. My neurologist and I came to the conclusion that the side effects outweighed the benefits. This is especially true if the preventatives would only prevent one migraine a month. As a migraine sufferer, I am sure you know some months are better than others. The summer months are the worst for me. I refill my prescription monthly to have a supply for the months that are bad. I do not have medication overuse, since I do not take any medication sometimes for weeks or a month at a time. For years before I knew what my migraines were, I spent many hours sick, throwing up for hours or days. Zomig has given me my life back the last ten years. It breaks my heart to read all the posts people put up that have found no rescue medication that relieves their migraine, as I have been there also. Now that I am almost 53 years old, I am hoping my migraines will be reduced with menopause(and praying it comes soon!) My doctor believes this as well. My insurance company use to cover up to 12 Zomig tablets a month(which is considered for six migraines) now it only covers 8 tablets(I have a $5,000.00 deductible) If some months I only need 2 or 3, I am happy, but when I need more, it is great not to have to make an emergency ward visit to get a rescue medication since I save them each month. I am hoping our society will get more educated and realize this is not a psychological problem, but is a physical one, and insurance companies would actually help the patients suffering.
Sincerely,
Trish
Hi Trish,
Thanks for clearing up some of the details I didn't get the first time around! I'm so relieved to hear you are "good" so to speak with your usage of abortive medications. I do understand,, really, and it does stink.
Have you read any of the stuff Teri has put up lately about the differences in the way docs and patients view their appoirntments? VERY interesting....here's a link if you are into it: Migraine Patients and Doctors View Appointments Differently
You are so right, it start with education!!