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Junior Member
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Vermont/South Carolina
Posts: 10
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Vermont/South Carolina
Posts: 10
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I recently had an experience in which my Prior Authorization on a medication (Provigil) "ran out", according to my Medicare Part D Drug Provider. They informed the pharmacy that the GENERIC for this drug (not avail in this country) was RITALIN ER!!! I WAS SPEAKING TO A TECH IN ANOTHER COUNTRY -- and we could NOT comprehend each other well-enough for him to "get it" that this was an entirely different medication!!! SO, my Pharmacist then tells me to "come on down" and he'd give me the RITALIN ER.
UH -- NO!
This CLEARLY would have been a case of the Pharmacist, secondary to the recommendation of my Drug Insurance, changing to an entirely different class of drug! RITALIN treats ADHD. Provigil treats NARCOLEPSY!!!
PROVIGIL & RITALIN are not even CLOSE to being the SAME drug!!! They do NOT have the same ACTIVE ingredient!!! RITALIN is methylphenidate, an older POWERFUL AMPHETAMINE (in the same family as Concerta, d-amphetamine and caffeine) that affects the entire Nervous System. It is extremely Addictive!!! PROVIGIL's active ingredient is modafinal. Provigil only appears to effect the part of the brain that keeps you awake. Clinical trials have also demonstrated that Provigil does not cause nervousness or withdrawal symptoms in the way that traditional stimulants do.
What happened? Fortunately my Doctor's office is quick & efficient! They submitted an EMERGENCY (to be processed faster) Prior Authorization request to my Drug Insurance. The folks at my Medicare Part D Plan told me that the EMERGENCY request would expedite things greatly: 72 business hours minimum. This was Friday night.
I had NO MEDS. The following Wednesday the Ins Co, called & informed me I could NOW get my Provigil filled. The Prior Authorization is for 1 year.
I WAS reminded by my Pharmacy that if I wished to, I could PURCHASE the Provigil MYSELF. In reality, I could NOT. My ONLY income is SSD! The Provigil costs $663+ per month!!!
I'm just relieved that the Prior Authorization was APPROVED!!!
Mia
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No soul is desolate as long as there is a human being for whom it can feel trust and reverence.
~T.S. Eliot
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