Anti Depressants

What about going to a low cost clinic like Seamar in Vancouver, or even a sliding scale clinic. The medication is expensive, but there might be an alternative one that is cheaper. good luck.

Hi E., I suffer from depression as well. I to have used lexipro but the one thing I did not like was after a while it stopped working. with lexipro have you experianced that if you forget to take it. it will make you feel so lite headed? thats why I switched to cymbalta it works great and it works for aches and pains as well.I don't have any insurance at all but I get my month worth of pills from the samples my doctor gives me. that is what samples are also used for. when I get down to my last two weeks I call my doctors office and they give me 4 wks worth. because your doctor doesn.tg want you to not take at all. so call your doctor and tell them you need samples. and I aslo see a therapist for the depression, you can find one that does a scale pay which is based on your income. so check for one of those in the phone book or a referal from your doctor with a scale pay. good luck to you. hope that I helped you with some suggestions.~L.~

Hey E.,
My father is a Psychiatrist, and I know that they keep samples in their offices. Why don't you call your previous doctor who prescribed the meds and explain your situation and see if you can get enough samples to get you through until your DSHS kicks in?
Best of luck, and hang in there.

I have tried Lexapro. I find that I would feel so "out of it" and not want to get my butt off the couch. I felt better at first, but (like the first lady said) after a while it didn't work as well. It made me really sleepy. Have you tried zoloft? That seems to keep the energy up for me, and I don't get so down. I haven't been on them for a couple months. I think a lot of my problem was being overweight. My family has started eating helthy, and I feel sooo much better about myself. I haven't needed them. Sometimes I feel like I need a little something to take the edge off when the kids don't stop fighting. Then it's time for a wine cooler!! LOL I don't do this but about once a month (maybe!). I would definately get some samples of your Lexapro from your DR. You may even be able to get some if you go to their website? Some companies offer discounts if you buy direct. Also, I have seen Montel Williams advertise for Partnership for Prescription Assistance. Their web address is: https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php
I'm not sure if this helps you at all...thought I'd share! Good luck and take care. :)

K.

Community Health Center (Lynnwood is where I go, there is one in Everett and probably one around here)is very good about helping either with a sliding scale and/or perhaps in an urgent situation, holding off paynment and letting you make payments. I wish you the best of luck. I too suffer from depression although mine is from having acute/chronic spine pain. Good luck to you, I hope I helped a little.

Hey, I think you need to get in touch with Valley Cities Counseling Services. My mom is in Fed-Way as well, and her clinic offers sliding scale fees. If you need medication, you shouldn't have to go without.
http://www.valleycities.org/services/index.html
I don't know exactly what your situation is, but if you have some income coming in, it seems like it'd be worth it to try getting some low cost health care.
Again, I don't know how bad your depression is, so trying to treat it without standard medication after being accustomed to it may or may not be right for you. Please at least try the web address I gave you, call and get some information for your self.
I have heard things about managing depression, things like getting good exercise daily, walking is really great. Good nutrition is important, too. And sleep, a full 8 (more can make depression worse) Vitamin B6 helps regulate things like anxiety, but a B complex might work even better for you.
There are so many kinds of depression, and every individual handles it differently. It sounds like you're doing kind of okay, since you're asking for help. I hope you find something that works for you. If I can help you any further, please feel free to email me @____@____.com, or just send me a message on this site.
Take good care,
A.

Sometimes local clinics can get free samples/supplies from the manufacturers. You may have to be lower income, but it's worth checking out. Or, if you can find out the manufacturer of Lexipro and contact them they may have some resources. Their website is www.lexapro.com. Hope it helps! Good luck.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but DSHS does not cover Lexipro. I really liked it too, but it is so expensive. I have been on prozac, because that is the only one they cover. And of course it doesn't help either. There is always st johns wart for herbal.

Some of the pharmaceutical companies give away a certain amount of their product, through doctor's offices. At least that's how I used to get my antidepressants. They had me sign a form saying I couldn't afford to pay for them, and then I basically got a "long-term free sample". I got them that way for quite a while. I think until I got insurance coverage. It could help you until you can get on dshs or some other coverage. Ask your doctor.

**now this part is just my opinion, because I'm no doctor, but I'd try to stay on what has worked for you, Lexipro, if possible, or make sure you can find a new one that works as well, if you need to try something else, because some that will work great for me (for example) might not work well for you at all....

I had some issues with depression (and no insurance) and I contacted Summit Medical Research in Portland and participated in a study of depression medication. Though the study medication didn't work for me, it was helpful to go in every week or every other week to have the 'check in session' ... kept me feeling good until I was able to go into aftercare and be prescribed meds that have had a positive effect. Might be worth checking out as an option for you! :o)

Hi E....you definately deserve the medications you need. Lexipro is a good one , with few side effects (I know, I've been on it myself). Everyone here has given you great ideas! I'm glad you got samples from your doctor. Some doctors will give out samples, but some may do it only on a temporary basis (but some will do indefinately). It depends on there personal choice and of course availability. Id suggest looking into various prescription assistant programs. Check with your doctor office, and check with the drug company directly, and I guess Montel Williams has a good program as well. Good luck!

There is a commercial for a Rx program that Montell Williams is pushing that helps low-middle class income people to get medications directly from the drug company. Try watching the Fox channel because they run the add a lot, or try searching the net! Good Luck!! :-)

WalMart has 3 pages, single spaced, of prescription drugs that they will fill for $4 for a 30 day supply. There are 7 anti-depressants on the list. I think that they are some of the older ones. I recognized one being a tricyclic. But when I first started taking medication for depression, before the new ones came out, the tricyclic one worked after I got used to it. At first it made me groggy but once my system adjusted it was OK. If you can't get the Lexapro it might be worth a try.

I wasn't aware that doctors would keep giving out samples. I'm going to pass that on to my daughter.

Be persistent about getting meds. It does make all the difference in how one feels and what one is able to do. Good luck!