The New Cocktail

Universal Health Care does not exist in the United States. Our latest
attempt was colloquially called ObamaCare, more formally called The
Affordable Care Act (or ACA for short).

ACA has a number of shortfalls, one of which is the often weird
pattern at which insurance carriers will cover certain medications.

Case in point is a result of my latest trip to the psychiatrist. One
of the frustrating side effects of schizophrenia is "cognitive
impairment," which sounds like a nice way of saying stupidity. The
disorder has wreaked havoc with my brain, and has left me less able to
do certain things than I once was.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much treatment for the
cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia. I just have to
live with it.

At my last psychiatrist visit, I was lamenting my situation, and the
good doctor asked me a few questions. She came to the conclusion that
my cognitive impairment is exacerbated by... (drum roll, please...)
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

Back when I was a kid, I was diagnosed as hyperactive, which is what
we called it back then. I took Ritalin, the favorite drug of the day
for hyperactivity, and it really helped. My parents, not understanding
the implications of medications and ADHD at the time, were concerned
that the medication would cause certain physical anomalies with me,
and they decided to take me off the medication, with no replacement or
other therapy.

My psychiatrist believes that I should be taking medication for this,
and the more she spoke about it, the more it made sense.

Stimulants are typically prescribed, but stimulants can make
hallucinations worse in schizophrenics, so we don't get the good
stuff. Rather, there is a new medication called Strattera that works
without using stimulants.

I skipped off to my local pharmacist with prescription in hand, only
to be told that the medication would cost about a hundred bucks a
month. That's way out of my budget. And that IS the generic version of
the drug, not the brand name.

I have an appointment with the doctor in two weeks to see if I can get
a prescription for something cheaper. Poverty sucks. Mental illness
sucks more. The two of them together? Yeah.