Brian, now 47 years old, has had generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) his entire life. When he was younger, he would often get panic attacks—“a general feeling as though I am going to die”. That eventually evolved into anticipatory anxiety, or “the fear of going places and having another panic attack”.
Finding a treatment for any mental illness can be a drawn out process, and Brian has cycled through numerous prescription drugs over the years. Recently, Brian’s psychiatrist switched him from Paxil to Paxil CR. Controlled-release (CR), or extended-release, drugs maintain a steady, therapeutic dose in the body over 12 to 24 hours. They tend to have fewer side effects than conventional, immediate-release drugs due to a lower amount of medicine in the system at any given time, but they can also be much more expensive. A 30-day supply of Paxil CR would cost $297, which he wouldn’t be able to afford in the long run.
After his pharmacy called him about the (exorbitant) price of his new medication, Brian went searching online to see if there was a way to get Paxil CR for cheaper and came across GoodRx. He admitted that he was “completely skeptical” at first. He recalls thinking, “No way is my pharmacy going to accept this coupon.” Sure enough, his pharmacy did reject it! Thankfully, Brian called the GoodRx customer service phone line and gave them his prescription and pharmacy information. They called him back a few minutes later and said the coupon was on file with the pharmacy, ready for use. He says, “GoodRx saved me $180! I’m sold! I feel lucky to have found them.”
When we asked Brian why he initially felt skeptical about GoodRx, he said he had thought, “There must be some fine print somewhere with hidden costs or a loophole that would exclude me from the discount.” Luckily, we were able to prove him wrong!
Mental illnesses like GAD can be managed with some combination of medication, therapy, a balanced diet, regular exercise and sleep. It can be a long journey, but the important thing is for people to keep moving forward and make positive changes. Brian currently lives in Flint, Michigan, where he’s been for the last 37 years. He quickly points out, “Yes, the same Flint you may have heard on the news as having a serious water crisis, as well as being ranked one of the worst cities in the country for violent crime.” But he’s set a goal for himself to move out of the city and into one of the nicer surrounding suburbs on his birthday next year.
Likewise, he’s been working as an automotive engineering technician for the same employer for almost 21 years, but he’s also training to be a welder, fabricator and machinist! Brian’s also great at his hobbies—he tells us that his competitive pool team is one of the best in the league, having finished in the top three several years in a row. It sounds like Brian is moving forward in more ways than one, and we’re glad to be able to help him with his journey!
Source: Read Full Article