Posted by torchgrl on October 31, 1999, at 0:59:09
In reply to Ave. $Cost$ of treating depression, posted by Diane on October 30, 1999, at 20:09:18
Sure, I'll jump in on this one with *my* experience... It's kind of difficult to give a general "average cost", as there are so many variables. For one, some people can get by on one drug, some people need one or more others in addition to augment the original. Then there's the fact that most of the older drugs cost quite a bit less than the most recent--I was on Parnate recently for a brief trial, and it would've been about $60 a month for that. When I went back to Wellbutrin, the cheapest price I found was $180 for a month's supply. There are so many different meds people are on, I won't presume to estimate the actual high and low end cost-wise... Oh, and these are American prices. If you can get things in Canada, Mexico, or overseas, I believe it's generally less expensive.
Since I've been paying for my consult visits, it's cost between $80 and $95 a visit. I'm lucky I can do some things over the phone, but have to bite the bullet at least every 6 months or so to make an appearance (I don't have insurance anymore :( )Most cities have clinics you can go to, I think, if you can't afford the usual cost; I just wanted to stay with my original doctor when my insurance ran out. As far as diagnosis goes, I think the psychiatrist should have a pretty good idea of what's going on fairly quickly (i.e. it shouldn't take months of visits before they decide what's going on with you). I'm "fortunate" (and I use the term loosely!) to be pretty much dysthemic with periodic episodes of more major depression, as far as I can tell; I don't *think* I'm at the complex end of the diagnostic scale. So I may have had it easier in that regard... One thing I've learned from reading several message boards is that everyone's had a different experience with this, some much more difficult than others. I think the important thing is to communicate as much as possible with your doctor, and find someone you're comfortable communicating with, so that you can zero in on what needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. I'm sure some things aren't as immediately apparent as others, but I'm not the best person to speak on that topic, as I've been in treatment for depression since I was about 13, so the early days are a blur...
I've never taken any of the tests you mention, although I've heard of many of them. I have to do some of that stuff in conjunction with the med study I've gotten involved in, so may yet have the experience. You can find a few of them at least online; I don't know any sites offhand, but I've had good luck with Yahoo! in finding those sorts of things. I don't know that you'd benefit from arriving at the office with a ream of depression scale results, though. My impression is that the information conveyed by the results is similar to what is discussed during your appointment, anyway, and it's just a more standardized way to look at it. I suppose if you have a severely limited amount of time to talk, they might be helpful...I'm sure there are plenty of people here who know more about this one.Sorry I couldn't give you more specific answers, but I hope it's been of some help...
poster:torchgrl
thread:14266
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991028/msgs/14273.html