A list of guinea pigs

When I saw my pdoc two weeks ago, he was discouraged to learn that my body wasn't adjusting to the Clozaril at all. I had upped the dosage to 50 mgs about a week and a half prior to seeing him, and all it did was magnify the side effects I was experiencing from the 25 mg dose.

As he did during my previous visit, he brought up the possibility of doing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). His office recently purchased the machine to provide this treatment and they were just beginning to compile a list of guinea pigs...errr, I mean patients, to try it out on. Since they are still learning the ins and outs of the machine, no one knew if my having the VNS implant would exclude me as a candidate for TMS. They've supposedly been looking into it for five weeks now, but I've not heard anything back yet.

Since TMS isn't an immediate option, if it is one at all, my pdoc suggested trying Latuda, the latest antipsychotic to hit the market. I told him my insurance wouldn't cover it because it is still new and not on their formulary, but he said he'd submit an appeal to try and get it covered. In the meantime, I should just take 25 mgs of Clozaril.

Both my insurance company and the pharmacy called me the other day to let me know the Latuda would not be covered, as I suspected it wouldn't be. Since both calls came in when I wasn't fully conscious, it wasn't until after the fact that I realized I should have asked why. The insurance company said my pdoc could send additional information and they'd reconsider, but again, I didn't think to ask what information they needed.

If my pdoc wants me to stay on the Clozaril until I see him again in two weeks, he's going to have to explain to me how to go about the weekly bloodwork when I don't need any refills of the medication. It's such a confusing system that doesn't seem to allow for changes in the dose of the medication, either up or down.