In a pickle because of my current insurance

[MrCrow]

I am an international student in the US and have been suffering from mild symptoms for a while now. I have an appointment with Dr. Nancy Collop from Emory Sleep Center later this week. The issue is that my student insurance has run out and I am currently on another one, Atlas America which I bought from Insubuy. Unfortunately it doesn't cover pre-existing conditions and I may have to pay out of pocket for the visit.

My symptoms have somewhat worsened in that I now get it in my arms when I wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning. I takes a little bit of rubbing or massaging them to be able to go back to sleep.

I am weighing my options whether to go or just manage non pharmacologically until I find a job and get a on a good insurance plan. In my last visit, the doctor suggested gabapentin if the symptoms are debilitating. Since they weren't at the time, I was just asked to improve my sleep hygiene and get some exercise.

I am in Chicago right now and the doctor is in Atlanta so it would be a tele-visit. I am not sure whether I will even get a prescription for any medicine and there is a chance that it might end up being just a routine visit for $300-400.

Would really appreciate your advice!

[SueJohnson]

I would call a local pharmacy and see if they will fill a prescription from Georgia for gabapentin. There is a chance they won't.

Are you going to school in Chicago or Atlanta? Which state do you consider your home?

Whether you wait until you get a job is a decision only you can make knowing whether you can put up with the symptoms. And even with a job their insurance might not cover pre-existing conditions.

[MrCrow in reply to SueJohnson]

I went to school in Atlanta. I am currently in Chicago. Not sure which one is considered home officially. I could have that changed to Chicago ig.

Yea I guess it makes sense to not bank on insurance alone. With a job I will be able to afford treatment out of pocket here as well. I have limited savings right at the moment.

Another option to be explored is to consult a neuro in India and then have the prescribed medicines sent here via mail. I will have to find an RLS expert there who does teledoc. I know one that prescribed pregaba as first line. I still have the prescription for it.

I need to take a call on whether to cancel or go for the appointment scheduled later this week.

Medical care in the US is great but the prices are exorbitant. I understand there is a difference in standard and cost of living between India and the US but an almost 20x increase is unjustified imo.

[amrob123]

I'm not familiar with the situation in the US but here in Australia, it seems that doctors are more likely to prescribe certain medications in face to face appointments than in tele-health/video consultations. I'd always establish a relationship with a doctor before asking for certain medications, especially when there is a general reluctance on the doctor's part to prescribe those medications. Some practices even go so far as to advise patients that certain drugs (eg opioids, benzodiazepines etc) won't be prescribed on the first visit.

[MrCrow in reply to amrob123]

My first appointment was in person. I am hoping that in the subsequent ones she wouldn't have problems prescribing the necessary meds.

[Eryl]

A non pharmacological plan would be to avoid the processed food prevalent in the USA because it causes systemic inflammation which can cause RLS. You haven't stated so but I imagine that you didn't suffer from RLS so badly before you moved to the USA.

[MrCrow in reply to Eryl]

not exactly. My sleep problems did start in the US with insomnia. I went back home for treatment and was on clonazepam for 3 months. My RLS started when I stopped it and hasn’t gone away since. I am back in the US. Lately i have been getting it in my arms. It’s more of the kind of sensation when you have an almost healed burn wound. It goes away with movement and that’s why the doctors believe it’s RLS. I have some doubt though since I didn’t respond that well to pramipexole even at 0.25mg.

[Eryl in reply to MrCrow]

Clonazepam is just a medication to camouflage the symptoms, so is Pramipexole , the inflammation caused by processed foods can last for six to nine months if not more.

[MrCrow in reply to Eryl]

I got some grapeseed extract and celery juice. I don't eat a lot of processed food these days. White rice and canola oil are the only inflammatory food I eat right now and I'm planning to phase them out slowly as well. Hopefully your suggestions work.

I am pretty much trying things out on rlcure.com. It seems like they're talking about pretty much the same stuff over there.

[Lizzybuz27]

Hi there ,I tried every natural therapy and massage etc and nothing worked.

Gabapentin has been my saviour. I did not want to take some recommended medications ...that can make symptoms worse along the line, and are very difficult to withdraw from.

I would recommend gabapentin. Hopefully this helps .

Regards and good luck . Elizabeth