What insurance company is this?  I've heard of dosing limitations but not outright refusal to cover it.

-Dennis-

I have BCBSMA and used their Quality Care Dosing Override process to gain access to up to 12 shots per month.  This was up from the 4 shots they originally limited me to.

This required my Neuro to fill out and sign a form which I then faxed into BCBS.  The process took about a month but it worked for me.

What process did you use and was your Neuro involved?

-Dennis-

Thanks, Dennis. My FP wrote to them on my behalf and we were shot down around 18 months ago. Our insurance is BCBS but we now have Caremark for drugs, do you as well? The pharmacist at Walgreens told me it was no longer approved. This is helpful information as I can go back to them for my next episode as this one only has a week left.

Thanks for the help and advice. I know BCBSGA is a different than yours but it is worth another try.

Thanks guys. I'm already on it and found out that Walgreens was wrong. I get 4 per month and have a call into my doc for the prescription. Of course, I need about 15 -20 to get me through a regular cycle so a trip to the neuro for the future cycle is planned. I also hope that neither of you get anymore. They started about 18 years ago for me and came in cycles of very three months for two weeks. Over the years, they have become more spread apart and now I went 2 years till this cycle. One can always hope that this will be the last.

Good luck to you both...and thanks.

Ken

My insurance won't cover Imitrex either.  But it will cover Maxalt.  I've had decent luck with Maxalt.  But I try to avoid any triptan as much as I can.  I did discover during one cycle that something might work for the first week or two of hits and then it is like I become immune to it for the rest of the time.  I don't understand it, but I don't understand these ignorant ass headaches either.

Now that you've got your Imitrex situation partially sorted out I've got to nag you about Oxygen.

Imitrex is hard on your vascular system and, many say, can make your CH symptoms worse if not used sparingly.  At four doses a month you'll not be able to do too much damage.  However...

What about Oxygen?  I haven't heard you mention it.  It is my primary abortive.  I use 15lpm on anything below K6 and 25lpm on the bigger ones.  Only if this fails, which doesn't happen often, do I pull inventory from my precious Imitrex stock.

I use it at home, in the car and at work.  Once you get the hang of it you'll learn to love those green tanks more than is natural.

My latest cycle started in July and I haven't taken a shot yet.  O2+an occasional energy drink have taken care of everything that's gotten past the Verapamil.

Stepping off my soap box now...

-Dennis-

DO try Oxygen seems to be a good silver bullet for alot of us!!

for me max-alt sucked!!  1 hit drove me to take 3 tablets, when i got no relief i washed those down with 6 advil migraine and even that didnt help so about 50 mins in i puked from all the pills and the ch gave in a little, me personally i did better with zomig untill the beast figured those out. before i got my 02 and imetrex shots there was nothing that would work for me more than 1 time, so after awhile i just gave up and rode out the hits, that was untill i found this site!! i have not had anything in the way of a kip 8 or 9 since then, its almost as if the beast knew i found you guys and packed his bags. Here is hoping he stays gone !!  coach bill

BCBS but we now have Caremark for drugs,

I have Caremark for my rx they are funny that way.  But once you learn there system there ok.
1.  Get your Dr. too write a script for a three month supply.

2. Call the Caremark phone # on the back of your ins. card(if you dont have this # I can give you the # I have.

3. Ask them to send some mail in rx forms,  They only filled rxs three or four times at local pharmacies after that it needs to be mail order.

4. If your in need immediatly when you call ask them to make an exception for one more refill at a local pharmacy.  So you will need to ask your doctor for two rxs one for 3 months and one 1 month.

Hope this helps, it happened to me too when my ins. switched to caremark.
take care Phil