Hello :) Question about Insurance

[thegovernor]

Hello everyone! Would like to say thank you for allowing me to be part of this awesome community! Im wondering how I can become eligible to receive insurance coverage for serostim to prevent muscle wasting. I went to my doctor and she wouldn't prescribe me serostim, instead she recommended I try complera.  I am very physically active and I would hate to see a lot of my progress go to waste.  Im from Alberta, and I'm not to sure how easy it is to get down here from a doctor! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you folks!

[le_liseur]

Hi thegovernor,

I don't know if it's easy or not to get covered for that specific medication.

Are you on a private insurance or on Alberta's medicare? If it works like Quebec's medicare and you're on the public insurance, you shouldn't normally have problems getting it, and no problems at all getting Complera.

Are you currently having muscle waising issues? When you say your doctor recommended to try Complera instead, do you mean so you start your HIV treatment or she meant in order to solve muscle wasting issues? Complera wouldn't cause muscle wasting issues per se, but I don't think it is used as a muscle wasting treatment.

[mecch]

Hello everyone! Would like to say thank you for allowing me to be part of this awesome community! Im wondering how I can become eligible to receive insurance coverage for serostim to prevent muscle wasting. I went to my doctor and she wouldn't prescribe me serostim, instead she recommended I try complera.  I am very physically active and I would hate to see a lot of my progress go to waste.  Im from Alberta, and I'm not to sure how easy it is to get down here from a doctor! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you folks!

As with le liseur, I am confused by your post.  Complera is an HIV antiretroviral medicine.  Are you on treatment yet, and the doc recommends a switch? Or now your doc is telling you to start HIV treatment.

[thegovernor]

As with le liseur, I am confused by your post.  Complera is an HIV antiretroviral medicine.  Are you on treatment yet, and the doc recommends a switch? Or now your doc is telling you to start HIV treatment.

Hi thegovernor,

I don't know if it's easy or not to get covered for that specific medication.

Are you on a private insurance or on Alberta's medicare? If it works like Quebec's medicare and you're on the public insurance, you shouldn't normally have problems getting it, and no problems at all getting Complera.

Are you currently having muscle waising issues? When you say your doctor recommended to try Complera instead, do you mean so you start your HIV treatment or she meant in order to solve muscle wasting issues? Complera wouldn't cause muscle wasting issues per se, but I don't think it is used as a muscle wasting treatment.

The doctor recommended I try complera, not for the muscle wasting. What Im asking is how do I ask to get serostim to treat muscle wasting? I don't know why its so hard for them to prescribe it, it seems impossible to get! For now I will use the complera, but I'd like to address the muscle wasting that may come with this. The complera won't be a problem to get covered for insurance, but its the serostim I'm concerned about. I appreciate your help so much mechh and le_liseur.

[Jeff G]

The doctor recommended I try complera, not for the muscle wasting. What Im asking is how do I ask to get serostim to treat muscle wasting? I don't know why its so hard for them to prescribe it, it seems impossible to get! For now I will use the complera, but I'd like to address the muscle wasting that may come with this. The complera won't be a problem to get covered for insurance, but its the serostim I'm concerned about. I appreciate your help so much mechh and le_liseur.

Are you HIV positive ? It sounds like you intend on using complera as PREP and you are afraid of muscle wasting  . You said muscle wasting that might come with complera so it only leads to more questions .

If you do not have wasting already what makes you think you will get it ? We cant answer your question if we don't know why you need it .

No reputable doctor is going to give you that drug as prevention for something that might happen down the road .... and that is doubtful that complera would cause wasting to begin with . Its expensive and can have significant health risk if its misused .