Which Kupah? | Imamother

FranticFrummie

Wed, Oct 08 2014, 7:16 am

I take a lot of medications for psych issues.

Which kupah has the best pharmacy coverage? How do I find out? I don't read Hebrew, and I don't think I have the strength to call all of them and try to make sense of it. I need a plan that will cover:

Zoloft
Depakote
Buspar
Lunesta
Latuda

And I need to know what the copay is. If any of these meds are not available in Israel, how am I supposed to get them? None of these are negotiable, I NEED all of them.

Thanks! ChillPill

grace413

Wed, Oct 08 2014, 9:41 am

Quick non-comprehensive reply.

There is a basic basket of drugs covered by all the kupot. Ble neder, next week I can try to look through it to see if your meds are in it.

My kupah, Macabbi, has different co-pays for different meds.

In general, you pick the kupa that is strongest in your location. I'm very happy with Macabbi but they may not have a good presence where you are.

There is a long complicated procedure for importing drugs which are not available here in general. It's chag here in one hour so I must get going. If you'd like to PM me next week, I'll try to help you.

Tweedy

Thu, Oct 09 2014, 12:08 pm

grace413 wrote:

Quick non-comprehensive reply.

There is a basic basket of drugs covered by all the kupot. Ble neder, next week I can try to look througth it to see if your meds are in it.

My kupah, Macabbi, has different co-pays for different meds.

In general, you pick the kupa that is strongest in your location. I'm very happy with Macabbi but they may not have a good presence where you are.

There is a long complicated procedure for importing drugs which are not available here in general. It's chag here in one hour so I must get going. If you'd like to PM me next week, I'll try to help you.

The above! I think you are moving to Naharia? I heard Clalit is the best kupah there(from friends)

Last edited by Tweedy on Fri, Oct 10 2014, 12:23 am; edited 1 time in total

mebs

Fri, Oct 10 2014, 3:01 am

Just so you know what to ask for:

Zoloft = lustral / sertraline
Buspar = Sorbon

Lunesta (eszopiclone) doesn't exist here; they have zopiclone instead (Imovane / Nocturno).
Depakote (divalproex sodium) doesn't exist in Israel, as far as I can tell. Would you take valproic acid (Depalept / valporal in Israel)?

Latuda does not exist here at all. That means that you need to bring it in indivudally through process called "29ג partani". It basically means that a psychiatrist here has to fill out a form explaining why you need the drug and then get it approved (I think through the Ministry of health). Sometimes the kupah will import it for you, sometimes you have to go through a private pharmacy. There are a few pharmacies that do this; one of the largest is Tabachnik pharmacy in Tel Aviv. You can email them and ask for details info@shor.co.il

For more information (in English) about the different kupot:
http://www.kolzchut.org.il/en/.....cine_(Kupot_Cholim)

Information about drugs covered by various plans:
http://shirapranskyproject.org.....k-up/

I can tell you prices on Leumit:
Sertraline is 16shek for 30tabs, comes in 50mg or 100mg
Sorbon is 16 shek for 30 tabs, comes in 10mg
Depalept is 16 shek for 30 tabs, comes in 200mg, 500mg, or 500mg extended release
Zopiclone is 16 shek for 20 tabs, comes in 7.5mg or 3.75mg

All these drugs need an ishur from the kupa in order to buy at the discounted rate. Most ishurim depnd on your diagnosis (ie that you're not taking it off-label). Ifyou want, I can look up the list of diagnoses included later.

FranticFrummie

Sun, Oct 12 2014, 7:36 am

Mebs, you are amazing! Grace413, I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Thank you so much for your research, that really helps. IYH, I will be in Nahariya (please soon).

The Latuda is brand new, and has just been approved for my diagnosis. If I have a letter from a US psychiatrist, do I need to go through an Israeli one as well? I'm fine with generics on the other meds.

Just to be safe, I'm going to order a year's supply from my US pharmacy right before we leave, so I'll have plenty of time to sort out the paperwork. I CANNOT miss a single dose, or very bad things happen to my brain.

My diagnosis is Bipolar I, mixed episodes, general anxiety disorder, and panic attacks. (Yay me. Confused

)