u/saveyourdaylight

so I'm bipolar and am on lithium so like I understand it's hard to find a migraine medicine that won't interact with the lithium or make me manic, but it's been 3 weeks since my first neurology appointment and I still don't have any meds to help. He diagnosed me with migraines and put in an order for emgality, which insurance denied. I tried letting him know and I didn't hear anything back from him until yesterday when he called me and told me he was going to prescribe me naproxen to take every day for my headaches. When I told him I can't take NSAIDs every day because of my lithium, he told me he was going to put in an order for a different medication that's low risk that day. The pharmacy still doesn't have it and I can't find the name of it anywhere on the patient portal.

Then I had a primary care appointment today and apparently I'm having issues with my liver (I don't drink so this was a surprise), and now my primary care doctor told me I need to stop taking Tylenol. So now I can't take any NSAIDs because of my lithium, I can't take Tylenol because of my liver, and I'm still waiting on *anything* from my neurologist because now I just have to raw dog these stupid headaches every day 😭 and I'm also dealing with the aftermath of a mental health inpatient hospital visit a couple weeks ago, issues with my thyroid, and my IUD possibly shifting so this is just another blow health wise. My PCP is also worried about autoimmune issues and I now have to see a rheumatologist and God I'm so overwhelmed and over it all.

I know it isn't a lot, I have great insurance thank God, but even $800 is so much to me. my last paycheck was around $700 because of lost wages, and I feel so stuck because I don't know how to go about this. like can you even do payment plans?

I also found out that I have another medical bill for about $600 that I thought was handled. Back in Oct. 2025 I went to a gynecologist they did a test, and the lab sent me a bill in January for $600. I called them about it and they said they put my insurance info in wrong and that they fixed it. A couple of days ago I got another bill from them and it looks like nothing changed. I'm not even on the insurance I was on when I got that test because I was on my mom's, now I have insurance through my job and there's no way they'd cover that bill.

I know at the end of the day it isn't a lot of medical debt in comparison to a lot of other people in the US, but I live in one of the most expensive counties in the US and it feels like my fiance and I are barely holding ourselves above water. if it weren't for the fact that I knew I would need the good insurance because of my disability we would have been in even more debt and I know I should be lucky, but I'm navigating my health issues blindly on $23/hour and am barely holding it together mentally. I had to tell the inpatient facility I was in that I couldn't stay for long because my job doesn't offer sick leave and I can't afford to be there, so now I'm out but still suffering mentally and trying to hold it together because this is my first full time job and it pays a lot better than some of the other retail jobs in the area.

I just feel stuck, I don't know what to do. I also have $1,500 on my credit card which again isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, I just feel so overwhelmed as I just left the hospital two weeks ago and haven't fully recovered.

I don't have much to say other than I'm in the hospital and I'm about to have an inpatient stay. almost didn't come when I needed to because my job doesn't give sick time off + rent is due soon. life sucks. I'll recover, I have enough for rent, but we're going to be eating a lot of lentils and rice when I get out.

hi! They just raised my lithium from 600mg to 900mg and I've been dealing with some nausea. which meds do you all take to help with it? I have some pepto-bismol and dramamine, but idk if those will help with nausea caused by lithium? This happened when they raised it from 300mg -> 600mg but it went away eventually, I just didn't eat much in those first few days of adjustment so I'm trying to find a better solution. Thank you!!