Insurance companies are shady

I went to the travel clinic yesterday. The nurse shot me in the arm four times, Hep A, Yellow Fever, Tetanus, and Rabies. If I haven't had rabies vaccine, I will need two more shots. Plus, I might need Hep B. The typhoid vaccine is oral. Sixty bucks for four little pills! I have to take them over a week period, but I don't want to take them right now because I think between all the shots I got yesterday, I am a little sick. I have had a headache and fill cruddy in general since yesterday. But I have to do the typhoid before the antimalarials start!

So, here is my insurance companies are shady story:

There are several antimalarial drugs. The cheapest one by far is mefloquine (or Lariam). Thing is, it's horrible! It has horrible side effects and causes psychosis so bad that people have even murdered their families on it. It basically is like LSD for some people. Okay, maybe not, but it causes self-mutilation, suicide, homicidal thoughts, hallucinations. Doxycycline can also be used, but it is a powerful antibiotic and also has side effects, though not nearly as bad as Lariam.

Then, there is the best antimalarial drug out there... Malarone! Malarone has almost no known major side effects, it is not known to cause yeast infections like the traditional antibiotics, and it's 98% effective.

So why don't they give everyone Malarone?? It's expensive. And if you only pay 35 dollars for a generic prescription, the insurance company want it to cost them as little as possible.

I go into the travel clinic and the nurse practitioner rips me off a Lariam prescription. It's pre-typed and everything! She didn't even ask me anything or tell me anything. Here is the conversation:

"Here. This is for malaria. Take it to the pharmacy."

Me: "Aren't there really bad side effects? Like psychosis and stuff on mefloquine?"

Her: "Where did you hear that?? You should be fine. You don't have any psychiatric condition."

Me (exagerrating): "Oh, but I had a lot in the past. I've had all kinds of psychiatric problems. I WON'T take mefloquine."

Her: "Well, I'm not authorized to prescribe anything else. If you really want something else, you can ask your doctor for DOXYCYCLINE."

Me: "How about Malarone?"

Her: ...very surprised uncomfortable look... pause... "How do YOU know about Malarone?

Me: "Isn't it the safest and best antimalarial?"

Her: "You're going to have to go see you doctor if you think..."

Me: "Fine, I will..."

So, I go to my doctor. He says "Oh, I am so glad you came to me. I NEVER prescribe mefloquine. It's a horribe drug, and I don't think it's even very EFFECTIVE. Of course, here's a prescription for Malarone."

I hate the way healthcare in this country works.

At least now I have my Malarone, which cost the insurance company $460 instead of pennies. But I won't go psycho and kill any of you.

So one painful arm, several vaccines, $150 from me, and one heck of an antimalarial drug battle, and my body's prepped to go... almost...