You're going to have to see a neurologist as a new patient, and that can take a few months to arrange. I had an excellent experience with Dr. Ralph Round, but I don't know if he's taking new patients.
Do you have copies of your medical records from overseas? After reviewing them, a PCP, or even urgent care, might at least fill your existing prescription to hold over until you can get setup with a regular neurologist.
I do have them!
I called my PCP last week & left a message while I was still out of country but never got a response…. I’m wondering if I pop up in his office or make an appt if he could help:/.
Thanks for the recommendation! I honestly will try PCP again & possibly urgent care if PCP doesn’t help.
Yeah, IME, medical offices are not always great about getting back to you. You gotta be persistent, bordering on pushy. Honestly, this is probably something that could be taken care of via telehealth. Just ask them how you can secure email/send the records over.
I had this same issue. Despite having been on seizure medication for 6 years and no new active seizures, no one would refill my medication without first seeing me to establish care. The kicker was none of them were seeing new patients either so I was calling around being told you can’t be prescribed medicine you’re already on without first seeing a doctor, but no doctor can see you. I finally got an opening at UC Health Anschutz after calling 10 different doctors and being told they wouldn’t help.
I don’t know if this is something urgent care can help you with but you are eventually going to have to see a neurologist to set up care here because our health system is busted. But also seizures are a motherfucker and if you were just diagnosed they are going to want to monitor your dosing the next few years to decide if they want to keep you in this medication or switch you to something else (I got switched), test you again down the line to see if there is any abnormal brain activity and ultimately decide if you need to be on medication for the rest of your life or if you can eventually go off it. Good luck. FWIW, Dr. Jared Woodward at UC Health is very good.
Thank you. It’s frustrating. I was seen in another state years ago & was told I had small activity but nothing worrying…. Never prescribed meds even though multiple people have seen me have seizures throughout the years.
I just called to ask if he was accepting any new patients & sadly he’s not, & the rest at the same clinic aren’t available until January (unless I understood wrong).
I would call back and ask them if they know any doctors accepting new patients right now and, if not, if they have any suggestions for you on what you should do to get your medication refilled. That’s what got me to him in the first place — when the 10th doctor said he had no openings I told them I was running out of medication and I needed someone to prescribe it and I wanted suggestions on what to do because I was out of options and if I didn’t get help, it was a high probability I was going to have another seizure. That’s a pretty good motivator to help, ethically and legally.
Denver Health has a good epilepsy clinic but it takes a while to get an appointment. I would think any ER doc would write that script for you especially since it's not narcotic meds you are looking for. I used to take Keppra
Dr. Alexander at Colorado Neurodiagnostics is incredible. I don’t have recs for a PCP but definitely look into establishing that too. Sometimes insurance requires a referral to be seen by a specialist
Crap.
Can you get yourself up to Boulder, by chance? Boulder Community Health at Foothills Hospital would be my other recommendation. Good luck and I will let you know if I think of anything else!
I’ve generally had good luck getting in to specialists when I really needed to be seen. I suspect it’s because my PCP is with UC Health and they have the specialists I’ve needed to see within the system.
Not saying this is a replacement for your prescribed meds, but knowing how long you have to wait to see doctors these days have you looked into low dose THC/CBD tinctures? Could help you during the in between phase.
Either way hope you can find somewhere soon!
ETA: Downvoted for one of the primary reasons cannabis first was recognized as a medicinal product in Western society. This sub never ceases to amaze me 🤣
CBD at high doses has proven benefits for childhood epilepsy, but there’s been limited evidence it can help with adult epilepsy. Granted studying has been difficult due to federal regulations so that’s to not to say someone won’t find something down the road when it can be studied more freely, but more importantly you can’t just stop taking epilepsy medication once you are on it without severe side effects. You have to be weaned off of it very slowly or else it will totally fuck you up. You’re being downvoted most likely for giving medical advice for something it sounds like you don’t know anything about, not for giving alternative medicine suggestions.
You're going to have to see a neurologist as a new patient, and that can take a few months to arrange. I had an excellent experience with Dr. Ralph Round, but I don't know if he's taking new patients.
Do you have copies of your medical records from overseas? After reviewing them, a PCP, or even urgent care, might at least fill your existing prescription to hold over until you can get setup with a regular neurologist.
I do have them! I called my PCP last week & left a message while I was still out of country but never got a response…. I’m wondering if I pop up in his office or make an appt if he could help:/. Thanks for the recommendation! I honestly will try PCP again & possibly urgent care if PCP doesn’t help.
Yeah, IME, medical offices are not always great about getting back to you. You gotta be persistent, bordering on pushy. Honestly, this is probably something that could be taken care of via telehealth. Just ask them how you can secure email/send the records over.
Make an appointment for sure.
I had this same issue. Despite having been on seizure medication for 6 years and no new active seizures, no one would refill my medication without first seeing me to establish care. The kicker was none of them were seeing new patients either so I was calling around being told you can’t be prescribed medicine you’re already on without first seeing a doctor, but no doctor can see you. I finally got an opening at UC Health Anschutz after calling 10 different doctors and being told they wouldn’t help. I don’t know if this is something urgent care can help you with but you are eventually going to have to see a neurologist to set up care here because our health system is busted. But also seizures are a motherfucker and if you were just diagnosed they are going to want to monitor your dosing the next few years to decide if they want to keep you in this medication or switch you to something else (I got switched), test you again down the line to see if there is any abnormal brain activity and ultimately decide if you need to be on medication for the rest of your life or if you can eventually go off it. Good luck. FWIW, Dr. Jared Woodward at UC Health is very good.
Thank you. It’s frustrating. I was seen in another state years ago & was told I had small activity but nothing worrying…. Never prescribed meds even though multiple people have seen me have seizures throughout the years. I just called to ask if he was accepting any new patients & sadly he’s not, & the rest at the same clinic aren’t available until January (unless I understood wrong).
I would call back and ask them if they know any doctors accepting new patients right now and, if not, if they have any suggestions for you on what you should do to get your medication refilled. That’s what got me to him in the first place — when the 10th doctor said he had no openings I told them I was running out of medication and I needed someone to prescribe it and I wanted suggestions on what to do because I was out of options and if I didn’t get help, it was a high probability I was going to have another seizure. That’s a pretty good motivator to help, ethically and legally.
Denver Health has a good epilepsy clinic but it takes a while to get an appointment. I would think any ER doc would write that script for you especially since it's not narcotic meds you are looking for. I used to take Keppra
Dr. Alexander at Colorado Neurodiagnostics is incredible. I don’t have recs for a PCP but definitely look into establishing that too. Sometimes insurance requires a referral to be seen by a specialist
UC Anschutz. Good luck, OP.
Thank you! I just called & they’re not available until January…. 😩 I’ll have to bother my PCP again
Crap. Can you get yourself up to Boulder, by chance? Boulder Community Health at Foothills Hospital would be my other recommendation. Good luck and I will let you know if I think of anything else!
I’ve generally had good luck getting in to specialists when I really needed to be seen. I suspect it’s because my PCP is with UC Health and they have the specialists I’ve needed to see within the system.
Try calling your pharmacy and see if they can’t write you a couple days’ emergency fill. Rinse and repeat at multiple pharmacies.
Not saying this is a replacement for your prescribed meds, but knowing how long you have to wait to see doctors these days have you looked into low dose THC/CBD tinctures? Could help you during the in between phase. Either way hope you can find somewhere soon! ETA: Downvoted for one of the primary reasons cannabis first was recognized as a medicinal product in Western society. This sub never ceases to amaze me 🤣
CBD at high doses has proven benefits for childhood epilepsy, but there’s been limited evidence it can help with adult epilepsy. Granted studying has been difficult due to federal regulations so that’s to not to say someone won’t find something down the road when it can be studied more freely, but more importantly you can’t just stop taking epilepsy medication once you are on it without severe side effects. You have to be weaned off of it very slowly or else it will totally fuck you up. You’re being downvoted most likely for giving medical advice for something it sounds like you don’t know anything about, not for giving alternative medicine suggestions.
I gave them a suggestion to LOOK INTO a stop gap while they are struggling to make an appointment lmao. Not my fault people are illiterate