A New Brunswick woman says she has no choice but to turn to the private sector to get refills for her attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication — and it’s a costly process.
Judy Carter says her family doctor wrote her a prescription for a year’s worth of ADHD medication before giving up her practice last April. Since then, Carter has been searching for a new family doctor and is on the province’s wait-list
Carter has been taking Vyvanse — a stimulant classified as a controlled substance — to manage her diagnosis for years now.
She says her pharmacy told her it could not refill her medications long-term, as there are several restrictions surrounding controlled substances.
“I did try. I found two or three or four local walk-in clinics. And I was told by the receptionist that it wasn’t something that the doctors could do,” she said.
Her refills run out in mid-May.
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The Dieppe woman is on the wait-list for NB Health Link — a service that could prescribe the medication. A spokesperson for Medavie, the company that operates the service, told Global News there are more than 16,000 people on that wait-list in the Moncton area.
With a lengthy emergency room visit being her only public sector option, Carter has decided to turn to the private sector.
“The way I plan on doing it is through BeyondADHD. It is quite costly so I’m not sure if I could claim that on my group insurance through work but I’m definitely going to give it a try,” she said.
She anticipates paying the private company over $200 for an initial assessment and then roughly $80 per appointment to renew her medications.
She questions why she has to go this route.
“It’s discouraging,” she said.
“You think that your health-care system has got you. If you do have health issues — and a lot of people, including myself, kind of feel let down — it’s a disappointment.”
New Brunswick’s Department of Health has not responded to Global News’ request for comment.
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