Jul
My husband is trying to quit smoking. He got a prescription for Chantix, and our insurance won’t cover it. I guess I’m a bit confused as to why an insurance company would not cover something that could save your life? If he ends up getting lung cancer they would cover the cost but not something to prevent it. Can someone please help me comprehend this.
We also have great insurance. My husband is a teacher and they have the best policy. We dont even have a co-pay.
Answer:
This is a sticky thing with insurance companies. They wont pay for meds to help you quit, but raise your rates because you do smoke. Chantix also has a lot of negative side effects in a high percantage of patients. Beyond that, I don’t know much about it.
Have you tried Wellbutrin? It is the same as Zyban. Again, most insurance wont cover it written as zyban, but will cover it written as wellbutrin. I guess they care about depression but not lung cancer.
However, in the end, (and I’m a smoker… smoke free for a year, smoked for 10) there’s no miracle med. You are not fighting the chemical nicotine addiction, you are fighting the psychological engrained habbit of smoking. Your insurance money would be superior spent on an addiction counselor than a med. In the end, since it is the psychological addiction you are fighting, psychological measures are going to be what you need to fight it. And remember, just like an alcoholic or a drug addict, you’ll ALWAYS be a smoker. This will be an addiction you’ll be fighting the rest of your life.
Begin be keeping a smoking log. You dont have to be trying to quit, but do keep a log. This basically resembles food log for the dieter. Write down every time you smoke. Write down the time, the number of cigs you smoked, your mood before and after, and what you were doing before and after. Also, give a specific reason why you smoked.. you were stressed, board, in the car, ect.. You must write it down each time. At the end of everyday, look over your log and write down anything you notice such as patterns, moods, whatever. Also write down the times you thought about or wanted to smoke but didnt and why. Even if its as easy as… at 1230 I really wanted to smoke but didnt because I was locked into a meeting at work.
Begin smoking out doors all the time. Your home and vehicle are from now on smoke free zones. In the end, it will help your resale value of both, and make it a lil more difficult for you to smoke. You’ll think twice about it, for example in the middle of the night when its freezing cold outside.
You need to quit hanging out with the smokers. Each smoker I know adores to go out on their lunches or breaks or what ever and smoke together while socializing. You cant go out there and hang out with the smokers. I know it sucks, you will miss out on all the gossip. But in the end, whats more important? The gossip, or not smoking? Because I promise, if you’re trying to quit but still going out with the smokers, you’ll either torture yourself or end up breaking down and smoking.
Which goes to my next point. So many smokers give up trying when they mess up and have one. You cant do that. I mean, would you quit using lights because you forgot to turn one out when you left the room? Would you quit using the air conditioner because you forgot to turn it down? Would you quit using your refrigerator because the door didnt get shut? Would you quit driving because you got pulled over? Would you quit flushing the toilet because it got stopped up? Well, then why would you quit trying because you messed up? You get back up on that horse and try again!!!!!!!!
Ill edit with some more, but I’ve to get off right this second………
Answer:
If I were your husband I would avoid Chantix!!!. There have been some very awful side effects associated with this medication. There are other means to help your husband stop smoking that may be covered by your insurance.
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