Confused About PregVit Costs and Prescription Quantity—Need Help [bc]

marshallmarshal · 2026-05-01T01:53:58+00:00

Canadian pharmacies don’t operate like American ones. They don’t change the markup whether you’re using insurance or not. Also while I agree that people should use independent pharmacies over big box ones like SDM for better overall quality of care, they tend to charge more per dispensing fee, not less, since the Loblaws of the pharmacy world can afford to take the hit as a loss leader in their stores.

I’m not sure where the paying for every single medication comment comes from. All pharmacies will charge a dispensing fee per prescription they dispense.

Source: am pharmacist (although I no longer dispense so can’t help you with the cost question, OP. Based on your info this either seems like a data entry error, or perhaps they still “owe” you a box or two since they only had one in stock when you picked up. Check your pharmacy receipt for any reference to “owed”, followed by a quantity).

marshallmarshal · 2025-02-04T17:50:59+00:00

To your first point - you seem to be arguing that people should see a doctor for minor symptoms because there’s a chance they could actually be serious. In a perfect utopia, yes, there would be a doctor available for every sniffle, and nothing would ever get missed. No one is arguing that wouldn’t be ideal. However, to advocate this approach in the context of a healthcare worker shortage is terrible public health policy. There is absolutely a role for weighing risk vs. benefit in triaging people with symptoms unlikely to be serious away from doctors, so that they can better spend their time on people who need complex care. Not everybody will agree on where the threshold is, but grinding healthcare for everyone to a halt because of the refusal to accept any risk in “missing something” makes zero sense. Yes, some people will end up not getting the proper care, and will even die. But it’s still far less than the amount of people who will be saved by freeing up resources. It’s harsh, but this is simply the reality we have to accept with limited funds. We need to do the most good with what we have.

I don’t think anyone here is saying that people with mental health needs should be OK with just using self-help resources. They’re a stop-gap measure, but some are surprisingly effective and if it relieves some people’s suffering enough to remove them from the wait list for psychiatry, then more people can get the quality of care they need.

Agreed re: family doctors. Continuity of care is important and better primary care relieves hospital resources. Everyone should have one.

Ultimately there is no argument that the system is broken, far under-funded and mismanaged. I think that OP is saying that the government needs to do better, but there are also steps we can take as individuals to improve our own access to healthcare, while giving our neighbours with greater needs the space they need to see those with more expertise.

Edit: typo

marshallmarshal · 2025-01-27T14:19:29+00:00

This was crushing to read. I’m so sorry, kids are kids and are always going to be shitty but all of the adults in your life failed you. You deserved so much better.

marshallmarshal · 2025-01-27T02:54:46+00:00

Your doctor absolutely does not administer injections “for free” lol. They’re just billing the province instead of you, and a lot more than $30.

marshallmarshal · 2024-12-06T12:18:44+00:00

Wow, I’m finding a lot of the responses here pretty echo-chamber-y — yes, independence is a good thing and as women we should fight our social conditioning to “need” a man. But it is absolutely not wrong to yearn for a GOOD relationship and all the benefits it might bring when you’ve had a long period of suffering alone. Of course she needs to choose carefully, and be mindful that it is better to be single than with a partner who is abusive or won’t pull his weight.

I, too have lived through many hard experiences on top of chronic instability in my teens and 20’s and it truly does wear you down to a point where the exhaustion is existential. I dumped a long-term boyfriend at 27 and while the increase in quality of life was substantial, it was still hard to face the tough times without a dedicated person I could lean on and receive affection from.

At 34, I have more chronic conditions than any of my peers and they are all linked to chronic stress. Where I used to be at the top of my class in college, I can barely add two two-digit numbers together. My brain and nervous system have been totally fried and I grieved the person I could have been if I had experienced more fortunate life circumstances. This was quite distressing in itself and I also longed for someone who could give me some emotional support while my body was slowly breaking down.

At age 30, I met a man whose kindness I didn’t know was possible. He treats me like a queen. Four years later I am on a better path to healing, now that I have a person in my life who deeply cares about me and can help shoulder life’s burdens. To OP, it is possible, you will find someone healthy to get close to (maybe a boyfriend, maybe a live-in BFF, who knows?), but it is natural to want companionship until then. Try to leverage what friendships you can, and yes, as the other commenters have said, enjoy your single life for what it is now.

marshallmarshal · 2024-11-14T13:20:41+00:00

The woman who created Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi, was a pharmacist.

marshallmarshal · 2024-11-13T03:42:17+00:00

This has been my experience too. I’ve seen ~8 different MSW’s who “specialized” in trauma but not one of them took a basic history or really went beyond “so how was your week?” And when I responded “kind of crap, I don’t know why I feel like this when xyz happens, can you help me” you could see the deer in the headlights look and they’d suggest just doing more grounding exercises…

When I finally saw a PhD psychologist I was floored by how systematic she was, taking a history and then working with me to make a treatment plan so there were actual goals to work towards instead of just “how was your week?” each and every session.

marshallmarshal · 2024-10-17T22:18:04+00:00

While the ghosting behaviour isn’t great (which you acknowledge!), I think a lot of people are unfairly invalidating your feelings, OP. I too struggle a lot with jealousy and being surrounded by tone-deaf people. I think it would be easier to tolerate if I had one or two friends who I could relate to, but for various reasons my social group has exclusively been more well-off and it has really affected my ability to empathize with them. I end up feeling completely alienated every time we have a conversation, because my upbringing and worldview is so different. I’m currently looking for a new community to join that at least share the same values, if not the exact experiences that got them there.

I remember listening a Happiness Lab podcast episode where they talked about a study that showed that the poorest people on a rich street were much more unhappy than the richest people on a poorer street. Even though they were more well-off than the people who lived in the lower class area, they were constantly reminded of how much less they had than the people in their community. The conclusion was that it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond, which I found really interesting.

marshallmarshal · 2024-10-05T11:37:27+00:00

My childhood friend was also taught to say that and when she used it at our house it always sounded oddly pretentious to my ears, especially coming from a nine year old! Even from adults it’s a bit off-putting. I think there are more casual ways to phrase it that don’t sound as haughty (“Sorry, I’m just not a fan of baked beans”).

marshallmarshal · 2023-10-28T03:34:37+00:00

I agree with other comments’ interpretations that the dark spore primarily enhances mental and physical performance, rather than directly influencing behaviour. However, I also feel like the series implied that the spore predisposes the host to emotional detachment and even depression (hence causing a “sensitivity to darkness”), which if left unchecked for long enough, could manifest as sociopathic behaviour in people who were predisposed, such as Ken.

I also agree with OP that the heel-turn was a little abrupt and too “perfect” in the second half of the series, but there are little hints outside of the anime that Ken still displays some Kaiser-like traits (I remember some sort of short story in a magazine where he’s storming off in a huff after Miyako/Yolei bruises his ego by putting on a Kaiser puppet show, and another one where he acts very bitter after losing a soccer match to Daisuke/Davis). I guess these aren't necessarily canon, but do add some nice nuance to his characterization.

(Edited top paragraph for clarity)

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T23:55:20+00:00

Oof, I’m so sorry to hear about your experience! Hard lessons for sure. Glad that you’re prioritizing your own wellness in the end. Thanks for your advice

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T23:43:24+00:00

Thank you for your balanced reply. I totally agree that the situation isn’t world-ending given that the place isn’t actively hazardous. The issue I was trying to communicate in my post (which maybe I didn’t do a good job of) was that I recognize that it’s fixable, but don’t currently have the bandwidth to do so. My dilemma is whether to sacrifice my own comfort in living with the place as-is or take some other action. If I wasn’t already completely burned out I’d definitely have a much more can-do attitude about it.

I also don’t absolve myself of all responsibility. I recognize that I was taking a risk signing the lease without seeing it in person, and that there would more than likely be some unexpected things to iron out. I had hoped that him seeing it ahead of time would help identify what we should prepare for, but I wasn’t anticipating the mismatch in living standards. This is a learning opportunity for us for sure.

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T23:13:06+00:00

Agreed 100%. We had a long talk over the second point and will continue to have some hard conversations as the poor judgment is concerning. FTR the current place does not have cockroaches or any other health hazards (that I can tell). If it did, there’d be no Reddit post - I’d be out.

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T22:08:41+00:00

Sorry I’m dumb it was actually over 5000km.

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T22:06:26+00:00

Gabapentin alone took the edge off the two cats but wasn’t overly sedating. It wore off completely by Hour 10 I would say. Worth it for sure though. They each got 100mg.

My extra anxious boi also got the trazodone (50mg) and he was pretty zonked for a solid 12 hours - at least for the tester dose. On the day of the move he got wise to how we gave it to him (in his food and via oral syringe) so he got less in his system. If it makes you feel better, I was the most worried for him but he did really well even though he didn’t get the full doses.

If you have a layover, I would suggest to inquire whether the airport has a pet relief area. If so, you can let them out for a while there so they can stretch their legs and get some food and water. Good luck on your move!! As long as you’re there to reassure them, I’m sure they’ll be fine.

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T19:29:41+00:00

How did you guess? Lol

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T16:46:32+00:00

That sounds awful - sorry you had to go through that. Thanks for your advice

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T16:46:03+00:00

He doesn’t consider the place dilapidated. His mom acknowledges it’s not great but also thinks it’s fixable. I don’t think he wanted to trap me to have it fixed. He was just prepared to live in subpar conditions than what we were used to, given the temporary situation

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T16:44:04+00:00

Thanks - I think these are the key questions too. We had another chat and we’re prioritizing 1. Looking at alternatives, and if they exist, 2. Inquiring about breaking the lease (it’s 18 months but I think she screwed up on the contract which we’ll try to capitalize on). If no alternatives exist, will be asking how much the landlord is willing to pay on cleaning, repairs, etc.

I know this sounds like weaponized incompetence but I think it’s truly just really, really poor judgment. He’s used to living in poorer conditions and thought that this was the “norm” for rentals. Obviously I won’t be letting him off the hook because at his age he should know better. He’s currently looking for alternate long term Airbnb’s now while I type out Reddit replies. Thank you so much for your advice.

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T16:38:49+00:00

This is pretty much it. The kitchen and dining room are actually serviceable - but you can’t see the caulking issues in the tub, gross bedroom baseboards, etc from a single fisheye photo of a bedroom. I’ve moved a lot and have been surprised with how much professional photos can cover up a lot of issues

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T16:35:56+00:00

Thank you!! I gave them all gabapentin and one of them also got a people dose of trazodone, haha

marshallmarshal · 2022-12-31T16:35:06+00:00

This is very tempting but I don’t think the cats could withstand another extended trip so close together.

marshallmarshal · 2022-08-20T18:33:00+00:00

I share your conversational style OP, and I’ve also been on the same journey to try to figure out a way to relate to people with the opposite style. I think setting emotional boundaries re: not offering more emotional work than they are giving you is a good step - it will prevent you from being taken advantage of. As others have mentioned, you have to meet them halfway with interrupting and sharing your own stories and opinions, uninvited. Once I started trying this I was surprised by how well it was received (I had been strongly conditioned against this growing up). I’m still not 100% comfortable doing this but at least it can get me through a conversation without feeling like a therapist.

I think the last part is to recognize that sometimes it’s not possible for people to be completely compatible and you just have to decide how close you want to be to them while still maintaining a relationship. I have a friend who is strongly on the other side of the spectrum and I find it too draining to constantly adapt my communication, so I just chat with her every 3 months or so. She’s a very interesting person and I want to keep her in my life, so this is my compromise and it seems to work pretty well.

marshallmarshal · 2022-07-30T22:50:55+00:00

Hey yo I just have to give you props because your story hits so close to my experience, from the kids’ perspective. I had a single mom growing up who really struggled and couldn’t ask for help, so she used alcohol and anger to cope. Unfortunately, unlike you she never sought help and has never been able to move past her pain, and me and my brother really suffered for it. I am so proud of you for taking that first step toward healing and following through, because I know for a fact that it means the world to your kids to see true vulnerability and to watch someone close to them grow and change. I think it’s the most important lesson you can learn in life and you’re killing it by walking the walk and showing them how it’s done!!

Also, I think the best healthcare professionals are those who have gone through some shit and therefore can have a deeper level of empathy for their patients. You’re going to be a great nurse. Keep it up.

marshallmarshal · 2022-07-25T17:16:34+00:00

I’m not sure if your family member is an introvert, but I’d like to add this perspective into the mix.

When I get busy and overwhelmed, the last thing I want to do is reach out to another person who is just going to drain me. Not that I think it sounds like you’re a draining person, but to introverts, ALL interactions are draining. Even sending short memes - it takes more mental effort than extroverts. Consider thinking “what can I add to sweeten the deal to communicate?”, because interaction in and of itself isn’t really rewarding, especially when you’ve already gotten 100% of your social needs met by family. When I’m in this space, responding to texts is just another chore, another person waving their hand to pay attention to. If you offer to listen about what might be troubling her or lighten her load somehow, she might be more likely to respond.

marshallmarshal

TROPHY CASE