There are many generic drugs available to treat depression. Medical guidelines support using these products before using a brand-name antidepressant drug. Formulary and non-formulary brand-name drugs will require a prior authorization unless one of the available generic drugs has been tried first. An electronic claims edit at the pharmacy will determine if a member has been receiving the brand-name medication or has tried a required generic. In either case, the requested brand-name drug will be approved. Members new to BCBSKS prescription drug coverage will not have a claim history to automatically approve the brand-name drugs. Therefore, a prior authorization process is available to review coverage requests.
The table below shows the generic drugs available, as well as the brand-name drugs that will require a prior authorization if a generic has not been used.
| Brand Medications Requiring Generic Antidepressant First or Prior Authorization | Generic Medications |
|---|---|
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