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RAILhead · 04:36 PM

Hey all

We're about to have a major insurance change at work and our deductible is moving high enough to where I'm fishing for the best cash prices for prescription medicine. Locally, I've gone to everyone and The Medicine Shoppe beat all the other bids as follows:

3mg Lunesta: $107.99 (30 tablets)
16gm Flonase: $74.99
10mg Zyrtec: $65.99 (30 tablets)
100mg Imitrex: $171.99 (9 tablets)

I've never looked into online, mail order pharmacies, and doing a web search does nothing but up a load of crap sites for all kinds of junk.

If anyone uses an online pharmacy or gets meds from Canada, I'd love to hear who you use.

TIA,
Maury

budster101 · Jul 7, 2005, 03:46 PM

You may want to go to the Pharmaceutical Company's web site. They may offer special deals for you. I did recall hearing a Merck Commercial once about helping people afford their medicine. You obviously have asthma, so I think their may be a program for you. Check it out.

I'll ask my wife about it. She has asthma too, and her meds are quite expensive, but she also works at a Hospital, and a Doctor's office.

RAILhead · Jul 7, 2005, 03:48 PM

Not asthma -- just bad allergies. Any info she could give would be great, thanks!

Maury

E's Lil Theorem · Jul 7, 2005, 03:49 PM

I've used drugstore.com before. They're very reliable and prices tend to be about the same, if not a bit cheaper for most items, as physical pharmacies or other online pharmacies.

I searched for the 4 items you listed and they have them all at cheaper prices than The Medicine Shoppe.

RAILhead · Jul 7, 2005, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by E's Lil Theorem

I've used drugstore.com before. They're very reliable and prices tend to be about the same, if not a bit cheaper for most items, as physical pharmacies or other online pharmacies.

I searched for the 4 items you listed and they have them all at cheaper prices than The Medicine Shoppe.

Thanks! Checking it out now...

Maury

cjrivera · Jul 7, 2005, 04:02 PM

Go to their websites (like was mentioned before) and look for coupons or drug discount cards.

GSK (Flonase/Imitrex) has an "Orange card" program that discounts the meds a few percent.
Pfizer has coupons for Zyrtec you can get from your doctor ($10/Rx) - not much, but it helps.

Splitting meds can help, but with your doses/meds it isn't possible.

Talk to your doctor. Can you do just as good with Zyrec 5mg a day with your allergies as you do with 10mg? If so, split the 10mg in half and your Zyrtec is $33/ mo. And do you need it all eyear long or just during allergy season?

Same thing with Imitrex for you migraines. Can you do just as well with 50mg? If so, cut them in half. Not that migraines are something you want to underdose because of the awful pain.

There are usually other drug card programs you can enroll in. Again ask your doc. One of these programs can be found at www.AdvanceRx.com

budster101 · Jul 7, 2005, 04:05 PM

An anecdotal thought on Migraines. They say that Botox can be used to aleeve your Migraines maybe.
Does anyone know if that is covered? What causes your Migraines? My wife has Pseudo Tumor Cerebre and she is on medication to keep the pressure down (Diamox) and also some other pain killers only as needed. Motrin.

cjrivera: You are a great help! Glad to have a Doctor on the boards.

Do you know anything about PTC?

cjrivera · Jul 7, 2005, 04:11 PM

It's hard to say if botox would be covered for migraines. it would depend on your insurance, but I would bet it would be very hard to get them to pay for it. I haven't seen the literature about botox and migraines, but it would have to be well established before a majority of insurances would pay for it. And even then, it still might not be covered, or at least, have many, many hoops to jump through to get it.

I am familiar with PTC (had 2 patients with it in residency), but since then haven't had any patients with it. I hope your wife is doing OK.

medicineman · Jul 9, 2005, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by RAILhead

Hey all

We're about to have a major insurance change at work and our deductible is moving high enough to where I'm fishing for the best cash prices for prescription medicine. Locally, I've gone to everyone and The Medicine Shoppe beat all the other bids as follows:

3mg Lunesta: $107.99 (per month)
16gm Flonase: $74.99
10mg Zyrtec: $65.99 (per month)
100mg Imitrex: $171.99

I've never looked into online, mail order pharmacies, and doing a web search does nothing but up a load of crap sites for all kinds of junk.

If anyone uses an online pharmacy or gets meds from Canada, I'd love to hear who you use.

TIA,
Maury

Try a local independent pharmacy. You might do better. The Flonase and Zyrtec are prices in the ballpark. They're banging you some on the Imitrex and Lunesta.

Railroader · Jul 9, 2005, 10:14 PM

I checked a few prices and no one is as cheap as a local independent pharmacist (LIP) in my town. The owner is a great guy. You go in once, introduce your self and a couple months later you'll see him in the grocery store and he remembers your name and says "hi". He attends all the city council meetings and has great ideas.

Try your local independent pharmacist.

BTW: Rite Aid had the highest prices. About twice the price that the LIP was asking. Rite Aid = Evil.

Mr. Blur · Jul 9, 2005, 11:43 PM

...let me go through my junk mail folder....i am sure there is lots of stuff in there about online pharmacies...

KeriVit · Jul 9, 2005, 11:59 PM

Maury, you're a mess. No really, the imitrex- do you get allergy headaches or regular migraines?

budster101 · Jul 10, 2005, 12:14 AM

Why won't Motrin work? Wife with PTC has used it with success.

RAILhead · 07:42 AM

Originally Posted by KeriVit

Maury, you're a mess. No really, the imitrex- do you get allergy headaches or regular migraines?

Trust me, I get migraines -- not some bad headache. I've been diagnosed by a Neurologist and had all the proper tests done. And no, they aren't allergy related: they're more weather related or just "random" (though sinus headaches will trigger into a migraine at times). Again, I've been a migraine sufferer for years, so I know my situation. Luckily, though, I'm slowly but surely (knock on wood) getting them less and less frequently (now only once every 2 or 3 weeks of so), so that's good.

I beginning to believe that part of this is because I've been treating my insomnia, thus sleeping better.

But no, a daily allergy pill, an insomnia pill when I think I'll need it, and a migraine pill when I feel one coming on -- that's not too big a mess for me, if they help me function.

Maury

RAILhead · Jul 10, 2005, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by budster101

Why won't Motrin work? Wife with PTC has used it with success.

Again, I've been a migraine sufferer for years and I've tried everything but Topomax -- which I won't ever try. Taking Motrin for a migraine is like taking Lipitor for low blood pressure: they just don't work.

A migraine is a different type of headache than most people experience. There are different physical "things" happening to your body that cause a migraine vs a "normal" headache, and in order to stop the pain, you have to take a medication that address those specific issues. Migraine medicines target the nerves and such that are believed to impact the pain one feels when in a migraine episode, and "normal" medicine doesn't do that -- they work, usually, by thinning the blood or reducing inflammation in order to ease pressure.

Only 1 in 10 people actually have clinically diagnosable migraines, so most don't really know what they truly feel like. Only a migraine has ever made me, a 31 year old, 6'4", 230 pound man lay on the ground in a fetal position, near bawling my head off because I felt like my brain was about to burst out of my skull. Every heartbeat amplifies the pain, which makes you notice it more, which makes hurt more, which increases your stress about it, which increases your heart rate, which makes you notice every heart beat, and so on.

And to think I have it bad, my Dad and Brother have cluster headaches -- the type of headache that makes you want to put a gun to your head. Check them out and enjoy the stories people tell about those headaches. Cripes.

Maury
(off for a bit to head to Church)

medicineman · Jul 10, 2005, 11:29 AM

It's so disappointing to see the number of replies suggesting online pharmacies. Most of the junk mail I get is from online pharmacies with 'name' drugs of non-standard strength and non-standard packaging. It makes me wonder the source. I'm happy to see you stuck with your 'LIP'. Although I've never been called that before.

wdlove · Jul 10, 2005, 03:44 PM

I would be afraid of the online Pharmacy sites. My concern would be about quality.

wdlove · Jul 10, 2005, 03:44 PM

I would be afraid of the online Pharmacy sites. My concern would be about quality.

budster101 · Jul 10, 2005, 03:58 PM

Me too.
Me too.

awaspaas · Jul 10, 2005, 04:13 PM

http://www.mnrxconnect.com doesn't have Lunesta though.

RAILhead · Jul 10, 2005, 04:35 PM

All the mail order Imitrex I find is for 6 tablets, rather than 9. I'm getting 9 for about $19.11 each, and others have 6 for about $4 less is all.

Why I get 9-packs and everyone seems to sell 6, I don't know...

Maury

budster101 · Jul 10, 2005, 04:56 PM

There has to be something else for your migraines. Some sort of affordable alternative.

medicineman · Jul 10, 2005, 05:24 PM

Imitrex 100mg tablets only come packaged as 9's. A pack of 6 must be out of country packaging.

budster101 · 05:39 PM

I typed in "Imitrex alternative" in Google.

http://7097.m.x0k.info/

Is this any good? At least look into this for your needs, if Imitrex is all that works.
Have you tried other medications or therapies for your Migraines?

I asked my wife and she said that most HMOs will pick up your prescription. Do you have insurance that covers any of it? I've read briefly on line that some can only take Imitrex for their Migraines as nothing else works for them, and have been the recipients of very little compassion from some nurses.

In fact for her, it would have the opposite reaction for her headaches she says. She can only take Motrin, or rather Ibuprofin in larger dosages.

I hope you can locate a more affordable alternative or source for your needs. I think it is a bit outrageous that you have to pay so much per month for something that seems so necessary.

9 per pack or 6. Doctor's samples maybe? (Do they have those for such an expensive medication?)
Good luck, if I come up with any sources on the internet or hear anything about alternative therapies, I'll think of you Maury.

Edit:

Now this is strange, I went to the first link on that page I just posted, and it gives a quantity listing of 4 or 8 per pack. How do they (Drug Companies / Distributors) determine the quantity per pack? How does one compare prices? I don't see much help here.

http://www.edrugnet.com/showprice.as...mp;bysearch=ok

Again:

My wife just told me that some doctors give away their samples to hard-luck cases or those who are on a fixed imcome. Things like birth control, etc... If you tell your doctor this is really financially devastating to you, he/she may help you in this regard. It's not a narcotic right? It's just for Migraine Headache Symptoms. It's not like you are going to get high off of headache medication. Hey, she works in an OBGYN office... what can I say. They are all very good people and doctors. All you can do is ask. What can they say? I can't do that for whatever reason.

RAILhead · Jul 10, 2005, 05:41 PM

Unfortunately, Imitrex is the only thing that's worked well enough for me -- but I *have* just learned some potential good news: prescriptions *may* be covered as usual (with no need to meet a deductible) when we update our company insurance. We'd meet no deductible for scripts, but we would for doctor visits -- which is fine by me since we rarely go to the doctor.

Anyway, thanks for the continued information -- I hope I won't need it, but let's not let this thread die just yet!

Maury

budster101 · Jul 10, 2005, 05:44 PM

You are very welcome. If I find any further information that may be of help, I'll PM you if the thread goes to the wayside.

kiwibabe · Jul 10, 2005, 06:12 PM

Hi,

I have bad allergies as well and usually use both loratadine and also flonase. You should try looking for the generic forms of the medicines which is what I get, way cheaper. For example using www.onlinepharmacy.co.nz the place that I use, go to antihistamines & allergies menu on the left.

10 mg Zyrtec 30 tablets is US$31.50 including postage or
10 mg apo-cetrizine (the generic form of zyrtec, same thing just different packaging, also razene) is US$52 plus packaging for 6 boxes of 30 tablets.

Flonase on this web site US$42 for 3 bottles.

I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by RAILhead

Hey all

We're about to have a major insurance change at work and our deductible is moving high enough to where I'm fishing for the best cash prices for prescription medicine. Locally, I've gone to everyone and The Medicine Shoppe beat all the other bids as follows:

3mg Lunesta: $107.99 (30 tablets)
16gm Flonase: $74.99
10mg Zyrtec: $65.99 (30 tablets)
100mg Imitrex: $171.99 (9 tablets)

I've never looked into online, mail order pharmacies, and doing a web search does nothing but up a load of crap sites for all kinds of junk.

If anyone uses an online pharmacy or gets meds from Canada, I'd love to hear who you use.

TIA,
Maury

andi*pandi · Jul 10, 2005, 08:15 PM

I use scripPharmacy online/mail order, as referred by Harvard Pilgrim. Have had good results, but then I'm not paying full price so I can't say how they compare for that.