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suggestion for decreasing price of your drugs (worked for me)

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 9/13/2007 1:44 PM (GMT -8)
Sick of having to go to the pharmacy every month to refill my prescriptions, I recently asked my GI to write everything in 3 month quantities (which he did) instead of monthly quantities. The result - my meds were cheaper. specificaly, my asacol cost dropped significantly (which is great since that drug is so insanely expensive). i mentioned this to my mom, who takes lots of meds for various problems, and she said that her meds are also cheaper when ordered in larger quantities. I think that this pricing decrease is made on an individual insurance company basis, so it may or may not work for you depending on who you have for insurance, but I just wanted to pass on the tip in case it helps you. It was a very pleasant surprise for me.
Posted 9/13/2007 2:41 PM (GMT -8)
In our case - due to the type of drug coverage we have. If a prescription is written and filled for one month we have our standard co-pay. If it is written for 90 days with 3 refills and we use the mail order basis we get the 3 months for the cost of one month's co-pay. We get 2 months of meds free that way so we obviously do that for any meds that can be dispensed that way.

There are some that can only be written and filled for a 30 day basis and this cannot apply.
Posted 9/13/2007 3:29 PM (GMT -8)
UCinNC - Do they put all that Asacol in one bottle? The bottles I get now are already so huge, I can't imagine them filling a larger one. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion.
Posted 9/14/2007 7:18 AM (GMT -8)
My job-related insurance plan tries to coax all covered employees to participate in mail order prescription processing, for maintenance meds especially. Somehow this is cost-saving, but how far can one trust the mails? I resent this tremendously because it wipes out the pharmacist-patient relationship. Of course, many of our local pharmacies have already been forced out of business by the drug chain giants. The whole economics of prescription drugs boggles my mind. Within the next couple yrs it will likely get worse as I move from work to retirement. In the U.S. our UC treatment dilemma is a 2-headed monster: (1) Will the prescribed treatment work for us & for how long? AND (2) Will we be able to afford the necessary treatment when & for as long as we need it? I guess we have to hope for the best, but steel ourselves for the worst-- in terms of our options at any given time. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 X 3 Colazal daily for July flare in descending colon; should be back in remission within a few months)
Posted 9/14/2007 7:45 AM (GMT -8)
I have mail in prescriptions so if they write it for 90 days, I pay only one co-pay for one month. I make sure to do this.

I did the mail in w/the Asacol and yes it fit in my mailbox, I got 3 large bottles.

Also, for one of my drugs, my doc wrote the prescription for 160mg even though I am at 80mg right now (I am chopping them in half) b/c just in case he wanted to increase my dosage. It took 3 weeks for my ins. co just to approve me taking it. (Diovan) luckily he had plenty of samples.

My insurance co wanted me to try other drugs first to see how they would help me then after trying multiple drugs I could take Diovan if the others did not help me. Ummm, Doc wrote them a letter and they did it.
Posted 9/14/2007 9:02 AM (GMT -8)
I like using the local pharmacy; I can't stand dealing with the mail order or the CVS's, Eckers, and Walmart type pharmacies..... I get the feeling from them that they really don't care about their jobs or the patients....I am making a generalization but it is the feeling that I get from the ones that I have tried.

Just last week I ran out of 6-mp and had to wait for a new script from my GI, I walked into the local pharmacy and they gave me a 10 day supple to hold me over until my GI mailed me the new script.

The only thing that I get through the mail order pharmacy is enemas and that's just because I am too embaressed to go to the local pharmacy for it. ( I know that it is not a big deal). My insurance CO gives me a nice deal on the mail order but it really isn't worth it to me to use them.

--Keith
Posted 9/14/2007 9:16 AM (GMT -8)
I do go to my local pharmacy. I don't mail in my drugs. and yes, the discount still applies. best of both worlds, as I too like my pharmacy.

as for the asacol distribution, I just get lots of bottles of it.

Posted 9/14/2007 9:49 AM (GMT -8)
As for me and my insurance, I can get maintenence drugs filled three times at my local pharmacy only paying my copay...After that third time I have to go to my mail order pharmacy for a 90 day supply...I've been very successful with getting my meds through the mail...Better than I thought and very easy too...For a 90 day supply of asacol (taking 12 per day), I pay $62.00. They contact me through email telling when I can order more or I can just log on and see for myself...Just a click of a button and it's on the way...Only takes two days to get to my house...I definately save lots of money getting it through the mail and thank God for good insurance...Plus my insurance pays 100% of remicade...$3200.00...That to me is incredibly expensive!!! You would think it was made of gold!!!
Posted 9/14/2007 9:51 AM (GMT -8)
UCinNC, I meant to ask you what part of NC are you?
Posted 9/14/2007 12:40 PM (GMT -8)
hey. I live in the Chapel HIll/Durham area. you live in the area?
also, if you don't mind me asking.... who is your insurance provider? sounds like they are really good?

and, another question, given that you were only diagnosed 6 months ago, how is it that you are already on remicade? did you try 6-MP/Imuran? I would be curious to hear your story, if you're willing to share it. thanks.
Posted 9/14/2007 12:51 PM (GMT -8)
I like talking with a pharmacist face to face. I don't really like the mail order either. Getting an Rx set up right can take too many phone calls - where at a local pharmacy, they'd just call the doc and say "did you mean this?" and it would be done. However, if the Rx is set up right and all I have to do is click a screen, the mail order works pretty slick for my everyday meds. The cost savings helps as well.

When I first started with Asacol, I told the pharmacy tech - I'll take it in the regular bottles, you don't have to take it out and pour it into another bottle! It seemed like such a waste to me!
Posted 9/15/2007 1:54 AM (GMT -8)

UCinNC said...
hey. I live in the Chapel HIll/Durham area. you live in the area?
also, if you don't mind me asking.... who is your insurance provider? sounds like they are really good?

and, another question, given that you were only diagnosed 6 months ago, how is it that you are already on remicade? did you try 6-MP/Imuran? I would be curious to hear your story, if you're willing to share it. thanks.

Hey UCinNC,

I may have somewhat of a similar story with regards to diagnosis, and remicade vs. 6mp. Basically my doc told me that because 6mp has been around for a while traditionally patients get treated with it first. If it fails, remicade is another option as well as the combination of two. Remicade is supposed to work faster, plus it takes less effort from the patient as far as taking the pills. Faster was the magic word for me since I was and still am trying to get off darn prednisone. So I picked remicade 10 weeks after being dx'd w. UC. I haven't started the treatment yet, but I will soon.

Posted 9/15/2007 5:37 AM (GMT -8)
UCinNC, I live just outside of Asheville...I have Cigna insurance through my work...Also, about Remicade already...I am also steroid dependant, and was having some side effects from it that me or my dr. wasn't too fond about...Seeing as how Remicade works very quickly, we decided on that...It was a toss up between that or Imuran...I've read and he also told me, it takes a while for Imuran to work and I need to get of the pred as soon as possible...After my next remicade infusion, I'm not sure what is next...I was REALLY nervous about doing it in the first place...That is where I stand now...I'll keep you up to date on it...
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