Author Topic: Prescription win  (Read 1954 times)

Petuniajo

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Prescription win
« on: September 19, 2018, 08:10:57 PM »
I normally don't take any meds, but I'm nursing an injured back and got prescribed a NSAID. My husband was shocked when he went to pick it up and it was over $100 for a one-month supply! I called the doctor to see if there was any similar med they could prescribe that was cheaper. She sent in a different NSAID prescription to see if that would be cheaper, and when I called to see how much it would cost--$1.28! That's it! Oof, so glad I didn't just get the one they prescribed without asking if there was an acceptable alternative!

BikeFanatic

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Re: Prescription win
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2018, 08:28:09 PM »
WTF Nsaid was 100$ I thought the 50 of 200 mg tabs for Ibuprofen OTC for 8$ was expensive.

jnw

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Re: Prescription win
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2018, 01:15:37 AM »
I normally don't take any meds, but I'm nursing an injured back and got prescribed a NSAID. My husband was shocked when he went to pick it up and it was over $100 for a one-month supply! I called the doctor to see if there was any similar med they could prescribe that was cheaper. She sent in a different NSAID prescription to see if that would be cheaper, and when I called to see how much it would cost--$1.28! That's it! Oof, so glad I didn't just get the one they prescribed without asking if there was an acceptable alternative!

Awesome job! Yeah it's insane what they charge.  I always try to get generic substitute if there is one.  Like I use Generic N insulin for $24.99 compared to $400 basal insulin.  Taking the generic N insulin in the right manner (a manner which most doctors do not bother explaining or simply do not know -- which is explained in Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution) is as effective as the $400 basal insulin.

Bird In Hand

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Re: Prescription win
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2018, 10:50:18 AM »
Nice job OP!

Like I use Generic N insulin for $24.99 compared to $400 basal insulin.  Taking the generic N insulin in the right manner (a manner which most doctors do not bother explaining or simply do not know -- which is explained in Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution) is as effective as the $400 basal insulin.

Apologies for the thread hijack, but I'm very interested in this.  How has your blood sugar regulation (including A1C) been since following Dr. Bernstein's advice?  Are you doing low carb or keto?  Are you using a lot less insulin than before?

jnw

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Re: Prescription win
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2018, 08:05:07 PM »
Nice job OP!

Like I use Generic N insulin for $24.99 compared to $400 basal insulin.  Taking the generic N insulin in the right manner (a manner which most doctors do not bother explaining or simply do not know -- which is explained in Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution) is as effective as the $400 basal insulin.

Apologies for the thread hijack, but I'm very interested in this.  How has your blood sugar regulation (including A1C) been since following Dr. Bernstein's advice?  Are you doing low carb or keto?  Are you using a lot less insulin than before?

My A1C used to be 11.  It has been as low as 5.2 when I am eating 100% properly w/ no insulin to minimal insulin. I cycle between keto and low carb, eating between 20g to 40g of carbs per day.  Lately due to taking some sudafed and eating a bit more carbs than I should my A1C is just above 6.  A lot better than the 11 it was before I quit grains.

Type 2 Diabetes medicine is BIG $$$.  Turns out the best medicine is a dietary change though, at the same time saving up to thousands per year on diabetes meds you most likely will no longer need.

My friend who is type 2 as well, saw how well I was doing with managing my diabetes she asked for some tips here and there.. gave her tons of dietary advice over some months.  Her last A1C was 5.0 coming from 8.5.  She takes no diabetes meds.  She eats about 100g of carbs per day though.. much less than what she was eating before.. fortunatley she is not as insulin resistant as me, as I have to keep my carbs down in the 20-40g per day range.  She's lost 30 pounds.. was like 218 and now 188.  Her liver and cholesterol were in bad shape too and now they are pristine (ALT 11, AST 14) and HDL 66 & trigs under 100.

Some books I recommend reading for low carb, keto, intermittent fasting & blood sugar control.
1) The Art & Science of Low Carbohydrate Living -- Phinney & Volek
2) Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore & Dr. Westman (also his book Cholesterol Clarity).
3) The Diabetes Code & The Obesity Code -- Jason Fung. (also his book Complete Guide to Fasting)
4) Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution
5) Blood Sugar 101

(Sorry don't mean to hijack, I suppose I should of put this all in another thread.).
« Last Edit: September 20, 2018, 08:15:20 PM by JenniferW »

gimmi80

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Re: Prescription win
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2018, 01:29:17 PM »
most Commonly doctors are not aware of the pricing of their prescription. It’s good to give them a call to check for alternatives if price seems excessively high.
There can also be a considerable difference in price between pharmacies. Sometime that’s also worth a call

KCalla

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Re: Prescription win
« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2018, 09:10:08 PM »
Great tip to check for lower price alternative with physician. 
Other tips:
Chain pharmacies with grocery stores or places like Walmart, etc often have a list of medicines at a reduced cost.  For example, Walmart has a list of $4 for a 30 day supply and $10 for a 90 day supply.  Walgreen's calls their list  the "Value-Priced Medication list".  Our local grocery store has something similar.  The important thing is that the medicine prescription has to be written for exactly the dose and number of pills on the list.  This works well for prescriptions that you have some time to fill, as it can take a little while to look up your med online and to call your physician.  The pharmacy staff is often the best source of information about alternative drugs that the physician might consider, since the physician's office will not know each pharmacy's list.

A great app that will help you price alternative pharmacies is GoodRx.  It is free to sign up.  A chain pharmacy staff member suggested it to me.  It worked great and was also a great education on varying meds costs.

In the end, since I have several recurring medications that are not on the lists and that I wanted to keep all at one pharmacy, I went with Walgreens Prescription Savings Club that costs $20 per year.  Not worthwhile if you only occasionally have a common prescription, I think, but worked great for me.  If I want to apply what I've spent to my high medical insurance deductible, I have to file my receipts myself.

I have read that similar lists/plans are available for pet medication.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!