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When will Prescription Drugs "STOP INCREASING"???

pedro47

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To answer your question. Drug Prices will Never come Down.

Drug Prices are like Cable Prices they are never coming Down.
 

clifffaith

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I learned the hard way, twice because I'm a slow learner, never to let my doctor send a new Rx directly to ExpressScripts. When the $250 drug arrives in the mail, I'm stuck for that month or two. I always go downstairs to the pharmacy first time, where I can ask how much it will be. Then I switch to ExpressScripts if it is a drug they handle. My pain/inflammation/muscle relaxer three pills for some reason have to stay with the local pharmacy (understand the pain med not shipping in the mail, but not the other two).
 
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Drug companies will charge what they want because insurance companies will pay and pass the costs on to the customer.

I was prescribed a one month course of Omeprazole and all I had to pay was the one off prescription fee of £8. Of course I'm paying taxes for the NHS but nothing close to what American's are paying in insurance and additional costs. The NHS may have its faults but I'll certainly take it over the insurance system.
 

Passepartout

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Drug companies will charge what they want because insurance companies will pay and pass the costs on to the customer.

I was prescribed a one month course of Omeprazole and all I had to pay was the one off prescription fee of £8. Of course I'm paying taxes for the NHS but nothing close to what American's are paying in insurance and additional costs. The NHS may have its faults but I'll certainly take it over the insurance system.
You're absolutely right. I wouldn't wish the American, for profit, healthcare 'system' on my worst enemy. BTW, omeprazole here is over the counter, and cheap. But I digress. Last Summer, I had emergency heart surgery got a pacemaker installed, spent 9 days in hospital in Germany. The bill was 1/2 page long, and was less than 9,000€! Here, they bill for every aspirin, and just the room in my local cardiac care unit (like I was in in Germany) would be $10,000 per day! And the off the shelf price for the pacemaker would be $50,000 without installation! It's ridiculous!

Jim
 
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Bucky

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1) Sildenafil
Topping the chart, with 30-day prices averaging $279, is sildenafil, the generic version of two different drugs on the market right now — Revatio and Viagra. Revatio is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, and Viagra is prescribed for erectile dysfunction in men. Unfortunately, there is a big price difference depending on the strength of sildenafil you are filling. Sildenafil at 20 mg (the equivalent to Revatio) can be very affordable, while sildenafil at 100 mg (the equivalent to Viagra) is expensive with just one tablet averaging around $30.”

Drug prices are never coming down. At least in my lifetime.

Want to say that Sildenafil is used to treat vtach, a fib and other types of irregular heart beat. I take amiodorone for my vtach but because of its nasty side effects was considering sildenafil. Was talked out of it by my team because it has just as many nasty side effects as amiodorone.
 

x3 skier

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Taking the top price increase on the list, Sildenafil 100mg, on GoodRx shows a coupon that gets 30 for $30 at Krogers. No subscription, no membership, no fees, just print the coupon. The article says it’s almost $300 for 30.

Didn’t bother to check the rest of the list but I wonder if there are similar situations and also how GoodRx manages to make money if they just give away coupons. OTOH, if it only cost pennies to make the $1 tablet, there’s enough for everybody in the food chain.

Cheers
 

bogey21

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I just refilled my Pradaxa (anti-coagulant) . Even with my Medicate Plan D plan a 90 day supply cost me $608. Eliquis, another anti-coagulant which my Cardiologist tells me he actually prefers only costs half as much. I know I should switch but hate to make a chenge from what has worked for me for 7 or 8 years now. Stupid, I know...

George
 

Talent312

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I know I should switch but hate to make a change from what has worked for me for 7 or 8 years now.

If you don't miss the $$ (much), why not stick with what you know is working?
It seems to me that sometimes docs seem too eager to try new stuff at your risk.
.
 

WVBaker

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I just refilled my Pradaxa (anti-coagulant) . Even with my Medicate Plan D plan a 90 day supply cost me $608. Eliquis, another anti-coagulant which my Cardiologist tells me he actually prefers only costs half as much. I know I should switch but hate to make a chenge from what has worked for me for 7 or 8 years now. Stupid, I know...

George
Is this a new Cardiologist?

If he/she prefers Eliquis, why are you on Pradaxa?

Sounds like you may need to ask a few questions.
 

SmithOp

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I just refilled my Pradaxa (anti-coagulant) . Even with my Medicate Plan D plan a 90 day supply cost me $608. Eliquis, another anti-coagulant which my Cardiologist tells me he actually prefers only costs half as much. I know I should switch but hate to make a chenge from what has worked for me for 7 or 8 years now. Stupid, I know...

George

Wow, thats a lot of money for a script. My cardiologist has me on Xarelto for AFib, he offered me some free samples at first because it was new and “very expensive” in his words. He was shocked when I told him my co-pay was only $45 for 90 day supply. I’m lucky to have good coverage, this is my most expensive med, I take BP and Cholesterol meds also.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 

bogey21

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Is this a new Cardiologist? If he/she prefers Eliquis, why are you on Pradaxa?

It is me, not my Cardiologist. I had 2 strokes some 6 or 7 years ago and haven't had another one while using Pradaxa. The truth is that I'm afraid to switch...

George
 

Steve Fatula

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It is me, not my Cardiologist. I had 2 strokes some 6 or 7 years ago and haven't had another one while using Pradaxa. The truth is that I'm afraid to switch...

George

Maybe you can switch part D plans, as some may be way cheaper. Takes a lot of work to figure it out, but, we cut over $1,800 a year this year by switching DW Part D plan.
 

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It is me, not my Cardiologist. I had 2 strokes some 6 or 7 years ago and haven't had another one while using Pradaxa. The truth is that I'm afraid to switch...

George

That’s the perfect reason not to switch! Peace of mind is important when we are talking about life threatening situations. I’ve taken warfarin for almost 26 years now with excellent results. Does require weekly testing but Medicare provided us with a home testing device that works flawlessly. The warfarin is far cheaper than most anticoagulants out there.
 

Egret1986

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10 Most Expensive Generic Drugs in the US
============================
Drug
Cash Price
sildenafil $279
duloxetine $188
oseltamivir $133
omeprazole $132
atorvastatin $121
clopidogrel $114
montelukast $106
escitalopram $104
bupropion xl $102
tamsulosin $86


2) Duloxetine
Topping the chart, with 30-day prices reaching well beyond $180, is duloxetine(Cymbalta). Used to treat depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, and nerve pain associated with diabetes, duloxetine is covered by most commercial insurance plans — about 95% in fact. But for those of you who might lack coverage for it, shelling out over $150 per month can be too much.


Source: GoodRX

Thank you so much for starting this thread.

I just received a prescription yesterday for Duloxetine for chronic low back pain. It was the only drug out of five that the doctor would prescribe. However, because of another very expensive drug (that I was surprised not to see on the list) that I was recently prescribed (life long for seizures), the options were whittled down to one available due to interactions. I was beginning to really wonder how I would be able to keep up with these costs. This thread will help to cut those costs immensely.

I don't take docs at their word on meds, anymore...
A gastroenterologist prescribed Pantoprazole (a PPI) for my acid-reflux. Within a few months, I was seeing a kidney-specialist for kidney disease. Well, there's literature online associating PPI's with kidney disease. So I stopped taking it, and within two months, my kidneys returned to normal. The doc said the studies are not definitive and the issue is not settled.
My reply: "Based on my anecdotal evidence, the issue is settled for me."
.

Whew! That was a close call. I'm with you on not just taking a particular doctor's word on prescription meds.

I was just prescribed a medication yesterday. I was not pushed into accepting it from the doctor. He just told me what my options were: 1) PT, 2) Cortisone, 3) drugs, 4) Surgery. PT wasn't working and he suggested that there was no need to continue on with something that wasn't working. 2) I'm still refraining from getting. I wan't surgery to be the very last option. That only left drugs. Due to my seizure medication, the only option left that wouldn't interact was Cymbalta. He asked me what I wanted to do. I accepted the prescription. The jury is still out on that. I go to my Neurologist next week and will pass it by him. The jury will still be out most likely unless I experience the pain that I did over the holidays. I told the Orthopedic doc that I would decide whether or not to take it after researching it. He was clear; you probably won't use it then. Remember all those side effects at the end of TV advertisements for medications?.....Yea, I do. His nurse indicated that the #1 side effect can be nausea and to take it before I go to bed and should not be bothered by it.


We use goodrx all the time, most semi popular stuff is cheaper than no insurance prices. My sister in law takes some sort of cancer drug, and her price on GoodRX was cheaper than the insurance co-payment. For Montelukast which was mentioned above, Goodrx says the price is $0 at Kroger if you get their annual membership there, $36 per year if you look at it that way. With no insurance. It's $10 at Sams Club.

Many generics have gone way up over the past several years. Hydroxychloroquine, which I take to prevent hives, is $6 at Kroger with membership according to Goodrx, which is ok as I used to pay $12 5 years ago and then it had gone up to close to $800 for a year or so.


Taking the top price increase on the list, Sildenafil 100mg, on GoodRx shows a coupon that gets 30 for $30 at Krogers. No subscription, no membership, no fees, just print the coupon. The article says it’s almost $300 for 30.

Didn’t bother to check the rest of the list but I wonder if there are similar situations and also how GoodRx manages to make money if they just give away coupons. OTOH, if it only cost pennies to make the $1 tablet, there’s enough for everybody in the food chain.

Cheers

Yesterday, I was in for a second visit to an Orthopedist. I saw some card holders around the counters for GoodRx. I figured it was a junk card with no value, only a money grab. I put it in my purse and planned to check to see what the deal was when I returned home since I was given a new prescription (that I may or may not decide to take). It is on the OP's list of most expensive drugs. I was also recently prescribed another medication, which I am shocked is not on the list because it has been very expensive. I have been thinking about the upcoming year and the expense for these two meds.

I came on TUG today to read Unread Posts. Steve and x3 skier, your posts made me realize that I most likely have something very valuable still in my purse. I thank you two very much for posting. This will save me a tremendous amount on my medications. This is amazing. Yes, I have insurance, but it can't compete with the pricing through GoodRx.
 

shorts

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Egret1986,

If you are dealing with pain, I would encourage you to try the Cymbalta (duloxetine). It’s the only medication that has helped with my fibromyalgia and RA pain. I tried several others but Cymbalta has really worked well. I take it at bedtime and don’t have any problem with side effects.
 

Egret1986

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Egret1986,

If you are dealing with pain, I would encourage you to try the Cymbalta (duloxetine). It’s the only medication that has helped with my fibromyalgia and RA pain. I tried several others but Cymbalta has really worked well. I take it at bedtime and don’t have any problem with side effects.

Thank you, Vicki, for sharing your experience. It is a definite consideration. Chronic pain is no joke. Until you've experienced it, you can't fully relate to what someone else is going through. My Mom had RA and it was brutal I can't imagine having both RA and fibromyalgia. I wish you well.
 
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