Holy Cow you want how much for those!!!!

skyecat0117

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I finally went to the doc and had the long awaited discussion about my migraines and she decided Imatrex would work best for me. She sent the script to my local Walgreens and I was able to pick them up yesterday after I got paid. They were going to cost me $39.07 to be exact and thats after my insurance paid $122 of it. So I get to work and open it up and realize there's only 6 pills in the bottle
all that money for only 6 little pills!!!!! I better value those with my life.
 

natalie_ca

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Yep! They're expensive. And that's cheap compared to the price of some medication.

I remember having to give a patient some medication by IV and the medication was something like $2,000.00 per injection!!
My hand shook when I took the ampule out of the medication dispenser and drew up the medication, lol I forget why she was receiving it (maybe Rheumatoid Arthritis), but she needed it every 4 weeks and came to the hospital to have it administered. Our Provincial Government picked up the tab via our Pharmacare Program. Otherwise I doubt she would have been able to get it.

Some of my inhalers are outrageous. I'm thankful that I don't need them very often. One of them is nearly $200.00, and if I had to take it daily I would be needing a new one every single month.

There are other medications for migraines. Has the doctor tried giving you any of those to see if they work for you? Also, is there a generic medication version of the one you got? When you pay that high price it's because of the brand name
I usually try and get the generic equivalent, and if the doctor hasn't stated it, I ask the pharmacist for the generic kind because they are often 75% cheaper!
 
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skyecat0117

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Yep! They're expensive. And that's cheap compared to the price of some medication.

I remember having to give a patient an injection and the medication was something like $250.00 per injection!!
My hand shook when I took the ampule out of the medication dispenser and drew up the medication, lol

Some of my inhalers are outrageous. I'm thankful that I don't need them very often. One of them is nearly $200.00, and if I had to take it daily I would be needing a new one every single month.

There are other medications for migraines. Has the doctor tried giving you any of those to see if they work for you? Also, is there a generic medication version of the one you got? When you pay that high price it's because of the brand name
I usually try and get the generic equivalent, and if the doctor hasn't stated it, I ask the pharmacist for the generic kind because they are often 75% cheaper!
Unfortuantly because migraine medication is fairly new they haven't developed generic for it yet. I've tired another brand called Maxalt but it didn't work as well as the Imatrex does. Luckily since I got off the BC Depo they have only been coming on once a month maybe twice so they won't make me break the bank too much but man oh man was it a shock
 

natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by SkyeCat0117

Unfortuantly because migraine medication is fairly new they haven't developed generic for it yet. I've tired another brand called Maxalt but it didn't work as well as the Imatrex does. Luckily since I got off the BC Depo they have only been coming on once a month maybe twice so they won't make me break the bank too much but man oh man was it a shock
I hope they last you a while then!

I was wrong about the price of the medication I was thinking about. It was Interferon-Alpha 1 Human Recombinant, and was over $4,000 per dose!

http://www.prospecbio.com/IFNA1_Human_3_7/
 

pee-cleaner

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I use IVIG every 3 weeks---$6,000 per dose. Sigh... I take another med, $800 a month...sigh. I have insurance but the copays still eat a lot of cash. To make it worse, all these meds barely help my symptoms (myasthenia gravis.) Very depressing.

PS--I also take Imatrex--LOL I've had my 6 pills for a year and still have 2 left, tho. For some reason, migraines ARE better.

Hope you find relief with Imatrex!

c
 

pookie-poo

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My migraines were so frequent that I was filling my script for Imitrex 3 or 4 times a month...at $46.10 a pop! About a month an a half ago, my doctor started me on Inderal LA, a preventive medicine ($10/month) and I've dropped from 3 or 4 migraines a week to about one a week....an incredible difference! And much nicer on my wallet, too! I've tried most of the 'triptans': Maxalt, Amerge, Zomig, and Relpax. None of them work as well as Imitrex (although all of them are as expensive!)

Edit: WoooHooo!! Here's some great news!

The patent on Imitrex tablets expires in the USA in 2009, and the generic sumatriptan tablets should be available shortly thereafter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triptan
 
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skyecat0117

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Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

Edit: WoooHooo!! Here's some great news!

The patent on Imitrex tablets expires in the USA in 2009, and the generic sumatriptan tablets should be available shortly thereafter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triptan
That would be awesome. And much cheaper. I just can't believe how much they can charge for this stuff that people need.
 

butzie

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Try paying for psychotropic drugs for yourself and your son without medical insurance. And we really need these meds.
 

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Good heavens!

And I was complaining because the 3 medicines my dtr takes for her acne mess is about $150 every other month! And we only get a limited amount of money a year to pay for meds. Once it's gone, we have to pay the full amt until the regular insurance kicks in.

But- the meds are well worth it. 3 months ago the poor kid had acne all over her face, back and chest. She wouldn't even wear a bathing suit without putting a shirt over it- said she was embarrassed about how she looked. Now there's hardly anything on her face, a little bit on her back, and NONE on her chest.

I might not even have to pay extra this time around for school pics. Her face was so bad- I paid $6 more to have the blemishes removed from her face.
 
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skyecat0117

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Originally Posted by butzie

Try paying for psychotropic drugs for yourself and your son without medical insurance. And we really need these meds.
I dunno what those are. But I can only imagine the amount of $ you would have to shell out for any Rx without insurance.
 

roxsam

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Ya, Imitrex is ridiculous. In college I had to pay $30 for 9 pills and it took at least 2 pills to get rid of one migraine! So I stopped using it due to outrageous cost. But then my dad gave me a hint...get the prescription of Imitrex for the highest possible dosage and then cut the pills into smaller amounts. You get more for your money!


That's awesome a generic is coming out sooon!!
 

rubsluts'mommy

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Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

Edit: WoooHooo!! Here's some great news!

The patent on Imitrex tablets expires in the USA in 2009, and the generic sumatriptan tablets should be available shortly thereafter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triptan
Originally Posted by SkyeCat0117

That would be awesome. And much cheaper. I just can't believe how much they can charge for this stuff that people need.
That's what I've discovered... If there's no generic, which only is available after the patent expires after something like 7 or 10 years (could be five, but i doubt it), then the companies can and will charge darn near anything they want to... it's all about money to them... I could say that's just my opinion, but I know I'm not alone in it.

I had wanted to get a scrip for that heartburn medication (name escapes me right now), as I'd been given a sample to try and it worked... I was uninsured at the time (still won't bother)... so I looked up now much it would cost... upwards of 400 for a 30 supply... now, that's cheap compared to some other meds out there. My dad is a heart patient and his meds are sickeningly expensive... but he HAS to take them to keep his BP normal and his cholesterol in check.

Around here, we have both Walmart and Fred Meyers (grocery/dry goods/etc) that offer $10 generics (30 day supply, I think), which would be great... if the things I needed were OFFERED in generic.

I use Prilosec/generic OTC form of it now... way cheaper than the Rx version...

Ah well...

Amanda
 
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skyecat0117

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Originally Posted by roxsam

Ya, Imitrex is ridiculous. In college I had to pay $30 for 9 pills and it took at least 2 pills to get rid of one migraine! So I stopped using it due to outrageous cost. But then my dad gave me a hint...get the prescription of Imitrex for the highest possible dosage and then cut the pills into smaller amounts. You get more for your money!


That's awesome a generic is coming out sooon!!
I have the 100mg ones right now not sure how high they come I'll have to check it out and try it that way.
 

mom of 4

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There is a difference between patents and the exclusiivty granted by the FDA. A patent is good for 20 years. Not all drugs are recognized immediately for their purpose, so the FDA grants exclusivity for a number of years after the drug is given FDA approval.
The idea behind this is allow the drug company to recoup their costs in getting the drug to the market. They, in turn, use that money to pay for the development of the next drug - which may or may not make it to the market. You can spend a lot of money on what looks like a promising drug, only to find out the side effects are too bad or it doesn't work better than the drugs currentlyout there.

I have a friend who is being treated for melenoma. He just completed 19 days of IV interferon. Now he is to start interferon injections, 3 times a week, for 11 months. None of us want to even think about the cost, but it is the only chance he will survive.
 

cheshirecat

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Insurance is good (fortunately I have it) but even with it there can be problems.

For example, I had a prescription for an arthritis medication that was a combined with a generic over the counter pain medication. My prescription was for 100 every month.

My insurance changed at the beginning of this year and they now only cover 30 every month. They expect me to go from taking 4 to 6 a day to one a day?


After several phone calls and much aggravation I figured out that they will cover a generic form of the one ingredient for arthritis without the over the counter drug. Now I get 100 a month and take the over the counter drug with it.

My doctor said it was because of the cost. But this makes no sense since because I take another drug that costs more and have not had a problem with that one.
 

faith's_mom

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Trust me, I know your pain! I am supposed to be on Topomax, but since we lost our insurance earlier this spring (and are STILL waiting to get back on), we cannot possibly afford it, as it's over $200 PER MONTH!!! Eeek! Add to that the other meds I should be on, and we would have to pay over 400$ a month for my 'drug supply'
 

tierre0

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No doubt about it Prescription meds are high priced..I take a couple that are pretty expensive, one for my arthritis and one to combat the effects that the arthritis drug has on my stomach
 

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I am glad that we have perscription insurance here. If we didn't, we would not be able to afford our medications. Without the insurance, DH's meds would cost over $600 mine would be about $150! With insurance, DH is $150 for 3 months and mine is about $90 for a 3 month's supply.

I feel sorry for the people that do not have insurance.
 
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