Looking for reasonably priced Buprenorphine for my cat.

[doris walsh]

Hi Guys.  Gee I am so glad I found this post.  When I tell you want I have been paying at my vet's office in Florida for a .5MG/ML ORA Buprenorphine you are going to flip out.  $54.12 a syringe.  My Shelly had a flair up Tuesday and needed 2 syringes & another one yesterday to the tune of $162.36.  I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to afford that kind of price for her pain control.  She had ALL the tests including the ultrasound to rule out cancer.  This is a condition that it seems she will be living with for a long time.  I definitely don't want her to suffer since it is very painful with a flair up.



Luckily I met with her vet today & she is working with me to find an alternative or to get the medication from either Diamondback Drugs or Roadrunner Pharmacy. 


Its just great to have the Internet available now for consumers to educate us to what is available and to speak with others here that can offer solutions.



Doris Walsh/Shelly


New Port Richey, Fl

 

[white shadow]

Welcome to TCS, Doris!

Flip out......I guess! That's either a gross, but honest pricing calculation error - or - the all-time greatest swindle.

Have you called around (other local clinics) to price it there? That's the first thing I'd do.

IF you are going to price it online, here's a TCS thread which will help with your choice of pharmacies http://www.thecatsite.com/t/252239/tips-for-shopping-for-pet-meds-online

Meantime, if Shelly is petting pain meds for a urinary issue, chances are that it's Cystitis. There's an excellent article from a reputable online Veterinarian's site that I would strongly recommend - here: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth#Cystitis

Keep us posted!

 

[maewkaew]

That is an INSANE price!     I was paying like that much for 5 ML in a vial that I could draw up myself into syringes. . 

Make sure you are giving the bup very slowly into the cheek pocket. not shooting it down the throat,  it is not very effective in the digestive tract.  but is absorbed well from the lining of the mouth.

 Buprenex can also be injected,  and I actually think it may work better that way so might take less. 

 

[ritz]

Yeah that's really e$xpen@ive!

I did a quick internet search about Bubprenex.  It is kind of like an opiate, and in cats can be given by mouth/around the gum. 

Buprenex is also prescribed for humans; that's important, because it means any pharmacist can fill the prescription, including your local grocery store/drug chain.  (Compounding pharmacists can flavor the liquid--that's the only way I can medicate Ritz.)  Is Buprenex available in a generic form?  If so, it should be cheaper than the brand name version.

Petmeds.com is another go-to site; you'll need to fax them the prescription.

I have pet insurance; the amount I have spent this year on Ritz in office visits, tests and drugs equalled the premium.  Prozac is $50 a month (for FHS).

 

[deans]

I seen some posts about the pain med buprenorphine & the outrageous price some of you are paying for it, so i wanted to lend some advice & guidance. Vets can only prescribe a limited amount because it is a controled narcotic, usually its only a few days worth of .02ml syringes numbering about 9 for 3 doses per day. If your in a case of oral squamous cell carcinoma with your kitty like i am with my 17 yr 11 mnth old kitty, then ask your vet about pharmacies in your area that fill pet meds as well, or check with them yourself. Some do and i got my kittys buprenorphine of 30ml for the cost of $21 dollars. Your vet can call in the prescription to be filled. Thats alot more affordable then the prices i've been seeing in some posts. Goodluck to everybody & their pet.

 

[Nancylovesanimals]

I was one of the folks paying an arm and a leg for buprenorphine from the pharmacy associated with my cat's specialist vet. I checked with my local pharmacy and they have an associated compounding pharmacy located in another town. I called them and WOW, the price is a FRACTION of what I was charged at my vet pharmacy. I mean, a fraction. So, check your own. I asked them for a guesstimate of the cost. They couldn't give me the actual until they have the prescription. But, I read to them from the label of what I had last gotten. She estimated around 35 dollars for a month's worth. WOW. Now, it may be a little more. But, that is so much cheaper than what I had bought previously, it's not even funny.

 

[fionasmom]

Welcome to The Cat Site! Your experience is not uncommon. It is one reason that Chewy and other online pet pharmacies do so well. I have vets that I respect very much, but getting prescriptions from them was often double that of Chewy.