prescription drugs?

[gopbroek]

My experience with meds is that usually I can get the generic equivalent at Costco cheaper, provided I have a prescription for the medication plus you do not need a card to go to the pharmacy. I have pretty good prescription drug coverage but in most cases the non-insurance price was better. Recently my insurance company has retaliated and through it’s ‘express scripts’ arm, lowering those costs by 30-50%. I purchase meds in Mexico when I need them but see the seedy border town / cruise ship port ‘prescription’ drug trade is more of a tourist thing as opposed to a legitimate savings and definately on the decline.

 

[Skittl1321]

It's simply there if I need it as have an aversion to going to the doctor unless it's absolutely necessary.

How do you determine at home if your infection is bacterial or viral?

 

[cvchief]

How do you determine at home if your infection is bacterial or viral?

Home lab?

 

[boulderjohn]

I am baffled by drug prices in the U.S. A lot depends upon insurance co-pays, but a lot does not. In one very recent case, I was put on a new drug, and I was told my co-pay for one month would be $75. My pharmacy, though, had a coupon from the maker, so by using the coupon, I could get the drug (not generic) for $4. I am confident that the company is making a pretty healthy profit at $4--think what they are doing with a $75 co-pay plus whatever the insurance company was paying--if anything.

A couple of years ago I was put on a drug, and my co-pay was a couple hundred dollars a month. Once again, I got a coupon from the maker, which brought it down to $30 a month. Today there is a competing drug available. My co-pay suddenly dropped to $10. (It is still not generic.)

A number of years ago my youngest son was still on our insurance, and he got an eye infection. He got a prescription, and our co-pay was $20. A few months later, the infection came back, and it was another $20 co-pay. A few months later he joined us in Cozumel. He felt the infection returning while he was in town. He stopped at a pharmacy and got the exact same stuff over the counter. He paid full retail--$5.

 

[Doubler]

I have traveled for years with my prescription meds. I carry them in a week long day dispenser. I have never carried my bottle or copy of my prescription and have never had a problem. When all of the TSA inspectors get their MD's and know what taking Sitagliptin twice a day is for I'll start carrying prescriptions.

 

[Sue Sue]

How do you determine at home if your infection is bacterial or viral?

YES, Off topic, but, ... Exactly ! Self diagnoses and prescribing with a course of ABX that is on hand is one of those things that medical professionals cringe at. First of all, is the ailment at hand viral or bacterial ? If it is viral then a course of ABX will not help. In this case, taking the med is a waste of money as well as non therapeutic. Plus, with introducing an ABX into the body you may also be contributing to the problem of ABX resistance. Now the argument we hear from patients is that they used an acquired ABX, which was purchased say for instance in Mexico or borrowed from a friend or family member , and in a few days their ailment was cured. However, this still does not identify the real problem as the "bug" which could have been viral all along and merely ran its 3 - 10 day (+/-) course naturally. Which now leads to yet another problem with self treating with ABX. If the ailment at hand was actually bacterial, and the acquired ABX was actually therapeutic, the question a medical professional will have is what was the root of the infection ? Was the problem due to an acute or chronic problem ? If the the infection was an acute, once an done type of issue then a course of ABX could do the job. But, what if the root of the problem is due to a chronic, underlying, more serious cause ? Treating the symptoms of a bacterial infection may work temporarily, however, getting to the root of the problem is hopefully the cure.

There are many more reasons not to self diagnose and medicate with acquired ABX. Regardless, do consult with a Physician/Medical Professional before self-diagnosing and self-prescribing Antibiotics.

 

[cvchief]

and know what taking Sitagliptin twice a day is for .

Is that for that 'condition' I get all the emails about?


you know....

 

[mstevens]

Even back when I had prescription drug coverage with my health insurance, I couldn't get 30 Amoxicillin at Walmart for less than $10.00. At least, the Walmart's that filled my prescriptions in Colorado didn't charge less than $10.00 for 30 pills.

That must have been ages ago. The official Walmart and Target retail price for 30 500 mg amoxicillin has been $4 for quite a few years.

Sorry to offer my actual experience with purchasing prescription meds in the U.S. in light of what you know about 'full retail' pricing

My actual experience is much, much more recent than yours. The last time I wrote a prescription was Friday, 3 days ago. I check prices constantly because my patients can't afford much. You don't have to take my word for it. 40 seconds on Google will find you the Walmart and Target $4 prescription lists. Walmart's is organized by category, while Target has a more-useful alphabetical listing.

Amoxicillin

Gotta ask: why are we italicizing drug names?

Amoxicilina Acido Clavulanico works better than regular Amoxicillin when I do need an antibiotic.

It probably does work better when what you're taking it for responds to amoxicillin. In every other case, it does nothing except promote amoxicillin-resistant infections.

I do have an artificial aortic heart valve clicking way in my chest. (I could do my rant about the cost of something about the size of a nickel costing about as much as a small economy car.

Does size matter for cost? I'll bet a good diamond the size of a nickel is spendy.

Why was their full retail price for me less than the full retail price they were charging the insurance companies for the same machine?

Easy: it's because the US healthcare system is irretrievably broken and the only fix is to eliminate it and build a new one. There are lots of examples available around the world of systems that work much better, including the US military system that all our presidents and politicians use whenever they can.

my experiences are what they are.

Of course they are. But you *really* need to go to a different Walmart or check at Target. You are definitely being overcharged (assuming the prices you list are from within the past half-decade). You can also get real-world drug prices in your actual area at a website such as goodrx.com

 

[Roatan Joe]

Glad most of you guys carry the bottle or prescription with you. I've seen more than one get arrested for not having it..

 

[Mossman]

Glad most of you guys carry the bottle or prescription with you. I've seen more than one get arrested for not having it..

I second that. Why take the risk, even if it's of confiscation and likely not arrest? I'm not on any meds, but J is and I've always urged her to take the bottles with her when we've traveled no matter how much she whines about the hardship of it all