Prescription Drug Costs

[Neesy]

Krill, the little crustaceans of the deep, are very high in omega 3 fatty acids, and it's why wild salmon are so high in that beneficial substance and farm salmon are not. Wild salmon feed on krill. Farm salmon feed on Purina Fish Chow, or some equivalent, containing grains such as corn.

I just ate a can of Wild Salmon - guess I'm okay now for the rest of the day?

 

[HollyGolightly]

Hi All. I just wanted to share something with you. I have a prescription for a salve for my scalp that I have used for a few years now. Usually it cost me right around $40 with my insurance picking up the rest. When 2015 started I went in to the pharmacy to get a refill and discovered that my insurance company changed how they did prescriptions and that the cost of prescriptions now went towards your (my) deductable. So, my just-under-$40-med now was going to cost me over $212! Talk about sticker shock! Well, I needed a refill again and had put off getting it as it was so much money. Yesterday I was talking to a co-worker and she suggested that I go on-line and type in the name of the medicine, add the word 'coupon' after it and Google it to see if there were any coupons out there. I did and I am happy to say that my prescription will now cost me less than $43!!! And it's going to stay this price forever! I didn't even have to switch pharmacy's or anything like that. Just printed out this coupon thingy and took it in to the pharmacist and they did the work. The website it came from is GoodRX.com. So, if any of you are paying way too much for prescriptions you might want to try doing what I did and do a Google search. I saved over $170 by trying it!!!

Sweet - I'll check that out! My son's inhalers are horribly expensive and we have great prescription coverage. My pill only costs me about $3/month.

 

[PatInTheHat]

Hi All. I just wanted to share something with you. I have a prescription for a salve for my scalp that I have used for a few years now. Usually it cost me right around $40 with my insurance picking up the rest. When 2015 started I went in to the pharmacy to get a refill and discovered that my insurance company changed how they did prescriptions and that the cost of prescriptions now went towards your (my) deductable. S

It's the oil from tiny little crustacean like fishies and is supposed to reduce cholesterol. I took it as an option to taking a prescribed statin. My next step was an old fashioned healing tent revival but, after reading "Revival", I decided to go with the statins.

Never pass up a passin' tent revival, not if they've got choir music, oh hell no!
I just seen a flyer for one nearby I just missed, promised a good time for all, I'm still bummed.

 

[kingricefan]

Just checking because I loves you and worries... it is still exactly the same product though, isn't it? (I wanna make sure there has been no sleight of hand... it's your health!)

Thanks, luv. It's exactly the same stuff.

 

[kingricefan]

There are coupons and deals out there. I had given one to my local pharmacy.

I'm on generic Lipitor (atorvastatin) after the heart attack, and the local pharmacy quoted me a price of $110 for a month. I said, gee, that is much higher than what you charged me before. I prefer coming here, but maybe I should go to a pharmacy that has a contract with my health insurance. They said, Hang on. Then, Oh, I see what the deal is. And suddenly, it was $15. I don't know what the "deal" was, but I'm glad they "found" it.

By the way, please note that almost as soon as Lipitor became generic and sold for a fraction of the label's price, the company came out with a new statin that made Lipitor suck in comparison. Uh-huh.

Hi Grandpa, I was told a few years ago to take the statins but I never filled that prescription and started taking krill tablets. Recently, I was told by the doc again to start taking them and I decided to go for it. Any adverse/interesting side-effects? Thanks, mal.

I take a statin for my cholestoral. One thing you need to watch out for is leg cramps, which usually will hit you during the night. I took lovastatin for a few years and had to switch to a different statin because I started getting leg cramps. Drink lots of water.

 

[kingricefan]

Sweet - I'll check that out! My son's inhalers are horribly expensive and we have great prescription coverage. My pill only costs me about $3/month.

Let us know if you can find a good discount. I hope by my sharing my story that others here would benefit from it.

 

[AnnaMarie]

This is available for US residents requiring epi-pens.

It's a savings offer that can provide you up to $100 savings for each EpiPen 2-Pak® carton per prescription refill. You can print the savings offer from your computer or store it on your smartphone and present it to your pharmacist. The EpiPen® Auto-Injector $0 Co-Pay Offer helps eligible patients save on out-of-pocket costs for patients who have commercial health insurance. Just present your card at the pharmacy each time you drop off or refill your prescription.

EpiPen® Auto-Injector Savings Program

 

[HollyGolightly]

Let us know if you can find a good discount. I hope by my sharing my story that others here would benefit from it.

Wow - I found one. 75% off! Now, I wonder if that's after my insurance, because after insurance the inhaler is still $80, but before insurance it's over $200 - so they may not let me use it. But I'm going to try. It must be awful to not have good insurance and have to pay horrid prices.

 

[GNTLGNT]

I don't know of any effects at all, frankly. My cholesterol scores have been good, and I told the doc that it was because I was eating well and exercising, and his response was, "Well, the statins are contributing, so let's keep on them." Pfui.

The one effect I have from medication is the low-dose aspirin. It makes the skin on my arms brittle. A scratch on my arm will turn into an ugly red slash. Doesn't even hurt. Just looks ugly. Annoying as hell. But it beats another heart attack, assuming that it's keeping me from having one.

....without knowing your age, the thinning skin-or as you term it "brittle"-is more a side effect of growing older than anything caused by an 81mg ASA....
With aging, the outer skin layer (epidermis) thins, even though the number of cell layers remains unchanged.

The number of pigment-containing cells (melanocytes) decreases. The remaining melanocytes increase in size. Aging skin looks thinner, paler, and clear (translucent). Large pigmented spots (age spots, liver spots, or lentigos) may appear in sun-exposed areas.

Changes in the connective tissue reduce the skin's strength and elasticity. This is known as elastosis. It is more noticeable in sun-exposed areas (solar elastosis). Elastosis produces the leathery, weather-beaten appearance common to farmers, sailors, and others who spend a large amount of time outdoors.

The blood vessels of the dermis become more fragile. This leads to bruising, bleeding under the skin (often called senile purpura), cherry angiomas, and similar conditions.

 

[GNTLGNT]

 

[Grandpa]

....without knowing your age, the thinning skin-or as you term it "brittle"-is more a side effect of growing older than anything caused by an 81mg ASA....
With aging, the outer skin layer (epidermis) thins, even though the number of cell layers remains unchanged.

The number of pigment-containing cells (melanocytes) decreases. The remaining melanocytes increase in size. Aging skin looks thinner, paler, and clear (translucent). Large pigmented spots (age spots, liver spots, or lentigos) may appear in sun-exposed areas.

Changes in the connective tissue reduce the skin's strength and elasticity. This is known as elastosis. It is more noticeable in sun-exposed areas (solar elastosis). Elastosis produces the leathery, weather-beaten appearance common to farmers, sailors, and others who spend a large amount of time outdoors.

The blood vessels of the dermis become more fragile. This leads to bruising, bleeding under the skin (often called senile purpura), cherry angiomas, and similar conditions.

There was a dramatic shift in this before and after the heart attack. I mean, overnight. After the heart attack and the stent placement, the Plavix ($220/month, but who's counting) caused me to bruise easily. The skin brittleness started almost right away as well. At that point, there was the Plavix, the beta blocker, the ACE inhibitor, and the acetylsalicylic acid**.

The Plavix is gone now (thank you!), the beta-blocker is gone, but the statin, ACE inhibitor, and aspirin remain. Doc says the sudden shift in skin condition is most likely the aspirin. My dad was on aspirin in his 60s, too, and he had the same issue.

It could be that my skin - specifically, arm skin - decided to get brittle nearly overnight, coincident with the heart attack, but that's a bit too much of a coincidence for my tastes. It could also be that the two shocks I got to get me through atrial fibrillation caused it. I'd accept that as a suspect. The Fentanyl and Verced they used to "reduce pain" (I wasn't really in pain) and wipe the memory of the shocks may have had an effect, but those were one-shot usages. And it could well be a cumulative effect of age, like you say, in combination with one or more of the drugs I'm taking now.

We're complicated, aren't we?





**Guy walks up to the pharmacy counter and says, "Can I get a bottle of acetylsalicylic acid?" The bemused clerk says, "Do you mean aspirin?" The guys smacks his forehead and says, "Oh, yeah! I never can remember that name."

 

[Dana Jean]

....without knowing your age, the thinning skin-or as you term it "brittle"-is more a side effect of growing older than anything caused by an 81mg ASA....
With aging, the outer skin layer (epidermis) thins, even though the number of cell layers remains unchanged.

The number of pigment-containing cells (melanocytes) decreases. The remaining melanocytes increase in size. Aging skin looks thinner, paler, and clear (translucent). Large pigmented spots (age spots, liver spots, or lentigos) may appear in sun-exposed areas.

Changes in the connective tissue reduce the skin's strength and elasticity. This is known as elastosis. It is more noticeable in sun-exposed areas (solar elastosis). Elastosis produces the leathery, weather-beaten appearance common to farmers, sailors, and others who spend a large amount of time outdoors.

The blood vessels of the dermis become more fragile. This leads to bruising, bleeding under the skin (often called senile purpura), cherry angiomas, and similar conditions.

In the world of potions and lotions sold to women, this is called "crepey" skin.

 

[GNTLGNT]

There was a dramatic shift in this before and after the heart attack. I mean, overnight. After the heart attack and the stent placement, the Plavix ($220/month, but who's counting) caused me to bruise easily. The skin brittleness started almost right away as well. At that point, there was the Plavix, the beta blocker, the ACE inhibitor, and the acetylsalicylic acid**.

The Plavix is gone now (thank you!), the beta-blocker is gone, but the statin, ACE inhibitor, and aspirin remain. Doc says the sudden shift in skin condition is most likely the aspirin. My dad was on aspirin in his 60s, too, and he had the same issue.

It could be that my skin - specifically, arm skin - decided to get brittle nearly overnight, coincident with the heart attack, but that's a bit too much of a coincidence for my tastes. It could also be that the two shocks I got to get me through atrial fibrillation caused it. I'd accept that as a suspect. The Fentanyl and Verced they used to "reduce pain" (I wasn't really in pain) and wipe the memory of the shocks may have had an effect, but those were one-shot usages. And it could well be a cumulative effect of age, like you say, in combination with one or more of the drugs I'm taking now.

We're complicated, aren't we?





**Guy walks up to the pharmacy counter and says, "Can I get a bottle of acetylsalicylic acid?" The bemused clerk says, "Do you mean aspirin?" The guys smacks his forehead and says, "Oh, yeah! I never can remember that name."

...I cannot for the life of me, find any side effect of ASA therapy that leads to thinning skin....mayhap your Medico has access to more arcane lore....

 

[Grandpa]

...I cannot for the life of me, find any side effect of ASA therapy that leads to thinning skin....mayhap your Medico has access to more arcane lore....

Well, and maybe that's just my bad characterization of it. I get scratched, and what used to be a white mark pre-MI now becomes a growing, angrier, red slash. Maybe I just bleed more easily now with the blood thinning mechanism of the aspirin, and I'm attributing it to more fragile skin. But maybe it's a capillary thing rather than a skin thing.

It's really nice of you to research this, Scott. Thank you.

 

[GNTLGNT]

Well, and maybe that's just my bad characterization of it. I get scratched, and what used to be a white mark pre-MI now becomes a growing, angrier, red slash. Maybe I just bleed more easily now with the blood thinning mechanism of the aspirin, and I'm attributing it to more fragile skin. But maybe it's a capillary thing rather than a skin thing.

It's really nice of you to research this, Scott. Thank you.

....you're welcome my friend...the RN in me got curious...my Dad gripes about this all the time....

 

[kingricefan]

Wow - I found one. 75% off! Now, I wonder if that's after my insurance, because after insurance the inhaler is still $80, but before insurance it's over $200 - so they may not let me use it. But I'm going to try. It must be awful to not have good insurance and have to pay horrid prices.

Please let us all know. I'm all for sticking it to Big Pharma!!!!

 

[GNTLGNT]

Please let us all know. I'm all for sticking it to Big Pharma!!!!

...so that's what yer calling him these days huh?....

 

[kingricefan]

...so that's what yer calling him these days huh?....

That's one of 'em.....

 

[morgan]

I'm all for sticking it to Big Pharma!!!!

 

[GNTLGNT]

That's one of 'em.....