Submitted by rlp on Thu, 04/03/2008 - 16:58.
I need some help from anyone out there who knows about buying drugs online. Here’s the situation:
Some months ago I wrote about our situation with health insurance. My wife left her job, and we foolishly thought we’d be able to get insurance. After all, we felt like we were pretty healthy people.
That’s when we found out the truth. If you work for a company with group insurance, you’ve got it made. As long as you stay employed and insured, the insurance companies have to cover you, even if you have pre-existing conditions. If you lose your job you have something like 60 days to find another one with insurance benefits and jump onto their group policy. That new policy must cover you and your family with all of your pre-existing conditions.
However, people who are self employed, disabled, unemployed, laid off, or work for a company without health care benefits are on their own. Being on your own is not a good thing. You’re at the mercy of the insurance companies. They can turn you down for any reason or limit your coverage if they even suspect you might have a health issue.
And believe me, they will call your doctor and found out everything. The people you deal with when you try to get individual health insurance are paid to find reasons to turn you down. That’s their job.
Unfortunately, every company we contacted turned down me and our middle daughter Shelby. Me because I take Wellbutrin. Shelby because she had some emotional troubles and spent some days in a psych unit in 2007. She was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and put on medication. She’s done wonderfully ever since, and we’re thankful to have had that time at the psych unit. It saved her life. (She’s fine with me telling you this)
In desperation we contacted a health insurance specialist who explained things to us. “Shelby is uninsurable,” he said. “Forget about her. She’ll never get health insurance.”
“Can’t she get some kind of insurance that wouldn’t cover her for any mental health issues?”
“Nope. She’s not going to get any insurance of any kind as long as she’s taking her medication.”
“That puts us in a hard place,” I said. “If she stops taking that medicine she’ll fall back into that horrible state that she was in. The medicine helps her.”
“I know it,” he said. “But that’s the way it is. You best just forget about her being able to get insurance. Put it out of your mind. No insurance company will touch her with a ten foot pole. You’ll need to keep her on your wife’s old plan with COBRA until that runs out in 18 months. I know it’s expensive, but after that she’ll be eligible for the Texas pool for the uninsurable. But she has to exhaust every other possibility before they will take her, so keep her on COBRA until they kick you off.”
“As for you, Gordon, I know an insurance company that will probably take you. I’ll have to talk to the underwriter, but I can help her understand your situation. You’re not in counseling, are you?”
“No. I’d like to be. Can’t really afford it now that COBRA insurance costs us like $1000 a month!”
“Thank God for that. If you were taking Wellbutrin AND in counseling, I couldn’t help you. That’s the kiss of death.”
“Yeah, but doesn’t counseling actually help people who are depressed? I mean, isn’t that actually a good way for them to get better?”
“Doesn’t matter. The insurance companies don’t like it. They don’t like the sound of someone in counseling AND on medication. It makes it sound like you’re a high risk person.”
“Do you know I’ve never been in the hospital since I was born? And I’ve only missed two days sick at work in 18 years.”
He didn’t look up from his papers. “That doesn’t matter.”
“Now Gordon, understand that if I can get you covered - IF I can - it won’t be with any mental health benefits. That’s over for you. I think I can get you health insurance, but anything having to do with a psychiatrist or any medications like Wellbutrin, well, you’re going to have to pay for those yourself from now on.”
I swallowed hard. “Okay.”
Here's the part where I could use your help:
Does anyone out there know anything about buying drugs online?
I’m about out of Wellbutrin and will have to purchase my first batch myself. I found out that one month’s supply of Wellbutrin is $475 at our local pharmacy.
Yeah, right. I mean, isn’t that just laughable? It’s a handful of little white pills. How is that $475? I’ll tell you how. The drug companies try to soak the insurance companies for money since the insurance companies have to pay. That in part fuels the insurance companies' fears about getting involved with people like my family. Since they have to pay for all the people with group insurance, they are especially fearful about individuals. Again, you’re fine if you have group insurance with a company, but God help you if you don’t have insurance that covers medication, and you have to pay for it yourself.
You don’t even want to know how much Shelby’s medication would cost us. My gosh, it’s not like these pills are made in outer space and flown in on the Space Shuttle.
I’ve heard that you can buy drugs online at a discount from Canada or wherever. I tried to look online, but I have found that the online drug industry is filled with con-artists, counterfeit drugs, and other illegal activities. But I hear there are some legitimate places.
I have to find a place to get my medication at a reasonable price. Does anyone out there have any experience in negotiating the rather frightening world of online drug sales?
Let me know. I have to figure something out pronto, or else I just stop taking this medication. I can’t tell you how much I’d love to stop, but I backed off of it experimentally a few months ago and it wasn’t a good thing.
Waiting to hear from someone....
rlp
I've written rather extensively about my struggles with depression. I’m unhappy about needing Wellbutrin. I’m even a little embarrassed about it. I feel suspicious about the diagnosis process in general. But I can’t argue with the profound difference it has made in my life. I’m a better husband and father with a little help from Wellbutrin.
You know, three years ago my physician said, “You’ve got a chemical imbalance that is causing you all these emotional and physical problems. Here, take these pills."
I didn’t want to, but I did. And it helped. I don’t know that I would have done anything different, but it would have been nice to have known that by taking those medications, I was putting my ability to get health insurance at risk.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
RLP, I don't know how to get
RLP, I don't know how to get drugs online, but I just wanted to say good luck and hopefully there will be some kind of change with our priorities nationally. Our system is stark raving mad.
Generics maybe?
This link tells about generic versions of a bunch of high price medicines:
http://www.ondd.org/20-cheap-drugs-the-pharmaceutical-companies-dont-wan...
Including Wellbutrin which has the generic name Bupropion
Be worth a try to ask your pharmacist what that would cost you instead of the name brand stuff.
Your story about trying to get insurance is just infuriating!
Prescriptions
Gordon,
Do you have Costco stores in your city? They have pharmacies that sell drugs much much cheaper than regular pharmacies. If no Costco, perhaps another local discount store chain with a pharmacy?
If not there, then perhaps by mail via Canadian companies. If you can take the generic, that might be doable. Though I have a friend who went manic on the generic.
The insurance crisis is very very scary. The prospect of nationalized healthcare is also scary.
It's like they want us to die.
I'm sorry, I have to ask -
I'm sorry, I have to ask - why is nationalized health care scary? The vast majority of Canadians get the vast majority of the care they need the vast majority of the time, without ever doing more for it than opening their wallet and taking out - their health card. It's not perfect, but I'm not going to have to worry about a depression diagnosis killing the rest of my care for the rest of my life. Actually, nothing could do that.
RLP - I don't know how to get drugs online, but I hope it works out for you.
It's the exclusivity of that
It's the exclusivity of that term "vast majority" that is scary. It's the same term that can be applied to the United States today, and yet here is Gordon, where he's at, along with many others. I lost a friend in February who was waiting four weeks for an "urgent care" appointment, (on an HMO-the precursor of US nationalized medicine).
Erin, you are lucky. But I suspect that the "vast majority", whatever it's percentage, will be shrinking significantly in coming years. For Canada and England.
I have no stats on this
but I have heard too many stories from too many people to believe that the vast majority of Americans get the health care they want and need, when they need it -- and CERTAINLY not just by pulling out their health card. Most of us have ot pull out tens or hundreds of dollars, even with insurance, to get care.
and I know have known many, many people who have had to fight with their insurance companies tooth and nail to get what they should. I just don't believe the vast majority of Americans get all that they need.
bring on national health insurance, as far as I'm concerned.
Lisa in Austin
HMO is a flawed model
Most of my adult experience with the US health care 'system' has been with HMOs and a state-run HMO-like setup. And my Canadian friends are aghast at what I've faced. Aaannnd what percentage of Americans are in HMOs because it's the only option their employer provides?
The design principles on which HMOs were first set up and sold to the American public sound good, but cannot survive contact with the forces inherent to how corporations function within the capitalist system. The result is worse than what HMOs were supposed to solve.
If nationalized health care is set up on the HMO model, we're all screwed. If it's set up on the Canadian model, I think our odds are pretty good.
I could be mistaken, but I have the impression that a smaller percentage of the US population lives in places where you have to wait for the next scheduled tiny airplane before you can get to a doctor (or a doctor to you) than of the Canadian population. And most of the cases I've heard of where Canadians have had long waits for care were situations like that or elective surgeries.
(In my current thinking on the subject, in a nationalized US plan I would like to see some mechanism -- similar to Canada's current one where really rich Canadians come to the US if they're in a hurry -- for the wealthy to buy better access for the optional stuff (even though I'll never be in that income bracket). But the first priority, I feel, has to be ensuring adequate care for everybody first. Right now, too many of us are completely out of luck, or are putting up with HMOs where doctors are unhappy about only getting to spend five minutes per patient and don't get to practice medicine the way they were taught, and patients still wind up waiting a week or two to get a bladder infection treated. And I think making somebody wait two weeks to be seen for a bladder infection is a bigger deal than somebody waiting two months for their face lift.)
Ironically, the friend of mine who died because flu untreated because of insufficient benefits from her employer infected her heart worked in a call center for, of all things, an HMO.
I am working for a Canada
I am working for a Canada life insurance company and following my experience I can tell you that it’s like 50:50. Both of them have got advantages as well as disadvantages. Main advantage of nationalized one is that health care is really available for most of people but it could be a problem if some special task occurs. One and most known one is that you have to usually wait a long time. I have met people who are not Canadians originally and even if they are allowed to get free health car here they prefer to travel to their home country and pay but get the care immediately.
I am working for a Canada
I am working for a Canada life insurance company and following my experience I can tell you that it’s like 50:50. Both of them have got advantages as well as disadvantages. Main advantage of nationalized one is that health care is really available for most of people but it could be a problem if some special task occurs. One and most known one is that you have to usually wait a long time. I have met people who are not Canadians originally and even if they are allowed to get free health car here they prefer to travel to their home country and pay but get the care immediately.
I haven't used them for
I haven't used them for pharmaceuticals, but I've used drugstore.com for things like shampoo and toothpaste. Their service is great, and they're quite reasonably priced compared with CVS. They do have a pharmacy section, and they do carry both Wellbutrin and Bupropion. Cost for 90 75 mg tablets is $182 for Wellbutrin, or $62 for Bupropion. I'm not sure if that's what you're taking, but you get the idea.
Anyways, they are a large online retailer, and they are a licensed US pharmacy, so I'd definitely trust them for meds.
Hope this helps.
I Can Help
Gordon, I sent you an email. I know this area very, very well (long story) have some friends that I'm sure we'll donate a few that I can mail to you (We're in the same state, so it shouldn't take more than 2 days) while you wait for the shipment. Trust me, you DO NOT want to go more than a few days without taking your regular dose. You're lucky in that Wellbutrin has a longer half-life than the typical SSRIs (Effexor, Paxil, etc), but you're going to feel some withdrawal effects within a few days.
My name (we've emailed before) and phone number are in the email.
Online Source for Meds
I'll probably hit the spam filters based on keywords, but we'll give it a try. One reputable firm for purchasing meds online is CanadaDrugs.com, which is based in the city where I live (I have no connection to the company). You should find your prescription available at a small fraction of the cost.
Feel free to email me directly if you have questions about how this works — I do know something about the process.
Internet Pharmacy
Hi there,
I've enjoyed your blog from several years and I'd like to help in some way. CanadaDrugs.com is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and is a legitimate business. My niece happens to be employed by them. Their website will guide you through the process, or just phone them directly.
In principal, I'm opposed to Internet Pharmacies. I'm the CFO/CIO for a Regional Health Authority in Manitoba. The gov't of Canada controls Canadian drug prices through federal drug contracts. These Pharmacies have made $billions on the backs of contracts designed to protect Canadian taxpayers from the price gouging of multinational drug companies. The Pharmacies are also bad medical practice - the Rx is given out on the basis of signatures from American doctors without any relationship between Physician, Patient and Pharmacist.
Anyways, that's for the politicians to sort out. You need access to affordable medical care. Go for it, contact CanadaDrug before they get shut down (several Internet Pharmacies in Manitoba have already been forced out of business by boycotts of supply by the drug companies who are protecting their huge profits in the US). God Bless.
GSK programs
A Google search for Wellbutrin will lead you to http://www.wellbutrin-xl.com/
At the bottom of the page is a link called "Medicine Savings" It will take you to http://www.gskforyou.com/ and then to a page which lists seven programs to help people without insurance to get their medicines. Perhaps one of these will fit your circumstances.
A retired pastor friend of mine told me about these programs that the drug companies have. He was able to keep his Rx costs down using them.
Good luck and God Bless,
alan
Check out
Check out (www.freelancersunion.org) The Freelancer's Union< to see if you are eligible for membership. If not, there are other guilds and unions that might allow you membership.
This isn't buying drugs online, it's actual insurance.
Meds
I think I can help alittle. I work in the insurance field (doctor side) and I have been on anti-depresent meds for a long time but I am no longer on meds but my husband is on meds now. Generic drugs at wal-mart, target and wal-greens have ALOT of Generic's for $4 but beware my husband tried to do generic they are weaker than name brand, so you may need to up the dose with generic. If generic drugs does not work for you then you can contact the maker of the drugs. Most of the companys have a program for uninsured people like yourself and they only have a few slots open so you may have to get on awaiting list but its better than nothing at all. As for insurance if Kaiser Permanente is your area it is your best bet. In the medical fild we referre to it as the bottom of the line insurance but there is a good and bad side to it. Bad, you must go to there doctors at there facility and most of the time never see the same doctor twice. Good, cheaper insurance and will insure the uninsurable.
If you have any questions please email me back.
Kaiser Permanente is the one
Kaiser Permanente is the one that got us in this mess the first place. Be careful with them. They are the managed care gurus and have made BILLIONS off the govermnent and us.
There are online pharmacies
There are online pharmacies operating out of Canada that have been inspected by pharmacists and regulators from U.S. states and found to be as safe as the ones in the U.S. The state of Wisconsin recommends a few here: http://drugsavings.wi.gov/section.asp?linkid=34&locid=2 I don't know what strength or how much Wellbutrin you need, but the highest price I see at Canadadrugs.com is $220 for 90 pills, less if you do generic. There is, of course, the possibility the drugs might be seized by Customs. I don't know how large a risk this is though.
I also found this site that's supposed to help identify programs and discount cards: https://www.pparx.org/
Best of luck and blessings to you and your family.
I work in the medical field
I work in the medical field as well and occasionally point people to wal-mart's $4 generic prescription program. Here is the link...
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=546834
I feel your pain with the insurance issues. The ins. companies really do hold all the cards. If you have a good experience with a company in Canada would you mind letting us know? Thanks.
::sigh::
all I can do is say a small prayer for you. i recently got an honors degree in medical office administration and stories like this make me want to steer clear of the field. i received an education to be the person who bills people and insurance companies for the services of a dr. i am disgusted with our system in the states. good luck!
When I was a child it was
When I was a child it was common for the poorer members of my family to purchase their medications in Mexican farmacias. As I understand matters, it is legal to carry small amounts of prescribed medicine across the border.
http://www.mexonline.com/medications.htm has a succinct take on the matter. The State Department link it references is a 404 now, but if you have access to a lawyer or law enforcement officer you could get straight info on the requirements for bringing Mexican pharmaceuticals into the country.
I've been through the insanity of trying to secure antidepressants without insurance; you have my every sympathy. God be with you all.
I was going to send you the
I was going to send you the link to Walmart's list of generic $4 drugs, but someone already did. There are many on the Mental Health list, and if you can't get the Welbutrin in generic form, you might be able to switch to something else.
I would be wary of buying drugs online, as there are no real guidelines making sure you're really getting what you think you are.
I'd also hit the internet hard for an insurance company to cover Shelby. That is just horrible that she's "uninsurable." It's people who need insurance that should be insured. Stupid Big Business.
I'm sorry you feel embarassed about needing Welbutrin. I take take it as well. I know a lot of people who feel the way you do - my mother used to whisper the word "prozac" whenever she mentioned it (my sister takes it). Way I figure, I refuse to be embarassed about the antibiotics I take for my sinus infection, or the little pill I take for my blood pressure. I won't be embarassed about this either. It's not a matter of willpower, and I see accepting treatment where we can as a sign of strength, not of weakness. I'm not telling you to stop feeling bad about it. I just wanted to say that you're not alone, and hopefully offer some encouragment.
I'm with joyous.melancholy:
I'm with joyous.melancholy: Needing to take an SSRI or similar medicine should be no more embarrassing than needing to take insulin. Of course there's a world of difference between "should be" and "is"....
Drugs Online
Gordon,
Before my wife's mom went into a nursing home, we ordered her Parkinson's disease meds from www.canadapharmacy.com. The US price for the meds at that time was $1000.00 / month. I remember us getting them for roughly a third of the price.
Take care Gordon.
Best,
Roy.
Insurance
Get a new Heath insurance guy, NOW. THere are many programs that you are eligible for, and ways to get insurance. My wife and I, she 6 years post cancer, both overweight etc. joined the california farm bureau and qualified for group ins.
The little white pills cost US$ 2.50 each. the research, overhead and insurance cost US$3+ each. Don't knock it.
Managed care needs to go. I
Managed care needs to go. I went to the doctor for my well visit exam. My insurance was billed by my doctor and by the lab for my blood work. SADLY, my bill for my blood work cost 3x more than my doctor bill. I have to make a decision if I go back to the doctor next year for a well visit. And even more sad, I am now high risk for breast cancer and unfortunately will never be able to pay for a mammogram because I am under 40 for 6-7 more years. I'm screwed. And believe it or not, I am in one of those plans my employer has and I work in healthcare field.
I have precriptions for meds, but I can't even pay for them. Period. $50 for a co-pay is ridiculous. So I am not taking them. Food is more important and i am living off of less than 200 a month for food for the next 6 months to pay for this "well visit"
Gordon, I feel for you. Good luck.
Depression, insurance, and $$$
PLEASE pray for Gordon and his family. This is terribly frustrating and scary for him. He and his daughter NEED these meds in order to function normally. I took Effexor for seven years and am now on Paxil (three years). Both were taken with Wellbutrin, and I function as well or better than I did before my wife died (cause of depression). Even though I believe Effexor did a number on my libido, I can still work and be a daddy and (not as well) a husband.
They need our prayers, but they need our $$$ even more. Help them!
Am also prescribed Welbutrin
Am also prescribed Welbutrin and using a generic, (Budeprion XL 300mg) purchased at Walgreens for $92.13 per 30 days. Haven't seemed to have any issues with the generic.
Did check out the "generic" $ 4.00 or 5.00 lists at HEB, Walgreens and Walmart and this isn't one of the "listed" drugs. Hardly anything currently used is, BTW.
Hope this is some help.
I can vouch for a pharmacy
I can vouch for a pharmacy that can help you. I assume you are taking Wellbutrin to mitigate a side of other anti-depressants. Email me. I'll give you the link. Your situation breaks my heart.
This system is so much more
This system is so much more sick than either you or Shelby. Praying for you.
what a terrible consequence for getting help
Have you checked with your county health department? I get cheap drugs and counseling from mine because they operate on a sliding fee scale.
Since you used to live in El
Since you used to live in El Paso, albeit a loooong time ago, you may remember that people just cross the border into Juarez to buy their prescription drugs at bargain basement prices. These are the very same mfg's and packaging as the US versions just priced at the "real" costs. This scenario may benefit a person in your situation. It sure does me.
Portability
Hi Gordon,
You've probably already considered this, but what about Individual Portability Coverage? My understanding is that, if you are switching from group to individual coverage and are "uninsurable," your new insurance company has to offer you portability coverage as long as you haven't had a gap in coverage. The downside is that this type of coverage costs a lot more.
Otter
that's not my understanding.
that's not my understanding. That's only if you move from one group to another group. If you are in a group insurance plan and change jobs, the next group has to take you. However, if you are without a job for a time, you lose that.
For those of us who are individuals, there is no portability.
Try this source
RLP
While my mom was alive we got her meds through a pharmacy in Canada, saving something like $1,500/yr.Here(http://perfectdrugrx.com/catalog/faq.php)is a link to a FAQ of the one that we used .This should answers some questions about forms the referral, etc. Good luck.
You probably are on not
You probably are on not simply Wellbutrin, but Wellbutrin XL, the once a day extended release version. This has gone generic as Budeprion XL (note: not Bupropion, which is the non-extended release version) within the last year and is VASTLY cheaper now. It's been a while since I went off of it (right after it went generic), but I recall the price of the generic even without insurance was much, much lower than $475 a month, even at my local pharmacy without price shopping. If it's not available in the right strength, talk to your doctor about alternatives, because most SR versions (twice a day) are generic and available much more cheaply as well.
Compare prices at different pharmacies
Pharmacies charge vastly different prices for the same drug. In NY State, a website lists the prices of the most commonly-prescribed drugs, so that at least patients can compare and find the best deal:
http://rx.nyhealth.gov/pdpw/
Maybe there's something similar in Texas? Or, if it's legal, you could order by mail from one of these places in NY that charge $75.
I feel for you but I have to
I feel for you but I have to admit it just scares me for myself. I have Lupus and am constantly on the verge of disability - ie, no insurance and no income for at least 3 years (average length of time it takes for them to give you disability). And I take FOURTEEN medications a day. My perscription bills run $140 a month WITH co-pay. Can you imagine what will happen when I finally admit I'm too sick to work. But they will deny the first 3 applications for disability because, you know, all of us that try for disability WANT the decrease in income and the loss of insurance that not working will bring about. They believe we're all just trying to gyp the system.
Depression
RLP,
I talked pretty openly about my struggles with depression in my book Second Guessing God. I haven't taken any medication but I have eaten way too much Mandarin Orange chicken and thrown my daughter's soccer shinguards at the cat. Nothing to be ashamed about. Nothing.
Brian Jones
www.brianjones.com
Two sites I recommend highly
Two sites I recommend highly -- MedCenterCanada.com, and InHousePharmacy.com
First, talk with your doctor
First, talk with your doctor and Shelby's doctor about whether there are generics that might also work for you. Or talk to a pharmacist to get recommendations about it and THEN talk to your doctor. Other people have suggested investigating whether a different frequency of dosage might get you into Generic-Land, and that's a great suggestion also.
Many drug companies also have programs that enable people to get expensive drugs at a reduced cost. Look into that as well. Also, depending on the drug, drug reps often give doctors sample packs, which doctors then often use to help defray the cost to the drugs to their patients. Don't be afraid to discuss this issue with your doctor.
If you choose to import from Canada, investigate whether the formulations approved for use in Canada are the same ones approved for use in the US. Sometimes people run into issues with that- much like Oreos and Coca-cola, drugs with the same name might not be exactly the same from country to country.
Please move to Canada. Our
Please move to Canada. Our doctors are free and our drugs are cheap. Some of our provinces even have drug programs for low-income families/individuals, where depending on how much you make, a certain percentage of your prescription is paid by the government.
But you really have to be a resident (if not a citizen) to qualify for the best benefits.
Canada
You could always make a trip up to the great white north (Canada), stop in at a mediclinic, pay the $45 to see the doctor (because you won't be covered for the office visit) and get a prescription. Unfortunately the doc will only be able to give you a 6mo prescription max by law. Go down to any pharmacy like shopper drug mart or wallmart and get the 6mo filled and fly home. This will save you the hassle of customs seizing your meds sent by mail, and you can be sure you won't be scammed by some guy in nigeria.
The only major down side is that you'll also have to pay for the flight. However, I'm sure you can find some creative way of accounting the trip as a business trip :) You'd be welcome to stay with my family if you decide the to make the trip north - that will save you the hotel and accommodations cost :)
Welbutrin
Gordon,
1)I take a generic for welbutrin and have an excess (I took 1/day for a long time while filling a Rx for 2/day). Please get in touch with me if you think the generic would be OK. Some federal laws should be bent. I have plain old bupropion 150, not extended release.
2)If you have no insurance, you can apply directly to the pharma companies for free meds. My in-laws do this because they are not insurable (diabetes, fibromyalgia, glaucoma,arthritis, depression, gout, cancer and poverty). You have to do it for each company whose meds you need, but it's worth the trouble!
I keep wanting to post, and
I keep wanting to post, and I keep stopping myself because I think I have nothing new to contribute, but I feel compelled to point out to all the sweet, loving, well meaning folk who mention the Walmart $4.00 generics that the $4.00 only covers the copay. If you don't have insurance, you have to pay full price, not just the copay. RLP would have to have insurance coverage to take advantage of these discounts.
Here in the United States, we have access to the best, most advanced health care in the world. Unfortunatly, that health care is only available to those who can pay for it.
I have no solution to your problem, Gordon. I wish I did. I once worked in the health care field, collecting from insurance companies, and I can tell you that their highest priority is denying every claim they can, whether they are justified or not. Keep pushing back. You might be surprised.
I also want to urge you not to go off your meds. I did that at the begining of the year because of financial reasons, and I soon realized that I never want to go back to being that depressed person I used to be. I pray that you and your daughter find the resources you need. Please contact the pharma companies directly if you must, but take care of yourselves.
I'm guessing you tried other
I'm guessing you tried other medications before Wellbutrin and they didn't work as well for you? It's still worth asking your doctor if there's anything else you could try that might be less expensive. Additionally, there may be different formulations of buproprion available; Wikipedia says there's a generic, and it sounds like there's a non-extended-release version, plus zyban -- sometimes these things are cheaper in one formulation than another. If you can get larger pills and chop them in half, or get a 90-day supply at a time, that can also be cheaper.
I paid for my own Wellbutrin for a while. It really does put a dent in the wallet. Best of luck to you.
Everybody should know that the drug companies will help you get their medications if you're at a certain hardship level; here's the relevant site for the makers of wellbutrin: http://www.gskforyou.com/
Medical costs
Just to beat on those who are dedicated to doing without universal medical coverage: The US governments (federal and state) spend a larger amount per capita on medical care of US citizens than the Canadian governments do, not counting the exorbitant amount the private insurers flush through the system.
It costs somewhere between one-and-a-half and two times as much to run the American system, compared to the Canadian, and that's using what actual govenment figures are available.
The extra cost is almost all found in the tremendous inefficiencies of the privatized system, partly because of the bookkeeping needed to sort out who pays, and partly because of all the useless stuff that is done in the hope of avoiding litigation.
Note that I say "inefficient" and "private" in the same sentence. The single-payer system in each province has the benefit of bulk purchasing - the seller has to do a deal with only one buyer, or he won't sell anything in that province.
A single-payer system would have a dramatic effect on US costs, but that would mean that all the profit-takers would be hurt, so it won't happen.
Here's one quote:
United States: $5,267 on health care/ $2,364 is government spending.
Canada: $2,931 on health care / $2,048 is government spending.
France: $2,736 on health care / $2,080 is government spending. (2005)
and here's the link: http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2005/04/health_care_spending_i... which is an American source.
Medical cost
I tracked my link (above) back, and got a much better summary, written by Paul Krugman in the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/opinion/15krugman.html?_r=1&oref=slogi...
Community Service Board
Gordon, you and your family are in our prayers. My son had a bout of bi-polar and FIVE (count `em...five) hospitalizations last summer. His insurance covered $500 per YEAR for prescriptions. The meds he takes now cost about $700 per month. However (here's the good part). we get them FREE from the Community Service Board. Here's a link to the one in our area. http://www.norfolkcsb.org/ I'm not sure where you live, but I'm pretty sure they are found all over the country. My son is MUCH better now...takes his meds and has gone back to work. Thank GOD for the CSB. He has an appointment every month or so with a doctor and gets his meds at that time. Check it out. In fact, they might cover both of you since you don't have insurance.
Wellbutrin/Bupropion
Hit something along the same lines myself earlier this year, when my own Wellbutrin prescription (150 SR's) suddenly ballooned from a $35 copay to $357 for a month's supply. Went straight to my therapist and asked for assistance, and I'm surprised you haven't gotten similar advice from this quarter yet (unless your insurance problems have eliminated your own visits).
Regardless, 300 mg bupropion tablets can be obtained generically. Strangely enough, 150's can't. So if you're on 300 mg/day, you're golden; if you're on the maximum of 450 mg/day, you're not so golden -- you have to take 1 generic 300 and 1 name-brand 150 Wellbutrin, or cut a 300 in half (I'm told that this actually works, by the pharmacist, but check with your own). Regardless, in my case, this cut the monthly cost in half, which may still not be enough for you but should at least be a start until you can find a cheaper source, online or whatever. I don't envy you in that search, however; barring a personal reference (i.e. someone actually obtaining the same med from such a source), it's an absolute zoo out there, when I've searched. It would probably be a good day or two of full-time searching before I could come up with something I was at all confident in.
DrugStore.com is a good
DrugStore.com is a good resource as is http://www.vitabase.com for many health products.
Drugs are the most illogically priced things I know of. It is interesting--my son's asthma med has gone down 95% basically overnight. The power of generics!
Try a friend, or move to Massachusetts
So, in Massachusetts, everyone is eligible (and required) to buy individual insurance if they don't get it from a group. You can't be turned down. But of course, moving the Mass. may not be feasible.
Alternatively, and this is "unethical" in the it breaks the rules, but seems an ethical response to an unjust world: Have a trusted friend/family member with insurance fake depression, get prescribed Wellbutrin, and give you the pills.
Costco has some deals
You can buy online from Costco, http://www.costco.com/Pharmacy/frameset.asp?trg=HCFrame.asp&hcban=Banner...
they also have special prices on some drugs for people who don't have insurance -- http://www.envisionrx.com/pdfs/CMPPDrugList.pdf - the generic for Wellbutrin seems to be on the least.
We lost our drug insurance this year, and this helped us, although it is still way too much money.
Peace be with you,
Tim
Generic or Mexico
I take Wellbutrin as well, and struggle with the same shame about depression. I agree. It's embarrassing, but I do feel much better (whatever that means) if I'm taking the drugs. My insurance company decided a few months ago that they would no longer cover the Wellbutrin XL (extended release), and insisted that I try the generic version or pay an obscene price for the luxury of using the brand name.
So, I reluctantly and begrudgingly switched, but have been pleasantly surprised. The generic "bupropion" has been just fine. So, I suggest you research getting the generic version in bulk (it may be cheaper if you are willing to pay for a few months worth). Or, we live close enough (I live in San Antonio too) to Mexico that if I couldn't find it for a reasonable price, I would drive down to Del Rio or Laredo and get some across the border. As far as I know, that's legal as long as you have a prescription, but don't bank your freedom on my limited knowledge of the law.
I'm sorry for your struggles. I remember when my husband didn't have a job looking around at people in restaurants, and being shocked, sad, and maybe a little envious at their ability to order a glass of tea and not worry about the price. Life was going on for everyone around me, and we were in crisis! I thought each and every day that I would appreciate our blessings when my husband finally found a job, but alas, I'm still the same ol' stinkin' forgetful sinner that I was before. Imagine that!
It makes it worse when your children are involved. I saw how hard it was for my husband. I hope you find an answer.
Reliable Canadian Pharmacy
RLP, I used to work with an incredible pharmacist near Toronto, I know if he can help you he will. He won't rip you off or send you fake pills - email me if you want his contact info.
Post new comment