The prescription medication adventure continues!

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Katie H

Site Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 11, 2006
Messages
16,680
Location
I live in the Heartland of the United States
And so it continues...

Today I took my medication bottle and visited all five of my area pharmacies to try to get a bead on what this medication will cost me since I hit a dead end via the Internet.

What an education!!!

In addition to my region's mom-and-pop drug retailers, I also stopped at nationally recognized chain stores. Walgreen's was a huge disappointment in that they gave me an extremely hard time and nearly refused to give me any kind of dollar figure. After being tenacious, they finally quoted a figure of $449.00 for a 90-day fill. If I wanted to pay an annual fee, the cost would be a bit lower. Sheesh!

CVS, Rite-Aid, Wal-Mart and Kroger were very helpful and didn't hesitate to aid me in my quest. The prices quoted from them ranged from $80.00 to $340.00, again for a 90-day supply.

The surprise was the only mom-and-pop pharmacy...$45.00 for 90 tablets!!!! What?!

All the pharmacies I've listed are essentially the only ones available to us within a 75-mile radius, so my research has gone as far as I can take it. The only one I haven't checked yet is Sam's which is a bit of a distance and a place I don't go to very often, but I'll compare their price just to complete my search. As it turns out, I'll be near them tomorrow.

Hmmm? Guess where I'll do my business? I have a feeling it will be the nice mom-and-pop store.
 
Not to be a downer, but was the mom-n-pop place giving you the commercially manufactured medication or a compounded one (i.e. one they make themselves)? Just be sure what you are getting since there is such a price difference.
 
Not to be a downer, but was the mom-n-pop place giving you the commercially manufactured medication or a compounded one (i.e. one they make themselves)? Just be sure what you are getting since there is such a price difference.

No, not compounded by them. I watched as the pharmacist took the bottle off the shelf to check it to be certain it was the medication I needed. It was the real deal. Good point, though, because there are those that do compound medications.
 
Katie, when I lived in Everett, we had a small local Prescription Shoppe (their spelling). They held on through the Walgreen's, Brooks, and two other chain pharmacies. When the chain stores came to town, a lot of the local folk stayed with the small Shoppe. And a lot of folks changed over to them when chain after chain kept changing hands. When one chain closed, all their scripts went to another branch in a town two cities away. As a result, that little Shoppe today is thriving and healthy. Only one chain remains in Everett today. :angel:
 
I tried the application I found on Needy Meds. It was the site for Phizer, the maker of Relpax.
We could not meet the income limits. Otherwise it would have been free.

Katie. Have you tried Needy Meds web site?

The mom and pop shops price is the same as Relpax's co-pay before they removed it from the formulary.
Looks like you found the right place!

I am going to do the same. Shop it!
 
Last edited:
No, not compounded by them. I watched as the pharmacist took the bottle off the shelf to check it to be certain it was the medication I needed. It was the real deal. Good point, though, because there are those that do compound medications.

Do you know where the drugs were manufactured? Would the Mom/Pop people show you the bottle?
 
Thanks all. Yes, the mom-and-pop pharmacy has the legit med. My visit to Sam's today was a joke. Their price was $279.00. Ha! Ha!

Went to Needy Meds and learned that my drug is not part of their program. Thanks for the lead.

And the beat goes on.....
 
Isn't it ridiculous that you have to do this? I'm just shaking my head.
 
Isn't it ridiculous that you have to do this? I'm just shaking my head.

Yes, Dawg, it is totally ridiculous. Just because I became 65-years-old.

I'm just thankful that I am healthy and don't have to rely on many, many medications to maintain my quality of life.

It's beginning to pxxx me off, if you understand my French. I've gone beyond the head-scratching stage, now I'm getting angry.
 
I was so grateful when Shrek turned 65 and I could take him off my work insurance (an extra $350 a month) and got Medicare...however, with the "donut hole" and out of pocket expenses of his Parts B & D, I'm really not sure I am saving any money.
 
I'm glad I live in Quebec. If you are covered by Quebec medicare (basically all permanent residents), you have to be covered for drug insurance. If you are eligible through work or a professional association, you have to sign up for that. If you aren't eligible, you get the government insurance which is, for 2014, a maximum of $607/year based on income. It gets paid along with QC income tax and that's where the calculation is done.

Generally, the drug portion of the premium for group insurance is similar to what one would pay for the gov't insurance. Might be a bit more if it has a lower co-pay.
 
I was always glad that my mother married my dad but reading all your health trials and tribulations I am SO glad she didn't marry the American RAF pilot she dated before she met Dad!

Good ol' National Health Service!
 
Last edited:
I love my pharmacy! It's a local family run shop. Father-daughter run for several years. Dad recently retired but daughter took over. Know them by first names. Always ask about us when we go in.
 
Back
Top Bottom