the pharmacy worker said "140 dollars for one month." The poor man said, "but it usually costs $40." WTF is going on??? Dem's jump on this crisis and fix it. We need you. Real people are suffering !!!!

That means elected Democrats CAN'T fix it. Yet.

Guessing some of those people with their heads up their asses, who didn't see the connection between their drug refills and their votes or not-votes, are now hoping to find medication refills there.

On the plus side, Miigwech, our house Democrats are beginning formal work on drug price legislation. At least WE belatedly did that right. Of course, the Republicans are also already at work to make sure nothing comes of it while they have the senate and WH.

But on November 3, 2020, "only" 609 days away, WE will have another chance to do OUR job right. Stay well until then.

.... dumped on you door step by big pharma.

Like you said their intent is to wring every last dime out of our wallets.

It's obscene what the drug companies have done. Insulin was discovered a hundred years ago and it's always been affordable . . . until now. It's a drug I think the government should produce and dispense for nothing. People are dying because they can't afford it.

companies. The drugs can come from various countries, but the companies work out of Canada. I was able to get a $500 long acting inhaler (one month supply) for $150, rescue inhalers for as low as $14 (they retail here for $65-$75), and another long acting inhaler that sells for $385 in the U.S. for about $30. The last medication has been around for many years and has not changed in anyway. A little over ten years ago I paid less than $20 for it.

There appears to be no apparent reason for these drastic price increases that repeatedly occur overnight, aside from greed. Needless to say, I would not have been able to afford some of the medications if I hadn't found them overseas. I researched Medicare Part D insurance plans, but with the premiums, deductibles, and co-pays, it still would have been much more expensive than going through Canada.

People are literally dying and it is getting worse every day.

or how can i try and utilize this?

help is appreciated

thanks

is called Global Pharmacy Plus. Their prices were very reasonable, but they were a bit flaky to deal with. I ordered from them twice.

The other one is called Canada Pharmacy. Their prices are a little higher, but they seem more organized and professional.

The medications do take a long time to arrive. The ones I've received were shipped from England and Germany.

Both of them carry the medications that I use, but not all prescription drugs are available. Payment through Global Pharmacy was by either Mastercard (which I don't have) or personal check. Canada Pharmacy is by check, but they take the info over the phone when they verify your order.

Check out their sites and see what you think. Meanwhile, there are probably others out there. I came across the first one on a message board. At the time I had no idea that you could do this legally. It has made a big difference in my life.

If you have any more questions, feel free to send me a message!

i'm going to check this out!

It was a little more complicated than I'm used to, but in the end it was worth and I was able to stock up on inhalers.

If you have any further questions, feel free to send me a message.

I'm only a half hour drive from Canada, but sometimes it takes longer than half an hour just to get through the customs/immigration lines, in each direction.

Like I said, it does takes weeks to get the medication, so its not good for immediate needs, but I've been able to stock up on several drugs without going broke.

on young patients who would otherwise have died, finally discovered insulin and how it could work best.

They sold their patent to Connaught Laboratories (at U of Toronto) for just $1.

They could never, EVER have imagined what is happening in the US today.

I'm glad that some of you are able to purchase your drugs through Canadian companies.

They only wanted to save lives, not get rich. We have sunk so low in this country, everything seems to be about money.

insulin from? Thanks.

Greatest freaking country in the world. Sure.

its saddening and haunts me to this day. But that one case is not a tragedy. The tragedy is that this happens so often in our country.
https://beyondtype1.org/people-are-dying-from-insulin-rationing/
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/09/01/641615877/insulins-high-cost-leads-to-lethal-rationing
https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/ezwwze/the-high-price-of-insulin-is-literally-killing-people

https://www.news4jax.com/health/insulin-crisis-skyrocketing-prices
A diabetic himself, Hirsch has studied insulin prices for decades. He said Humalog went from $24 a vial when it came out in 1996 to $300 full retail now. People can get Humalog in Canada for $32 Canadian.

... my sister-in-law's son from a former marriage is having to ration his insulin right now, hoping to get in their local county program that will help him (the wait list is 3-6 months long). She hopes he makes it.

... Trulicity will only pay up to $150 per month. But thank you for the info.

Some pharms offer co-pay assistance and there are some co-pay assistance foundations that might be able to help.

Yes. I am considering adding Medicare and Medicare Part D (I am eligible), to see if I can get the prescription drug costs down. Of course, that means more premiums. Number crunching appears to be in my very near future.

and didn't add Part D or an Advantage Plan, keep in mind you will be penalized for delaying that. Unpleasant news, alas.

But yeah, you should be on them at the earliest possible date.

as opposed to candidates who push half solutions for people "over 50". What are the 32 year old Trulicity users supposed to do? Who has enough disposable income to afford $1600 for 90 days?

As the parent of a type 1 diabetic son you have my heart felt sympathy. We are scared. He was unable to afford his prescribed insulin and luckily, he was able to try the Relion brand Walmart sells and it is working so far. If that source dries up and we still don't have a solution from our government I don't know what we are going to do. The only candidate I have heard mention insulin cost so far is Amy Klobachar. She was on TV tonight, talking about how she supports improving the ACA and lowering drug costs and specifically insulin. I now support her.

Good luck with your search for a solution.

I have no insurance, I fell into the void left by the red states not taking the medicare expansion. If it wasn't for free samples I would be untreated
The jardiance they have me on is $17.50 per pill, my spiriva inhaler is close to $20 per 1.25 microgram puff, making it the most expensive anything I have ever consumed

Those are some high priced meds for sure. I hope you can find some resources soon.

even try inexpensive pills like Metformin first? If not, I would call him up and ask to try it. I believe that Costco/Walmart sells Metformin for about $10 a month.

..??..

Write your congressmember, both of your senators and all of the candidates for President.

That is really outrageous.

I hope they hear you!

It's a fucking joke too.

My work's insurance used to be really good. They used to take care of their people. But it's been getting worse every year since they switched over to this company.

My meds are costing me more and more. I get Botox for daily migraines and that is $13,000 a year alone. I have a ton of other meds and the costs of my insur and meds are keeping me from being able to spend money on frivolous things like utilities, food, clothes, transportation, etc. If I could get the Botox injections in Mexico I would do it. The only thing I know of that will stop this ridiculous situation is dying, which I will within a few years. Presto, no more burdens of medical bills and having to choose between my health and eating. I am sure the greedy GOP and Big Pharm lobbyists are very happy I will die...one less Dem polluting the country with our socialist agenda.

... my nephew gets Botox injections for his migraines for post-concussive syndrome from his time in Iraq. Fortunately (I can't believe I am saying this), he is disabled vet and gets his treatment from the VA at no cost.

I opted to try daily CBD drops....those have been a life saver at a fraction of the cost. The THC level is .03% and legal here in my state. My neurologist has said from day one she would write me a script for cannabis without hesitation if it was legal here. Her studies have proven its affectiveness. My son gets frequent migraines as well (and has since he was in 6th grade) and has also had great results with CBD. Unfortunately my 9 year old grandson has had a few but he's too young for the CBD. It's definitely a genetic "family thing"....and they suck days from our lives.

I hate it when people state "I have a migraine" but are up and about....no, you have a headache. If you had a migraine you would be in bed in the dark, desiring nothing but quiet.

If you don't GET migraines, you don't GET migraines.....

Enough people doubt migraine sufferers without this: ""I have a migraine" but are up and about....no, you have a headache. If you had a migraine you would be in bed in the dark, desiring nothing but quiet." adding to it. Believe me, there have been times when I needed to be in a dark room but I had no choice.

even a dark room only helps slightly. It takes about 9 months for the Botox to really kick in but any relief was greatly appreciated.

I was ready to jump off a bridge they were so bad. I was vomitting, could see under my skin, hallucinated, my sense of smell and taste disappeared, etc. Botox saved me.

Everyone is different and not every "cure" works....

Barometric pressure changes are my biggest triggers, what are yours?

She told me it can be humidity. Also, ANYTHING out of the ordinary can do it. When I had one for almost two weeks (even with Botox) I told my doctor and she said that my fever probably caused that one. I had an infection that made me sick and then got the migraine on top of it...it was Hell. She said any change in hormones can be a trigger too. That is one reason why women get more of them. I always thought it was too much testosterone in the room that caused headaches (ha ha).

Smells are a big trigger, can't go near a Bath and Bodyworks, or tolerate many perfumes. Also flashing lights such as strobes aren't tolerated. I can't control barometric pressure so that's my biggest challenge. Lack of sleep, delayed stress or stress in general can also produce one....my longest was also 2 weeks, pure hell! The nausea is a side effect as well...strangely yogurt settles my stomach...

We are dealing with an invisible disease which is finally being acknowledged as such....a disease.

I didn't start to get them until about 4 years ago when I was 52. My dad stopped getting them when he was that age. Food (choc., red wine, cold beverages) were his triggers.

Suffered from chronic migraines for over 25 years. Nothing worked, not even Botox. Now I give myself a shot in each leg (painless auto injectors) once a month. Aimovig has massive discount programs through their site. I pay a total of $5 a month. Now it's a bad month if I have even a couple migraines and even those are not close to as bad as I used to get.

Also, I would take it with the Botox, not instead of. And the price was almost as high as the Botox. I wonder why your stuff is so cheap. You must have better insurance.

Have Blue Cross COBRA. Without the Aimovig co-pay program it would cost me $150. With the
co-pay it's $5. Aimovig also has a program for non-insured although I'm not sure of its details.

the most from her patients...muscle aches.

I know different things work for different people, but I had tried everything with no relief....until now. I also saw an ad recently for another drug like Aimovig..... Started with an E.

everything else pales in comparison...pain-wise. I used to watch videos of natural childbirth since it made me feel better (misery loves company I guess). The 32 injections into my scalp are a picnic compared to the pain I had experienced.

If you've never had one you just can't imagine it. I use to get the whole lose eyesight, throw up, assume the fetal position in a pitch black room brand of migraines. My biggest trigger was florescent lights...... which totally sucked because I was a trial attorney and all the courtrooms were completely fluorescent. I remember turning to a client during a trial and asking him if I had blood coming out of my eyes because it hurt so fucking bad.

I still have days where I wake up and lay there thinking something's not right... then I realize it's just that my head doesn't hurt.

My aunt would go to the doctors office once a month to pick up prescriptions. Then she would take them to the chemists (as they call drug stores in England). Then she would walk out with two shopping bags full of medication for my grandfather. He had an awful lot of medications for a bad heart, and had to have a nebulizer for his emphysema. Eventually he was put on oxygen.

At no time did any ££££s get exchanged between my aunt and the doctor, and nothing between my aunt and the chemists. Had my grandfather been under 65 and working he would have about a $10 copay per medication, or he could pay for a year certificate for meds ... around $150 a year. Had he been living in Scotland or Wales he wouldn't pay anything for medication at all.

America has the best healthcare that money can buy. The UK has great healthcare in a creaky underfunded system that still delivers better results than America on average.... and still manages to do this with being mostly free at the point of service.

America needs a radical overhaul of its medical system. Doctors should not be saddled with horrendous debt for going through med school. Hospitals should never be for profit. There needs to be drug price control, and the threat of nationalizing big pharma if it doesn't comply.

You are now officially in "it is worth the airfare" territory.

Drug companies practice a lovely policy called "differential pricing," by which they determine that a fair price in Mexico is much lower than a fair price in the much wealthier USA, and price accordingly. This makes for dramatic price differences even for recently patented drugs like Trulicity. Back in the 1990's, not long after the "three month supply of anything" rule had been created (and which still applies), we visited Mexico and just offhandedly decided to bring back 3 months of her birth control pills since, hey, it's legal to do that.

Price in the US: $40 per month. Price in Mexico: $2.50 per month.

Exact same pills made by the exact same company in the exact same packaging, just with Spanish instead of English labeling. If you are closer to Canada they are also an option, although the price differential is not quite as obscene. From New Orleans, in 2003 I flew to San Diego and took the Blue Line Trolley to the border to get what would have been $40K worth of dental work done for $8K. And I would do it again in a heartbeat in a situation like yours.

I have been researching Trulicity costs outside the US. Canada is a little better. Instead of $700-800 (no insurance cash price) per month, it is about $385. I don't know about other countries ... Googling like a madwoman.

I have friends in Canada with whom I have a standing invitation ... might be a worthwhile road trip. I have many friend who have availed themselves of both Canadian and Mexican pharmacies and services. One who went to India for surgery. It is just freaking sad in this day and age what is going on with healthcare in this country.

Our tax dollars are already paying for the R&D on medications and we're getting gouged by virtually unregulated big pharma. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Rep. Jayapal's bill.

Hi rustysgurl,

I would like you to try going balls to the wall with Eli Lilly, the marvelous company that makes Trulicity. I would like you to call their Trulicity number tel:1-844-878-4636 9am to 8 pm Eastern time and very very firmly explain to them that you cannot afford the exorbitant price of their medication and their “discount” card is not helping enough. Explain to them that you noticed how they spent $713 million in advertising in 2017 alone. Also mention how you noticed all the CEOs of the big Pharma companies were up on Capitol Hill testifying about high drug prices. Mention how drug prices are going to be the major issue of the next Presidential campaign and you will personally go to every candidate forum you can and tell your story about Trulicity. Mention that perhaps if direct to consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals became illegal again like it is in virtually every other country they could spend that almost billion dollar advertising budget lowering drug prices. You and your friends will lobby for that as well. I think we can all get behind banishing boner pill ads from TV during the games we watch. Also tell them that you are going to talk to your doctor about the fact that patients simply can’t afford Trulicity and he/she really shouldn’t prescribe it anymore. Tell them all this calmly and firmly. Tell them you will write letters to the editor of the Wall Street journal, New York Times and Washington Post and you will post on every diabetes message board and website you can find and you are going to organize an angry mob of diabetics and the people who care about them and you are going to demand action like those MSD kids did. Then ask them what their compassionate coverage plan is for people who cannot afford Trulicity and if they would be interested in helping you. You might not be quite as mad if they would help you get your medication for little to no cost. Sorry for the rant.

Good info. I'd like to see someone use an attack like that. Can't hurt.

Pharma extracts from you (us) to buy more favorable government for them.

We need to fix this mess.

Essentially, drug makers are not allowed to offer an incentive to buy a certain product that is that paid by government insurance, so the end result is that manufacturer coupons cannot be used with Medicare part D.

so why is Medicare won't buy oxy concentrators and only rents them at high prices?

asking for a friend.

know we have our problems with the Health Service here in Ireland, but anyone who has a long term illness (and I'm told that diabetes, CF etc qualify under this scheme), is entitled to free prescription drugs. There is no means test for this either. The only time the Health Service Executive baulks at certain drugs, is if the individual cost for the drug over a year is 100K+.

People should be angry with pharma companies in the US. Best of luck.

You spent up to a certain amount the prices went up. My mom had a prescription I needed to fill it was $15 usually when I went to get a refill it was $1600. I almost passed out in the pharmacy over sticker shock. Luckily my mom had enough money at the time to cover the cost. I'm glad it was me who paid and filled it otherwise my mom would died from a stroke if she had to pay at that moment. Being a child of the depression she was careful with her money. Buy what you can afford or save up for it.

My prescription benefit runs out about May, not because I am sickly, but because a couple of my meds cost more that $400.

That's one thing they'll have to change if we go to Medicare for all.

but the new House bill doesn't mean just adding everyone onto Medicare; it will expand coverage.

When we came here we planned to go back if we ever needed affordable health care for something serious.

Rather than go bankrupt even if we had "decent coverage".

Its a shameful situation that medical care is exploited for the benefit of a few.

Those plans include Rx and medical services for the deductible BUT most have a preventive drug list (PDL) that waives the deductible for "preventive drugs" as defined by the government. Diabetic medications are one of the class of drugs included on the PDL so you would only pay the co-pay or coinsurance that applies. Another feature is that your medications will be paid at 100% if you spend enough to get to the maximum out of pocket amount with this plan design. These HDHSA plans are quite common now unfortunately.

Works for my situation. Yours is more complicated.

It dropped the price from $1,600 to $1,100 a month ... still too expensive.

as ratings, etc.

... unfortunately Trulicity isn't even listed on their site. Apparently it is expensive EVERYWHERE ... lol.

Or look up the ingredients to try and match. Many brands are rebranded in other countries - same product.

Not sure what the replacement may be but this site has good prices for most prescriptions

https://www.northwestpharmacy.com :you can go there and check prices without logging in

We get some from them and they beat the hell out of prices here..Advair (we use a generic) here is 500 month get 2 months supply of the generic for 108... Main thing to remember is time from order to delivery can take 3 or 4 weeks but as long as you keep on top of it it works fine

For Type 2 diabetes there is a cure. Eating right. It's as easy and as hard as that.

Sure would look into it if I had to pay $1600 ... or even $275.

I have a very healthy diet. I control my intake of carbs and sugar, eat lots of vegetables and lean meats. I exercise daily. Unfortunately, diabetes runs in my family, and simply eating a healthier diet is NOT going to make my pancreas secrete insulin the way it should to the point I won't need medication. I am fortunate in that my pancreas makes insulin at all, else I be insulin-dependent.

Not everyone's situation is the same. Not all diabetics are stuffing candy bars in their faces or swilling 2-liter bottles of pop. Some of us do the right thing and still draw the short straw. Over generalization is NEVER a good thing.

There is no question about it, scientifically or otherwise.

People don't like to hear that because they want to keep popping their pills so they can eat like they always have.

Look up WFPB. (It's not the sugar that's getting you, it's the fat.)

... can go into remission, but it's not 'curable'. So again, be careful with the words you use.

I do not appreciate you backhandedly lumping me into whatever group you have pictured in your mind, eating mass quantities of sugar, carbs and fat. I'd list all the things I have done to reduce my A1C, but I don't have to justify myself to a keyboard.

The post was about the high cost of prescription drugs, which is a fact. You hijacked it and made it about my lifestyle. Your vegetarian proselytizing is not appreciated. And before you go off on that, I have lots of vegan/veggie friends. The difference here is they are nice -- you're not.

My posts have been to educate, not vilify. You are internalizing what I've said when my only interest is in telling you the FACT that diabetes is 100% CURABLE through diet. (Btw, there is no such thing as "remission." One is either diabetic or isn't. You can debate opinions but not scientific fact.)

You have two choices: 1) learn and educate yourself about curing diabetes through diet and pay $0 to your drug store, or 2) continue to eat as BigPharma would like you to so that you have to keep paying them hundreds of dollars.

Believe me, my husband was equally skeptical. He's a 15-yr Type II. I often told him about changing to a wfpb diet, which I had been eating for years. He was quite content with his normal diet and pill popping. Until his dr told him there was protein in his urine and he was going to refer him to a kidney specialist. All of a sudden "my" way of eating didn't look so bad. He joined me finally last February. Now 50 lbs. lighter, he's off all meds and has lowered his A1C to the 7's from the 10's and up. Still has a ways to go but he's working on it. Best thing is his last appt. there was no protein and the dr told him to keep doing whatever he's doing.

There's all kinds of info available online about it. Check it out. If you'd like me to give you some good links just let me know. You don't have to be a prisoner of the medical establishment.

He wasn’t diabetic, but at one point, he had so much protein in his urine that his doctor didn’t think he would live more than twenty years. Then, six years ago, we went vegan for the animals. At the time, we didn’t know about the health benefits. But our cholesterol went down, and my husband no longer has any protein in his urine! We’re not even low-fat vegan. We eat mostly whole foods, along with some processed vegan foods, and the occasional high-olive-oil Mediterranean dish.

I am so happy to hear about you and your husband. No one should have to suffer from these first-world diseases.

More people would switch their diet if they knew how easy it is. People think they’ll never be able to eat anything tasty again, but in fact, one’s taste buds regenerate every ten days or so. When you lower your saturated fat intake, vegetables suddenly taste a lot better, and you simply don’t feel like eating meat any more.

Wonderful to hear about your hubby. Thank goodness there is a way for us to heal ourselves through eating right.

I understand why people are skeptical. Ten years ago I wouldn't have believed something so simple can do such wonders. It's a shame it's not mainstream information but I feel the tide turning every year. Kaiser Hospital has recently added wfpb to their patient meal choices -- wooohoo!

You’re reading much more into her posts than is actually there. She’s not saying you’re responsible for your diabetes; she’s saying there is information out there that could not only save you money but could save your life. It’s not your fault that you’re not aware of this; multiple industries in the U.S. that have much more power than they should are doing their best to keep this information from the public, and they’re succeeding.

Please take a look at this article:
https://nutritionfacts.org/2018/09/20/how-to-reverse-type-2-diabetes/
and watch this video:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-reversal-is-it-the-calories-or-the-food/

if it would be cheaper for you to fly to someplace like Canada to get your medicine.

My brother and his wife live not too far from Mexico and get dental care and other types of care there.

We’re almost there already, gauging the current signs:

-The skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs
-Private insurance premiums increasing, while simultaneously reducing benefits
-Quality physicians migrating to “concierge” practices, with an annual out-of-pocket fee of $5,000 or more
-Emergency rooms overcrowded with people who can’t even afford treatment for the flu
-More front-line primary-care docs with MD degrees cranked out from Caribbean medical schools

Something has to CHANGE.

they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

Ebenezer Scrooge