Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 1094629

Shown: posts 1 to 20 of 20. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Daily volunteering for two weeks

Posted by Lamdage22 on August 25, 2017, at 11:11:56

So i have a job. I have been doing two weeks of two hours a day and next week i will be doing 3 hours.

Saying bye bye to the daycare facility!

 

notify of follow-ups (nm)

Posted by Lamdage22 on August 25, 2017, at 11:13:31

In reply to Daily volunteering for two weeks, posted by Lamdage22 on August 25, 2017, at 11:11:56

 

Re: Daily volunteering for two weeks

Posted by Lamdage22 on August 25, 2017, at 11:34:27

In reply to Daily volunteering for two weeks, posted by Lamdage22 on August 25, 2017, at 11:11:56

I meant to put it on the social board. Can anyone move it?

 

Re: Daily volunteering for two weeks

Posted by linkadge on August 25, 2017, at 12:07:15

In reply to Re: Daily volunteering for two weeks, posted by Lamdage22 on August 25, 2017, at 11:34:27

Great news. I have had 2 months off this summer. The first month was great, but the 2nd month has been slow, borring and not great for my mood.

Linkadge

 

Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by baseball55 on August 27, 2017, at 19:40:34

In reply to Re: Daily volunteering for two weeks, posted by linkadge on August 25, 2017, at 12:07:15

Sorry for this, but when I click on new thread, nothing happens, so I'm just posting this on an existing thread. If someone can tell me how to open a new thread, I'd be grateful.

Anyway: I picked up a scrip for parnate today (90 pills) and was charged $97.50. I called the benefits manager and, it seems my company now has a $100 deductible for medications, which was why paid full price. Sucks, but okay.

My question is - how does a scrip for 90 10mg parnate pills cost $97.50 before insurance? This is like - what - a 50 -60 year old generic drug? How do people even manage without good insurance? When I was told the price (but before I called the insurance company), I realized that I couldn't continue taking this drug if I had to pay almost $100/month, even though parnate is the only anti-depressant that has ever worked consistently for me. I make okay money, but $100/month is still a lot. What about people who make less than me?

It made me sick. Insurance has protected me for years from the reality of drug prices.

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by SLS on August 27, 2017, at 20:17:56

In reply to Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by baseball55 on August 27, 2017, at 19:40:34

> My question is - how does a scrip for 90 10mg parnate pills cost $97.50 before insurance? This is like - what - a 50 -60 year old generic drug? How do people even manage without good insurance? When I was told the price (but before I called the insurance company), I realized that I couldn't continue taking this drug if I had to pay almost $100/month, even though parnate is the only anti-depressant that has ever worked consistently for me. I make okay money, but $100/month is still a lot. What about people who make less than me?
>
> It made me sick. Insurance has protected me for years from the reality of drug prices.


Generic Parnate (tranylcypromine) is very expensive for an older drug. I don't think the original name brand is manufactured anymore. I guess there's no competition.


- Scott

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by linkadge on August 28, 2017, at 15:42:48

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by SLS on August 27, 2017, at 20:17:56

So, I suppose the deductible is not one time....

Not sure what to say.

In Canada, it is a fallacy that we have free health care. I pay 100% out of pocket for all meds. I have zero insurance despite being on the "government payroll".

I just don't take expensive meds. Lithium is cheap, Effexor is cheap. Nortriptyline is the most expensive one I take, so I take it sparingly.

Some good having free doctors visits if you can't afford the treatment.

Linkadge

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by linkadge on August 28, 2017, at 15:43:29

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by SLS on August 27, 2017, at 20:17:56

It may be expensive due to the (low) volume of prescriptions.

Linkadge

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by baseball55 on August 28, 2017, at 18:40:21

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by linkadge on August 28, 2017, at 15:43:29

> It may be expensive due to the (low) volume of prescriptions.
>
> Linkadge
>

But the volume can't be that low if the pharmacy has it on hand all the time and doesn't need to special order it. OTOH, this is Boston. Rest of country, parnate scrips are probably few and far between.

And yes. My daughter lived in Canada for 10 years and there are lots of gaps in that system - drugs, dentistry, slow scheduling of elective surgeries, little long-term care. UK, France, Germany and others are much more comprehensive. Of course, nothing in the US is free. Even Obamacare s**ks. My daughter pays $300/month for a policy with a $7000 deductible, lots of co-pays and a pitiful network of providers. Dental care is not part of any health insurance policy, even the very best employer-based policies.

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by baseball55 on August 28, 2017, at 18:41:15

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by linkadge on August 28, 2017, at 15:43:29

P.S. If someone can move this to a new thread, that would be great. My new thread button doesn't seem to work.

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by linkadge on August 29, 2017, at 9:30:56

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by baseball55 on August 28, 2017, at 18:40:21

>But the volume can't be that low if the pharmacy >has it on hand all the time and doesn't need to >special order it.

Hmm. The willingness for pharmacies to carry infrequently used drugs may be proportional to the margins they can make from the drug.

So, the reason they have it w.o. special order may be because they can charge $100 a month.

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure. I know in Ontario, there are caps on what pharmacies can charge for certain drugs (i.e. most common antidepressants, antibiotics etc.). However, other drugs have no cap.

I remember paying over $50 for 30 x 10mg of generic fluoxetine from a Canadian Wallmart in 2009. Outrageous.

Linkadge

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by linkadge on August 29, 2017, at 9:37:44

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by baseball55 on August 28, 2017, at 18:40:21

I haven't been to the dentist in at least 10 years (sorry for the admission). I also choose medications (and pick them up) based on the cost.

I have zero coverage through work - despite more or less working full time on a government payroll (a situation that an increasing number of jobs face). They, like other employers, get around the costs by hiring you as a permanent "temporary".

I paid $45 for a month of 10mg nortriptyline in Canada. That was the cheapest product they had (Aventyl - not sure if this was an actual generic or not).

The Canadian system is a bit of a farce. Not much good going to the doctor if you have to walk away from the prescription at the pharmacy.


Linkadge

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by baseball55 on August 29, 2017, at 18:14:17

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by linkadge on August 29, 2017, at 9:37:44

The Canadian system is flawed, for sure. But my daughter maintains her residency there, at some inconvenience, so that if she really got sick, she could go back and get good, free care. Friends in Montreal and Toronto have gotten excellent treatment for urgent conditions like cancer, heart disease, infections, fractures, etc. I know that mental health care is awful and drugs not cheap. Finding a therapist is near impossible (same in the UK, by the way).

OTOH, there was a movement several years ago by US seniors to take buses into Canada to fill prescriptions (this was before Medicare - the US public plan for the elderly - added limited drug coverage) because drugs were so much cheaper than in the US. What costs you $45 in Canada might be $200 in the US without insurance.

Studies find that drug companies make most of their profits in the US market where price gouging is completely unregulated. For example, a new treatment for hepatitis C costs $12,000/month for a course of 7 months. The companies don't even try to justify this by claiming high research costs - because other studies find they spend considerably less on research than they do on marketing and their profit rates are 2-3X as high as firms in comparable industries. They just say that it's worth $84,000 to consumers and they will charge what the market will bear.

> I haven't been to the dentist in at least 10 years (sorry for the admission). I also choose medications (and pick them up) based on the cost.
>
> I have zero coverage through work - despite more or less working full time on a government payroll (a situation that an increasing number of jobs face). They, like other employers, get around the costs by hiring you as a permanent "temporary".
>
> I paid $45 for a month of 10mg nortriptyline in Canada. That was the cheapest product they had (Aventyl - not sure if this was an actual generic or not).
>
> The Canadian system is a bit of a farce. Not much good going to the doctor if you have to walk away from the prescription at the pharmacy.
>
>
> Linkadge
>
>

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by baseball55 on August 29, 2017, at 18:25:04

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by linkadge on August 29, 2017, at 9:37:44

One more story about Canada. This may not seem like much to you, but folks in the US will be surprised.

Ten years ago, I was in Toronto and fell down some stairs. I was in such pain, I couldn't move. My friends called an ambulance which arrived in minutes. I went to Toronto General at 8:00PM on a Saturday and was seen within 15 minutes. (The wait in a major hospital in a large US city for a non-critical case on a Saturday evening would be minimum 2-4 hours.)

They did X-rays, found no fractures, but given the degree of pain, decided to do another set of X-rays. No fracture, just severe bruising on my lower back. they sent me back to the hotel with a bottle of pain-killers. On my way out, they approached me and said: "We're very sorry but you're not a Canadian resident and we do have to charge you." I freaked. In the US, this would be a $3000-$5000 bill plus $1000 for the ambulance. "How much do I owe," I asked.
Answer - 325 CAD.
My husband and I laughed out loud.

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by linkadge on August 30, 2017, at 15:59:52

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by baseball55 on August 29, 2017, at 18:14:17

It depends on the drug. When I was paying $50+ for a month of generic fluoxetine in Canada (2009), it was on the US $5 list.

Linkadge

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by linkadge on August 30, 2017, at 16:09:49

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by baseball55 on August 29, 2017, at 18:25:04

A 15min wait is *very* atypical for most Ontario hospitals. I waited 8 hours most recently at Grand River Hospital (Waterloo) to be seen for a bad bout of multi-day insomnia.

Also, the $325 charge does not reflect the true cost of the service.

Clearly, since we are a universal coverage system, (charging cash is not typical), that particular charge is more of a formality (likely not reflective of the true cost).

Also, in many areas, the individual must now pay for hospital parking and also for the ambulance.

Yes, for emergencies, the system is ok. However, as mentioned, when your psych meds cost more a day than a pack of smokes, you wonder why people don't recover.

Linkadge

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by baseball55 on August 30, 2017, at 20:07:26

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by linkadge on August 30, 2017, at 16:09:49

> Also, the $325 charge does not reflect the true cost of the service.
>
> Clearly, since we are a universal coverage system, (charging cash is not typical), that particular charge is more of a formality (likely not reflective of the true cost).
>
I'm sure it doesn't reflect the cost at all because the hospitals never really have to cost out individual services in a universal payer system. But the prices of ER care (or any care, for that matter) in the US also doesn't reflect costs, unless we define costs to include exorbitant profits for for-profit hospitals, insurance and drug companies, ridiculously high salaries for many specialists and administrators and huge surpluses for "non-profit" hospitals. In the US, a breakdown of costs for treatment might include $500 for a liter of saline solution, $45 for gauze bandages, and on and on. These are the "base prices." Insurers will bargain them down. But those without insurance will be charged the base rates, making medical bills the second most common reason (after losing a job) for bankruptcy filings.
>

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by linkadge on August 31, 2017, at 9:24:55

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by baseball55 on August 30, 2017, at 20:07:26

Hey,

I won't argue too much - I'm a 'pro-business' conservative, we've had discussions before :)

However, to the extent that for-profit hospitals are making too much money, competition is encouraged to provide services for less.

In Canada, new services only open up to the extent that the government is willing to pay for them. It is impossible for a for-profit hospital to open up in a region where the competition is free.

Also, while there may not be as much profit in our system per-se, profit is only one part of the total cost. Waste is the bigger cost in a system where ER care is free.

Painful hangnail? Let's go to the ER.

Linkadge

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by Lamdage22 on August 31, 2017, at 10:31:39

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by linkadge on August 31, 2017, at 9:24:55

liberal in Germany is pro-business. Its funny how i am liberal here but not in the US. Liberal means businesses have freedom (and people, too).

 

Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices

Posted by baseball55 on September 1, 2017, at 19:12:21

In reply to Re: Sorry - new thread actually-drug prices, posted by linkadge on August 31, 2017, at 9:24:55


Yeah. Let's not get into this again.
> Hey,
>
> I won't argue too much - I'm a 'pro-business' conservative, we've had discussions before :)
>
> However, to the extent that for-profit hospitals are making too much money, competition is encouraged to provide services for less.
>
> In Canada, new services only open up to the extent that the government is willing to pay for them. It is impossible for a for-profit hospital to open up in a region where the competition is free.
>
> Also, while there may not be as much profit in our system per-se, profit is only one part of the total cost. Waste is the bigger cost in a system where ER care is free.
>
> Painful hangnail? Let's go to the ER.
>
> Linkadge
>
>
>
>
>
>


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