60 pills for $225 or 15 pills for $15 – my day at the pharmacy

[underpants]

So I have been suffering from a gout attack off and on for the last month or so.

Finally I went to my doctor to get some colchicine (made from meadow saffron – centuries old) and got that and two other prescriptions updated.

I go to CVS – our plan switched from Walgreens in January.
Pharmacist: “Okay one of the drugs is really expensive. $225”
Me (coughing up): “What? The gout medicine” I REALLY need that medicine.
Pharmacist: “Yeah they let the generitic brand lapse a year or so ago so it is all brand name now”
Me: “Let me call my wife”. No answer.
Working in the pharmaceutical industry I knew to complete the equation… “What is the quantity?” Pharmacist “60” Me: “How about….” She starting checking without me even finishing the sentence.
Pharmacist: “Let me see…..okay 15 pills are $15”
Me: “$50?”
Pharmacist: “No $15…..30 pills will be $50”
Me: “Can I refill on the same prescriptions?”
Pharmacist: “Oh yeah you can refill up to 60 and then you have two more refills”
Me: “Let me have the 15”

Pharmacists are a great part of the health industry that people forget. I call them daily and they know the patients by name, work on their behalf, and will even get samples until payment arrangements can be made. Local Mom’n’Pop stores go way out of their way to make sure the patients get what they need but they all really are an underappreciated part of the healthcare system.

[DeSwiss]

1. Drink Black Cherry Juice.....

Black Cherry Juice
What You Need to Know About Black Cherry Juice
By Cathy Wong, About.com Guide
Updated March 12, 2012

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Black cherry juice is a type of juice typically used to treat health conditions like gout and arthritis. Extracted from the Prunus serotina plant, black cherry juice is rich in antioxidants, including anthocyanins.

MORE

- K&R

[BrotherIvan]

4. Gout patients do extremely well with potassium supplementation

NuSalt is potassium and very cheap. 1/4 t for two weeks and then a smidge a day cured my mother of gout in her right leg and got her off the medication. We had to try something because the side effects were so awful. I know it's anecdotal, but it's always worth a shot and can't hurt. Pills and food don't supply enough if you have gout. Just putting the info out there.

And yes, drug prices are robbery.

[DeSwiss]

5. Glad you found something that works well.

I've never tried the pills because over the years plain 'ol cherry juice has always worked for me. It helps with my arthritis too!

[underpants]

8. I have been in massive amounts

and my brother gave me that tip a while again. I do my daily ....grimace ... down it... grimace routine every morning. I hadn't had a real flare up in a long time. We will see what the test results say about me needing regular treatment instead of just reacting to flare ups.

Gotta go take my juice hit for the morning.

[mike_c]

2. you got a great price....

The "new" colchicine is typically about $5 a pill. On the other hand, the dose is lower, usually two pills, then another an hour later, repeatable in 24 hours. The old dose was take two, then take another every 12 hrs until you couldn't stand the intestinal distress, and hopefully the flare up was over by then. It usually was. On the other, other hand, the kinder gentler lower new dose is never sufficient when my gout flares up, so I usually need two or three courses anyway.

It's a shame what they did with colchicine. The company that jacked up the price got a sweetheart exclusive deal from the FDA, which they then paid back to the FDA in licensing fees.

[underpants]

7. The pharmacist and I laughed about it

she agreed that it didn't make any sense. As you probably know when you are in that much pain you simply aren't thinking straight. Luckily I had some experience and the pharmacist went out of her way to help me out.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. 1.00 a pill up to 15

unless you want 30 then it is twice as much??????????

So I assume you can buy them 15 at a time, right?

Our local pharmacy competes nicely with the local Wal-Mart, so i can get 90 days @10.00 prices for my ...thankfully generic...meds.


Sadly, a neighbor of 80 some years insists on dutifully buying her meds at Wal-greens for a much higher price, because
" I have insurance and they pay for it"
without it sinking in that her monthly premiums are almost the cost of the meds she buys.

[underpants]

6. Yeah I got the 15

that alone should be enough for one flare up - 95% of the pain is gone as of this morning - and I will get another refill just to have it on hand.

[tartan2]

9. I work in a mental health agency

and the Pharmacist who works with us and our patients ROCKS! She will do everything she can to help keep the cost for medication down for our patients.

[pangaia]

10. I'm a bit confused...

Why is it the more pills you buy the more expensive. it should be the other way around.

maybe if you had bought just one pill it would have been 10 cents...then get a refill. 10 cents. etc.. :&gt

Weird...

[underpants]

11. I don't get it either

but hey thanks to the pharmacist I have $210 more than I would have.

[pangaia]

12. So glad for you..